The blood moon hung high over the Corpse Hills.

Surrounded by dozens of Skeleton Servants, the Skeleton Clone slowly awoke and stood up. Its exceptionally vigorous Soul Fire leaped to life, its robust, nearly two-meter-tall Corpse Body standing tall and proud like a crane among chickens.

Fang Zhou gently shook his head, looking with some fondness at the desolate and decaying Corpse Hills.

Although less than a natural day had passed on Blue Star, what his main body had experienced today was truly overwhelming. The abrupt jump from the bustling and prosperous Sea City Military Academy to the lonely and frigid Corpse Hills left Fang Zhou feeling slightly disoriented.

It had all started with the challenge in the ring this morning, which led to him ultimately being confirmed as the Number One Seed of the first-year students at Sea City Military Academy. He gained special approval from the military, was promoted to the rank of Senior Sergeant, and received a series of massive rewards.

Then, this afternoon, during the Rite of the Fated Rival in the Hall of Glory, he had successfully awakened the Perfection-level Soul Enemy skill. Under Instructor Lu Hu's guidance, he had also confirmed the Black Iron-level universal skills for Combat Professionals that the Skeleton Clone should learn.

Afterward, he went to the logistics department to exchange for a massive amount of resources originally valued at over 2,000 contribution points. He also received help from Instructors Su Xinyan and Huang Qiuyue in the Undead Mage research project team, who helped him enhance all his Equipment and Marvels to their limits.

Additionally, after his authority was upgraded to E-rank, the opening of trading channels and the spontaneous organization of auctions and markets among students provided Fang Zhou with a brand-new path to accumulate resources and quickly grow stronger.

Such a massive influx of information left Fang Zhou momentarily bewildered. Furthermore, the updates to his main body's attribute panel were almost too much to take in.

[Name] Fang Zhou

[Profession] Undead Mage

[Tier] Apprentice · Middle Rank

[Title] Sea City Military Academy's Number One Seed, Enemy of Kobolds

[Attributes] Strength 6.1, Agility 5.9, Constitution 5.8, Spirit 7.5

[State] Soul Split, World Will's Attention

[Runes] Night Watcher I (reduces Spiritual Power consumption), Heart Steel I (control immunity)

[Equipment] Apprentice Set (5 pieces, Refinement+1, Level 1 Gemstone*1), New Star Mage Hat (Refinement+2, Level 2 Blue Sapphire*2), New Star Ring*2 (Refinement+2, Level 2 Obsidian*2)

[Marvels] Moon Orchid Fragrance (Blue), Goblin Sealed Bone Bell (Gray, Pearl Bird), Rock Shield Crystal Stone (Gray), Flower of Sighs (Gray), Frog Drum (Gray), Regeneration Phylactery (Gray), Ring of Burning Fire (Gray), Charging Scroll (White), Heroic Spirit Battle Banner (Blue), Life Crystal (Gray), Berserk Mark (Purple), Miniature Space Storage Capsule (Green), Transcendent · Sea City Military Academy No. 1 Seed Medal (Green)

[Skills] Skeleton King Meditation Method (Perfection), Summon Skeleton (Instinct), Skeleton Flying Spear (Perfection), Skeleton Shield (Perfection), Skeleton Shackles (Perfection), Calm and Relaxed (Perfection), Domination Skeleton (Mastery), Resurrection of the Dead (Skilled), Skeleton Arrow Rain (Skilled), Skeleton Wings (Skilled), Group Brutality Skill (Mastery), Soul Realm (Skilled), Mental Shock (Beginner), Skeleton Blade (Mastery)

Briefly savoring his main body's gains for the day, Fang Zhou pondered the Skeleton Clone's course of action for the night.

Southeast!

Fang Zhou's Soul Fire surged. Standing high on the Corpse Hills, he gazed greedily toward the southeast. Before "logging off" last night, he had harvested an Undead-attribute exclusive gemstone—which he had named White Bone Stone—from Squad No. 1 in that direction. Based on this, Fang Zhou speculated that he might make some unexpected and delightful discoveries to the southeast.

After confirming his objective, Fang Zhou gathered the 39 Skeleton Servants surrounding him. He planned to organize them into ten combat squads of four Skeletons each to conduct a dragnet search toward the southeast.

Looking at the Skeleton Squads bathed in the blood-red moonlight, Fang Zhou's Soul Fire leaped as a bold idea struck him. His main body had just successfully deduced the Skeleton Blade skill, which enabled Apprentice-level Skeletons to condense skeletal armaments ahead of time, significantly enhancing their combat power.

By that logic, could Black Iron-level Skeleton Warriors condense a second piece of skeletal armament—in addition to their own weapons—just like the Skeleton Clone?

Looking at the Skill Panel of the Skeleton Clone, he saw it did not have the Skeleton Blade skill as his main body did. Fang Zhou regrettably shook his skull. Perhaps he would have to wait until his main body raised the proficiency of the Skeleton Blade skill to the Instinct-level before it could provide some inspiration for the Clone to grow stronger.

After all, Black Iron-level Skeleton Warriors were an entire Great Level stronger than ordinary Apprentice-level Skeletons. The difference between them was not to be ignored.

However, Fang Zhou firmly believed that he was on the right path. As long as he methodically improved the proficiency of Skeleton Blade, it would surely bring gratifying improvements to the dozens of Skeleton Servants under his command in the not-too-distant future.

