Chapter 643: Night Talk in the Stone House, Part 2
“At worst, it’s just death… Still, this Prison Lotus is seriously incredible. An Epic-rank Soul Beast, and I just crushed it to pieces…”
As he spoke, a Lotus Petal suddenly floated out from Rong Taotao’s chest. It emitted a faint glow and stopped in front of his face, gently stroking his cheek like a small hand.
Rong Taotao: “…”
Gao Lingwei: “What’s wrong?”
Rong Taotao leaned forward, caught the Lotus Petal in his mouth, and seemingly ate it, absorbing it back into his body.
One bite, one flower~
Although he was essentially just absorbing the Lotus Petal, from the outside, it really looked like Rong Taotao had eaten a flower petal…
Rong Taotao looked at Gao Lingwei with a strange expression. “That was the Prison Lotus. That thing is amazing. All the Lotus Petals can sense my emotions, but this is the first time one has interacted with me like this.”
At least the Sinful Lotus and Huilian had never done anything like this. Who’s ever heard of a petal caressing someone’s face?
A moment later, it dawned on Rong Taotao. ‘Was I just… flirted with?’
Dammit.
‘You’re not going to believe this, but I was just hit on by a flower petal…’
“Mm,” Gao Lingwei agreed with a nod. “The Nine-Petaled Lotus, a Snow Realm Treasure. They’re mysterious, and I’m sure they have many more secrets for you to uncover.”
With that, Gao Lingwei got out of bed, walked over to the desk across from the bed, picked up a bag of shrimp crackers, and came back. “Your ability is truly terrifying. Your appraisal was spot-on. After the Cyan Mountain Army handed over the Frost Beauty Soul Pearl, the Snow Burning Army’s assessment confirmed that it was indeed an Epic-rank Soul Pearl.”
Rong Taotao took the shrimp crackers and nodded.
Over the past month or so, Rong Taotao had found a suitable opportunity, as promised, to tell Gao Lingwei about his situation.
In short, he had a magical ability that allowed him to appraise the ranks of Soul Beasts and Soul Pearls, as well as increase a Soul Pet’s potential. Gao Lingwei had given her word that she would take this secret to her grave.
“It’s a shame the Soul Pearl is such a high rank. It scares me just looking at it. You’d have to be at least a Great Soul School rank with a Seven-Star Soul Technique to wield it,” Rong Taotao said helplessly. “It would’ve been great if you could have embedded it.”
“It has significant drawbacks,” Gao Lingwei said softly after a moment of thought. “If it got out into normal society, it would be a truly calamitous Soul Pearl. But on the battlefield, a Soul Skill like Bailing Vine can counter it. Besides, it’s relatively easy to avoid. Just like with Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon, all you have to do is not look into the Caster’s eyes.”
“Sit down,” Rong Taotao said, patting the bed. “You don’t have to stand while talking to me.”
Gao Lingwei: ???
Rong Taotao: “Go on, sit. Hey, scoot back a bit. It’s more comfortable to lean against the wall… Yeah, that’s it.”
Gao Lingwei finally sat on the bed with her back against the wall. Rong Taotao immediately leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder, crunching away on the shrimp crackers. CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
Rong Taotao was comfortable, but his Cloud Dog wasn’t. Left with no choice, it leaped off his shoulder. As if to get revenge on its master, the Cloud Dog took advantage of Rong Taotao’s distraction and dived headfirst into the newly opened bag of shrimp crackers.
“Erm…”
“Heh~”
Rong Taotao grabbed the Cloud Dog’s cloudy tail and lifted the little guy out. For a moment, man and dog stared at each other. The Cloud Dog even licked its nose with its little tongue, savoring the cracker crumbs.
“By the way, how’s Xiao Ziru?” Rong Taotao asked, feeling rather helpless. ‘What can I do? It’s my pet, so I have to spoil it.’
He offered the bag of shrimp crackers to the Snowball Cat. “Go eat on the desk.”
“Ying~” The Snowball Cat took the bag in its mouth and leaped gracefully toward the desk across from the bed.
Seeing this, the Cloud Dog immediately dissolved into mist and gave chase.
“Coach Xiao’s mental state isn’t good,” Gao Lingwei said softly. She hesitated for a moment before adding, “It’s very bad.”
“Where is he?”
Gao Lingwei: “Still in the city, receiving treatment at the soldiers’ medical center. Coach Xia is with him. Also, Coach Li, Coach Si, and his wife have already returned to Pine Soul Soul Martial.”
“Huh? They all left?” Rong Taotao asked in surprise.
Gao Lingwei: “They’re all teachers at Pine Soul Soul Martial, after all. They went back to report to Principal Mei. Also, Coach Si’s wife left a message before she left.”
“What was it?”
“The World Cup is in July. She told us to prepare well for it.” Gao Lingwei thought for a moment, then continued, “Be careful at Wan’an Pass. Don’t go getting an arm or a leg broken before the competition.”
