The Stone Buddha Domain? Is that what Principal Shi Zhen's domain is called?
Lu Ran was surprised by the name.
"Are you a Buddhist, Principal?"
"No, but unfortunately, the ascension realm only drops rewards related to its theme. I had my familiar convert to Buddhism to learn the technique. Hell, I’ll convert too if that’s what it takes to remove my curse."
Lu Ran was speechless.
"Let's move on. We should head to the Giant Beast Lair secret realm."
Giant Beast Lair was a public secret realm that beastmasters of any level could enter.
Despite being called a lair, the realm encompassed an entire continent with a harsh environment. It earned its name due to the massive size of the creatures living within.
Following Principal Shi Zhen, Lu Ran made his way to the teleportation zone for public secret realms. After paying the entry fee, the two were transported away.
When they arrived, they found themselves in a relatively safe area. However, as they ventured deeper, they encountered a monster foraging in the tall grass.
"This place is really outrageous."
Lu Ran swallowed hard as he spotted an ostrich-like creature over ten meters tall standing amidst the towering weeds. It had strong thighs, a long neck, and thick green wings.
[Name: Terror Ostrich]
[Species Rank: Low-King]
"Oh, it’s a Terror Ostrich. Looks is its territory. Want to try fighting it?" Shi Zhen asked with a smile.
"Me? Alright." Lu Ran hadn’t expected the offer but accepted anyway.
Whatever happened, there was still a master standing by.
A contract card appeared in Lu Ran’s hand, and with a flash of light, Captain Doofus landed on the ground and shook itself.
"Huh? It didn’t turn into a bone dog? I guess that was just fake news," Shi Zhen muttered.
Don’t worry, once I forge the Teeth Sword, Thousand Blades, Captain Doofus will once again don the armor of thorns.
"Captain Doofus, you see that big fella? Get ’em, but be careful!"
Lu Ran pointed at the giant bird, commanding Captain Doofus from behind a boulder.
Captain Doofus calmly asked for its weapon.
"The bird is a Grass-attribute beast, Doofus. You want to attack with your swordgrass?"
Captain Doofus was momentarily stunned.
It compressed two blades out of wind—clutching one in its mouth while wrapping its tail around the other. In its dual-wielding form, its sharp gaze locked onto the Terror Ostrich as its fur fluttered in the wind. Then, riding the air currents, it charged forward to attack.
"Your familiar is really handsome and brave," Shi Zhen commented.
"Facing a beast much larger than itself, it charged in without hesitation. That’s not necessarily a good thing."
"It’s fine. Only one of my familiars is . My other one is much steadier."
As Shi Zhen and Lu Ran chatted, Captain Doofus had already closed the distance and reached eye level with the ostrich.
Its approach caught the Terror Ostrich’s attention.
The massive bird glanced over with emerald-green eyes and stretched out its head, instinctively trying to eat Captain Doofus, mistaking it for a bug.
Captain Doofus activated its Sword Control skill, sending the sword in its tail hurtling toward the ostrich’s eyes.
However, before the attack could land, the Terror Ostrich casually tilted its head and caught the wind blade in its beak before crushing it. The turbulent winds felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze to it. It then turned its gaze back to Captain Doofus with an expressionless look.
Captain Doofus' fierce expression faltered as it processed what had just happened.
Without hesitation, it spun around and bolted away at lightning speed.
Woof, woof, woof, woof!
As it retreated, Captain Doofus barked frantically, signaling that it needed Sudden Death King to tank some hits and distract the enemy.
Fighting this bird alone was far too dangerous.
Shi Zhen laughed, pleased to see that the dog wasn’t completely reckless.
"Principal Shi Zhen, are you trying to teach us humility? We can skip that lesson—I already know we can’t beat it."
A Low-King species at level 48 was equivalent to a level 38 Low-Overlord species. Right now, they didn’t even dare to challenge a level 30 Low-Overlord boss, let alone something stronger.
"No, that’s not why we’re here. I just wanted a closer look at your familiars. Why did you only summon one of them?"
"I came to observe and learn about domains. As for my other two familiars..." Lu Ran hesitated. He didn’t think they were particularly impressive, so he wasn’t in a rush to bring them out.
It was also better to train his familiars one at a time. After all, his Soul Amplification skill couldn’t enhance the comprehension of more than one familiar at a time.
"Okay." Shi Zhen shrugged.
At that moment, the giant Terror Ostrich started chasing after Captain Doofus.
In environments , higher-level beasts were usually reluctant to expend energy. If they used their skills on something as weak as Captain Doofus—who was nothing more than prey—it wouldn’t be worth the effort.
The purpose of hunting was to replenish nutrition and energy. If a predator spent more energy catching its prey than it gained from consuming it, it would eventually starve to death, no matter how skilled a hunter it was.
A pleasant fragrance drifted through the air. Lu Ran turned his head, only to see Shi Zhen applying perfume.
Principal Shi Zhen stepped forward, and a tall, gray ape appeared in front of her, standing upright on its hind legs.
Its skin and fur were both shades of gray, and combined with its towering stature, it exuded a majestic presence. Its expression remained indifferent, as if nothing in the world could shake it.
[Name: Holy Stone Ape King]
[Species Rank: High King]
"Ape, domain expansion," Shi Zhen instructed.
"Oh, and release it at half speed."
