Silence stretched on.
The endless white world remained undisturbed.
Lizarius slowly closed his eyes.
His thoughts quietly organized everything he had witnessed.
*...Useful.*
Not because it granted him something entirely new.
Quite the opposite.
*Most of what it demonstrated...*
*I can already accomplish.*
He recalled his own abilities.
The **Echo Bat**.
**Sonic Wave**.
Each possessed abilities related to sound.
Compared to those—
the Whisper Mark Cat's bloodline wasn't particularly extraordinary.
Another thought surfaced.
*...However...*
*Its control is superior.*
That was its true value.
Rather than relying upon overwhelming accumulation—
the creature manipulated sound itself.
Directly.
Precisely.
Without unnecessary buildup.
His golden eyes slowly opened.
*Acceleration through sound...*
*Vibration...*
*Compression...*
*Interesting.*
The knowledge he had just observed rapidly integrated with the newly acquired bloodline.
Instinct quietly merged with understanding.
Without hesitation—
he tested it.
His tiny body suddenly blurred.
There wasn't the slightest warning.
No explosive movement.
No visible preparation.
One instant—
he hovered in place.
The next—
he had already appeared dozens of meters away.
Silence.
Lizarius glanced back toward where he had originally been.
*...Instant.*
He slowly raised one forepaw.
Tiny ripples appeared around his claws.
Unlike ordinary spiritual qi—
they weren't visible because of spiritual energy.
They were visible because the surrounding space itself trembled.
Minute vibrations gathered around his claws.
Compressing.
Layer upon layer.
Until the surrounding air visibly distorted.
Lizarius calmly swung his paw.
**BOOM!!**
A deafening shockwave erupted forward.
The simulated ground exploded apart.
Stone shattered.
Dust surged into the sky.
A long trench stretched across the endless white world.
The vibrations gradually dispersed.
Silence returned.
Lizarius quietly examined his claws.
*...A useful ability.*
He slowly lowered his paw.
"...Next."
The system immediately responded.
**[Displaying next biological record.]**
The shattered landscape dissolved.
The endless white world restored itself.
Dark mist gathered once more.
This time—
it condensed into a strange creature.
Roughly the size of a large ape.
Its limbs were unnaturally long.
Its body appeared lean rather than muscular.
Most striking of all—
it possessed only a single eye positioned in the center of its face.
The eye slowly opened.
Fixing itself upon Lizarius.
The system spoke.
**[Species: One-Eyed Mimic Ape.]**
**[Innate Bloodline Ability: Mimic.]**
A brief pause followed.
**[The Mimic Bloodline allows the user to reproduce techniques, abilities, and movements after observing them.]**
**[Replication is limited by the user's biological capabilities, bloodline compatibility, and cultivation.]**
Another line appeared.
**[Abilities exceeding the user's limits cannot be perfectly reproduced.]**
**[Forced replication may result in incomplete imitation or total failure.]**
The one-eyed creature remained motionless.
Its solitary eye continued staring ahead.
Awaiting the beginning of the next demonstration.
Without warning—
the ape vanished.
Not through speed.
Not through teleportation.
Rather—
its movements had become completely silent.
The same technique the Whisper Mark Cat had displayed only moments earlier.
Its footsteps produced no sound.
Its breathing disappeared.
Even the surrounding air remained undisturbed.
Lizarius quietly watched.
The ape stopped several dozen meters away.
Its long arm slowly lifted.
The surrounding vibrations immediately gathered.
Compressing into a single point.
Then—
it swung.
**BOOM!!**
An invisible wave erupted forward.
The simulated stone pillar shattered cleanly in two.
Almost identical.
Only slightly weaker.
The ape lowered its arm.
Its single eye shifted once again.
This time—
toward Lizarius.
It watched for only a heartbeat.
Then—
its body blurred.
The next instant—
it appeared where Lizarius had been standing only moments earlier.
Using the same sound-assisted acceleration he had just demonstrated.
Not perfect.
But unmistakably based on the same principle.
Silence returned.
The ape stood quietly.
Its demonstration complete.
Lizarius remained hovering in place.
His golden gaze never left the creature.
Several long moments passed.
