Chapter 17

After arranging the dormitories for Rong Taotao and Li Ziyi, Yang Chunxi took Sun Xingyu to the girls' dormitory.

The two stood at the entrance of the dormitory building, exchanged a glance, and almost simultaneously let out a cold snort before turning their heads and walking into the dormitory separately.

Both of them thought it was fine; that cold snort was basically a goodbye. However...

They still had to go up the stairs together, which was, well, awkward.

Fortunately, such awkwardness did not last long. Perhaps Yang Chunxi was worried they would argue, so she deliberately gave them different dormitory keys.

Rong Taotao turned left on the second floor, and Li Ziyi, without a word, walked up to the third floor.

Rong Taotao looked at the key in her hand, which had a piece of white tape with "201" written on it.

"201... 201..." Rong Taotao walked to the room at the far end on the left and tried to use the key to open the door, but she noticed the light inside was on.

Someone was in there?

Rong Taotao scratched her head, having forgotten to ask her sister-in-law how many people shared the dormitory.

"Knock, knock, knock." Rong Taotao knocked on the door but didn't wait for a response before pushing it open.

Clearly, the knocking was just a symbolic gesture; Rong Taotao didn't really intend to get permission from the person inside, as she was going to live there.

The warm dormitory was brightly lit, with two beds on either side.

The beds were bunk beds, a double room, which was nice.

Rong Taotao stood at the door, curiously looking at the dormitory window in front of her, where a person happened to be turning around.

"Hello." The young man was tall and slender, with a calm attitude and a neutral expression, nodding at Rong Taotao.

"Hi there." Rong Taotao smiled and waved, noticing that the desk under the bed on the right already had personal items on it. She placed her backpack on the desk on the left. "What's your surname?"

The young man, leaning against the window, said, "I'm Lu, my name is Lu Mang."

Rong Taotao nodded thoughtfully, "The road is long and arduous, I will..."

The young man said, "Lu as in land, and Mang as in sharp."

"Alright." Rong Taotao put down her backpack and looked up and down at Lu Mang. He was tall for his age, making him look like a "wooden pole."

Of course, for a soul warrior, Lu Mang's build was indeed like a wooden pole, but for a celebrity idol, it was a standard build. Tsk, tsk... how did he grow so well?

His physical talent was clearly visible, with long arms and legs, naturally suited for martial arts!

Those who could come to Songjiang Soul Academy for the assessment were indeed talented geniuses.

Unfortunately, he wasn't very handsome, but he wasn't unattractive either. He had a fair and clean face with a scholarly air, which should be very appealing to girls.

"Where are you from?" Rong Taotao plopped down in a chair and tilted her head to look at the young man by the window.

His hairstyle added a lot to his looks, with messy, uneven hair that had a layered feel.

Lu Mang: "Shanghai."

Rong Taotao was taken aback. Shanghai? Why did you come to this icy and snowy place from such a good city?

Don't you have the best universities right at your doorstep?

Shanghai's marine soul warriors are a specialty in China. Any student who wants to become a marine soul warrior would flock to Shanghai with a "pilgrimage" mindset.

It seems that Songjiang Soul Academy's pioneering of a youth class has seized the opportunity. Many promising students did not follow the usual path of attending high school in their hometowns but came directly to this icy and snowy place for the university entrance assessment.

Lu Mang seemed to read Rong Taotao's expression but didn't explain anything, instead asking, "What's your name?"

My goodness, this person is not only sparing with words but also speaks without any intonation...

"Rong Taotao." Rong Taotao took out her phone and searched for information about the "Ice Soul Guide" clan, continuing, "Rong as in glory, and Tao as in pottery."

"ABB, very catchy." Lu Mang said casually.

Rong Taotao: "What?"

Lu Mang: "Nothing."

Rong Taotao looked at Lu Mang curiously but saw him turn around, crossing his arms and silently gazing out the window.

Rong Taotao sighed in frustration. This was worse than having Li Ziyi as a roommate!

At least she could talk freely with Li Ziyi!

For this newly acquainted young man, Rong Taotao decided to hold back her words.