Rong Taotao: “…”
Gao Lingwei: “The first sentence was from his wife. The second was from Coach Si.”
‘I knew it. A lady like her would never say something like that! It had to be that old bully.’
Rong Taotao sighed softly. “At a time like this, how can I even think about the World Cup? The sky is so dark, the snow is so heavy, and the city walls could be attacked by Soul Beasts at any moment…”
In truth, the World Cup was an immense temptation for Rong Taotao.
One point alone was enough to prove it: Potential Value!
Without a doubt, the Potential Value reward was the foundation for Rong Taotao to ascend to godhood. Ultimately, the achievements Rong Taotao could reach depended on how high his upper limit was.
And Potential Value was the fundamental factor that raised the limits of his Talent, time and time again.
He could only participate in a competition like this once in his life, so of course Rong Taotao didn’t want to miss it. Considering the generous rewards he’d earned in the Outer League and the national championships, how could the World Cup’s rewards be any less?
The problem was, currently enduring the blizzards of the Extreme Night, how could he possibly be in the mood to compete…
Gao Lingwei said softly, “There’s no rush. It’s only March now. The competition isn’t until July, so there’s still plenty of time.”
Rong Taotao: “Yeah. We’ll see when the time comes.”
Gao Lingwei’s voice suddenly grew much gentler. “In the future, you should think twice before you use your Lotus Petals.”
“Hm?”
Gao Lingwei: “We’re on a battlefield, after all, and your physical strength doesn’t allow you to keep fighting after using a Lotus Petal. It’s very easy for accidents to happen. The mission objective doesn’t have to be the top priority. Your life does.”
“Mhm,” Rong Taotao murmured in agreement, but quickly changed the subject. “Say, with this mission, would you say the Cyan Mountain Army has made a breakthrough?”
“Of course.” Gao Lingwei didn’t press the issue, playing along with his change of topic. “The Frost Beauty’s Soul Pearl has strategic value. For the Snow Burning Army’s operations in the northern Snow Realm, it would not be an exaggeration to say it’s like giving a tiger wings. What’s more, Xiao Ziru is back. Having followed the Frost Beauty for so long, the information he’s gathered and the intelligence he can provide to the Snow Burning Army are beyond our imagination.”
Rong Taotao immediately added, “And his power is off the charts. It took so many of our people just to subdue him. All those Soul Pearls and Soul Skills… Damn… I’ve never even seen a Soul Martial Artist with the Celestial Burial Snow Meteor Soul Skill!”
Gao Lingwei: “Snow Monks are mostly Epic-rank, which is equivalent to a Seven-Star Soul Technique. That means Xiao Ziru is, at the very least, a top-tier Soul School rank.”
Junior Soul School, Middle Soul School, Upper Soul School, Great Soul School!
The Soul School Ranks are known as “the first tier below the Generals,” but the gap in power within the Soul School ranks themselves is immense.
Gao Lingwei sighed softly. “We were lucky that Xiao Ziru was mentally confused at the time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
There was nothing wrong with that statement. A top-tier team like the Cyan Mountain Army combined with the teachers from Pine Soul had almost let a confused Xiao Ziru escape. If he had been in his right mind and had actually put up a proper fight…
Whether a direct confrontation or a hidden ambush, it would have been an impossible fight!
You have to remember, Xiao Ziru possesses the Frost Night’s Eye Soul Skill!
Just like the Snowball Cat, he is a god in the pitch-black, blizzard-filled night!
Thinking of this, Rong Taotao suddenly said, “Xiao Ziru is a perfect fit for our Cyan Mountain Army.”
“Hm?”
Rong Taotao: “Pupil Sharing. Frost Night’s Eye.”
“Haha.” Gao Lingwei chuckled. “He’s also perfect for defending the city. Celestial Burial Snow Meteor, Snow Swings Four Directions, Frost Shattering Eight Directions. Besides, we’ve only seen the Soul Skills in his right eye, both hands, and right ankle. There’s no way he only has four Soul Slots. Can you even imagine what Soul Skills are in his remaining slots?”
Rong Taotao: “…”
‘Alright, fine. Xiao Ziru is a perfect fit for any unit.’
It seemed Pine Soul Soul Martial and the Snow Burning Army were about to get into a tug-of-war over Xiao Ziru.
Gao Lingwei: “The stronger he is, the better. The more significant he is to the northern Snow Realm, the greater the value of our Cyan Mountain Army’s mission, and the more it will help us rebuild.”
“Mm…” Rong Taotao said softly. “I wonder when he’ll be able to go home.”
“Home?” Gao Lingwei realized the “home” Rong Taotao meant was Songbai Town—or more accurately, that splash of deep red by the Snow Forest in Songbai Town.
Rong Taotao said softly, “When he goes home, we can go with him. I want to witness that moment with my own eyes.”
Hearing this, Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
She turned her head, her thin lips gently pressing against his naturally curly hair. “Mm, okay.”