This Wasn't What Lab Notes Were Supposed to Look Like!

Is there anything special about its ring shape?

Chen Feng remembered clearly that the discovery of Rune originated from the analysis of Soul Ring, and Huo Wu's Ring Fusion talent opened the first door on the path of Rune.

Although the circuits within foundational materials like Lightning Yuan Stone, Fire Cloud Rock, and other Foundation Establishment materials are complex in structure, they are actually closed loops, without any individual lines extending outwards.

The Storage Soul Tool are mainly ring-shaped, and the patterns engraved on them are also the same.

After discovering the Rune, the first Soul Tool Metal Tang San created, engraved with Fire Elemental Rune, unexpectedly exploded.

Is there some kind of pattern to this? Does the Rune need to be connected to each other and form a ring for it to be used reliably?

That seems to make some sense. Only when a circuit is formed can the energy Flow. The Flow energy may be the prerequisite for stable existence. Since a single Rune is broken at both ends, it naturally does not have the conditions for Flow.

With that in mind, Chen Feng began to draw on the paper with Fire Elemental Rune, and soon he had drawn a new pattern.

The pattern is circular, formed by three Fire Elemental Rune connected end to end. This is the minimum number of Rune required to form a circular loop.

After finishing the drawing, Chen Feng took out a piece of Soul Tool Metal from the Blood Sky Vault and said to Chen Xin, "Master, could you please engrave this design onto this piece of metal?"

Chen Xin didn't know what his disciple wanted to do, but he still nodded. For this talented junior, all he needed to do was support him.

Soon the pattern was engraved on the Soul Tool Metal. As the pattern was completed, Chen Feng could feel the temperature of the metal gradually rising, and it no longer exploded directly as before.

However, the temperature of the metal block cannot rise indefinitely; when it reaches a certain level, the heating process stops.

The metal block was already getting hot, but Chen Feng didn't care because he was Unaffected by Ice and Fire Body.

He can feel the temperature, but he won't be harmed by extreme cold or heat. Soaking in lava won't cause him any major problems, just some discomfort.

The reason he was reluctant to go to the Stone Platform closest to the lava river wasn't because he was afraid of being roasted alive, but because he felt uncomfortable and it was unnecessary.

He came here mainly to witness the Fire Mark Ritual. He just needs to follow the rules; there's no need to show off how extraordinary he is.

Returning to the Fire Mark Ritual, once it was confirmed that the ring pattern formed by the three Fire Elemental Rune could exist stably on the Soul Tool Metal, Chen Feng understood much more about the three Fire Mark.

Their circuit structure is actually somewhat similar to that of the Foundation Establishment artifacts. They are all continuous repetitions of a certain pattern that are then connected end to end. The basic pattern of these three Fire Mark is Fire Elemental Rune a line with an unknown function.

If we designate this line with an unknown function as X, then the structure of these three Fire Mark is Fire X Fire X Fire X --

The first Fire Mark is the simplest, consisting of four fire Xs; the second has 16; and the third has 64.

Having understood this pattern, Chen Feng asked, "Great-Grandmother, what kind of ancient knowledge did Great-Grandfather obtain back then?"

He wanted to figure out what this unknown X represented. Was it a single Rune with a specific function, like the Fire Elemental Rune, or a combination of multiple Rune?

To figure this out, starting with the knowledge his Great-Grandfather acquired would be the simplest and most convenient approach.

"It's written in this notebook, it's on the first page," Cang Xiao said, pointing to the notebook in Chen Feng's hand.

Chen Feng flipped to the first page and found that there were only four patterns. One of them was exactly the same as the Fire Elemental Rune. Chen Feng looked at another one and it basically matched the unknown X. As for the remaining two patterns, they did not appear in the Fire Mark.

At this moment, Chen Feng noticed something was wrong. He glanced at the second page, which showed several different combinations of the patterns from the first page. He continued to flip through the pages, and it was still the same, only the combinations had changed.

Somewhat skeptical, Chen Feng flipped to the last page, but the situation remained unchanged. However, the Frequency of Fire Elemental Rune and X Rune increased, while the Frequency of the other two types of Rune gradually decreased until the appearance of the last three Fire Mark.

But none of that is the point. The point is that Chen Feng couldn't find a single word from beginning to end.

