「The next day, 6:30 in the morning.」
Rong Taotao, who had gotten up bright and early, was currently running on campus, drenched in sweat. Judging by the beads of sweat on his forehead, he must have been running for a long time.
Rong Taotao hadn't expected to be able to get up so early, especially after the exhausting journey yesterday.
Part of it was his internal body clock, but on the other hand... Rong Taotao couldn't help but feel there was something strange about the late-night snack Pine Soul Soul Martial had provided last night!
Although it was just a boxed meal, the food was delicious. It seemed like they had added some special ingredients, because when Rong Taotao woke up this morning, he felt completely refreshed and full of energy.
Even after sitting in a car for a whole day, one might wake up with an aching back and sore legs, let alone Rong Taotao, who had been jostled about on a Snow Night Shock for eight hours.
Rong Taotao planned to go to the cafeteria later to try Pine Soul Soul Martial's breakfast and confirm whether they were adding medicine to the food...
It was currently July, a time when university students should have been on vacation. But due to the region's unique nature, many students hadn't left campus, choosing instead to remain and continue cultivating their Soul Technique: Heart of the Snow Realm.
By this morning, Rong Taotao had run through pretty much the entire campus, gaining a basic familiarity with the school's layout.
He stopped for a long time at the horse stables in the southeast corner of the school.
Gazing at the rows of large, white Snow Night Shocks, Rong Taotao was filled with envy.
Other kids who had graduated from junior high were already out looking for their Lifebound Soul Beasts, but he had been dragged to Pine Soul Soul Martial by his sister-in-law. His graduation ceremony had been a day ago, and he still didn't know where his own Lifebound Soul Beast was...
'Could it be a Snow Night Shock?'
Without a doubt, Rong Taotao was very fond of the Snow Night Shock's majestic and beautiful appearance, as well as its intelligent and docile nature. He would be more than willing to spend the rest of his life with one, using his explosive Talent to lead his "True Celestial Horse" on adventures throughout the world.
However, his father had made a pact with him, promising to give him a chance to obtain a Lifebound Soul Beast from Cloud Peak.
Lost in thought, Rong Taotao ran to the stadium on the north side of the campus, his pace slowing once again.
When he had passed by on his last lap, there were many people training outside the Soul Martial Stadium, but no one was sparring. Now, however, many students were already practicing their Martial Arts in the concrete fighting arenas outside the building.
The snow-covered paths stood in stark contrast to the spotless concrete arenas, and Rong Taotao came to a realization. 'These outdoor Martial Arts Arenas probably have to be cleaned every single day.'
And so, a brave little Bronze, stumbling along, quietly stood by the side of the road to watch the daily spars of the Pine Soul Soul Martial University students.
Out of a good forty arenas, eight were occupied. Some were even shrouded in swirling wind and snow, a sight that filled Rong Taotao with envy.
At the edge of one arena, in particular, several students had gathered to watch.
This was a rare sight for a daily spar, which suggested that the students practicing in that arena must be exceptionally skilled.
The cold wind blew, carrying flurries of snow.
A magnificent Great Saber, wrapped in frost, clove through layers of wind and snow, crashing against another Great Saber that tore through the blizzard with equal force...
'Wait a minute?'
The more Rong Taotao watched, the more something felt off. The two fighters were indeed skilled, and they looked identical—they must be twin sisters. But why weren't they using any Soul Skills? 'Is it against the school's sparring rules?'
'No, that can't be right.' The students in the other arenas were all using Soul Skills. Swirling wind and snow coiled around nearly every one of them, spiraling up their bodies like small Snow Dragon Tornados.
Rong Taotao recognized this Soul Skill. Its name was "Snow Dance."
This was one of the Snow Realm Soul Skills that had been deciphered by Soul Martial Scholars and written into textbooks.
In other words, students didn't need to embed a Soul Pearl in their bodies; they could learn and use this Soul Skill directly.
The Soul Skill, Snow Dance, could increase a Soul Martial Artist's movement speed to a certain degree. It was considered one of the essential basic Soul Skills for any Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist.
"Hey, kiddo." A magnetic female voice, tinged with a natural laziness, sounded from beside him.
"Hm?" Rong Taotao turned his head to see a woman dressed all in white.
Here in this world of ice and snow, she was actually wearing a Tai Chi uniform, the kind you'd see old men wearing in a public square.
And yet, that white Tai Chi uniform, combined with her captivating face, truly gave off a certain "drifting Immortal Aura."
Besides, judging by her slender figure, she... 'Hmm, she's probably not wearing any thermal pants, is she?'
'Incredible! I've run into a Great God!'
Rong Taotao adopted a very respectful attitude. "Hello, Teacher."
She looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, so she was probably a teacher at Pine Soul Soul Martial University.
At Pine Soul Soul Martial, where the average temperature was minus 24 degrees Celsius, there was an unwritten rule:
The less you wear, the more badass you are!
There were only two kinds of people who dressed lightly: idiots and the powerful.
Either way, they were badass...
And seeing this woman's ethereal, immortal-like aura, Rong Taotao didn't think she was an idiot.
This meant that the level of her Soul Technique: Heart of the Snow Realm was definitely not low!
"A high school student who snuck out of Songbai Town?" The woman asked, her hands clasped behind her back and her long hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes scrutinizing Rong Taotao.
"I'm... here for the Junior Class assessment," Rong Taotao quickly replied.
'Songbai Town?'
'I think that's the small town with the key high school closest to Pine Soul Soul Martial City. It makes sense; in this environment, the farther north a school is built, the richer the ice-attribute Soul Power.'