Lu Ran watched as the Holy Stone Ape formed a Buddhist mudra with one hand. Despite his keen perception, he could barely grasp how the so-called domain was forming.
The ape released a powerful energy fluctuation that rapidly spread outward, constructing a domain much like an energy shield. But this was merely superficial. By the time Lu Ran registered what was happening—and Captain Doofus had returned to his side—a new world had already unfolded before them.
The tall weeds and the ground beneath them faded away. They weren’t just inside an energy field—Lu Ran felt as though he was standing on an endless stone plain.
No... it wasn’t stone. It was more like a palm.
Apart from the palm beneath his feet, everything around him was shrouded in gray. The outside world was completely obscured. Every blade of grass, every tree—everything within the domain had been transformed.
Captain Doofus looked around in astonishment.
The giant Terror Ostrich glanced around in shock before angrily locking its gaze onto the likely culprit.
Even after the domain had fully expanded, the Holy Stone Ape didn’t disappear. Instead, it stood firmly on the stone palm, just like everyone else.
"What did you see?" Shi Zhen asked.
"The ape rapidly released energy to construct a field that enveloped itself and its opponent. But forming a domain shouldn’t be that simple," Lu Ran responded.
"That’s correct. The first step in creating a domain is releasing a massive amount of energy to form a field that covers the surroundings. This energy must spread rapidly, or else it can be interrupted. Just now, I had it slowed down—normally, it would expand in the blink of an eye.
"If all you do is form an energy barrier, it’s nothing more than a shell—it’s not a true domain.
"Beyond energy formation, the most critical step in domain creation is establishing resonance between the energy and the surrounding space. That’s the only way to isolate the area. Try teleporting away and see what happens."
Lu Ran instinctively attempted to teleport but found himself unable to.
"There are two ways to achieve this isolation," Shi Zhen continued. "One is through the Space attribute, and the other is through energy compression.
"Familiars with the Space attribute have a natural advantage when forming domains. However, even without it, energy can be compressed to a certain threshold, causing spatial vibrations and increasing the likelihood of domain formation.
"This is only the foundation of a domain. It creates a shell, but one that lacks offensive power and can be broken easily.
"What truly defines a domain is its core, which is usually one of the familiar’s skills. When this skill merges with the domain, it becomes its 'bones'—giving it structure. Once this happens, enemies can’t break out of the domain without first breaking through the domain skill.
"When a domain skill fully integrates with the domain space, it gains the properties of the Space attribute.
"Even if the familiar itself doesn’t have the Space attribute, it can still manipulate space to some extent. Here, let me show you."
At her command, the Holy Stone Ape immobilized the Terror Ostrich. The battle came to an abrupt standstill. The ostrich, realizing that its opponent was far stronger than anticipated, tried to flee.
But inside the domain, that decision was no longer its own.
The Holy Stone Ape King pushed a hand forward, and suddenly, a massive stone Buddha statue emerged. Lu Ran and Captain Doofus watched in horror as they realized they had been standing on the Buddha’s palm the entire time.
The statue’s other hand mirrored the Holy Stone Ape King’s movements and began descending. As it fell, the space beneath it collapsed, sending out tremors and cracks. Violent shockwaves erupted outward, instantly engulfing the Terror Ostrich.
The ostrich was crushed into minced meat, and the resulting spatial tremors nearly knocked Lu Ran and Captain Doofus off their feet.
"What do you think?" Shi Zhen asked.
"In the outside world, even if the Holy Stone Ape King were 20 or 30 levels higher, it would be absolutely impossible for it to shatter space and weaponize the aftermath in an attack."
"But within the domain, it is the sole master, allowing it to easily shatter space with the Shockwave trait and deal devastating damage."
"The core of this Stone Buddha Domain is the Stone Buddha itself, formed by Ape King using its Buddhist intent formation, combined with several related traits it has fused with."
"Inside the Stone Buddha Domain, a single palm from the Buddha can shatter space!"
"Is this really something a level 50-something familiar can achieve?" Lu Ran's mouth twitched. Just how powerful would a level 80 Flame Dragon King be?
Shi Zhen watched as the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster and his husky stared at her in shock. Smiling smugly, she felt quite pleased with herself for showing off to the genius newcomer.
"It's okay. This is just a prototype domain. Allegedly, a fully developed domain could allow familiars to alter the laws of physics. For example, a domain could eliminate gravity or cut off access to Natural Energy, creating a space completely isolated from the outside world," Shi Zhen explained.
"In fact, the Legendary creatures of the Stellar Moon Continent wielded domains capable of encompassing the entire world."
"Of course, I’m simplifying things. Comprehending a domain depends on a familiar's talent. It must be able to resonate its energy with the surrounding space and have a suitable foundational skill to serve as the bridge between the two.
"This isn’t something that can be achieved without exceptional talent. Among all my familiars, only Ape King has comprehended a domain. Even beastmasters renowned for their expertise in domains can't teach it to all of their familiars."
Captain Doofus gazed thoughtfully at the Buddha. In his mind, he imagined his own head atop the Buddha statue.
Husky Buddha Domain! I have to learn this. It’s so cool!
"So? Did you learn anything? If so, let’s move on to the Pig Transforming Curse." Shi Zhen had her own priorities.
"Uhhh..." Lu Ran hesitated for a moment before replying, "Captain Doofus and I forgot to take a comprehension-boosting supplement. Can you do it one more time?"