novelraw Chapter 97: Testing the Power of Evolution
Chapter 97: Testing the Power of Evolution
Once the evolution concluded, the black crystal orb on the high ground fractured into pieces, releasing The Roach Matriarch from within.
The Roach Matriarch's frame had grown even more towering and robust, while her mandibles had become substantially thicker and sharper. Their length had nearly doubled, making her look increasingly terrifying and ferocious.
The Staff in her hand had also transformed, shifting from a short, Harry Potter-esque wand into a long staff reminiscent of Gandalf's in The Lord of the Rings.
"Careful, Fly," Cynthia urgently warned upon seeing this, cautioning him not to get too close to The Roach Matriarch. She swiftly darted in front of him, the tip of her ethereal black sword pointing directly at the creature.
Cynthia did this out of concern that Fly's Roach Matriarch might lose control.
However, Cynthia's worries never came to pass.
The Roach Matriarch looked at the elongated Staff in her hand, then gazed at Fly in the distance, instantly understanding everything. She dropped to one knee, offering her absolute loyalty to Fly.
"Good." Fly nodded in satisfaction.
Subsequently, the trio withdrew from Fly's Sea of Consciousness and returned to the basement of Muse's villa.
Muse pressed a button on his electric wheelchair, causing a silver-white target to slowly descend from the ceiling.
The target was perfectly circular, exuding a faint metallic sheen. Only the bullseye was painted a bright crimson, while the back was secured and connected by two heavy chains.
"That 'Thunder Strike' you mentioned earlier, you were referring to a new Skill, weren't you?"
"Why don't you test it out right here?"
Even though Fly was currently only Muse's probationary apprentice, whether it was the boy's comprehension skills, his talent for Martial Studies cultivation, or his cautious nature, it was all perfectly tailored to Muse's liking.
When it came to Martial Studies cultivation, Muse genuinely hoped to see Fly grow stronger.
"Sure thing," Fly answered without a hint of hesitation. Manifesting his Beast Totem, he raised his hand and pointed into the empty air. Instantly, a golden current of electricity began coiling around his fingertip.
Crackle! Crackle! Snap!
Accompanied by a series of thunderous claps, the golden current gradually transitioned into a light purple, slowly enveloping Fly's entire arm. Then, using Fly's middle finger as a dividing line, the current split into two distinct sections. One side was a vibrant light purple, sparking violently; the other was a deep blue, flowing smoothly like water. The two currents constantly collided and created intense friction at their intersection.
With every collision between the two currents, their speed increased by a fraction, and their magnitude swelled in turn.
Consequently, the thunderclaps generated by their clashes became increasingly deafening.
After about three or four breaths, Fly finally aimed his finger at the target and unleashed this pent-up power.
BOOM!
The thunderous roar was absolutely deafening. The terrifying destructive force instantly blasted the iron target into a "C" shape. Its silver-white surface was scorched into blackened charcoal, while glowing red molten iron continuously dripped onto the floor, searing out plumes of black smoke.
Yet, this formidable thunderous strike didn't dissipate there; instead, it cascaded wildly in another direction.
In one fell swoop, it blasted the evolution machine, the arena, and various pieces of cultivation equipment in the basement to absolute smithereens.
Fireballs ignited by the electrical current detonated in mid-air, instantly triggering the villa's fire alarm system.
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The sprinklers on the ceiling immediately sprayed jets of clear water.
A perfectly good basement had been reduced to an absolute disaster zone in the blink of an eye.
"Uh, well..." Seeing that his Skill possessed such horrifying destructive power, Fly was naturally thrilled, but the devastation inflicted upon Muse's villa was equally catastrophic.
Never mind the exorbitant cultivation equipment; even the ceiling, walls, and floor were essentially ruined beyond repair.
To restore it to its original state, they'd probably have to gut the entire place and completely renovate it, wouldn't they?
Thinking back to how Muse had constantly warned him with the compensation clause in their Apprenticeship Contract, Fly couldn't help but wonder: after wrecking his basement like this, was the old man going to demand payment right this second?
At that thought, Fly involuntarily drew in a sharp breath of cold air, looking at Grandmaster Muse with an expression of utter, sheer awkwardness.
