Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III to Screw Over Tang San

"I guess that's true... hehe!" Gong Xue smiled. Thick-skinned as she was, she didn't feel embarrassed at all. Then she asked, "What caused the frost on the plants' leaves?"

Gong Yu looked at Gong Qianqian and asked, "What do you think?"

Gong Qianqian looked at the others. They were all waiting for her answer, so she said, "I sensed a Soul Beast nearby that's very compatible with me through my Martial Soul. That Soul Beast is probably behind this."

Gong Yu nodded. "That's right. There should be a Soul Beast nearby whose attributes are compatible with yours. We just don't know what kind it is or how old it is."

With that, he looked at Gong Lan. "Lan'er, use the Blue Silver Grass's perspective to search nearby. If you can find that Soul Beast, we can settle your fourth sister's Soul Ring."

"Okay." Gong Lan immediately sat down cross-legged and began communicating with the Blue Silver Grass around them.

About five or six minutes later, Gong Lan spoke again. "I found it. About five hundred meters away, there's a silver frog with three legs and cold air coming off its whole body."

Gong Yu burst out laughing. "Lan'er, that's not a frog. From your description, it should be a Three-Legged Frost Toad, a mutated variant of the Three-Legged Silver Toad.

"Legend has it that the moon was transformed from a Three-Legged Silver Toad, so the Three-Legged Silver Toad is a divine beast. The Three-Legged Frost Toad you saw should have a divine beast's bloodline."

"A divine beast?" Gong Qianqian said. "If it's a divine beast, are we still going to kill it?"

Gong Yu smiled faintly. "It's only a legend. Who knows if it's true? Besides, it's hard enough to encounter a Soul Beast whose attributes are highly compatible with your own, so we have no reason to let it go."

"But... Lan'er, could you tell how old the Three-Legged Frost Toad was?" Gong Yu looked at Gong Lan again.

"I... I don't recognize that kind of Soul Beast, so I couldn't tell how old it was," Gong Lan said, a little embarrassed.

"True enough," Gong Yu said. "Lan'er, lead the way. We'll go take a look together."

Under Gong Lan's lead, the group slowly and carefully made their way toward the spot five hundred meters away.

The Three-Legged Frost Toad seemed to have sensed someone approaching, so it had already stopped making noise.

Although they couldn't hear the Three-Legged Frost Toad's cries, the closer they got, the stronger the chill grew. By the time they were less than twenty meters away, frost had formed on everyone's clothes and shoes.

Gong Yu quietly reminded them, "Circulate the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and move your blood Qi to resist the cold."

Everyone began circulating the Dragon Elephant Prajna except Na'er and Gong Qianqian. Gong Qianqian's Martial Soul was cold Qi itself, so she wasn't afraid of the cold.

Na'er was the Silver Dragon King herself, and ice was one of the elements she controlled, so she wasn't afraid of the cold either.

Gong Xue should not have been afraid of it either. Her attribute countered the frost toad's, but unfortunately, her flames were impure, so they couldn't withstand the cold Qi the frost toad emitted.

Still, being unable to withstand it didn't mean she couldn't draw its fire. Gong Yu looked at Gong Xue and said, "Xiao Xue, use Martial Soul Possession in a moment and fly up. Draw the Three-Legged Frost Toad's attention from the air."

"Hehe, okay! I finally don't have to just stand and watch." Gong Xue grinned, looking eager to give it a try.

The group continued forward for about another ten meters and finally got a clear look at the Three-Legged Frost Toad.

Gong Yu swallowed, but said with some disappointment, "To tell a toad-type Soul Beast's age, you first look at its height. Before reaching a thousand years of cultivation, a toad generally only grows taller, five centimeters every hundred years. It usually stops growing when it reaches half a meter tall.

"But that also means its cultivation has reached a thousand years. At that point, chrysanthemum-shaped markings grow on its belly. One marking represents a thousand years, two represent two thousand, and so on.

"The markings range from light to dark. The darker the color, the closer it is to the end of that stage. That Three-Legged Silver Toad has only one faint marking on its belly, which means it probably reached a thousand years not long ago."

"What about a hundred thousand years, then? Wouldn't it have to grow a hundred markings? What if there isn't room for that many chrysanthemums on its belly?" Gong Xue loved finding fault and arguing for the sake of it. When she said "chrysanthemums," she even gave Gong Miaomiao, whose Martial Soul was a chrysanthemum, a mischievous grin.

Gong Miaomiao immediately rolled her eyes in exasperation, then turned her head away to show she didn't want to deal with Gong Xue.