"Oh?" The woman raised an eyebrow slightly, as if she'd remembered something. She gave a faint nod, then reached a hand out from her wide sleeve. There seemed to be something in her fair palm.
Rong Taotao paused,
'Two pieces of Little Rascal candy?'
'This university teacher has a peculiar way of showing goodwill. After all, not every adult carries candy around with them...'
Looking perfectly well-behaved, Rong Taotao reached out and took the candy.
He didn't overthink it. When someone offers you face, you take it.
"Leave one for me," the woman said casually, turning her head to look at the Martial Arts Arena.
Rong Taotao: "..."
Rong Taotao placed one of the candies back in her palm.
Then, he unwrapped his, and popped the whole thing into his mouth, including the edible rice paper wrapped around the Cubed Sugar.
The woman with the Immortal Aura beside him, however, kept her eyes fixed on the duel in the Martial Arts Arena. She crushed the wrapper open with one hand, popped the candy into her mouth, and casually tossed the wrapper to Rong Taotao.
Rong Taotao fumbled for a moment, quickly catching the stray wrapper before it fell, and then asked, "Teacher, what's your name? What year do you teach?"
"If you successfully enroll, I might be teaching you," came the deeply magnetic voice, which made Rong Taotao feel like he was "drifting on an immortal cloud" himself...
'So unique!'
'With a voice like that, if she sang "The Love of a Lifetime," I'd probably turn into a monkey on the spot, don my armor, grab my staff, and ride a cloud to the west...'
'No, I have to get on her good side. I need her to record a ringtone for my phone!'
'There's really no one else like me.'
Anyone else who saw a teacher from Pine Soul Soul Martial University would be thinking about how to learn a Soul Skill or two from them. But Rong Taotao was thinking about phone ringtones...
"Did those two come with you?" the female teacher asked, tipping her chin toward the twin sisters in the nearby Martial Arts Arena.
"No, I don't know them," Rong Taotao said, shaking his head.
"Then they must be from your year." A trace of admiration appeared in the teacher's eyes as she watched the flashing sabers in the arena, seemingly very satisfied with the quality of the students attending the Junior Class assessment.
"They're junior high students?" Rong Taotao was clearly taken aback. With the candy still in his mouth, he turned to look at the twins.
'Maybe it's because girls develop earlier during puberty.' That's why he hadn't realized it at first. He had assumed those two girls were university students. 'No wonder they weren't using any Soul Skills. I never would have guessed...'
The way to identify a Soul Martial Artist wasn't just by looking at their physical development; it was mainly about their aura.
Clearly, the two in the Martial Arts Arena possessed an aura that ordinary junior high students lacked. Their swift attacks, sharp gazes, and powerful combat presence had completely fooled Rong Taotao.
If they really were junior high students, they must have spent years "battling" to get this good; otherwise, they couldn't have been so convincing.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
The female teacher crunched the Cubed Sugar in her mouth. Watching the spar, she couldn't help but nod repeatedly, not hiding her admiration. "Not bad. Very good."
"Teacher, I'm pretty good too," Rong Taotao said meekly.
"Oh?" The female teacher turned to look at him with great interest. "You want to give it a try?"
"Er..." Rong Taotao scratched his head of naturally curly hair, a troubled look on his face. "I don't have a weapon, I don't know how to create snow implements with Soul Skills, and I... I don't even have a Lifebound Soul Beast yet."
"Heh," the female teacher chuckled and nodded, showing her understanding.
Rong Taotao felt a little frustrated. 'Maybe I should go challenge those twin sisters to a bout of unarmed combat?'
Rong Taotao was also very confident in his unarmed combat skills. Besides, the rank in his Inner Soul Map clearly stated "Two-Star, High-Tier."
"Then don't disturb them," the female teacher said, her words causing the eager Rong Taotao to give up on his idea.
"What's your name?" The female teacher asked with a smile, looking at Rong Taotao. She admired this boy as well.
All the students present could see that the twins' combat level was very high. For Rong Taotao to be able to say, "I'm not bad either," showed that, at the very least, he had a great mentality.
The female teacher didn't think Rong Taotao was bluffing. After all, the students specially recruited for the Junior Class assessment were all geniuses among geniuses.
Rong Taotao replied, "Rong Taotao."
"Hm?" The female teacher's eyes widened slightly. In an instant, her expression changed. Her previously breezy and carefree face grew a little more serious.
Rong Taotao realized what she was thinking. In fact, he had encountered this kind of reaction many times while growing up.
"Yes, it's the person you're thinking of. I'm her son," Rong Taotao said with a shrug, admitting it openly.
The female teacher lowered her head slightly, looking directly into Rong Taotao's eyes as if trying to see something within them.
After a few seconds, she reached out and placed her hand on Rong Taotao's head. "Go into the Martial Arts Hall. Find the student at the door and ask for a weapon you're skilled with. Just say Teacher Si sent you."
If it had been anyone else, Rong Taotao would have already turned his head away, but... at this moment, he chickened out and didn't dare refuse her "demonic claw."
'Sometimes, this head of natural curls is a burden. Someone always wants to touch it.'
The teacher, whose surname was Si, tilted her head slightly, gesturing toward a vacant arena nearby. "I'll be waiting for you there."
Rong Taotao: "Oh."
He didn't dare refuse this person who might become his future mentor, so he could only give her an "Oh."
'Fine then!'
'Time to blow some minds! Today, I'm going to show a teacher from Pine Soul Soul Martial University what I'm really made of!'