Alfred was inside, but he was also not inside, because there was only a faint halo of light in the workshop. It was weak, like a flickering candle flame, but it was unusually tenacious.

Leaning against the door frame, Karun crossed his arms and listened to the prayers coming from the faint halo of light, and smiled.

"Hehe, hehehe..."

As he laughed, Karun took a deep breath.

The heavy feeling that almost crushed him in his mind earlier, no, the feeling that had already crushed him, finally disappeared completely at this moment.

In times of confusion, even if there is only one lamp accompanying you, it will feel warm; when you look up at the night sky, even if there is only one star shining for you, it will feel beautiful.

Life is like sailing in the sea. In fact, most people's boats have no sails or oars, they are just passively drifting with the current.

At this moment, if there could be an anchor dropped, a moment of stillness would be enough to make people envious and grateful.

Karun looked around and finally understood why this illusion was so difficult, because he was the one who built this cage.

In the ordinary sense, being awake, facing reality, and conquering it is a challenge launched from oneself to the other party.

But here, your awakening, your confrontation, your conquest... is equivalent to your confusion, your avoidance, your defeat.

Mr. Santos, Aisley's father, described it well in his diary: when it appears alive, it will be everywhere.

This sentence accurately summarized Puerh's ability. Based on oneself, one is truly... everywhere.

However, this description is somewhat too concise, even rising to the level of ultimate philosophical enlightenment. Without experiencing it, without truly going through it, one cannot understand the true meaning of this sentence.

"So, when writing a diary in the future, it's better to use plain language, and it's best to add annotations."

Karun turned around and left, waving his hand towards the faint light behind him.

Coming up from the basement and walking to the first floor, the throne of order was still placed on the autopsy table.

Karun walked up the steps and came to the front of the throne without hesitation, and sat down directly.

"I have already sat down, but why am I still not the God of Order?"

There was no answer.

Karun touched the armrest of the throne with both hands, feeling the delicate touch:

"The throne itself actually has no meaning. Whether you sit or not, there is no difference. The reason why it is respected is not because it is the throne of order, but because it is called the throne of order, the chair that the God of Order once sat on."

Karun stood up and looked back at the throne behind him:

"The more exquisite something looks, the less practical it is. It's better than a rocking chair, no, a rattan rocking chair."

Walking down from the autopsy table, Mr. Hofin was still sitting on the sofa next to the coffee table, drinking tea.

Karun walked up to him, bent down, and said:

"Grandpa Hofin, I didn't realize how amazing you were until I went out and gained more experience. Unfortunately, you died, and even more unfortunately, you were awakened.

Otherwise, I would really go back one day and dig you out of the grave to ask you about formation problems. I originally thought that learning formations would be as simple as learning spells, but now it seems that I was too naive.

Even if I have the Key of Magic, learning formations is still a complex and long-term process. If you were still here, I could come to you specifically for guidance.

But it's okay, you left quite freely, and didn't leave any regrets."

Finished, Karun reached out and adjusted Mr. Hofin's hat on top of his head.

Then, Karun walked up the stairs, and the golden-haired dog was still there, sticking out its tongue and smiling foolishly.

Karun put his hand on the bald head of the golden-haired dog and rubbed it, saying:

"There's something I've always been curious about, but I didn't dare to ask you. That is, is there any relationship between Goddess Mills and the Sea God?"

The golden-haired dog still smiled foolishly, but this smile seemed frozen.

Karun stepped over the golden-haired dog and walked upstairs, where the black cat was still sitting. Karun naturally reached out and rubbed the fur on Puerh's neck, saying, "When I go back, I'll make fish for you. No matter how big Aisley Manor is, there is no cook who can make fish that you like."

The black cat's tail stood up, and that clean white finger seemed to want to point at Karun.

Karun grabbed the finger with his hand and said:

"Don't worry, someday, I will go to the place where I discovered your finger in the Allen family and hope you have left more things there. Don't let me make a wasted trip."