"This isn't the time to tease your seventh sister." Gong Yu lightly flicked Gong Xue on the forehead. "Toad-type Soul Beasts rarely live past ten thousand years. They're at the very bottom of the food chain and have too many natural enemies, so you don't need to worry about running into a hundred-thousand-year-old one."

"Oh, I understand." Gong Xue rubbed her head. The flick hadn't hurt much, but the force against her skull wouldn't fade so quickly. It still felt as though something were pressing against it.

Gong Yu looked at Gong Qianqian again. "This Soul Beast is above the age limit. I'm afraid you won't be able to absorb it."

But Gong Qianqian said, "I'm not sure whether I can absorb it successfully either, but my Martial Soul seems to crave that Soul Beast's Soul Ring, so I want to try."

"But this could very well be life-threatening. Are you sure you want to try?" Gong Yu asked her again. "Why don't we search some more tomorrow? Perhaps we'll find a Soul Beast whose age and attributes are both suitable for you!"

Gong Qianqian said, "Young master, my Martial Soul really wants that Soul Ring, so I still want to try."

Gong Yu nodded. "All right, but let me make this clear first: if you can't bear it while absorbing the Soul Ring, I'll interrupt you immediately."

"I understand. Thank you, young master. I'll succeed." With Gong Yu's agreement, Gong Qianqian immediately smiled.

"All right, let's begin!" Gong Yu started issuing instructions. "Xiao Xue, use Martial Soul Possession, fly up, and provoke the Three-Legged Frost Toad to draw its attention. But remember not to fly too high, or you'll easily become a target for some of the flying Soul Beasts out at night."

"I understand, big brother." As Gong Xue spoke, she immediately used Martial Soul Possession. A deep-yellow Soul Ring flashed into view beneath her feet, and she rose into the air.

Gong Yu looked at Gong Lan. "Lan'er, once Xiao Xue has distracted the Three-Legged Frost Toad, use your Blue Silver Grass's First Soul Skill to entangle it. Your First Soul Skill came from a snake, so it has a certain suppressive effect on toads."

"Okay, I understand." Gong Lan nodded.

Next, Gong Yu looked at Gong Xiao. "Gong Xiao, once your eldest sister has entangled the Three-Legged Frost Toad, hit it over the head with your staff."

But Gong Xiao said nervously, "C-can I do it? I'm afraid I'll use too much strength and kill it with one blow."

"Don't worry," Gong Yu said. "That Three-Legged Frost Toad is a thousand-year Soul Beast. It won't be so easy for you to kill it. And if you're really worried, hold back a little-about thirty percent of your strength. Judge the exact amount for yourself."

Gong Xiao was still a little nervous. "I... I understand."

Meanwhile, Gong Xue had already flown out and was circling above the Three-Legged Frost Toad. Her Soul Ring flashed, and she shouted, "First Soul Skill, Flame Wing Slash!"

Chapter 32: The Fierce Frost Toad

Faced with Gong Xue's provocation from the air, the Three-Legged Frost Toad on the ground couldn't help croaking twice. Then it aimed at her and shot out its long tongue, hoping to stick it to her, pull her in, and swallow her.

Gong Xue had already been on guard in midair. As soon as she saw the Three-Legged Frost Toad's fleshy tongue lengthen and shoot toward her, she sent a blade of fire slashing at it and quickly moved away, harassing the toad back and forth in this manner.

As a result, the Three-Legged Frost Toad focused all its attention on dealing with Gong Xue.

Just then, Gong Lan struck. The Blue Silver Grass in her right hand, which had already grown into a vine, spread steadily across the ground, while a deep-yellow Soul Ring rose rhythmically beneath her feet.

Gong Lan's Soul Ring flashed, and she called out softly, "Blue Silver Grass First Soul Skill, Snake Vine Entanglement!"

As her voice fell, the Blue Silver Grass transformed into countless vines that spread toward the Three-Legged Frost Toad, blotting out the sky and covering the earth.

Gong Lan's Blue Silver Grass First Soul Skill could attack any target within fifty meters, and the Three-Legged Frost Toad was less than ten meters away from them. The Blue Silver Grass spreading in from all sides easily surrounded it.

But the Three-Legged Frost Toad was no pushover. It immediately released an extreme chill, freezing Gong Lan's Blue Silver Grass stiff in an instant. After the arm-thick strands of Blue Silver Grass gathered together, they froze into one mass, like an exquisite ice sculpture.

Seeing this, Gong Yu frowned. "This won't work. Lan'er's Blue Silver Grass isn't immune to ice yet. It froze before it could even get close to the Three-Legged Frost Toad, so it can't entangle it at all."

Just then, Gong Xue, still in the air, shouted to Gong Yu, "Big brother, I'm almost out of Soul Power!"

