Chapter 14 The Role of Domains.
"The Qiluo Tulip, it's the 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 evolve too! He might even break through to the Title Douluo level!"
Her martial soul had evolved from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda thanks to a Qiluo Tulip bestowed upon her by the Dean.
But the Dean had also said that the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well had a special environment, and it would be difficult to find another immortal herb of comparable quality in the world.
Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Dao reward had directly bestowed one!
How could she not be overjoyed?
"Boom!"
The next moment, a surge of golden energy, even more powerful and pure than when Dugu Yan received her reward, ignored spatial barriers and poured into Ning Rongrong's body.
Her soul power level broke through continuously, and her four soul rings, originally two yellow and two purple, now shone brightly, their colors rapidly deepening.
Finally, they all turned into a deep purple!
Four thousand-year soul rings!
At the same time, a dazzling nine-colored glazed light spread out from her center, forming a strange domain about ten meters in diameter.
The domain shimmered with light, filled with a peaceful yet powerful aura of support.
This was her innate domain: Glazed Divine Light.
A tulip-shaped immortal herb, crystal clear and radiating 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 deep in her beautiful eyes.
Now both of them had obtained such heaven-defying opportunities, greatly increasing their strength, and she…
Seemingly sensing Zhu Zhuqing's emotions, Ning Rongrong suppressed her excitement, took her hand, and comforted her.
"Zhuqing, don't worry, this is only the first ranking list; there will definitely be other lists later!"
Dugu Yan also came over and smiled, "Yes, Zhuqing, the Dean said that these ranking lists are just for fun, don't take them too seriously."
"Let's cultivate diligently in the academy; improving our strength is the real goal."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, a faint smile forcing a smile on her icy face, but her sense of urgency only intensified.
She secretly vowed to cultivate even harder.
At this moment, Teacher Li Bai appeared, observing with interest the faintly visible domain power surrounding Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan.
He chuckled, "Oh? Talent domains?"
"Not bad, not bad. It seems you two can bring me some new tricks in the next assessment."
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan's newly risen confidence was instantly crushed, their faces contorted in pain.
"Teacher Li Bai, please don't tease us. Even with domains, we're still far from being able to touch the hem of your robes," Li Bai laughed, took a sip of wine, and said no more.
Lu Xiao, glancing out of the corner of his eye, noticed that the "Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda" was ranked twelfth on the sky. As he pressed the Haotian Hammer beneath him, a faint hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Oh? The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is ranked twelfth?"
His heart stirred slightly, but he quickly understood, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Hmm... Thinking about it carefully, it's not too surprising."
He pondered the reasons: "The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is indeed a miracle on the Douluo Continent, one that appears only once every few hundred years."
"The essence of its martial soul is ultimate support; each soul skill's effect is heaven-defying. A single person can bring about a qualitative leap in the strength of a soul master legion."
"From the perspective of its impact on the overall battle, 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 personal martial prowess."
"This Heavenly Dao Ranking doesn't seem to be judged solely by the attack power or inherited foundation of a martial soul."
His attention then fell on Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong.
More accurately, it fell on their newly acquired talent domains.
He felt a trace of curiosity about the domains generated by this so-called "Heavenly Dao reward."
"Tell me, what exactly are these two domains you just obtained?"
Lu Xiao asked casually.
Hearing the dean personally inquire, Ning Rongrong quickly composed herself and carefully sensed the dazzling nine-colored glazed light surrounding her.
Then she explained earnestly, "Dean, my domain is called 'Glassy Divine Light.' Within this domain, all my support soul skills will be about 10% more effective than normal!"
She paused, a hint of joy and relief on her face, and continued, "Moreover, this domain has another very important function."
"That is, whenever an enemy enters my domain, their speed, attack power, defense, and other comprehensive attributes will be weakened by 50%!"
"This way... even if I'm alone, I'll have some ability to protect myself when I encounter danger."
Lu Xiao nodded slightly after listening, a satisfied look on his face: "Hmm, it's both offensive and defensive, especially making up for the weaknesses of support soul masters."
"A 50% reduction is quite effective, enough to make power-attack soul masters cumbersome and greatly reduce the speed of agility-attack soul masters."
"Not bad, this domain is interesting. Develop it well, and the future is promising."
Ning Rongrong, as a support soul master, has her biggest weakness as she is fragile and easily targeted.
The weakening effect brought by this domain is undoubtedly a great supplement to her survivability.
Especially before the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda acquired its powerful eighth and ninth soul skills.
Lu Xiao then turned his gaze to the aloof and beautiful Dugu Yan beside him: "What about yours? That 'Ice and Fire Poisonous Miasma Domain' doesn't sound like a friendly force. Tell me about it."
When the dean asked, a confident glint flashed in Dugu Yan's emerald eyes. She organized her thoughts and explained.
"Dean, my Ice and Fire Poisonous Miasma Domain, as its name suggests, spreads a mixed poisonous miasma within its area of effect. This miasma is based on my Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison and incorporates the dual attributes of ice and fire."
Her voice carried a hint of coldness. "Once an enemy enters my domain, they will unknowingly inhale this mixed toxin through their breath or even their skin pores."
"This toxin is extremely cunning, not only containing the destructive power of the conflicting attributes of extreme cold and extreme heat, but also combining the nerve-paralyzing and corrosive properties of my Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison itself. Even with a activated soul power shield, the miasma can still slowly penetrate and erode the opponent's soul power defense to a certain extent."
"Once poisoned, one will experience excruciating pain throughout their body and sluggish soul power circulation within a short period of time, severely weakening or even eliminating their combat ability. It is... an offensive domain that leans towards control and sustained attrition."
Lu Xiao nodded after listening and commented, "The fusion of ice and fire properties makes the poison even more unpredictable and difficult to defend against, and its penetrability is also stronger. It should be remarkably effective against groups of enemies or in stalemate battles."
"Indeed, both of your domains have their own unique characteristics, but..."
He changed his tone, reverting to his languid demeanor, and reminded them, "While domains are beneficial, they are ultimately external tools and aids. A Soul Master's foundation lies in their own Soul Power cultivation, Soul Skill application, and fighting spirit."
"Don't rely too much on these domains; true strength lies in one's own abilities."
"Yes, Dean! We understand!"
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan replied in unison.
(End of Chapter)