Karun let go of the finger and walked towards the study. At the door, he knocked.

"Knock... knock..."

"Come in."

Karun pushed open the door and looked at Dis sitting inside.

"Grandpa."

"Hmm?""I know you're tired and want to rest well. You can go to sleep first, and I'll wake you up when I get back.

I can sense your pride. Deep down, you're just as proud as I am. That's why our love and hate are so casual.

Puerh, when you were with me, you saw the person you used to be.

Actually, I've always been learning your kind of pride and freedom.

I'm lucky to have someone like you as my elder in this world.

I believe you truly treat me as your grandson,

Because,

I've already considered you my real grandfather."

With that, Karun left the study and closed the door.

As he passed by the window, he noticed that "Karun" was still standing there, but this time facing him instead of the window.

"I saw your past pain through Mr. Eisen, so I think death is a kind of release for you. I didn't take away your body, nor did I kick you out of your home. When I came, this was an empty room.

I don't want to say that I'm replacing you and taking on your responsibilities, because now I am Karun.

By the way, you're weak, so don't stand by the window. It's windy there."

Then,

Karun pushed open the bedroom door, and Uncle Mason, Aunt Mary, Aunt Winnie, and others were still inside.

Karun opened his arms and hugged Uncle Mason: "Uncle, I missed you. You're a witty and humorous elder, and you've taught me a lot about being a good person."

Karun also hugged Aunt Mary: "Aunt, you're really beautiful. I've always thought Uncle is lucky to have married you."

Next, Karun hugged everyone, and finally, looked at them all:

"Grandfather has asked me several times if I've really thought it through. At that time, I just wanted to go out and see the scenery.

If everything could start over now, if Grandfather asked me the same question again, I don't know if I would still be willing to leave home, leave the Inmolese Funeral Home, and leave Mingke Street.

I miss you all, very much.

But I will come back,

when I become strong enough."

This time, there will be no more gaps in my heart.

Karun looked up, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers next to his ear.

"Snap!"

...

Karun opened his eyes, and Aisley stood motionless beside him, with her eyes closed. The other members of his team also stood there motionless.

Not only his team, but all the members of the other three teams were also frozen in place.

Slowly,

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Karun shifted his gaze to the large walnut, Puxien.

Puxien's heart was filled with despair.

Beasts with intelligence, although their race does not possess human ethics and social views, they have the instinct of life.

What Karun saw, Puxien also saw.

Puxien could only curse fate. Fate made it choose one out of four, and it ended up here.

Why was it itself, and not the other three Puxiens?

Karun lowered his head and saw a white thread tied around his wrist, with the other end connected to Puxien.

Upon closer observation, it could be seen that everyone had a white thread tied to them, connecting them to all the candidates within their respective barriers.

Karun used his other hand to untie the white thread and held it in his hand.

Puxien couldn't speak or move, but Karun sensed its plea from the white thread.

It wasn't begging for its life to be spared, as it was already aware that the probability of death was high since it was a consumable in this trial.

It was begging not to be punished in a way more terrifying than death.

Karun let go of the thread, and it quickly retracted back into Puxien.

"Woo woo woo..." Puxien made a sound similar to a whistle, filled with relief and gratitude.

Then,

"Boom!"

The large walnut exploded.

It chose to commit suicide, and it did so eagerly, fearing that Karun might change his mind.

After the explosion, the others did not wake up because Puxien's ability was only a catalyst, and their reactions had not yet finished.

Karun speculated that there might have been a mistake on his part, causing both himself and Puxien to have problems.

As the first person to "awaken," Karun chose to sit down quietly and wait.

Five minutes later, the second person to wake up appeared, it was the sleepy girl next door, Philomena.

After she woke up, the Puxien on her side immediately burrowed into the ground and disappeared, without giving her a chance to attack. Like Karun, she also cut the white thread connecting her teammates and received the same result as Karun. Her teammates did not wake up as a result.