Gong Yu sighed. He understood that Gong Xue was only a level-eleven Soul Master, and her First Soul Ring had been absorbed above the age limit. Using its Soul Skill consumed a great deal of power to begin with. Her Soul Power was barely enough for her to use her First Soul Skill twice, and even the second use would be a strain.

But Gong Xue had already used her Soul Skill once, and she still had to maintain her flight. It simply wasn't suitable for her to use her remaining Soul Power to activate the Soul Skill a second time.

Gong Yu looked at Na'er. "Na'er, it looks like it's up to us this time."

The others had no particular reaction to Gong Yu's words, but Gong Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she finally didn't have to worry about killing the Soul Beast with one blow.

Na'er nodded. "I'll go. Brother Yu, stay here and protect the sisters. A mere thousand-year Soul Beast is nothing to me."

A Three-Legged Silver Toad, a divine beast? She, the Silver Dragon King, had never heard of it. Perhaps it was, but there were plenty of divine beasts. As a member of the dragon race, she had never deigned to give other divine beasts a second glance, much less this Three-Legged Frost Toad, which possessed only a trace of divine beast blood, so thin there was no telling just how diluted it was.

"This... all right, then. You could even beat a three-thousand-year-old Ice Jade Borer Spider. This thousand-year Three-Legged Frost Toad is no match for you."

Gong Yu nodded. He could actually have gone himself. He wasn't afraid of the cold either, because after absorbing the Ice Jade Borer Spider's Soul Ring, his golden Blue Silver Grass had gained the ice attribute. Combined with his abundant blood Qi, he also had a degree of immunity to cold Qi.

Na'er immediately charged out with her spear. But the Soul Ring that appeared beneath her feet was no longer the yellow one they had seen in Sunset Forest three months ago. It had turned purple; her Soul Ring had grown older.

Gong Yu wasn't surprised. He had known all along that Na'er's Soul Ring could grow in age. The others were different, however. When they saw Na'er's purple Soul Ring, every one of them was shocked.

"Ninth Sister really is worthy of being the young master's fiancée. Her talent is as great as his," Gong Lan said calmly from the side, feeling quite envious. Of course, she only envied Na'er's talent. Love and romance were not things she should be thinking about at her age.

The other girls nodded when they heard Gong Lan, finding her words very reasonable.

While Gong Lan was speaking, Na'er had already finished the fight.

Gong Xue had been watching Na'er fight from the air. Seeing how heroic and dashing Na'er looked, she was terribly envious. Unfortunately, she was destined to be a flying-type beast Soul Master and would never have the chance to fight like Na'er.

Gong Yu then led the girls over to Na'er. Once they reached her, he had Gong Qianqian take her dagger and finish off the Three-Legged Frost Toad, which still had one breath left.

A pale-purple Soul Ring quickly condensed into shape. Gong Qianqian sat down cross-legged, drew the Soul Ring onto herself, and began absorbing it.

But the Three-Legged Frost Toad's Soul Ring seemed exceptionally domineering. As soon as Gong Qianqian drew it onto herself, it sent an enormous cold current surging into her body. The violent presence within the Soul Ring also began forcibly transforming her body the moment it entered her.

Although the power contained in the Soul Ring had no consciousness, it was not something Gong Qianqian's consciousness could control.

Under the powerful fluctuations of Soul Power, Gong Qianqian felt as though her body were about to burst. The intense pain made her spit out a mouthful of blood.

Everyone gathered around her was startled. Although they had all absorbed a Soul Ring before, they had each done so only once, and this was their first time encountering such a situation. Their gazes all turned to Gong Yu.

Gong Yu said, "This Soul Ring is too domineering for her. Absorbing it won't be easy. She can only rely on herself now. No outside force can help with absorbing a Soul Ring, or it will only have the opposite effect. All we can do now is trust that Qianqian can persevere and make it her own."

Gong Yu was actually very worried about Gong Qianqian, but he also knew that if she could get through it, her gains would be enormous.

The girls' expressions all grew solemn. Surrounded by the group, Gong Qianqian, sitting cross-legged in the middle, was hidden from view.

Her entire body was shrouded in a layer of pale-red mist. The red in the mist was not the glow of Soul Power, but Gong Qianqian's blood.

A short while earlier, as Soul Power fluctuated violently around her, a fine layer of blood droplets had begun to seep from her skin. The Soul Power carried them into the air, turning them into this pale-red mist.

Gong Qianqian's brows were tightly furrowed, her lips pressed firmly together, and her body never stopped convulsing. With the droplets of blood seeping from beneath her skin, one could imagine how intense her pain was.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the chaotic fluctuations around Gong Qianqian began to calm. This showed that her condition was improving.