"Say, Grandmaster Muse... you were the one who told me to test my new Skill in here."
Muse: "???"
Good grief, I, the owner of this house, haven't even said a word yet, and this brat is already shifting the blame?
Besides, just who did Fly take him for?
He was a Grandmaster-level Beast Warrior, for crying out loud. Did he really need to demand compensation from some greenhorn over something as trivial as this?
The only reason he had brought up the 1.5 million compensation fee earlier was merely to spur the boy on, giving him a sense of urgency to seize every moment for cultivation so he could deliver an outstanding performance in The Jade State League.
And now? This kid actually thought he was some greedy old miser?
For a moment, Muse was left utterly speechless.
"Relax. This was just an accident; I won't make you pay for it," Muse said, shooting Fly an exasperated glare, though internally, he was profoundly surprised.
No matter how you sliced it, Fly was only a high school freshman who had been a Beast Warrior for just over two months.
More importantly, although he had signed the Apprenticeship Contract with Fly, he hadn't even had the time to properly instruct him on anything yet.
It was safe to say that Fly had forged this entire foundation through his own grueling efforts.
Granted, this evolution was capable of drawing out massive amounts of potential hidden within a Beast Totem, but this level of power... wasn't it a bit too exaggerated?
With this in mind, Muse surveyed the surroundings. The intensity of Fly's Thunder Strike Skill had to be tens of thousands of volts, at the very least.
If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, it would have been hard to imagine that this was a power displayed by a freshman Beast Warrior.
Perhaps Fly's talent is even more terrifying than Lysander Thorne's was back in the day...
Muse marveled internally, feeling a distinct surge of joy, as if he had just unearthed an absolute treasure.
"Such destructive power..." Cynthia's throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
She thought back to when she was a freshman and experienced her very first evolution.
Her father, who was constantly busy away from home, had specially returned to stand guard for her.
Moreover, she had never lacked resources since childhood. When she first entered high school, riding on her father's coattails, she had become the center of everyone's attention.
At the time, she genuinely was the cream of the crop among her peers, and after evolving, her Beast Totem had indeed experienced a qualitative leap.
But the Cynthia of back then—whether in terms of pure destructive power or sheer display of might—fell drastically short of the Fly standing before her now.
This realization planted a tiny seed of frustration within her, despite wearing the halo of being a Grandmaster-level Beast Warrior's daughter.
I remember my father's assessment of me back then: 'Plenty of effort, but lacking in talent...'
At the time, I couldn't understand such a critique; I just felt he was being overly harsh.
It was only years later, after entering university and meeting those true geniuses from the eight elite universities of The Tulip League, that I finally began to grasp the true meaning behind his words.
At that thought, Cynthia turned her head to look at her father, Muse.
Even though Muse wasn't openly displaying any joy, going so far as to keep his face completely straight and deliberately adopt a stern posture, Cynthia could still see a long-lost spark in his eyes.
There's a light returning to Father's eyes!
Ever since Father retired from Helios Warrior Corp, his spirit has been largely depressed.
Most of the time in the villa, he simply locked himself in his study, losing his appetite for both food and drink. Every time I saw him, I could clearly feel the lack of vitality in his gaze.
In fact, prior to Fly obliterating the basement, she hadn't seen such a radiant gleam in her father's eyes for a very long time.
Right now, Father must be incredibly happy inside, right?
Father, have you finally found someone worthy of your acknowledgment? Have you finally found the one who can help you accomplish your grand cause?
Cynthia murmured in her heart. The corners of her mouth curled up, slowly giving way to a warm smile.
She knew exactly what kind of burden her father was carrying, and she had once wanted to share that weight.
But perhaps because her own abilities were limited, or perhaps because her father simply didn't want to drag her into this muddy mess, he had always kept her shut out.
She cultivated day and night, desperately trying to prove her martial arts talent to him.
She even turned down countless recreational activities for this very reason, maintaining an icy facade in front of everyone else.
Yet, when looking at her, Muse had never once revealed a gaze like this.
Fly... I'm honestly a little jealous of you.
When Cynthia again looked at Fly, a glimmering teardrop had already gathered at the corner of her eye.