When he saw the ice-blue, exquisitely crafted crown appearing above Shui Bing'er's head, Shui Wuhen immediately straightened his expression.
"External Spirit Bone?"
"That's right, an External Spirit Bone!"
Shui Bing'er nodded with a smile. "I call it the Ice Phoenix Crown. As for its effect~~~"
As she spoke, the crown above Shui Bing'er's head emitted an ice-blue glow. Wherever the light reached, the surrounding environment immediately changed, transforming into an ice-blue space filled with drifting snowflakes.
Seeing this, Shui Wuhen was somewhat delighted, because he was all too familiar with this scene. Wasn't this a Domain?
"Big brother must have already noticed. The effect of the Ice Phoenix Crown is a Domain!"
"Currently, this Domain can cover a radius of up to fifty meters. Within its range, my attack and defense effects are increased by twenty percent, while the opponent's strength is suppressed by twenty percent," Shui Bing'er explained.
Upon hearing this, Shui Wuhen slightly nodded. "Not bad. Although it's not as good as my Snow Scene Domain, it's still decent."
Domains were extremely rare in his understanding. Aside from himself, he had only seen Tang San possess a Domain. Perhaps powerhouses like Bibi Dong or Tang Hao might also have one, but this ability was still exceedingly uncommon.
What did a twenty percent increase and suppression mean?
It meant that if two opponents were originally evenly matched, then the one with a Domain would, upon activating it, gain a total combat advantage of about fifty percent over the one without a Domain.
And a fifty percent gap in combat strength was enough to easily determine victory.
Even more importantly, Domains grow along with the user's level. In other words, the higher the level, the larger the gap between Soul Masters with Domains and those without.
Originally, Shui Wuhen had worried that Shui Bing'er did not possess a Domain, and had even planned to analyze his Snow Scene Domain later and create a self-made Soul Skill for her—even if it only had a fraction of the original effect, it would still be better than nothing.
But now, Shui Wuhen no longer needed to worry, because Shui Bing'er already had a Domain of her own.
Although its effects were slightly inferior to the Snow Scene Domain of , it was still sufficient. As her level increased, she would still be able to widen the gap significantly compared to other Soul Masters.
However, after hearing Shui Wuhen's words, Shui Bing'er merely smiled and shook her finger. "Big brother, my Ice Frost Domain is not just that simple."
Hearing this, Shui Wuhen slightly froze. Could there be another effect?
Seeing Shui Wuhen's confusion, Shui Bing'er did not keep him in suspense and immediately began to demonstrate.
Shui Bing'er's physical body suddenly disappeared, replaced by a somewhat illusory snowman-like form.
Then, in this snowman state, she explained to Shui Wuhen, "Big brother, this is the final effect of the Ice Frost Domain—elementalization!"
"After elementalizing, I can become immune to physical attacks. Even elemental attacks are greatly reduced, and as long as the Domain remains active, I can maintain this state."
As he listened, Shui Wuhen's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Without elementalization, Shui Bing'er's Ice Frost Domain would indeed be relatively average.
But with elementalization, the situation was completely different. It could directly elevate her Ice Frost Domain into the ranks of top-tier Domains.
Immediately after, Shui Bing'er withdrew her Ice Frost Domain. As the ice-blue space disappeared, the exquisite crown above her head also slowly retracted into her body, returning to its original state.
However, for safety's sake, Shui Wuhen still asked the final question.
"Bing'er, how is the consumption of maintaining the Domain?"
Even if the Domain's effect was good, if the consumption was too great, its strategic value would be greatly reduced.
Shui Bing'er was slightly surprised, but still answered, "The consumption isn't large. I can fully sustain it through an entire battle. And with the soul power boost from my fifth Soul Skill, my total soul power reserve is now even greater than many Soul Emperors, so this isn't a problem."
For ordinary Soul Masters, every ten-level increase roughly doubles their soul power. This was also why Tang San and the other six Soul Ancestors around level forty could use Martial Soul Fusion Skills after combining their soul power.
Even the gap between a Rank 91 and Rank 95 Titled Douluo was not as large as one might imagine. The actual combat difference depended more on Martial Soul quality, number of Soul Bones, Soul Skill configuration, and whether one possessed a Domain.
If all of these were in place, even a Rank 91 Titled Douluo could withstand a Rank 95 Titled Douluo head-on.
The reason ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts could contend with Rank 95 Titled Douluo was precisely because, in terms of physical body, Soul Skills, and Domains, they all held advantages over ordinary Titled Douluo.
This situation was only gradually balanced later in Douluo II, when the human Soul Master cultivation system became more refined and Soul Core cultivation methods were widely adopted.
Upon hearing this, Shui Wuhen's eyes lit up as he slightly nodded. "If that's the case, then your Ice Frost Domain is top-tier among all Domains. It's fortunate that you chose to absorb that Ice Frost Imperial Swan; otherwise, you might have had to wait until your ninth Soul Skill to obtain a Domain."
Domains are extremely difficult to obtain. Generally, if a Martial Soul does not inherently possess one, there is only a small chance of gaining it at the ninth Soul Skill.
Of course, there are exceptions—special methods can also grant Domains.
For example, the Killing City, or Shui Bing'er's External Spirit Bone.
Shui Bing'er was also very happy and nodded vigorously. "I think so too. That Ice Frost Imperial Swan was truly my blessing. Not only did it give me a great fifth Soul Skill, it also granted me an External Spirit Bone with Domain properties. It really is a good Soul Beast."
The unfortunate Ice Frost Imperial Swan: "..."
At this moment, however, Shui Wuhen poured a bucket of cold water over her excitement.
"Bing'er, unless absolutely necessary, before you fully fuse the Ice Phoenix Crown, you are not allowed to use this External Spirit Bone. Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Shui Bing'er was also slightly stunned, then nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, big brother. Besides this, I won't casually reveal the other two Spirit Bones until my strength is sufficient."
Seeing Shui Bing'er say this, Shui Wuhen finally relaxed.
Before an External Spirit Bone is fully fused, it can still be dropped upon the death of the Soul Master, just like other Spirit Bones. An External Spirit Bone that contains a Domain skill—he couldn't even imagine how疯狂 those people would become.
One must know that External Spirit Bones can grow alongside the Soul Master. In theory, their value is even higher than ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones.
At this moment, Shui Bing'er suddenly asked, "Big brother, the hunting is already over. Are we returning to Tianxue Peak next?"
"No."
Shui Wuhen shook his head and took out the fallen man's diary from his storage soul device. Flipping to a certain page, he pointed at the map on it and said:
"Next, we're going to this place!"