Then—
a thought quietly surfaced.
*...Interesting.*
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
*It doesn't merely imitate appearances.*
*It reproduces the underlying principles.*
He recalled what he had just witnessed.
The cat's sound manipulation.
His own vibration-assisted movement.
Neither belonged to the ape.
Yet—
after observing them—
it had reproduced both.
Another thought followed.
*...Without possessing either bloodline.*
Silence.
The implication was obvious.
The ape didn't steal bloodlines.
It didn't copy biology.
It copied techniques.
Methods.
Applications.
Anything that fell within its own capabilities.
His thoughts continued.
*...A battle against such a creature would become increasingly troublesome the longer it lasted.*
*Every technique revealed...*
*Would become another weapon at its disposal.*
He quietly analyzed the limitation.
*...However...*
*Replication is not perfection.*
The ape's imitation of the Whisper Mark Cat's ability had been weaker.
Its imitation of his own movement had also lacked the same degree of precision.
*Its understanding is incomplete.*
*Or perhaps...*
*Its body cannot fully support what it observes.*
Either way—
there was a ceiling.
His gaze remained fixed upon the one-eyed creature.
*...Even so.*
*An ability that learns during battle...*
*Has considerable value.*
Silence stretched across the endless white world.
Then—
Lizarius spoke a single word.
"...Next."
The system responded immediately.
**[Displaying next biological record.]**
The one-eyed ape dissolved into drifting strands of black mist.
The endless white world returned once more.
Silence lingered.
Then—
a new figure slowly emerged.
Dark mist condensed into the shape of a massive tiger.
Its build was lean yet powerful.
Its fur seemed almost unreal—
as though woven from shadows.
The beast quietly stood before Lizarius.
Its eyes remained fixed upon him.
The system spoke.
**[Species: Ghost Tiger.]**
**[Innate Bloodline Ability: Spirit Bond.]**
A brief pause followed.
**[The Ghost Tiger possesses the ability to consume souls to strengthen both its spiritual body and its soul.]**
**[In addition, it may establish a permanent Spirit Bond with a ghost or wandering soul.]**
The tiger remained motionless.
The system continued.
**[Once the bond is established, the ghost becomes a Spirit Servant.]**
**[The Spirit Servant's cultivation grows alongside its master.]**
**[Should the Ghost Tiger perish, the Spirit Servant will also perish.]**
Another line appeared.
**[Conversely, the master may sacrifice the Spirit Servant in place of its own life.]**
**[The Spirit Servant will be destroyed, while the Ghost Tiger survives.]**
**[Complete destruction does not occur.]**
**[A fragment of the Spirit Servant's consciousness remains attached to the master.]**
**[Through continued nourishment, the Spirit Servant may gradually recover and reform.]**
Silence.
Lizarius quietly observed the tiger.
His thoughts slowly turned.
*...Interesting.*
A bloodline capable of binding another existence to itself.
Not merely controlling it—
but allowing both to grow together.
A servant whose life could be exchanged for the master's.
His golden gaze remained fixed upon the Ghost Tiger.
Then—
another thought surfaced.
*...I don't remember encountering a ghost.*
He clearly remembered killing the tiger.
He remembered devouring it.
Yet—
there had been no wandering spirit.
No ghost.
No servant.
He spoke calmly.
"...Why?"
The system immediately answered.
**[Because the Ghost Tiger died before either ability could manifest.]**
Lizarius remained silent.
The explanation continued.
**[The Ghost Tiger had not yet consumed a sufficient quantity of souls to awaken its Spirit Bond.]**
**[Nor had it successfully formed a contract with a spirit.]**
**[Its death occurred before either ability could be utilized.]**
Silence returned.
Lizarius quietly considered the answer.
*...Hmm.*
Had the tiger survived longer—
its abilities would likely have become far more troublesome.
A Ghost Tiger with a Spirit Servant...
Would effectively possess an additional life.
Perhaps even more than one—
depending on the future development of the bloodline.
His gaze lingered upon the silent tiger.
*...A useful bloodline.*
*Though its greatest potential depends upon preparation.*
He slowly looked toward the system.
"...Demonstrate."