In the quiet room, no one spoke. After a while, Rong Taotao's finger paused on her phone screen as she read the information, her expression becoming serious.

The soul skill of the Xu Taiping clan, also known as the Ice Soul Guide clan, was "Snow Sense"!

Telepathy!?

Of course, in this world, there were no soul skills like mind-reading or reading others' thoughts.

The Snow Sense soul skill could connect to a specific target and communicate with them mentally.

This soul skill...

Something was off!

Rong Taotao furrowed her brow, puzzled.

This soul bead skill allowed only children of soul warriors to connect mentally with their comrades on the battlefield, issuing commands discreetly and executing unexpected tactics and coordination.

It's important to note that for normal soul warriors, the Snow Sense soul skill had a range limit.

For siblings like Rong Taotao and Rong Yang, the Ice Soul Guide's soul bead skill allowed them to communicate across dimensions without any barriers!

Even if the other party was at the ends of the earth, they could always "communicate."

The most crucial point is... this situation applied only to human siblings!

For the Ice Soul Guide clan of soul beasts, there were no range limits, nor any restrictions on siblings.

As long as they shared the same bloodline, the Ice Soul Guide clan could communicate and exchange information across dimensions at any time.

The more Rong Taotao read, the more shocked and confused she became.

The information also stated that the Ice Soul Guide clan, a highly intelligent race in the Snow Realm, always played the role of strategists in the Snow Realm army.

Over the years, in the northern lands, the human Snow Ignition Legion and the Snow Realm soul beast army had engaged in countless battles. In those large-scale battles, the Ice Soul Guide clan was always present in the soul beast army.

They were ambitious, using human-level intelligence and leveraging the advantages of time and place to constantly attempt to invade the northern lands.

What attracted them to Earth was resources and the environment. Although the Snow Realm soul beasts could survive in blizzards, who wouldn't want a better living environment?

They might not tolerate the heat in the south, but in the north, in the snow-covered forests and snowy plains invaded by the Snow Realm vortex, the frequency of snow and the moderate cold, along with the abundance of Earth's wild animals as food, made for a very comfortable living environment.

This...

Rong Taotao's heart sank as she realized something very terrifying.

Xu Taiping was undoubtedly the enemy of humans, at least of the Northern Snow Ignition Legion!

If Xu Taiping could grow up safely in the human world, or even be accepted by it from the beginning, then...

His family, his parents, siblings, and grandparents, must have been wiped out!?

Or, if his family was still alive, they must have been brought to Earth.

Otherwise, Xu Taiping's existence would be a terrifying source of intelligence.

Did her sister-in-law not tell the truth at the station, or did she not tell the whole story?

"Hey." A calm voice came from the window.

"Hmm?" Rong Taotao turned to look at Lu Mang. She looked troubled, her furrowed brow indicating she disliked being disturbed.

Lu Mang paused, then asked, "Do you know what the assessment will be about?"

Rong Taotao shook her head, "The teacher said we'll be notified by phone tomorrow."

"Okay." Lu Mang nodded, hesitated, and then said, "Thanks."

Rong Taotao blinked. Although she had just met Lu Mang, he didn't seem like the type to say "thanks."

Taking the opportunity, Rong Taotao asked while looking at her phone, "Why did you come here? Your hometown is so good, and Shanghai Soul Academy is a top-notch institution."

Lu Mang opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

Rong Taotao continued, "The paths of Starfield Soul Warriors and Marine Soul Warriors are bright, with growth environments and cultivation resources far superior to those of Snow Realm Soul Warriors."

Rong Taotao looked at her phone and continued, "There's a saying in China: those who choose Lava Soul Warriors or Snow Realm Soul Warriors may not be true heroes, but they are certainly people of faith."

Hearing this, Lu Mang's lips curled into a strange smile, "What faith does a fifteen or sixteen-year-old have? They're just here for the resources of Songjiang Soul Academy."

Rong Taotao nodded in agreement, playing with her phone and not saying anything more.

Lu Mang didn't say anything either, and the dormitory fell silent again.