Chapter 246

Chapter 246: Second Level symbol

Back in the courtyard, the two men happened to encounter Yao Wu who’d come knocking.

"Xiao Wu, you’ve grown more beautiful just in the couple of days since seeing you," Wang Lang teased her.

Yao Wu glared at him, snapping irritably, "Keep sweet-talking like that and I’ll cut your tongue off."

Wang Lang smiled without a care, eyes crinkling, "You two chat. My woman awaits me."

With that, he strode away.

Then Yao Wu’s nostrils faintly twitched as she studied Zhou Luo. "Brother Zhou Luo, did that Wang Lang take you to the entertainment quarter?"

Zhou Luo didn’t deny it.

"Told you. He only knows how to waste spiritual stones," Yao Wu expressed considerable dissatisfaction.

A flicker passed through Zhou Luo’s gaze.

Seemed she was quite close to Wang Lang, or else she wouldn’t speak so frankly.

He didn’t comment further, simply leading Yao Wu into the courtyard.

As soon as Yao Wu stepped inside, Little White leaped out and bounded straight into her arms.

Yao Wu gazed delightedly at this guy, gently stroking its fur.

"What kind of person do you think Wang Lang is?" Zhou Luo suddenly asked.

He’d always felt Wang Lang’s kindness felt excessive, utterly unlike someone he’d met only once.

As for Wang Lang claiming it was repayment for kindness, Zhou Luo remained half skeptical.

Likely he had some ulterior motive, though nothing harming Zhou Luo so far.

Which made Zhou Luo even more curious about the man’s character.

"Him?" Yao Wu said while playing with Little White, "He’s a sweet-talker with not a shred of seriousness in him. Doesn’t know frugality and doesn’t pursue proper work."

But after listing these faults, she added, "But his heart isn’t bad. Sisters Yan’r and the others were all saved by him after he caught some injustice against them on the road. And he’s supported them ever since."

The Sister Yan’r she mentioned was one of Wang Lang’s three women.

Zhou Luo then learned those three women had once been robbed by bandits. Killers murdered their whole families. If not for Wang Lang’s intervention, they might’ve suffered violence from the bandits before being sold to brothels.

Wang Lang later took them in, letting them live under his roof.

Eventually, all three married him.

Yao Wu occasionally visited these women, hence knowing the details.

Hearing this, Zhou Luo looked thoughtful.

Seemed this Wang Lang had a strong sense of loyalty, somewhat like a gallant hero.

But his kindness to Zhou Luo surely went beyond mere gratitude repayed.

Zhou Luo didn’t believe in truly selfless goodwill in this world.

Hence, guarded thoughts lingered—he wanted to uncover Wang Lang’s real purpose.

"By the way, Brother Zhou Luo, my master wondered if you could help brew a few kinds of potion," Yao Wu finally voiced her reason for visiting.

Although this alley had Geng Feng, a top-level Pill Master, his aloof nature made Zhu Quancheng dislike dealing with him.

Since Zhou Luo was a Pill Master, he naturally became the first choice.

"No problem," Zhou Luo replied without refusal.

After playing with Little White for a while, Yao Wu left.

…

Over the next half month, besides searching for Foundation Establishment materials, Zhou Luo spent his days concocting pills, practicing rune-making, and building rapport with Geng Feng.

As for feeding Little White, the task was now entrusted to Yao Wu.

Ever since he revealed that the little creature loved eating Gu insects, Yao Wu would bring one such insect every day.

While raising powerful Gu insects was difficult, low-level ones were easy to come by, so Yao Wu didn’t mind. Whenever free, she would play with Little White in the courtyard.

On this day, after setting up an isolation formation in his room, Zhou Luo planned to craft a Second Level symbol.

Now, as a Second Level spiritual symbol master, this was his greatest asset.

However, the materials for rune-making proved hard to find.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Zhou Luo eventually turned to Wang Lang.

Through Wang Lang, he successfully purchased some necessary materials from the black market.

Profiting handsomely from the deal, Wang Lang insisted on taking him to the pleasure houses for entertainment again.

Today, the materials arrived. He took out his well-prepared rune-making tools and began the craft.

Drawing a Second Level symbol wasn’t much different from a First Level one; the key lay in controlling the power infused into the talisman.

The slightest carelessness could cause conflicting energies, triggering an explosion.

This required exceptionally strong mental strength.

This time, Zhou Luo aimed to craft a Second Level Mid Grade talisman, which wasn’t overly difficult.

Mastering Second Level rune-making skill, he deftly spread out the symbol paper, focused intently, raised the spiritual brush, and started drawing.

Holding his breath and concentrating, he drew stroke by stroke along the talisman’s pattern from memory, seeming relaxed and effortless.

As the final stroke landed, a pattern of intersecting lightning lines manifested on the talisman, faint electric arcs shimmering across its surface.

The entire sheet of symbol paper glowed intensely, emitting crackling sounds.

Zhou Luo took out the pre-prepared materials, used his mental strength to extract their energies, and channeled them into the symbol paper.

Moments later, a fearsome pressure erupted; lightning flickered menacingly across the paper.

Under the suppression of Zhou Luo’s mental strength, the powerful forces were gradually infused into the symbol paper until they settled.

"Second Level Mid Grade, lightning symbol, done!"

A faint smile touched Zhou Luo’s lips.

This talisman would be his fourth trump card, alongside his treasure, Little White, and the Explosive Spirit Potion.

While not highly graded, used skillfully, it could even severely injure a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Talisman usage actually carried significant limitations, which intensified with higher symbol grades.

It wasn’t that a Qi Refinement cultivator could dominate the battlefield or slaughter Foundation Establishment cultivators freely just by wielding a Third Level symbol.

Though top-grade symbols held terrifying power, activating them not only demanded spiritual energy but also required the user to guide and control it, imposing demands on both mental strength and spiritual energy control.

When Zhou Luo, then at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, had recklessly flung top-quality symbols, it was partly due to his strong mental strength, and partly because, as a spiritual symbol master, he possessed proficient control over talismans.

For an ordinary person, merely activating one top-quality symbol would expend considerable effort.

This was why cultivators generally used talismans as supplementary aids in combat, not as primary offensive capabilities.

If a Qi Refinement cultivator tried to control a Second Level Mid Grade talisman like this, even minor lapses could backfire and injure them.

As for Third Level or Fourth Level Symbols, Qi Refinement cultivators simply couldn’t activate them; the unleashed energies could obliterate the wielder instantly.

However, Zhou Luo wasn’t worried.

On one hand, he was now at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, possessing ample spiritual energy. On the other, as a Second Level spiritual symbol master with multiple disciplines, his mental strength was strong enough to control the symbol’s power.

Another half month passed.

Surprisingly, Geng Feng invited Zhou Luo to his birthday celebration.

It seemed his plan to build rapport was working.

Zhou Luo promised he would definitely attend.

Three days later, dressed in a cyan cultivation robe, he walked towards the neighboring mansion.