Chapter 170: Awakening the Domain
Eighty-one days later.
Buzz—
On the 188th step of the trial staircase, Su Mo's martial soul flared to life, his soul rings emerging one by one.
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red, red!
A total of seven soul rings shimmered around him, with both his sixth and seventh soul rings being hundred-thousand-year red rings.
After nearly three months of absorption, Su Mo had finally used the divine-bestowed soul ring to condense his second hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
"He actually succeeded in forming a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!"
"He's just a Soul Sage, yet he already has two hundred-thousand-year soul rings. No wonder the Sea God chose him!"
The bespectacled secretary stared at Su Mo with admiration.
Aside from High Priest Bo Saixi, Su Mo was the most talented individual she had ever encountered.
Not only did he possess extraordinary talent, but his perseverance was also remarkable. She herself had received a divine-bestowed soul ring before, so she understood just how difficult it was to form one of hundred-thousand-year quality.
"As expected, his seventh soul ring is a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!"
Within the Sea God Hall, Bo Saixi sensed Su Mo's completion of the divine-bestowed soul ring and used her soul skill to create a water screen, displaying the scene of Su Mo's seventh soul ring.
Given the amount of time Su Mo had spent absorbing the divine-bestowed soul ring, Bo Saixi had already suspected that he was attempting to form a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
However, seeing it with her own eyes still left her slightly astonished.
Back then, she herself had only managed to form a hundred-thousand-year soul ring after becoming a Title Douluo.
At this moment, Bo Saixi began to understand why the Sea God had chosen Su Mo.
The jealousy she had once felt toward Su Mo gradually faded.
Yet, the unwillingness in her heart still remained.
She had made a promise to wait for Tang Chen. She didn't want to sacrifice herself before she could fulfill that promise.
With this thought, a cold glint flashed in Bo Saixi's eyes.
She wouldn't interfere with the Sea God's trials and would even support Su Mo.
However, if Su Mo failed on his own, then that wouldn't be her problem.
"Finally, it's done!"
Su Mo stood up and smiled in satisfaction.
Forming a hundred-thousand-year soul ring with a divine-bestowed soul ring had been more challenging than he had expected.
Originally, he thought that with his physical constitution—stronger than Tang San's when he came here—it would be much easier.
But it turned out that wasn't the case. He had nearly failed.
In the end, it was his indomitable will that had pushed him through, allowing him to successfully form his seventh hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
"Su Mo, now that you've reached Soul Sage, has your Soul-Hunting Spear awakened a domain?"
Bibi Dong's voice echoed in Su Mo's mind.
She asked because many powerful individuals with domains often awakened them upon reaching Soul Sage.
Buzz—
Hearing Bibi Dong's question, Su Mo summoned his Soul-Hunting Spear and swung it lightly.
"No, I still only have the Slaughter God Domain from the City of Slaughter."
Su Mo shook his head slightly in disappointment.
But soon, his expression brightened.
Although his martial soul had not awakened a domain, his innate time-space abilities had.
"Sister Rakshasa, my time-space power has awakened a domain!"
"My domain is called the Time-Space Domain. Within it, I can manipulate time and space to a certain extent—such as freely shifting my position or an enemy's, or accelerating and slowing down time!"
After carefully sensing the properties of his new domain, Su Mo was ecstatic and eagerly shared his discovery with Bibi Dong.
Unlike other domains that provided fixed buffs or debuffs, his Time-Space Domain's effects depended entirely on his mastery over it.
At present, since he had just awakened it, his ability to manipulate time and space was still limited.
For instance, he could only increase or decrease the flow of time by around ten percent.
Even so, Su Mo was thrilled.
Once he fully mastered this domain, the power boost it would grant him would be beyond measure.
"Really?"
"A domain like that actually exists? Your ability is even stronger than Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo's martial soul fusion skill—they can only create a Two Extremes Static Domain!"
Bibi Dong was astonished and delighted.
Su Mo's Time-Space Domain immediately reminded her of the fusion skill of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
"Mm, stopping time and space should be possible once I fully master the Time-Space Domain!"
Su Mo responded with a confident smile.
"Let's see how many steps I can climb now!"
After answering Bibi Dong, Su Mo set his sights on the staircase before him and took a step forward.
Now that he had reached Soul Sage, ascending was significantly easier.
Without the Slaughter God Domain or the Eight Spider Lances to boost himself, Su Mo still managed to reach the 250th step.
It wasn't until this point that he once again felt the oppressive pressure.
His first Sea God Trial required him to climb 298 steps—now, he was only 48 steps away.
Since he could reach the 250th step purely by his own strength, the remaining 48 steps posed no real challenge.
Moreover, aside from his own latent power, he could also receive enhancements from Ning Rongrong's soul skills.
If he wanted to, he could clear the first trial immediately.
However, after glancing upward, Su Mo decided against it.
There were still more than three months left before the one-year deadline—there was no rush.
More importantly, he had to ensure that Ning Rongrong could pass as well.
Looking down, he saw Ning Rongrong cultivating on the 92nd step.
Ye Lingling was in a similar situation, staying at the 90th step.
"Only at the 92nd step?"
Su Mo frowned slightly at Ning Rongrong's progress.
At this rate, she might not be able to reach the required 136th step in three months through her own efforts alone.
Ye Lingling, on the other hand, would likely pass her trial, as she only needed to climb 108 steps.
She was already at the 90th step—if she fell short after three months, Ning Rongrong's support abilities could make up the difference.
The real problem was Ning Rongrong herself.
As a support-type Soul Master, she couldn't enhance herself with her own abilities.
