Lin Mu observed the totem on his back as well as the Immortal Essence link for a few minutes, trying to learn more about them.
'I'll test it out after I've fully used up all the marrow. Having Immortal essence is necessary for me so that I can recover from any injuries as soon as possible.' Lin Mu thought to himself and took out the third jade bottle of Tyrant Bull Marrow.
He quickly popped off the cap and drank it all. Having become familiar with the process, Lin Mu methodically got through it all. By the next day, he was already ready to battle the Tyrant Bull's Bloodline Figure once more.
The figure condensed from the red mist and gazed at Lin Mu, this time with even greater doubt in its eyes.
'Is it… hesitating?' Lin Mu couldn't help but wonder.
~MOOOOOOO!~
But in the very next moment, the demeanor of the Tyrant Bull changed and a tyrannical aura rose from it.
~TREMBLE~
It charged towards Lin Mu's Nascent soul, initiating the battle.
The two previous fights had already educated Lin Mu on the Tyrant Bull's battle style and allowed him to outmaneuver the beast with easy. He subdued the bloodline figure in just half of the time it had taken him in the first fight.
"That was a significant improvement." Lin Mu couldn't help but say.
~SHUA~
He watched as the Bloodline Figure dispersed into the red mist and quickly commanded his Immortal Sense to take control of it. Then, channeling it all to the Totem on his back, Lin Mu observed it.
~HONG~
The outline of the Tyrant Bull glowed brightly as it reached full size once more.
'Let's see how much effect it has this time.' Lin Mu watched it intently.
~SHUA~
A little while later, the outline started to fade once more, but this time it was left with more than before.
"Huh?" Lin Mu watched it with a little doubt. "The totem didn't reach the next form…" he muttered.
On Lin Mu's back, the totem of the Tyrant Bull was now a horned head that had a neck attached to it. But its body was still not formed.
Lin Mu furrowed his brows, wondering if he had failed. He didn't come to conclusions that quick though and took his time to observe it in detail. He even checked the energy links between his Immortal Essence and the totem itself.
After a few hours of fine observation, Lin Mu realized that the links had actually increased.
'The number isn't that much, but it has certainly increased. This means a higher supply of Immortal essence, but the stage hasn't reached the next point.' Lin Mu concluded that it wasn't actually a failure.
"Seems like the Tyrant Bull Marrow was simply not enough. The head is a small part of the total totem after all, so it makes sense." Lin Mu understood that he would need more Tyrant Bull Marrow to progress.
He looked at the fourth and final bottle that he had left, tens of thoughts appearing in his mind.
"This might or might not be enough and it isn't like I'll be able to get any more Tyrant Bull Marrow after this. I may as well use it and progress as much as I can. The rest of the totem can be completed by the normal process anyway." Lin Mu analyzed.
~HUU~
Having gotten over the confusion, Lin Mu opened the fourth bottle and consumed it.
He then went through the steps of the Mnemonic; Refine the Marrow, Condense the essence, Raise the spirit before finally facing the Bloodline Figure of the Tyrant Bull again.
~SHUA~
The Bloodline Figure acted quite different this time around, though. While it still had anger in its eyes, it didn't charge at Lin Mu.
"It's certainly reluctant this time." Lin Mu was sure.
He controlled his Nascent soul and flew closer to the Tyrant Bull's Bloodline Figure.
The Beast seemed agitated and puffed out steam from its nostrils, but didn't attack Lin Mu. And when Lin Mu was just a couple of meters from the beast, it finally reacted. Lin Mu immediately entered a fighting stance and condensed several Immortal Qi weapons around him.
~THUD~ THUD~
But much to his surprise, the attack never came. Instead, he heard the sound of something solid hitting a hard surface.
"Huh?" Lin Mu watched with astonished eyes as the Bloodline Figure of the Tyrant Bull kneeled on his Dao Shell.
It bent its two front legs and kneeled off the edge of the Dao Shell as if offering its obeisance.
"It has submitted…" Lin Mu had not expected something like that at all.
He was fully prepared to battle the beast for the fourth time, but the Tyrant Bull didn't seem to desire that. It made Lin Mu wonder why the Bloodline Figure wasn't protesting in anger like before.
'Is it due to the fact that I've already defeated it thrice before and have the totem formed?' Lin Mu wondered.
Whatever it might be, Lin Mu wasn't one to let go of a free opportunity like this.
~STEP~STEP~STEP~
He walked towards the Bloodline Figure calmly and placed his hand on the head. The beast had already lowered it and once Lin Mu touched it, a connection was formed between the two.
~SHUA~
In the next second, the Bloodline Figure directly dispersed into red mist and automatically traveled to the totem on Lin Mu's back.
It was surprising, since Lin Mu didn't need to control it.
"Is this the true submission of the Tyrant Bull?" Lin Mu wondered.
He opened his eyes in the real world and watched as the Totem lit up on his back. The outline grew to the full as the process repeated. And by the time it had faded, Lin Mu was left with half of the body of the Tyrant Bull.
"No legs and only the front half of the body." Lin Mu saw the final result.
He hadn't reached the third form of the Totem, but was halfway through it.
"Looks like I'll be reaching the third form the traditional way…"