Because the only value of doing so was to deprive Puxien of the power to monitor the contents of the illusion, it served as a timely protection of privacy.Of course, if I can seize the opportunity to kill that Puxien, it would be considered as completely destroying the informer.

On the other side, the captain of the first team, Muri, suddenly flashed and appeared beside his Puxien. A flame of order directly hit the Puxien's body, and the Puxien's body immediately incinerated.

Then, the bald captain, Kane, also woke up. He was ready to make a move against the Puxien, but his Puxien had already hidden underground in advance.

At this time, Punk's voice came:

"There is still one hour left. In this one hour, the top three teams with the most awakened members will qualify for the final test of the next round.

If there is a tie in the number of awakened members in the last two teams, then all four teams will enter the final round together."

Ten minutes later, Bart woke up.

A few minutes later, Ventura woke up.

Then it was Mars, Blanche, and Aisley, who woke up nearly half an hour later.

The situation of the other teams was almost the same, but because Karun's team had the least consumption, everyone's condition was the best, so the awakening speed was much faster than the other three teams.

Karun confirmed one thing again, that he was really an extreme exception.

He believed that if the other candidates enjoyed the same treatment as him, most of them would never have a chance to wake up, and even closing their self-consciousness for a lifetime would be the most normal result.

In addition, Karun also realized that this level with Puxien was more like a benefit given by the organizers rather than a selection. It was an opportunity for young people who had come this far to improve their self-awareness. The difficulty was actually quite suitable.

So Puxien should be really valuable, and they might not have prepared too many of them, so they gave the previous round's spirit beasts stimulants to eliminate some teams.

By the fifty-fifth minute, the first team, the third team, and the seventh team, all members woke up.

As for the team where Philomena was, three people had not awakened yet.

Their injuries were generally more severe, and their condition was too poor, so they couldn't even digest this kind of benefit at this time.

It seemed that the team where Philomena was would be eliminated.

But at this moment, Philomena walked to the side of the two teammates who had not yet awakened, and placed her hand on their shoulders, closing her eyes.

Two minutes later, the two teammates opened their eyes and woke up.

Philomena then walked to the last teammate and placed her hand on his shoulder. In the last moment, completely in the last minute, her last teammate also woke up.

The other three team members looked at Philomena's actions in surprise. She actually forcibly entered the souls of those three people and awakened them through soul connection.

Karun thought of her habit of sleeping while walking. Could it be that she entered their dreams?

Finally, under Punk's announcement, the four teams collectively entered the next round.

"Phew!"

After receiving the news of advancing, Philomena spat out a mouthful of blood. She knelt on the ground, blood overflowing from the corners of her eyes, nose, and ears. Obviously, she had paid a great price to awaken her teammates.

In fact, what she did didn't have much meaning, because this round was a welfare round, and it was impossible for the final round to be the same. The final round could only be completed by selecting only two teams left.

The team she was in, including herself, was in such a poor state that it was unimaginable. It was impossible to pass the next round of competition.

Actually, Philomena herself was very clear about this, but she just couldn't accept it.

The reason for her unwillingness was not to prove anything to Karun, but out of her pride. Even if she knew there was no chance in the end, she still wanted to forcefully advance to the final round, even if it meant paying a heavy personal price.

This point, even Karun had to admire. Although she was not suitable as a teammate or a friend, her pride and strength were indeed worthy of being treated as a worthy opponent.

Above, dark clouds appeared again, indicating the beginning of the countdown to the next round.

Karun looked at his team members and found that their emotions were somewhat low. This was the case for most of the other teams as well. After coming out of the "self-examination" state, their moods would definitely enter a low period.

"Cheer up, everyone!" Karun clapped his hands. "It is instinctive to hold onto emotions, but it is a skill to let go of them. At this time, focusing energy on useless emotions is the most foolish thing to do!"

