Master of Nine Stars

Si Huan Nian glanced impatiently at the clock on the wall, her long-standing biological clock quietly wreaking havoc.

She was sleepy.

"YAWN..." Si Huan Nian yawned and looked helplessly at the limp form of Rong Taotao on the bed. Finally, she couldn’t resist any longer. She mobilized all her Soul Power, sending it surging in his direction.

"Ngh..." Rong Taotao’s breath hitched. The dense Soul Power was so overwhelming he could barely breathe. In less than a minute, his eyes flew open and his body began to tremble violently.

A pleased look appeared on Si Huan Nian’s face. True, she was tired and wanted to go to bed, but she had also acted out of another concern: not all Soul Martial Artists managed to successfully advance!

Examples of failed advancements were everywhere. Some Soul Martial Artists even had to attempt a breakthrough five or six times before they could advance to the Soul Captain stage...

Of course, at least those people eventually broke through. There was a whole host of others who failed countless times and were ultimately stuck at the Peak of Soul Warrior, unable to improve for the rest of their lives. In comparison, being able to break through at all was considered a blessing.

Failing to break through multiple times was a common occurrence in the Soul Martial World, but that was a situation typically faced by ordinary Soul Martial Artists. Top-tier geniuses, like the students in the Soul Class, usually succeeded on their first attempt.

But there was a limit to how long one could store energy. ’You’ve been gathering power for a whole day with no reaction,’ she thought. ’Are you trying to hold it in until you pop?’

Seeing Rong Taotao react, Si Huan Nian couldn’t help but up the "dosage." A dense wave of ice-and-snow attribute Soul Power, vast and overwhelming, flooded into Rong Taotao’s body.

As she continued to channel her power, Si Huan Nian sensed that something was wrong!

Rong Taotao’s body was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

’This isn’t normal!’

’Is the Lotus Petal acting up?’

Si Huan Nian was already a Soul Captain when she acquired her Lotus Petal, but she had indeed gone through some major difficulties when she later advanced to the Soul School rank.

At this thought, Si Huan Nian continued pouring Soul Power into Rong Taotao as she walked to the coffee table, snatched up her phone, and hastily made a call.

In less than twenty seconds, Yang Chunxi stormed in. Without a word, she began pouring her own dense stream of ice-and-snow attribute Soul Power into Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao absorbed all the Soul Power, but the unavoidable side effect—the external manifestation of frost and snow—had transformed the office into an icehouse.

Then, Si Huan Nian snatched up the phone again.

’At a time like this, who could get here the fastest?’

The answer... Dong Dongdong of the Pine Soul Four Seasons—Winter—from the school hospital!

"BAM!" The door was thrown open. Dong Dongdong, dressed in a white lab coat, had already sensed the massive energy fluctuations as he entered the Martial Arts Hall and realized the situation was dire.

Having just burst through the door, he urgently asked, "Who’s injured? What’s the injury?"

Si Huan Nian, with one hand aimed at Rong Taotao to channel Soul Power, said, "No one’s injured. Quick, give him some Soul Power."

Dong Dongdong: ???

He really had the worst luck. He was on call 24/7, ready to go at a moment’s notice, because he was a doctor. His job was to treat the sick and save lives.

Dong Dongdong never imagined that he’d get a call at ten o’clock at night, rush to the scene in thirty seconds, and find that there was no patient—only a moron...

Finally, under the combined efforts of Chunxi, Dongdong, and Sugar, Rong Taotao blew up!

"WHOOM..."

Waves of energy billowed outward, flipping over the tables and chairs in the room. A computer, books, and snacks were sent scattering across the floor. The force even shoved the three teachers back several steps.

"HUFF... HUFF..." Amid the swirling frost, Rong Taotao lay on the collapsed bed, staring up at the ice-covered ceiling and gasping for breath.

Si Huan Nian waved a hand to clear the frost from her face. Staring at the chaotic mess of a room, she couldn’t help but run a frustrated hand through her hair.

’I just wanted to go to bed on time. Was that so much to ask?’

’This kid’s doing it on purpose, isn’t he?’

’Yes! He must be!’

The more Si Huan Nian thought about it, the angrier she became. She took a long stride forward, only to stop abruptly.

Yang Chunxi had grabbed her arm, quickly pulling her back.

The three teachers retreated further and further away. On the collapsed, frost-covered bed, Rong Taotao still lay on his back, his chest heaving violently.

A turquoise butterfly had landed on the tip of his nose, and it was now gently fluttering its wings.

A terrifying aura began to spread, filling the entire Martial Arts Hall.

Dong Dongdong silently pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. ’Well now,’ he thought, ’so Coach Si was just planning for a rainy day?’

He shuffled cautiously toward the doorway and said, "If any of you get hurt, just come find me. I’ll be waiting outside the door."

Si Huan Nian shot Dong Dongdong an irritated glare before turning her attention back to Rong Taotao. "Taotao?"

"Huh?" Rong Taotao responded dazedly. He was cross-eyed, staring at the V-shaped Lotus Petal resting on the tip of his nose.

Yang Chunxi, however, was on high alert, her expression grave. "Don’t make any sudden moves for now. Try to retract the Lotus Petal into your body first."

"GULP." Rong Taotao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice trembled as he said, "The Prison Lotus... it’s a little... disobedient."

Yang Chunxi’s heart clenched. "What do you mean?"

Normally, Rong Taotao could use Empathy to guide the Sinful Lotus and have it help him fight his enemies.

But for the longest time, the Prison Lotus couldn’t have been bothered to pay him any mind.

’So what does this mean now?’

’After advancing to the Soul Captain stage, the Prison Lotus is the one acting up?’

"I can feel its... craving." Rong Taotao gave the slightest of nods, as if afraid of disturbing the butterfly resting on his nose.