Fang Zhou looked ahead. In this Corpse Hills, perpetually shrouded by the blood moon, the air was filled with a suffocating silence. Only the occasional sound of grating bones from afar brought a hint of life to this dead world.

He tightened his grip on the heavy and sharp Skeleton Long Spear in his hand, eager to test just how much of a boost the newly obtained High-Level Weapon Specialization had brought him. His gaze swept around, finally locking onto a Giant Shield Skeleton Warrior wandering aimlessly not far away.

This Skeleton Warrior, holding an seemingly indestructible Bone Shield, appeared majestic and utterly unaware that it was about to become the victim of a slaughter.

Fang Zhou slowly paced forward, each step steady and powerful. He firmly gripped the Skeleton Long Spear, its tip glinting coldly under the moonlight.

The Giant Shield Skeleton Warrior only noticed Fang Zhou's presence when he entered its Perception range. Devoid of intelligence, it immediately launched a Charge. The Bone Shield sliced through the air, rushing directly at the Skeleton Clone.

However, facing this fierce assault, Fang Zhou lightly sidestepped. His long spear traced a graceful arc in the air, easily deflecting the opponent's attack. He used the momentum to reverse his grip and thrust the spear toward the opponent's joint.

The strike was as swift as lightning and as precise as a divine arrow. Even with its solid defense, the Giant Shield Skeleton Warrior was shaken and stumbled back several steps. Although Fang Zhou had held back most of his strength, a small yet deep crack appeared on the Bone Shield.

This was the initial display of the power of High-Level Weapon Specialization, enabling Fang Zhou's every attack to accurately strike an enemy's weak point with multiplied force.

As the battle continued, Fang Zhou's onslaught grew increasingly fierce. The Giant Shield Skeleton Warrior was gradually forced onto the defensive. Its once-solid defense was torn apart by one spear strike after another, until the fatal blow arrived.

Fang Zhou's spear tip pierced through a minuscule gap in its defenses, piercing its core and shattering its skull. The once-vigorous Soul Fire dimmed and extinguished in that instant.

The taste of victory left Fang Zhou wanting more. He didn't stop, choosing instead to absorb the opponent's Corpse Essence and Soul Power. A warm and powerful energy surged within him, subtly increasing his attributes. This newfound power made him yearn for more challenges, more battles.

Thus, Fang Zhou continued to roam the Death Domain, searching for his next opponent. Whether it was the somewhat sluggish Long Spear Skeleton Warrior or the agile Great Sword Skeleton Warrior, they were all like paper before him—defeated one by one, their skulls shattered, their Soul Fires extinguished.

SQUELCH!

Fang Zhou easily skewered another Zombie with his spear, finally feeling a deeply satisfying rush that sated his craving for battle.

With a subtle gesture from him, the dozens of Skeleton Servants behind him seemed to be infused with new life, rapidly and orderly reorganizing to form a vast and mighty army. Under the guidance of the Skeleton Clone, this army of death advanced like an unstoppable force, following the winding paths of the Corpse Hills toward the southeast, conducting a meticulous dragnet search.

In this domain teeming with Undead, no matter how powerful an individual was, it was difficult to resist the torrent of the Skeleton Army. Those Black Iron-level Skeleton Warriors and Zombies, though they had been victors in countless duels to the death, could only become nutrients for its evolution in the face of Fang Zhou's Undead Legion, serving as stepping stones on its path to the Skeleton Monarch's throne.

After all, no matter how strong they were individually, the Low-Level Undead lacked intelligence. Driven only by a murderous instinct to devour one another, the Black Iron-level Skeleton Warriors and Zombies could only fight as individuals, wandering alone across the vast Corpse Hills. When faced with Skeleton Squads that far outnumbered them, they could only fall with wails, offering up their Corpse Essence and Soul Power.

With each victory, Fang Zhou continuously absorbed the seemingly inexhaustible Corpse Essence and Soul Power. His Four-dimensional Attributes steadily rose, and his Soul Power reserves grew rapidly.

Compared to before, Fang Zhou's tactics were much bolder this time. Previously, each of his Skeleton Teams was composed of six or seven Skeleton Servants. But tonight, to maximize hunting efficiency, Fang Zhou had compressed the combat power of each Skeleton Team to its limit, leaving only a mere four Black Iron-level Skeletons.

Although it was four-on-one and every battle was a victory, the Skeleton Servants still occasionally suffered damage when encountering tough opponents like Zombies and Skeleton Archers. As the damage accumulated, the skeletal bodies of a few Skeleton Servants were already on the verge of collapse, their Soul Fires flickering precariously.

Watching these Skeleton Servants so loyally dedicating their last fragments of bone and soul for him, Fang Zhou's Soul Fire surged, and he was almost moved to tears of gratitude.

To prevent these battered Skeleton Servants from overexerting themselves, Fang Zhou raised his Refinement+2, iron-slicing Skeleton Long Spear. Executing the Great Compassion Spear Technique, he sent each of them, one by one, into the cycle of reincarnation for an early ascent to paradise.

Naturally, at the same time, he selected a few stronger, healthier Skeleton Servants to fill the vacancies left by the fallen. In an instant, Fang Zhou's Skeleton Army expanded like a creeping shadow of death.

Hours passed. Fang Zhou extended a Bone Claw, reducing yet another Zombie to ash. A familiar warmth immediately surged within him, and a notification popped up on his attribute panel.

"Four-dimensional Attributes increased. Skeleton Servant count +1."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.