The grayish white light illuminated the entire basement, and after a moment, it converged, revealing the figure of the white fox once again.
However, at this moment, the white fox's eyes were wide open and motionless, its gaze completely devoid of the previous vitality, as if it had transformed into a lifelike exquisite artifact.
Bruce waved his hand, and the fox immediately landed in front of Xiar. He continued, "Next is a crucial step: Spirit Awakening!"
Xiar took a deep breath, fully aware of the current situation. No matter what means the other party possessed, whether the fox had completely lost its consciousness or not, he had no choice but to follow this path.
With a thought, he drew energy from the Source Crystal. His hands traced strange trajectories as gray and white lines intertwined in the air, flowing, gathering, curling, winding, and then connecting to form a grayish white seed—strange and extraordinary.
This was the Spirit Awakening Rune, used to restore the totem's intelligence and revive its past consciousness and instincts rather than turning it into a mere puppet.
The seed fell into the center of the fox's forehead and silently merged within, yet there was no further movement. Had it failed?
"Well, the Spirit Awakening Rune you constructed seems to be lacking," Bruce frowned slightly and shook his head with mild disappointment. "It's alright; as a newcomer, you've performed quite well. You can try again later."
"What about this fox?" Xiar asked blankly, not expecting such a failure.
"It's just a wild beast. A failed Spirit Awakening means its consciousness has been erased, which signifies its death. What remains is merely an empty shell. Now, let's set it aside; I'll guide you on how to choose a better totem," Bruce said in a flat tone, showing no concern for the fox's life.
"Alright, I was too anxious!" Xiar lowered his head, fearing that Bruce would notice his expression.
The previously unfathomable methods and casually allowing him to manifest the Inheritance Factor, along with only having just taught him the Spirit Awakening Rune moments ago—all of it indicated one thing—
The other party simply did not want him to possess a totem!
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from above. Before Xiar could ask what was happening, Bruce nonchalantly replied, "Don't worry about it; an ordinary person can't see through my Spirit Technique barrier."
"Alright, teacher." Xiar ignored the intense commotion above him, already aware that it was likely Marcus up there.
He had encountered a life-threatening crisis yesterday, and now he had hurriedly come here. It was only natural for the other party to come check on him.
What concerned him most was Bruce's tone and expression, which were no different from when he had first encountered the fox.
A chill ran through him, for this meant that in the eyes of the other party, ordinary people—even martial artists—were merely ants, easily crushed underfoot!
They did not regard ordinary people as equals at all!
Boom!
At that moment, the entire basement shook as if an earthquake had struck. He saw the other party's expression change drastically, transforming from indifference to deep-seated hatred.
"What exactly are you?" A familiar voice came from above, and Xiar instantly recognized it as Marcus's.
What shocked him even more was that Marcus's voice sounded somewhat broken and weak, clearly indicating he had suffered terrible injuries!
At that moment, directly above him, Marcus swung a fist at the opponent. Not only did he fail to touch the hem of their clothing, but it felt as if he had struck a steel wall. His fist shattered instantly, his arm broke, and his entire body was violently shaken!
Immediately after, with a casual wave of the opponent's hand, Marcus was sent flying back, crashing into the wall behind him and creating a massive dent!
Two guards rushed forward to attack the opponent but were similarly struck down by some invisible force, slamming against the wall and not getting up again.
This scene completely exceeded Xiar's understanding, causing him to show fear for the first time in many years.
Yet the opponent did not spare him a glance. They walked over to a corner of the living room and made a series of gestures with their hands. The wall in front of them silently crumbled away, revealing a dark opening.
"Who are you?!"
Marcus asked weakly, unable to believe that after searching for so long, the entrance to the basement was right in front of them, yet they couldn't see it no matter what!
He felt like he was going insane; everything that had happened today was beyond his comprehension. With his peak School Level strength, he could easily massacre hundreds of ordinary soldiers, but now he couldn't even discern how the enemy was attacking!
As he watched, the opponent made a series of complex gestures, and suddenly a massive crimson Lizard appeared in front of him, spanning the entire room.
The Giant Lizard roared and unleashed a torrent of crimson flames from its mouth, instantly engulfing the entrance to the basement.
Boom!
The entire building collapsed under the force of that terrifying attack. Marcus struggled desperately to escape as the whole structure crashed down behind him.
Then he stood there dumbfounded as he saw the opponent casually walk out from the rubble, completely unscathed, not even a speck of dust on his red robe!
Boom!
The ground trembled violently. In the living room, the entire floor along with the debris above was blown away, revealing an enormous Pit from which a figure in a black robe emerged.
"Kansius, I didn't expect you to chase me all the way here!" Bruce stood atop the ruins, glaring at his opponent with fury.
However, Kansius's blood-red cloak billowed as a nearly two-meter-tall Crimson Giant Lizard crouched beside him, its three-meter-long tail swaying gently as walls were swept aside like paper.
Bruce also formed gestures with his hands, summoning a similar red Giant Lizard in front of him, but it was significantly smaller than Kansius's beast, making the disparity immediately apparent.
"Hah, Bruce, it's pathetic that you're still among the top ten in the organization yet have fallen to this level. Hand over the Source Artifact and I'll leave you with a whole corpse!" Kansius sneered, his eyes filled with mockery. "Your Fire Lizard hasn't even fully evolved; have you forgotten how to nurture it?"
"Bastard! If it weren't for your relentless pursuit, I wouldn't be holed up in this remote and desolate place!" Bruce gritted his teeth, his hatred becoming more evident as his features twisted in anger.
"Useless, just go die!" Kansius commanded as the Giant Lizard launched its attack. Bruce, equally unwilling to back down, ordered his own Giant Lizard to engage.
The two Giant Lizards roared and charged at each other like heavy trucks colliding!
In the basement, Xiar was momentarily stunned by the violent explosion, ringing in his ears and a blur before his eyes.
When he regained his senses, he was shocked to find that the ground above him had vanished, revealing a view of blue and white clouds!
Buzz!
A faint sound emerged, and a blinding Grayish White light erupted behind him. Xiar quickly turned around to see it was the light emitted by the White Fox.
At its forehead, a Grayish White glow burst forth, flowing throughout its body, giving it an immediate sense of revival.
The White Fox slowly opened its eyes, fully coming back to life!
At the same time, the Evolution Modulator Interface appeared. A scaled-down three-dimensional image of the White Fox materialized in the attribute section. As he focused his mind on it, a piece of information quietly surfaced.
"Variant Moonlight Fox: Main Totem, Not Evolved, can be enhanced. Evolution success rate 10%, consumes 5 Evolution Points;
Abilities: Fox Spirit, Speed."
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