He gasped, clinging to his last glimmer of hope, and asked, "Great-Grandmother, did Great-Grandfather... have any other notes?"

"No, this is all of his experimental notes," Cang Xiao said, shaking his head.

Chen Feng's heart sank. Could this really be considered an experimental notebook?

Can you translate this for me? What exactly is a lab notebook? Those who know what lab notebooks are might mistake it for scribbles! There's not a single word in it!

A lab notebook shouldn't look like this at all! You should first state your research direction, then write down your bold hypotheses, then design experimental plans based on those hypotheses, and finally record the results of each experimental plan and draw conclusions.

This should be the complete experimental procedure!

Chen Feng stared at the notebook in his hand, feeling a sharp pain in his head. "You've made so many combinations, at least record the effects of each one! Are you really just single-mindedly rushing towards the Fire Mark Ritual?"

He could understand this behavior, though. The Demonic Sword Spirit back then must have been far more terrifying than it is now. His Great-Grandfather was under immense mental pressure and probably had no time to do any research on Rune. He had to protect himself first.

However, the fact that the entire notebook contained not a single word was still too outrageous, which greatly reduced its value to Chen Feng, leaving only three patterns that resembled Rune and the Fire Mark that had already been used.

Cang Xiao noticed that Chen Feng's expression was a bit off and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Xiao Feng? Is there a problem with this notebook?"

"Oh, it's not a problem, it's just that I feel it's a bit simplified," Chen Feng said, shaking his head.

Since things had come to this, he could only accept reality. At least he had obtained three suspected Rune, which was something he had gained.

At worst, he can conduct his own experiments based on this; it will just take more time, but it's not a big problem.

"Is it brief? It seems so, but back then A Yao was only focused on solving his Martial Soul problem, so he probably didn't have time for anything else," Cang Xiao sighed.

"That's what I guessed too, but it's alright. I'll take over my Great-Grandfather's work and continue this experiment." Chen Feng drew down the other three suspected Rune and then returned the notebook to Cang Xiao.

"Great-Grandmother, please begin the Fire Mark Ritual for me. Directly inscribe the second Fire Mark."

Cang Xiao hesitated, "There's no precedent for doing this. Even A Yao tried it little by little back then, and the one time he acted rashly brought about the worst result."

The choice of Stone Platform mainly depends on whether the person performing the ritual can withstand the temperature. It's fine to be a little casual about it. Some of her more outstanding descendants don't follow the rules in this regard, so she doesn't have strict requirements. However, the carving of the Fire Mark is crucial and cannot be done carelessly.

"It's alright, Great-Grandmother, I'm confident I won't get hurt," Chen Feng said.

"Auntie, let's do it the way Xiao Feng suggested," Chen Xin advised, knowing that his disciple had a rather special constitution.

Seeing that the two were still saying this even after knowing what A Yao had gone through, Cang Xiao realized that there must be something he didn't know, so he didn't insist any further.

She told Chen Feng to take off his shirt and lie down on the Stone Platform, Chen Feng obediently did. Then she directly performed the Martial Soul Possession.

Previously, Chen Feng was wondering what tools were used to inscribe the Fire Mark, but after seeing this scene, he understood. It turned out that the Martial Soul was used directly to inscribe it. However, it makes sense, since the human body is not usually as tough as Soul Tool Metal, so there is no need to find a special Carving Knife.

"Can you bear the pain? Do you need me to tie you up with chains?" Cang Xiao didn't rush to draw his sword, but asked a question first.

"Uh... just go for it, I can hold back." Chen Feng said after hesitating for a moment.

He never thought his willpower was particularly strong, and it couldn't compare to Xiao San's, who had undergone professional training. He almost couldn't withstand it when absorbing his third Soul Ring. But the current situation was perfect for him to break through his limits, because there would be no danger, and it would be good to train his tolerance for pain.

Seeing that Chen Feng had closed his eyes, Cang Xiao said nothing more and began her meticulous work of sculpting Chen Feng's right upper arm.

Chen Xin watched from the sidelines, partly to witness this peculiar Fire Mark Ritual, and partly to prevent any accidents from happening.

At first, Chen Feng felt fine, only experiencing the pain of being cut by a sharp weapon. Although the surface of the Cang Xiao Sword appeared to have a thin layer of blue flame, this flame did not cause any additional damage. This was probably due to the excellent control of power by Titled Douluo.

