Fully kitted out, Rong Taotao had a Survival Saber strapped to his thigh and carried his Heaven-piercing Halberd in hand as he quickly headed downstairs.
There, he happened to see Yang Chunxi chatting with a teacher at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall.
Rong Taotao hurried over, stuck a hand into his pocket, and pulled out a handful of chocolates, stuffing them all into the pocket of Yang Chunxi's windbreaker.
Yang Chunxi: "..."
Looking at Yang Chunxi's bulging coat pocket, Rong Taotao gave an embarrassed smile.
With a look of mock annoyance, Yang Chunxi said, "Why didn't you leave these in your locker?"
"Ah, it's for survival... you know, cooperation for a win-win situation. I was thinking I'd find a few people I like and build some connections," Rong Taotao said with a grin.
"You've certainly got your little schemes," Yang Chunxi remarked casually. "Didn't I tell you not to bring anything?"
Rong Taotao said, "Hey, you'd be surprised. It's a good thing I brought them. I just gave a piece of chocolate to Li Lie."
"Hm?" Yang Chunxi looked at Rong Taotao in surprise. "Who?"
Rong Taotao: "Li Lie. Teacher Li."
Yang Chunxi: ???
'This kid's got some wild connections, huh?'
'He's only meeting the elites?'
'All things considered, you've only been at Pine Soul Soul Martial for two days, and you've already met half of "Tobacco, Alcohol, Sugar, and Tea"?'
Seeing his sister-in-law's astonished expression, Rong Taotao rubbed his head and broke into another silly grin. "Oh, no, no, it's not that great!"
"Yesterday, I looked up the faculty information for Pine Soul Soul Martial University. It's packed with hidden masters!"
"I'm still a long way off. It's a long and arduous road ahead!"
Among the faculty at Pine Soul Soul Martial University, just the well-known groups alone included the "Three Friends of Winter," the "Pine Soul Four Rites," and the "Snow Realm Four Seasons."
And those were just the officially recognized ones. There were countless other powerful individuals who weren't "on the list."
First of all, this was one of Huaxia's top institutions of higher learning, so it was only natural that its faculty was incredibly strong.
But that wasn't the main reason. The fundamental cause for the exceptionally high caliber of Pine Soul Soul Martial University's teachers was its proximity to the "First Wall."
In recent years, more than a hundred battles, large and small, had taken place throughout the Snow Realm.
Peace was temporary.
War was the true melody here.
A considerable number of teachers at Pine Soul Soul Martial University were specially assigned by the state—a clear-cut case of preferential policy.
These extremely powerful teachers weren't just here to teach classes. At critical moments, they were Soul Martial Warriors who would charge to the front lines!
As teachers, they passed on knowledge.
As warriors, they guarded the borders.
Their profession wasn't soldier, but they were the reserve force protecting Huaxia's northern front.
This unique geographical location was why Pine Soul Soul Martial University was teeming with experts.
You could probably grab any reputable teacher, add a couple of random followers, and they could start their own Soul Martial University from scratch...
It was also yesterday that Rong Taotao, following the clues, had used the "Four Rites" to look up many of these powerful figures.
And it was only yesterday that he learned his sister-in-law was a genius—a terrifyingly so.
Yang Chunxi was the "Spring" of the Pine Soul Four Seasons. She was also the only young Soul Martial Artist to be specially hired back as a teacher just two years after graduating.
Among the Pine Soul faculty, she was the undisputed leader of the younger generation.
No wonder his older brother, Rong Yang, had fallen for her. It really was like the old saying: birds of a feather flock together.
In front of Rong Taotao, however, Yang Chunxi showed no hint of a powerful expert's aura. She just wore that look of mock annoyance and said, "Any more chocolate in your pockets? Hand it all over."
Rong Taotao caught sight of Lu Mang coming down from the second floor. He casually pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket, tossed it over, and said, "Here, eat up. All profit, no loss!"
Lu Mang caught it instinctively. A man of few words, his actions were decisive. He unwrapped it and started eating right away.
While eating, he held up the half-eaten chocolate bar and gave Rong Taotao a small wave.
Heeding Yang Chunxi's words, Rong Taotao handed over the rest of his chocolates, then nodded with a smile at the unfamiliar teacher beside her before walking out.
"Rong Yang's little brother," the female teacher said with a smile, watching Rong Taotao's retreating back.
"Mhm." Yang Chunxi knew what the other woman meant. She just hadn't explicitly said "Xu Fenghua's son," but the implication was the same.
The female teacher said softly, "The ones teaching their Junior Class are all top-tier instructors. It's clear the school places a lot of importance on this program."
"Mhm." Yang Chunxi, however, seemed to hesitate. "There's no questioning the strength of the Junior Class teachers. They can definitely guarantee the children's safety, but their personalities..."
The female teacher smiled at Yang Chunxi. "If you're worried about the quality of instruction, why don't you apply to the school to teach the boy yourself?"
Yang Chunxi nodded silently. 'I hope the application goes through.'
'Rong Yang entrusted Taotao to me, so I can't let anything go wrong.'
'Besides...'
Yang Chunxi watched Rong Taotao's departing figure and sighed softly to herself.
'She'd really grown fond of this mischievous kid.'
...
「20 minutes later」
A hundred high school students were lined up neatly in front of the Martial Arts Arena. Led by their teachers, they walked out of the school's North Gate and saw magnificent, towering horses, and beside them, soldiers clad in white snow camouflage standing next to their Snow Night Shocks.
