Chapter 154: First Symbol
"Let's worry about finding materials later. For now, let's purchase this high-quality Magical Weapon Symbol Pen. How much for this Symbol Pen?" Wang Hong asked.
"This Symbol Pen is called Golden Wolf Hair. The pen tip is made from a small tuft of hair taken from the back of the Golden Wolf King, and the pen shaft is refined with a three-hundred-year Bloodline Bamboo. It's priced at eight thousand Spirit Stone," the attendant explained.
A maid took out a Jade Box from the shelf, opened the lid, revealing a Symbol Pen over a foot long inside.
Wang Hong took the Symbol Pen in his hand. The cool touch of the Bloodline Bamboo shaft with its crimson patterns felt refreshing. The emerald green shaft was adorned with many blood-red lines, and the pen tip was a golden wolf hair, resilient and sharp.
"Alright! I'll take this one. Also, get me a bottle of Demonic Beast Essence Blood," Wang Hong decided on the Symbol Pen.
"Senior, what tier of Demonic Beast Essence Blood do you need?"
"Just give me a low-tier one."
"Is there anything else you need?" The maid handed a bottle of Demonic Beast Essence Blood to Wang Hong.
"That's all for now. Let's settle the bill."nove(l)bi(n.)com
"Senior, the Golden Wolf Hair costs eight thousand Spirit Stone, and a low-tier Demonic Beast Essence Blood is only five Spirit Stone. I'll take the liberty to gift the Demonic Beast Essence Blood to Senior. Just pay eight thousand Spirit Stone, and you're good."
Wang Hong paid the eight thousand Spirit Stone, pocketed the Golden Wolf Hair, and left the marketplace.
Back in his Cultivation Room, Wang Hong closed the door and began his inscription work.
Demonic Beast Essence Blood, used as ink for symbols, required refining before use. Wang Hong poured the blood into an inkstone and mixed it with auxiliary materials like Vermilion Spirit Sand.
Even though this Fireball Symbol was only worth ten Spirit Stones, he could have picked a Spirit Herb leaf from his Space that was worth the same. But this was his personally crafted First Symbol, and he succeeded on the twenty-eighth try. If word got out, others might think he was a symbol-crafting genius.
However, he knew better. He wasn't a genius; everything he achieved was a result of his efforts, except for his possession of Space.
The reason for his swift success with the first symbol was his proficiency in the basic Yin and Yang Runes. While other cultivators learned symbol crafting by rote, he understood the underlying principles. This made success more elusive for them.
This was also why he dedicated considerable effort to mastering the basics of both Yin and Yang Runes.
His high-level Alchemy skills, the ability to create new Pill Recipes, stemmed from extensive study and mastery of Spiritual Herb fundamentals. He delved deep into herbology, understanding properties, characteristics, and variations of various Spiritual Herbs. This knowledge allowed him to modify Pill Recipes according to his needs.
Similarly, his other successes were the result of his diligent efforts. He personally tested the poison in Refinement after numerous formula adjustments.
His Poisonous Bees were cultivated through repeated trials using Spirit Bees.
In the Cultivation World, there were often legends of individuals accidentally obtaining incredible opportunities and ancient inheritances, achieving unparalleled Cultivation Techniques. However, Wang Hong wasn't particularly interested in such tales. Ancient cultivators were humans, just like present cultivators. The strength of the ancient cultivators was due to denser Spirit Qi and more natural treasures.
Present cultivators inherited much of the knowledge of their predecessors, standing on the shoulders of those who came before. Although some advanced Cultivation Techniques were lost, the foundational knowledge persisted. Over millions of years, present cultivators had managed to create techniques better suited for the current environment.
This distinguished humans from the demon tribes. Humans could continuously learn old knowledge and create new things. The Western Demon Tribe, despite developing for millions of years, still relied on bloodlines. If the bloodline was strong, the individual would be strong, and vice versa.
Wang Hong noticed his thoughts wandering and refocused.
Since the first one succeeded, he continued. Out of the remaining twenty-one symbol papers, he successfully crafted two more Fireball Symbols. He went on to produce hundreds of symbol papers, and after using them all, his success rate improved to six successful symbols for every ten attempts, a commendable success rate.
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