However, as the Fire Mark was nearing completion, Chen Feng gradually felt the area where the Fire Mark was inscribed begin to heat up, and this heat began to slowly spread into his body, even affecting deeper areas.

The Fire Mark was quickly completed. Cang Xiao took two steps back and withdrew his Martial Soul, saying, "Alright, let him adapt slowly."

"Auntie, how long will it take for Xiao Feng to wake up?" Chen Xin asked as she walked over.

"Everyone's time is different, some are long and some are short. This child is undergoing the Fire Mark Ritual for the first time, but the Fire Mark is at the second level. I'm not sure how long it will take for him to wake up," Cang Xiao said, shaking his head slightly.

Chen Xin nodded and didn't ask any further questions. She simply sat down on the outermost Stone Platform and waited quietly.

Cang Xiao then went to the innermost Stone Platform. She seemed to really like the environment there; the high temperature from the lava had no effect on her.

And what was Chen Feng doing at this moment? He was watching an Old Deng walk towards his end.

This all started after the Fire Mark was completed. As we all know, the Fire Mark was created by Chen Yao to solve his own Martial Soul problem. Its purpose is to use the burning and purifying power of Fire Attribute to gradually remove the demonic thoughts after the Demonic Sword devoured the soul.

This brought great misfortune to one person, namely Shi Nian.

The moment the Fire Mark took shape and began to affect Chen Feng, Chen Feng heard the Shi Nian Old Deng's scream, "What's going on!? Why is it so hot, Chen Feng! What are you doing!?"

Chen Feng was naturally aware of the impact of the Fire Mark on Shi Nian, but he ignored it and did not take any action.

After all, the reason he spared the old man's Shi Nian was only to prevent problems with the Yin Sword and to use the old man as a Soul Filter. That's why he took a conservative approach, which was just a stopgap measure.

If we're talking about Chen Feng's true intentions, then he definitely wanted to eliminate Shi Nian completely.

The Fire Mark is now more effective and thorough than the Shi Nian. Filtering leaves residue, but incineration leaves nothing behind. Chen Feng would naturally choose the Fire Mark, a method that has no future problems.

This means that since Shi Nian has lost his usefulness, Chen Feng no longer needs to keep him around.

As the Fire Element Energy circulated within Chen Feng's body, Shi Nian's screams grew louder. Instead of stopping him, Chen Feng actively began to circulate his cultivation technique, accelerating the absorption of external Fire Element Energy.

"Chen Feng! You broke your promise! You—you will—die a horrible death! I—curse—you! You—will—" Shi Nian's screams gradually weakened, and finally he lost his voice.

Chen Feng remained unmoved, continuing to practice his Tai Chi Skill. If one were to count the Remnant Soul within his body, there was actually only Shi Nian. This was because when he first activated the Yin Sword, he had actively released the souls of Heavy Mud Horse and Gold Blade Mantis.

After that, starting from the third ring, Chen Feng developed the Ring Expansion Method, thus no longer being bound by the Rules that required hunting Soul Beast to obtain the ring.

But as I said before, what Chen Feng was truly worried about wasn't hunting Soul Beast, but killing people.

The ability to kill and devour souls is unavoidable for the Demon Sword Demonic Sword Spirit, unless the enemy dies slowly. However, this is ultimately a hidden danger, Chen Feng wants to completely eliminate it.

Based on the knowledge he has gained through his current understanding and exploration, Rune may be a viable solution.

After experiencing the effect of the Fire Mark firsthand, Chen Feng also made some guesses about the effect of the "X" in the Fire Mark. As a Rune connected to the Fire Elemental Rune, it should exist as an output end.

In other words, it can direct the Fire Element Energy to a more specific purpose, similar to an electrical appliance in a circuit diagram.

As for the effect of X, based on Chen Feng's experience, it should be "Quenching".

Speaking of which, if different Rune have different functions, then perhaps they should be replaced with different symbols. In this way, a circuit can be represented by a string of symbols, just like using chemical formulas to refer to substances. This would be much more convenient for academic research. A thought suddenly came to Chen Feng's mind.

But that's for the future. Right now, he doesn't even recognize many Rune, so it's too early for him to think about Rune Formula.