Rong Taotao trained with the Heaven-piercing Halberd, yet for a very long time, the esteemed Songjiang Soul Martial University couldn’t even find a suitable instructor for the weapon...

Rong Taotao had indeed learned to use a saber, but that was only because he had no instructor for his preferred weapon and had to learn from Si Huan Nian instead.

That was how lonely Rong Taotao had been through middle school. Now, even after joining the Songjiang Soul Martial Junior Class, he was still just as lonely...

It wasn’t that Rong Taotao had no companions. The kids in the Soul Class were all very close, and after surviving the Soul Beast invasion together, they had forged a deep bond as comrades-in-arms.

It was just that there really seemed to be no one who could train with him.

And after the critical issue of his uncontrollable Lotus Petal emerged, it became even more impossible for Rong Taotao to spar with anyone.

The more Yang Chunxi thought about it, the more upset she became, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Mei Hongyu’s voice was hoarse as he said, "You want two suitable partners to grow alongside you."

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. "No, one is enough."

"Oh?" Mei Hongyu looked at Rong Taotao, surprised by the boy’s response.

Mei Hongyu was an old hand at this. If Rong Taotao had simply said, "one is enough," it would have been a polite reply. But he had said, "No, one is enough." This meant...

’This kid already has someone in mind? And a very specific someone at that.’

Recalling the incident in the Martial Arts Arena a few days prior, Principal Mei stated impassively, "Gao Lingwei."

Rong Taotao flushed. ’What... How? He already figured it out?’

’I’ve barely said a thing, and you’ve already figured it all out?’

Yang Chunxi was also a bit stunned. She’d considered every possibility, but she never expected Rong Taotao to be this audacious!

She hurriedly said, "Gao Lingwei is the champion from the Outer Region and the national third-place winner! She’s the representative for the 2010 freshman class, a first-year university student."

Rong Taotao nodded, looking at Yang Chunxi with a serious expression. "Yes. And she’s also a Soul Captain, and her Soul Technique advanced to the three-star level a few days ago. Among my peers, I really can’t find anyone who uses a Heaven-piercing Halberd and can train with me."

Mei Hongyu let out a dry laugh—and of course, his laugh was literally hoarse...

For the first time, this stern, gaunt old man showed a smile.

Yang Chunxi immediately shot Rong Taotao a look, signaling him to shut up. She then turned anxiously to Mei Hongyu. "Principal Mei, he’s just a kid. He doesn’t know any better and just says whatever’s on his mind. Please don’t take it to heart."

THUD!

Mei Hongyu lightly tapped the floor with his cane. He raised a hand, as withered as old tree bark, silencing Yang Chunxi.

His lone eye turned back to Rong Taotao. "It seems you came prepared.

Am I to assume that you and Gao Lingwei have already discussed this in private and that she has agreed to your proposal?"

Rong Taotao nodded softly.

"Those who wield the Heaven-piercing Halberd are never the quiet type."

Mei Hongyu remarked casually, but then fell deep into thought.

’It might be for the best to have Xia Fangran take Gao Lingwei under his wing. After all, her current instructor doesn’t use a halberd. As it stands, Gao Lingwei is just fumbling her way through her Martial Arts training on her own.’

’As Songjiang Soul Martial’s only top-tier Heaven-piercing Halberd instructor, having Xia Fangran teach only Rong Taotao is a colossal waste of talent.’

’Ultimately, far too few people choose to wield this kind of weapon.’

Among Huaxia’s traditional cold weapons, Soul Martial Artists favor sabers, swords, and spears. These three firmly occupy the top spots, and Songjiang Soul Martial has many qualified instructors for them.

But the Heaven-piercing Halberd... for such an ornate weapon, typically used for ceremony, to truly shine in practical combat places extremely high demands on its wielder.

The room fell silent. Rong Taotao watched Principal Mei with a look of intense longing. He had never wanted to succeed this badly.

In all his young life, he had never found a truly suitable partner. This time, he had, and he had no intention of letting this chance slip away!

After what felt like an eternity, under Rong Taotao’s nervous gaze, Mei Hongyu looked at him again. "If I grant your request," he said in his hoarse voice, "what can you promise me in return?"

Rong Taotao stammered, "I, uh, I..."

Rong Taotao fumbled for words, his mind racing. Just a moment ago, Gao Lingwei had made it clear she wanted to contend for the highest honors a university student could achieve.

She loved a challenge.

Honor was her goal in life, so...

Rong Taotao spoke up, "I can try to compete for the university-level duo’s honors with Gao Lingwei."

Hearing this, Mei Hongyu nodded slightly. In his hoarse voice, he said, "It has been a long time since Songjiang Soul Martial has won a national championship."

This was true, but it couldn’t be helped. The Imperial Capital’s Starfield Realm and Modu’s Ocean Realm were far more effective, safer, and more efficient for training students than the Snow Realm.

Their Starfield Soul Martial Students could even enter a Starfield Vortex to train—could Snow Realm Students do that? How much Starfield Soul Power do they absorb per second? The concentration inside a vortex was incomparable to any other region.

Furthermore, there was a fundamental gap in the quality of the student body. The fact that Gao Lingwei was the representative for Songjiang Soul Martial University’s 2010 freshman class meant she was pretty much the most outstanding of the bunch. And yet, she was only a national third-place finisher. What did that say about the rest?

Even the teammates she won that national third-place title with had all gone to Modu Ocean Soul Martial University...

Mei Hongyu continued, "This recent incident has plunged the school into a vortex of negative public opinion. Winning some honors might be able to shift that narrative."

Rong Taotao bit his lip. For once, the ever-confident boy was stumped.

He had the confidence to say "someday," absolutely. The problem was, Principal Mei wanted to change the public opinion now, which meant he was talking about the very next competition.

’And Mei Hongyu had to open with "championship," didn’t he? Was there no room for negotiation?’

What Rong Taotao lacked most was time. He was technically a university freshman, but in reality, he was at the level of a high school freshman!

Seeing Rong Taotao’s troubled expression, Mei Hongyu’s face grew stern. "You lack confidence."

Rong Taotao gritted his teeth and decided to lay all his cards on the table.

As Mei Hongyu listened to Rong Taotao’s well-reasoned explanation, he nodded as if in agreement. Yet, the words that came out of his mouth were the complete opposite of his apparent attitude. "You are different from everyone else. You have a Lotus Petal."

Rong Taotao: "Mm..."

Mei Hongyu continued, "Among the Pine Soul Four Rites, Smoke, Liquor, and Tea are all over forty years old.

Only Sugar, at just twenty-seven, is counted among them. And it’s only because she possesses a Lotus Petal, giving her an unimaginable training speed, that she can stand alongside Soul Martial Artists more than a decade her senior as one of the Pine Soul Four Rites."

Hearing this, Rong Taotao nodded.

Mei Hongyu pressed on. "She could overcome an age gap of more than a decade. Why can’t you? Are you inferior to her?"

As he spoke, a strange smile crept across Mei Hongyu’s wrinkled face, like an ancient treant suddenly revealing its human form. "Are you inferior to anyone?"

A young heart is the most susceptible to being goaded!

Even knowing it was a blatant provocation, Rong Taotao willingly accepted the challenge!

In fact, at this very moment, a fire had been lit within Rong Taotao!

Mei Hongyu’s low, hoarse words were more explosive than a barrel of dynamite, rocking Rong Taotao’s Heart Soul to its core!

’Yeah, goddammit!’

’Why can’t I do it!? Who says I can’t!?’