In the end, it was up to himself as the captain to boost morale, even though he himself had been under the most pressure before.

"Yes, Captain!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Everyone shouted loudly in response, standing up straight.

"Mars, activate the Spiritual Bridge Formation now and connect all of us!"

"Yes, Captain."Mas took a deep breath, activating the formation. Those standing within the formation were mentally connected, able to sense each other's emotional fluctuations. When they encountered the onslaught from the divine artifact, they could collectively initiate a spiritual defense.

The first squad also activated a similar formation, with everyone stepping into it.

Upon seeing this, the bald captain of the seventh squad, Cain, slapped his bald head and cursed, "Just because our squad doesn't have a formation master, you're bullying us, right?"

At this moment,

The first and third squads were preparing to receive the divine artifact, the seventh squad was cursing, and in Philomina's squad, there was no one even standing, they were all lying down.

However, as the dark clouds were about to dissipate and cracks appeared above again, a beam of light appeared on the bald Cain, the captain of the seventh squad. He spread his arms, grabbed the hands of his two team members, and the other members also held hands, forming a circle.

They were gambling, betting that the power of the divine artifact only affected the spiritual aspect.

Because the divine artifact was too powerful, if it were to let loose, all the squads present would be doomed.

Therefore, this team-building-like method could probably work.

At this moment, an ancient aura emerged from the crack.

It hadn't even entered the crack yet, but the terrifying pressure of the divine artifact had already poured down, followed by a mental storm like an appetizer before a meal.

Even though they were in the formation, the members of the first squad showed painful expressions. Although their voices couldn't be heard, their misery and pain could be sensed.

The members of the seventh squad went from standing hand in hand to squatting hand in hand, tears and snot dripping down from the pain.

Philomina's punk squad had been judged by the formation master in charge of their area to have lost the ability to continue competing and were teleported out of the barrier.

The members of Karun's squad looked at each other, then at the two squads next door, all showing puzzled expressions. Why didn't they feel anything?

Everyone thought of a possibility!

Aisley turned her head and looked at Mas, who was presiding over the formation, and exclaimed:

"Mas, so you're the one who's been hiding the deepest!"

The other members of the squad cast admiring glances at him. No matter what, it was a pleasant surprise that the hidden boss in the team suddenly revealed his strength to protect the entire team at the last moment. No one would blame him for hiding it before.

Mas: "Huh?"

Facing the praise from his teammates, Mas was the most confused one. He hadn't hidden his level, and even if he had, what did it have to do with him?

The formation he had set up hadn't encountered any mental storm, not even a slight breeze!

"Karun... Karun..."

Because of the mental bridge, everyone was somewhat connected mentally, so this mental call was also transmitted to everyone's ears.

Ventura asked in confusion, "Who is calling the captain in their mind at this time?"

Bart turned his head to look at Aisley and Blanche, reminding them, "You two need to control yourselves now. Don't call the captain so gently in your mind, we can all hear it."

Because the voice was a woman's.

Aisley immediately shook her head and said, "It's not me!"

Blanche also immediately shook her head and said, "It's not me either, really not me!"

"Really not you two?" Bart still didn't believe it.

Aisley huffed, "No, it's not, even if I want to think about the captain, it's not now, can't I think about it when the selection is over and I'm lying in bed at home!"

Blanche nodded, "Exactly, exactly."

Bart asked in confusion, "Hey, if it's not you two, then who could it be? Ventura, Mas, which one of you has a woman in your spiritual world?"

Mas said, "The voice didn't come from within the formation, it came from outside the formation."

"Outside the formation?" Bart was even more confused, "How is that possible, have you forgotten? We're in the squad barrier, sound can't get in, and spiritual power can't get in either, unless it's that god..."

Ventura continued, "Unless it's a mental message sent out by that divine artifact."

"Brother Karun... I miss you so much... Brother Karun..."

Everyone: "..."