Pine Soul Soul Martial University was able to invite the northern Snow Burning Corps to escort the children precisely because of the close ties between the school and the corps.
One after another, the enormous, snow-white steeds watched the clueless children in silence with eyes as deep and blue as the ocean.
An aura of biting frost emanated from the Snow Night Shocks, spreading outwards. The cavalry corps, composed of over a hundred of these creatures, was truly a majestic and breathtakingly beautiful sight...
What was more incredible was that, just like the soldiers beside them, they stood perfectly still, like statues.
This showed just how suitable the Snow Night Shock was as a human's Lifebound Soul Beast.
Following the arrangements of the commanding officer, the students each went to stand beside a soldier.
Rong Taotao followed his assigned group and ended up in front of a young warrior. Surprisingly, he looked very young—maybe not even twenty?
'So young, and already a warrior in the Snow Burning Corps?'
Rong Taotao carefully memorized the young man's face. His life was on the line, and if all went as planned, this soldier would be secretly protecting him for the next seven days.
The young soldier had a pair of bright, piercing eyes that were very distinctive and easy to remember.
However, the soldier was not permitted to make any movements. Although he could feel Rong Taotao's intense gaze, he continued to stare straight ahead without the slightest reaction.
"All troops, listen to my command! Mount up!" At the order, the soldiers swiftly mounted their steeds, leaving the students standing there, at a loss.
From his saddle, the young warrior leaned down, extended a hand to Rong Taotao, and said, "Put your foot in the stirrup."
More eye-catching than his movement was the black-and-white armband on his sleeve.
It bore a large character for "Snow."
And because the armband was black, it was the only conspicuous color on the snow camouflage.
"Oh." Holding his Heaven-piercing Halberd, Rong Taotao grabbed the soldier's hand and swung himself up onto the horse.
As the column set off, Rong Taotao held his Battle Halberd in one hand and gripped the collar of the soldier's uniform in front of him with the other. He whispered, "How many years have you been a soldier?"
The soldier's snow camouflage only had an armband, no epaulets, so Rong Taotao couldn't tell how long he had been enlisted.
Hearing the question, the soldier replied, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
'Crap, he misunderstood. He thinks I'm worried he's not strong enough because he looks so young.'
The thudding of hooves echoed as the Snow Night Shocks entered the mountain forest. Even in the thick snow, it was as if they were treading on flat ground. Supported by a special Soul Skill, their hooves didn't sink into the snow at all.
Rong Taotao ducked his head behind the soldier's back and said, "No, you misunderstood. I just wanted to ask what the requirements are to join the Snow Burning Corps."
The young man replied, "I graduated from Pine Soul Military Academy. They came to recruit at my high school when I was a sophomore, so I joined. After graduation, I entered the Snow Burning Corps."
"Oh... so it's an early admission program?" Rong Taotao muttered. "Then the Snow Burning Corps probably recruits from Pine Soul Soul Martial University too, right?"
"Of course, as long as you meet all the requirements."
It was clear the young soldier was friendly and willing to answer questions from a student who admired the Snow Burning Corps.
And it was true. A significant portion of students from Pine Soul Soul Martial University joined the Snow Burning Corps after graduation.
Some Pine Soul students who hadn't even graduated yet were already "interning" with the Snow Burning Corps through school-organized programs.
Rong Taotao pursed his lips and asked, "What are the requirements? What level do you have to reach to be stationed at the Third Wall?"
Hearing this, the young soldier didn't answer right away.
This time, the students' assessment was taking place just north of the First Wall, and even that required each of them to have a personal bodyguard.
'To go to the Third Wall, the northernmost one...'
The young man suddenly asked, "Why do you want to go there? To the Third Wall?"
"Er," Rong Taotao stammered, "I learned about the Battle of Dragon River in my middle school history book. I want to see it for myself."
The soldier said, "It's not open to the public. No visitors allowed."
Rong Taotao said, "That's why I'm asking. After enlisting, what level of strength do you need to qualify for a post at the Third Wall?"
The soldier was silent for a moment. "I don't know for sure, but I think... at the very least, you'd have to be a Soul Captain to qualify."
Hearing this, Rong Taotao nodded silently.
Soul Soldier, Soul Warrior, Soul Captain, Soul School, Soul General.
A Soul Captain was already at the level of Huaxia's elite forces. That was undeniably a high bar to clear.
To give a simple example, Gao Lingwei, the third-year high school student who used a Heaven-piercing Halberd and whom Rong Taotao had specifically looked up online, had just led her team to a third-place finish in the national high school tournament.
Without a doubt, Gao Lingwei was representative of the top-tier combat power among all high school graduates in Huaxia.
And her current rank was the Peak of Soul Warrior.
How many high school students did Huaxia have each year?
During their years of explosive physical growth, after a full three years of arduous training, the small fraction of students who finally stood at the top of the pyramid could only manage to reach the second rank: the Peak of Soul Warrior.
You can just imagine how difficult it was to become a Soul Captain.
For a kid still in the Soul Soldier stage, it was undoubtedly a very distant goal.
A great many people got stuck at the Peak of Soul Warrior their entire lives, never managing to cross the threshold into the Soul Captain rank. That was the harsh reality.
Fortunately, Rong Taotao's aptitude was excellent. With an Initial Awakening with Six Soul Slots, he was definitely one of the chosen ones.
Even more fortunately, Rong Taotao possessed a mysterious Inner Soul Map. Although he hadn't yet figured out how to use it, it seemed like it could provide some help in his career.
Rong Taotao composed himself. 'One step at a time,' he thought. 'First, I have to pass this assessment!'