This was a major flaw in the system—while food-type Soul Masters could consume their own food-based buffs, support-type Soul Masters couldn't use their own abilities for self-empowerment.
Oscar was an exception—he could eat his own sausages and still receive full effects.
In the original story, when the Shrek Seven Devils attempted the first Sea God Trial, everyone else benefited from Ning Rongrong's support, allowing them to pass.
But Ning Rongrong herself, unable to receive her own buffs, had nearly failed the trial—she had only barely passed with Tang San's help.
"With that little girl's abilities, climbing to the 136th step by herself will be extremely difficult!"
"But don't you two have a martial soul fusion skill?"
"Your fusion skill isn't an offensive soul skill, so it should work within the Sea God's Light. You can complete the trial together!"
"Forget 136 steps—with your fusion skill, you could easily climb to 300 or even 400 steps!"
Bibi Dong's voice once again echoed in Su Mo's mind.
"Right! I almost forgot!"
Hearing Bibi Dong's reminder, Su Mo was suddenly delighted.
He really had nearly overlooked this option. His initial intention was to let Ning Rongrong pass the first trial on her own.
But since she couldn't complete it alone, they could just clear it together.
After realizing this, Su Mo was no longer worried about Ning Rongrong's progress.
He didn't tell her in advance either—letting her put in effort and train diligently was a good thing.
After all, she hadn't thought of this solution herself.
Shrek Academy
In the headmaster's office, Yu Xiaogang was feeling restless as he scribbled notes on a piece of paper, sketching out strategies for the current Shrek Team.
Sigh—
Suddenly, he set down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and let out a deep sigh.
"Only three months left... Is Xiao San really not coming back?"
"Xiao San, where are you now?"
"Is there no way for you to return?"
Yu Xiaogang had been worrying about this for a while, but now, despair was beginning to set in.
He knew Tang San's character—if Tang San had promised to return, he would do everything in his power to keep that promise.
The fact that Tang San still hadn't returned could only mean one thing: he was either trapped somewhere or unable to leave due to certain circumstances.
Now, Yu Xiaogang could only hope that Tang San would make it back in time.
As for team coordination, that was something he no longer dared to think about.
The only piece of good news was that, aside from Dai Mubai, both Oscar and Ma Hongjun had successfully broken through level 50 and become Soul Kings.
Even if Tang San didn't return, the Shrek Team still had three Soul Kings.
"Dai Mubai, do you think Tang San won't come back?"
"If that's the case, then it's just the three of us now."
Like Yu Xiaogang, Ma Hongjun was also concerned about Tang San's absence.
At this moment, he, Dai Mubai, and Oscar—three of the original Shrek Team members—were gathered together discussing the matter.
"Tang San said he would return, so he should be coming back."
Oscar muttered, clearly worried as well.
Hearing Ma Hongjun and Oscar's concerns, a dark look flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes.
Compared to them, he was even more anxious about Tang San's return.
Because he was well aware of Tang San's strength. By now, Tang San should have broken through to Soul King, and his combat power would likely surpass theirs.
As much as he hated to admit it, Dai Mubai knew that Tang San was far stronger than him.
That was why he wanted Tang San back—only with Tang San would their Shrek Team be at its strongest.
And only then would they have a better chance of winning the Soul Master Tournament.
Right now, he desperately needed that championship.
Winning the tournament was his only chance to return and compete with his elder brother, Dai Weisi, for the crown prince position.
Even though he had heard rumors that Dai Weisi was already set to inherit the title,
Even if winning the tournament wouldn't change anything, he still wanted that championship.
It was the last glimmer of hope in his otherwise bleak future.
As for Zhu Zhuqing's betrayal, he had chosen to ignore it.
Because if he thought about it too much, he would realize that her defection also implicated him. The moment Zhu Zhuqing turned her back on the Star Luo Empire, Dai Mubai had already lost his right to compete for the throne.
But he was unwilling to accept that reality.
Even if he couldn't win the competition for the throne, he wanted to prove himself—wanted to show that he was worthy.
"Tang San should be back in time!"
"And even if he doesn't return, we still have three Soul Kings. What's there to worry about?"
Dai Mubai said with a smile, trying to reassure Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
Although he was more anxious than either of them, he refused to show it.
"Haha, you're right!"
"Dai Mubai, you're absolutely right! Even if Tang San doesn't come back, we've got three Soul Kings. Winning the championship shouldn't be a problem!"
Ma Hongjun laughed in agreement, clearly proud of his recent breakthrough.
"That's assuming Su Mo and Ning Rongrong aren't competing in this tournament."
"Otherwise, the three of us alone won't be enough to defeat them."
Unlike Ma Hongjun, Oscar wasn't as optimistic. He sighed, worried about the possibility of facing Su Mo and Ning Rongrong.
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun's smile froze.
He had been so caught up in his own strength that he forgot about them.
"How strong do you think Su Mo and Ning Rongrong are now?"
"We've all broken through to Soul King, so they must have as well. But just how much stronger than us are they now?"
Ma Hongjun finally voiced the question that had been nagging at him.
"They can't have reached Soul Emperor, right?"
He speculated but found it hard to believe even himself.
He was convinced that Su Mo and Ning Rongrong were far stronger than them, but reaching Soul Emperor already? That seemed impossible.
"No way. Absolutely impossible!"
"There's never been anyone in history who reached Soul Emperor before the age of 20. No matter how talented they are, it's just not possible!"
Dai Mubai stated firmly.
🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟
Hello, beloved readers and supporters!
I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:
📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!
💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.
👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!
Patreon.com/anish_44
https://ko-fi.com/anish_44