"Instructor Su, Instructor Lu, thank you for your hospitality these past few days. Fang Zhou, you must continue to work hard. I await you on the battlefield of the Calamity Sun Demon Country. You don't need to see me out; I'm heading back now."

Fang Zhou, Su Xinyan, Lu Hu, and the others straightened up and returned a military salute to Ning Danxin, watching as she exited the reception room.

After a moment, Instructor Lu turned around and looked at Fang Zhou with awe. He clapped him on the shoulder and said, "I never expected your Berserker Heroic Spirit to be so powerful. Lieutenant General Ning Danxin is clearly very pleased with you. The precious resources she granted you are all immensely valuable. Fang Zhou, you must cherish this trust and opportunity. Don't let it go to waste."

Fang Zhou nodded solemnly and stated firmly, "Instructor Lu, rest assured. I will not disappoint your or Lieutenant General Ning's expectations."

At that moment, Su Xinyan also stepped forward. "Fang Zhou, head back to the Undead Mage research group first and properly secure that precious Black Gem Dragon Egg. Instructor Lu and I are going to discuss the participant selection for the New Recruit Grand Tournament. In the meantime, I'll do my best to help you apply for the construction of a dragon egg incubation chamber. Share your resource access permissions for the logistics department with me. Perhaps we can use the materials Lieutenant General Ning prepared for you to build it."

Since Instructor Su Xinyan was willing to help him apply for the incubation chamber, Fang Zhou couldn't be happier. To be honest, he was completely clueless about how to hatch the Black Gem Dragon Egg. He had originally planned to go to the logistics department to receive the resources and incubation guide from Ning Danxin, but Su Xinyan's help would save him a great deal of effort.

With Fang Zhou's currently limited knowledge, he only knew that hatching the Black Gem Dragon Egg required a variety of precious magical materials. If he wanted to raise it as a dragonling with the Undead Attribute, he would need even more resources of that same attribute.

These materials included, but were not limited to, Life Crystals rich in Life Energy, which could provide a continuous supply of vitality to the egg during incubation. There was also Star Sand to stabilize the egg's internal structure; as brilliant as starlight, it could ensure the egg remained intact and undamaged. Furthermore, materials like Dragon Bone Grass, Netherworld Orchid, and Soul Calming Dew could be used to guide undead energy, helping the egg establish a connection to the world of the undead and awaken its internal Undead Attribute. To accelerate the incubation, Pure Life Fire—a material completely harmless to the growth of Spirit Pets—was also indispensable.

Every single one of these materials was extremely rare; Sea City Military Academy's resource repository didn't have a single one.

At this, Instructor Lu also nodded and added, "Fang Zhou, from what I understand, the incubation time for a Black Gem Dragon Egg is extremely long. The dragonling won't hatch until you break through to the Black Iron Tier, at the very least. If you want to search for more and rarer incubation materials, the upcoming New Recruit Grand Tournament is an excellent opportunity. Traditionally, students who perform well in the tournament are allowed to select precious resources from a shared treasure repository open to all ten military academies. The variety of resources there is certainly far greater than what's in Sea City Military Academy's own repository. You might just find what you need."

Fang Zhou nodded, his resolve for the New Recruit Grand Tournament hardening. He understood this was both a chance to showcase his strength and a critical moment to acquire more resources. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Instructor Lu, how will we be selecting the participants for Sea City Military Academy's team?"

Instructor Lu grinned. "Haha, you don't need to worry about that. With your strength as an Upper-rank Apprentice, you're already far ahead of the pack, so you're guaranteed a spot. As for the others, there are already over ten seed students among the first-years who have advanced to the Middle-rank Apprentice level. We will select the rest of the team carefully based on the final competition format to make sure they don't hold you back."

Hearing this, Fang Zhou felt a sense of relief. Still, he had one more concern. "What about the 'one-man army' combat plan I applied for?"

Instructor Lu nodded. "Your application for a solo, one-man army combat plan was submitted to Principal Su for review, and it has been approved in principle. For now, just focus on your cultivation and improving your combat power as much as possible. Wait for our notification."

Fang Zhou's mind was finally at ease. The New Recruit Grand Tournament was crucial for gathering resources, and he definitely wouldn't miss it. Since Instructor Lu had promised him a spot, he had nothing left to worry about.

After nodding to Lu Hu and Su Xinyan, Fang Zhou took the Black Gem Dragon Egg, which emitted mysterious fluctuations, and hurried back to the Undead Mage research group.

The Black Gem Dragon Egg required a specific type of energy to hatch, which could be gathered using a special Magic Array. In addition, the ambient temperature and humidity around the egg needed to be strictly controlled. To ensure a successful hatching, Fang Zhou, with Su Xinyan's help, not only built a small energy-gathering Magic Array within the research group's facilities but also set up a temperature-and-humidity-controlled incubation box. He also learned some basic principles of arrays so that he could adjust the parameters himself if necessary.

For the next period of time, Fang Zhou became completely engrossed in his cultivation and the incubation of the Black Gem Dragon Egg. He dedicated nearly all his time to training. Apart from the necessary rest, his days were filled with constant practice and research as he strived to improve his strength in a short amount of time. At the same time, he meticulously cared for the precious Black Gem Dragon Egg, eagerly awaiting the day it would hatch.

Fang Zhou checked the egg's condition daily, adjusting the incubation environment to ensure every step was flawless. Whenever he felt a faint tremor from within the egg, a warm feeling would swell in his chest. It only strengthened his conviction that there was a destined, unbreakable bond between him and this egg.

Meanwhile, Su Xinyan, Lu Hu, Shen Hongyu, and the other instructors were busy with the selection of participants for the New Recruit Grand Tournament. The two assistants, Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang, also devoted all their energy to the selection process. As a result, the research tasks Fang Zhou had previously assigned them were temporarily put on hold.

As a pre-selected participant, Fang Zhou did not take part in the subsequent trials, nor did he pay much attention to the specific process. He only heard that Sea City Military Academy had once again opened Cave No. 1 for the candidates, who formed teams of three to undergo a series of grueling trials. These trials included not only hunting Demons but also intense confrontations between Professionals.

Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang had formed a team of three with a female student who had awakened the rare Shadow Assassin Profession. With the Shadow Assassin's scouting and ambush capabilities, Meng Hongzhuang's positional warfare skills as a Natural Summoner, and Bai Xiaochan's excellent support and endurance as a member of the Chanting String Profession, their trio performed exceptionally well and had already firmly secured their spots in the tournament.

In his spare time away from cultivation, Fang Zhou occasionally watched the combat live streams of the other seed students from his year, and he learned a great deal. By observing their battles, he not only picked up many practical combat skills but also developed a clearer plan for his own future tactics.

However, to ensure the participants' safety, Su Xinyan, Lu Hu, and the other instructors were once again gathered in Cave No. 1, personally standing guard over the students.

Fang Zhou hadn't seen Instructor Xinyan in many days. Truth be told, he was really starting to miss her.

A few days later, the participant selection finally came to a close.

Besides Fang Zhou, who was already a well-known figure, Sea City Military Academy had painstakingly sifted through numerous first-year seed students to select nine other outstanding individuals who had reached the Middle-rank Apprentice level and possessed exceptional strength.

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