Chapter 14: The Function of Domains
"Qiluo Tulip, it's a Qiluo Tulip!"
She excitedly grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's hand, "Zhuqing, look! With this Immortal Herb, maybe—"
"Maybe Dad's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can also evolve! He also has hope of breaking through to Titled Douluo!"
The reason her Martial Soul was able to evolve from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was precisely due to a Qiluo Tulip bestowed by the Dean.
But the Dean had also said that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had a special environment, and it would probably be difficult to find a second Immortal Herb of comparable quality in the world.
She hadn't expected that the Heavenly Dao reward would directly bestow one!
How could she not be ecstatic?
"Boom!"
The next moment, a golden energy, even more majestic and pure than when Dugu Yan received her reward, surged into Ning Rongrong's body, ignoring spatial barriers.
Her Soul Power Rank continuously broke through, and her four Soul Rings, originally two yellow and two purple, now shone brightly, their colors rapidly deepening.
Ultimately, all of them transformed into a deep purple!
Four thousand-year Soul Rings!
At the same time, a brilliant nine-colored glazed light spread out with her as the center, forming a strange Domain about ten meters in diameter.
Within the Domain, light flowed, filled with a peaceful yet powerful support aura.
It was precisely the innate Domain: Glazed Divine Light.
A Qiluo Tulip Immortal Herb, crystalline throughout and exuding a rich fragrance and Soul Power fluctuations, also appeared out of thin air in her hand.
"Congratulations, Rongrong."
Zhu Zhuqing was genuinely happy for her friend, but a hint of envy inevitably flashed in the depths of her beautiful eyes.
Now both of them had obtained such Heaven-Defying Opportunities, their strength greatly increased, while she...
As if sensing Zhu Zhuqing's emotions, Ning Rongrong reined in some of her excitement, held her hand, and comforted her.
"Zhuqing, don't worry, this is only the first list; there will definitely be other lists later!"
Dugu Yan also walked over and smiled, "That's right, Zhuqing, the Dean said to just watch these lists for fun and not to take them too seriously."
"It's more important for us to Cultivate well in the academy and improve our strength."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, forcing a slight smile onto her frosty face, but the sense of urgency in her heart grew even stronger.
She secretly vowed that she must Cultivate even harder.
At this moment, Teacher Li Bai had walked over at some point, looking with interest at the faintly discernible Domain power around Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan.
He smiled, "Oh? Innate Domains?"
"Not bad, not bad. It seems you two can bring me some new tricks for the next assessment."
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan's newly risen confidence was instantly dampened, and they said with bitter faces,
"Teacher Li Bai, please don't tease us. Even with Domains, we're still far from being able to touch your coattails!"
Li Bai laughed heartily, took a sip of wine, and said no more.
Lu Xiao's peripheral vision caught sight of the "Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda" actually ranking twelfth on the heavenly curtain, suppressing the Clear Sky Hammer, and a faint hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Oh? The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Ranks twelfth?"
His heart stirred slightly, but then he understood, and a faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmm... thinking about it carefully, it's not too surprising."
His thoughts flowed, analyzing the reason: "The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is indeed a miracle on this Douluo Continent, rarely seen for hundreds of years."
"Its Martial Soul essence is the ultimate support, and the effect of each Soul skills can be called Heaven-Defying. With the strength of one person, it can make a Soul Master army's strength undergo a qualitative leap."
"From the perspective of its influence on the entire battlefield, a complete Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master's strategic value indeed surpasses that of a Clear Sky Hammer Soul Master of equal cultivation who purely pursues individual martial prowess."
"This Heavenly Dao list, it seems, is not solely judged by the Martial Soul's attack power or Legacy foundation."
Immediately, his attention fell on Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong.
More precisely, it fell on the innate Domains they had just acquired.
He became a little curious about the Domains produced by this so-called "Heavenly Dao reward."
"Tell me, what are the specifics of these two Domains you just obtained?"
Lu Xiao asked casually.
Ning Rongrong, hearing the Dean personally inquire, quickly composed herself and carefully sensed the brilliant nine-colored glazed light around her body.
Then she earnestly explained, "Dean, my Domain is called 'Glazed Divine Light.' Within this Domain, all the support Martial Soul Abilities I cast will have their effects increased by about ten percent compared to normal!"
She paused, a hint of joy and reassurance appearing on her small face, and continued, "Moreover, this Domain has another very important function."
"That is, any enemy who enters the range of my Domain will have their overall attributes, such as speed, attack power, and defense, weakened by fifty percent!"
"This way... this way, even if I'm by myself, when I encounter danger, I'll have some ability to protect myself."
Lu Xiao listened, nodded slightly, and showed a somewhat satisfied expression: "Hmm, it's good for both offense and defense, especially compensating for the shortcomings of support Soul Masters."
"A fifty percent weakening effect is quite remarkable, enough to make attack system Soul Masters clumsy and greatly reduce the speed of agility-attack system Soul Masters."
"Not bad, this Domain is interesting. Develop it well, and the future is promising."
As a support system Soul Master, Ning Rongrong's biggest weakness was her own fragility, making her extremely vulnerable to targeting.
The weakening effect brought by this Domain undoubtedly greatly supplemented her survival ability.
Especially before the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda acquired powerful eighth and ninth Martial Soul Abilities.
Lu Xiao then turned his gaze to the cold and beautiful Dugu Yan beside him: "What about yours? That 'Ice Fire Poison Miasma Domain' sounds like trouble. Tell me about it."
Seeing the Dean ask, a confident light flashed in Dugu Yan's emerald eyes. She organized her words and explained.
"Dean, my Ice Fire Poison Miasma Domain, as its name suggests, will diffuse a mixed poison miasma within its activated range, based on my Jade Phosphor Serpent poison and fused with the two extreme attribute powers of ice and fire."
Her voice carried a hint of coldness: "Once an enemy falls into my Domain, they will unknowingly inhale this mixed poison through breathing or even skin pores."
"This poison is extremely insidious. It not only contains the destructive power brought by the conflicting attributes of extreme cold and extreme heat, but also combines the nerve paralysis and corrosive properties of my Jade Phosphor Serpent poison itself. Even with Soul Power body protection activated, the poison miasma can slowly penetrate to a certain extent, eroding the opponent's Soul Power defense."
"Once poisoned, they will experience severe pain throughout their body and sluggish Soul Power circulation within a short time, severely weakening or even losing combat effectiveness. It is an offensive Domain... leaning towards control and continuous attrition."
Lu Xiao listened, nodded, and commented, "Fusing ice and fire characteristics makes the poison more treacherous and harder to defend against, and its penetrative power is also stronger. It should be significantly effective against groups of enemies or in stalemates."
"Not bad, both of your Domains have their own unique characteristics, however."
He changed the subject, returning to his lazy demeanor, and reminded, "While Domains are good, they are ultimately external and supplementary. The fundamental aspect of a Soul Master still lies in their own Soul Power cultivation, Soul skills application, and combat will."
"Don't rely too much on these Domains; true strength comes from one's own power."
"Yes, Dean! We understand!"
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan replied in unison.