The red mist around her gradually faded. It seemed that the blood which had previously seeped from her skin had been absorbed back into her body.

As time slowly passed, the mist around Gong Qianqian turned completely white again. Her breathing finally steadied, and at last, the pale-purple Soul Ring vanished completely into her body.

Chapter 33: Innate Domain

After taking some time to adjust, Gong Qianqian finally opened her eyes.

She slowly stood, only for a ripping sound to ring out as her clothes split open.

"So you've grown taller." Gong Yu chuckled faintly. "Absorbing that one Soul Ring made you at least six centimeters taller. No wonder your clothes split."

Gong Qianqian's face flushed red. Although she was still young and had no figure to speak of, her clothes had split open, exposing a patch of snowy-white skin on her back, and Gong Yu had seen it. She couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

Gong Yu immediately turned around and let her change her clothes first.

Gong Xue had wandered in the air for a little while, but now she landed as well.

Once Gong Qianqian had changed, Gong Yu turned back around and asked, "Qianqian, how do you feel after absorbing the Soul Ring? What did you gain?"

Gong Qianqian said, "I'm not sure what I gained either. I feel like something in my Martial Soul has awakened, but I can't explain what it is. I'll release it for you to see, young master."

With that, Gong Qianqian summoned her Martial Soul. A layer of cold, mistlike gas appeared around her, enveloping her. This was what her Martial Soul Possession looked like.

A pale-purple Soul Ring then rose rhythmically beneath her feet. With a thought, she sent the cold Qi around her spreading outward, enveloping a ten-meter radius in the blink of an eye.

The group was enveloped by the cold Qi. Gong Yu sensed his own Soul Power and said, "My Soul Power has been suppressed by at least twenty-five percent, and the rest is showing signs of freezing. If I weren't strong enough, my Soul Power might already be frozen."

Then Gong Yu asked the other girls, "What about you?"

Gong Lan said, "My strength has been suppressed by about thirty percent. As my resistance has fallen, my Soul Power has gradually started to freeze."

"Mine too," Gong Yue, Gong Xiao, Gong Xi'er, and Gong Miaomiao said in unison.

Gong Xue said, "Big brother, I feel like the flames inside me have gone out."

When the impure flames in Gong Xue's body encountered Gong Qianqian's cold Qi, their only fate was to be extinguished.

Na'er said, "If I don't resist, my Soul Power is suppressed by about twenty-five percent too."

Gong Niuniu, standing nearby, also spoke up. "My Nine-Colored Amethyst Lamp seems to have protected me automatically, so I don't feel much. But I don't seem able to do anything to Fourth Sister either!"

Hearing this, Gong Yu immediately clapped his hands. "I knew your Nine-Colored Amethyst Lamp definitely wasn't an ordinary Martial Soul. I didn't expect it to protect its owner automatically too."

This reminded Gong Yu of the Precious Lotus Lantern's ability to protect its owner. Now he had a headache over what kind of Soul Beast to find and hunt for Gong Niuniu. With a Martial Soul like hers, finding just any Soul Beast for a Soul Ring would be a bit of a waste.

Gong Yu's words drew all the girls' attention to Gong Niuniu, making her lower her head in embarrassment.

But this wasn't the time to discuss it. After all, the occasion wasn't right; Gong Qianqian was the one who should be receiving attention now.

Gong Yu said to Gong Qianqian, "Qianqian, I may know what awakened in your Martial Soul. You should have awakened an Innate Domain. But do you have a Soul Skill?"

"I don't have a Soul Skill, or rather, it is my Soul Skill." By "it," Gong Qianqian meant the domain she had awakened. Then she asked, "What's a domain?"

Gong Yu smiled and said a little awkwardly, "A domain has only two functions: attack or support. I won't explain it, since I couldn't finish in a short while anyway. I'll find you a book to read later."

But Gong Qianqian still had a question. "Then does suppressing everyone's Soul Power and freezing it just now count as support or attack?"

"It should be a combination of both!" Gong Yu grew even more embarrassed at the question, because he didn't know much about domains himself. Otherwise, he would have explained them already.

But seeing everyone's bewildered expressions, Gong Yu could only offer a strained explanation. "First, our strength was suppressed. That's one of Qianqian's support abilities.

"Think about it. If you were fighting an enemy together and she deployed her domain to suppress the enemy, wouldn't that reduce the enemy's strength? That would be supporting everyone.

"Also, she can freeze the enemy's Soul Power and prevent them from acting. Wouldn't that count as harming the enemy? That should count as an attack. But it wouldn't be wrong to call that support either."

"My domain has another ability. It seems it can attack people too," Gong Qianqian interjected.