After collecting the spoils of war, Fang Zhou led the tireless Skeleton Army forward.

An hour later, he stopped and looked to the right of the forest. Amidst the lush grass, he had unexpectedly discovered an abandoned cemetery.

Fang Zhou's eyes shifted. He opened his Hunting Recorder and flipped through the map of the area. Before the Demon invasion, this place had been a large public cemetery on the outskirts of Sea City. As the war raged on for several years, this cemetery also sank into the Cave. The remains of the people who rested here had been moved long before the war began. Now, the cemetery was just an empty expanse.

Looking up, he saw that the surrounding walls were toppled and collapsing, with green vines crawling all over the rust-covered fences. Though there were touches of greenery, it was still filled with a dense Death Qi. It was precisely because of this that the cemetery had not been occupied by the Demons in the Cave. In fact, aside from an Undead Mage who had awakened the Undead Attribute, both humans and demons shunned Death Qi at all costs.

CREAK.

Fang Zhou pushed open the rusted iron gate and walked into the cemetery. At a glance, apart from the toppled tombstones scattered everywhere, the only other thing he could see was a long-dead old tree. Its branches swayed slightly in the wind, seeming to let out a silent sigh.

Over decades of exploration, this cemetery had been scoured countless times by previous military academy students, and any useful resources had naturally been carried away. Fang Zhou entered this place purely to reminisce about the long-lost era of peace.

After circling the cemetery once, Fang Zhou found nothing. His mood somewhat heavy, he bent down and placed a handful of fresh flowers from the Cave under the old tree.

May the deceased rest in peace.

After a moment of silence, he stood up, ready to leave the cemetery and continue his journey. Suddenly, his attribute panel gave him an unexpected prompt.

"Detected extractable resources. Estimated consumption of 10 Soul Power for rapid extraction."

"Begin extraction?"

Fang Zhou was startled, but his intuition as an Undead Mage told him that this might be a rare opportunity. He agreed almost without hesitation.

In an instant, the undead mana around Fang Zhou surged like a tide, forming colorless vortices that swirled by his side. This power merged with the faint yet omnipresent mysterious aura in the cemetery, as if some ancient resonance existed between them. The fluctuations of mana gradually focused, like an invisible thread, pulling the cemetery's gloom toward the spot where Fang Zhou had placed the flowers.

Under the influence of the undead mana, the vibrant flowers from the Cave began to wither rapidly. In just a few moments, the once-full petals lost their vitality, becoming shriveled and ashen. They fell one by one, until only the single plumpest petal remained. It was completely saturated with dense Death Qi, taking on a unique gray-white tone.

Enveloped in mana, this petal gradually detached from the stem and floated in mid-air, as if imbued with a new energy. With the final infusion of mana, the petal quivered slightly, emitting a faint sorrow and mystery. It seemed to bear the sighs and memories of the countless undead that had once roamed the cemetery.

Fang Zhou reached out, carefully catching the petal and feeling its faint yet real magical fluctuations.

"Resource extraction complete."

[Flower of Sighs] (Gray Inferior, Marvel): Exclusive to the Undead Mage Profession. A petal imbued with the sorrows of countless humans. Can slightly enhance the Undead Mage's soul quality and slightly improve the effect of all Apprentice-level Undead Mage skills.

Gazing at the description of the [Flower of Sighs], a glint of joy appeared in Fang Zhou's eyes. He had actually crafted an exclusive Marvel for the Undead Mage Profession with his own hands!

I, Fang Zhou, am a true genius!

Fang Zhou briefly sensed the Skeleton Army guarding him closely. Compared to before, their Soul Fire intensity and Four-dimensional Attributes had indeed seen a slight increase. This must be the "slight improvement to skill effects" from the [Flower of Sighs].

A satisfied smile spread across Fang Zhou's face. In truth, the Marvel's equipment effect was less important to him. What truly mattered was that, during the crafting process, he had vaguely sensed a secret of the soul. It was as if all the unspoken joys and sorrows, the entire cycle of life and death, was given tangible form the moment the petal coalesced.

Fang Zhou keenly realized that this [Flower of Sighs] could become a valuable clue for his future study of Soul Series skills. He carefully put the [Flower of Sighs] away, his heart filled with emotion. He never expected that his trip to the cemetery, which he had entered with no expectations, would end with such an unexpected gift.

Good deeds truly are rewarded!

「...」

Outside the Cave, the first-year students watching the live broadcast were left dumbfounded by Fang Zhou's sudden actions.

"What is Elder Fang Zhou doing? He offered a bouquet of flowers to the cemetery and caused such a huge commotion?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that petal in his hand is an extremely rare Marvel, right? You can make Marvels like that?"

"That can't be right. I heard from the upperclassmen that this cemetery has been explored many times, and there are no usable resources left. How did Fang Zhou just create a Marvel out of thin air?"

"Sigh, it's hard to see clearly through the live stream. We'll just have to ask Elder Fang Zhou for guidance after he comes out of the Cave. When I can finally go Cave Hunting, I'll definitely visit this cemetery to pay my respects!"

Meanwhile, inside the fortress, Su Xinyan, who had just arrived, stared at Fang Zhou's live broadcast with wide eyes. Her fair, jade-like fingers were clenched into tight fists, her teeth gritted in frustration.

Seeing this, Lu Hu shrank back a bit and cautiously asked, "Xinyan, I don't understand you Undead Mages. What's all the fuss about what Fang Zhou just did?"

Su Xinyan let out a few cold laughs and spoke, word by word, "I was gracious enough to come all the way to the Cave to act as his guardian, and the first thing he does is pull off something this huge! He can just gain insight from some ordinary cemetery and effortlessly create a Marvel that's obviously exclusive to the Undead Mage Profession? Oh, he's so incredible! What a genius! The very future of Undead Mages! I am *not* envious. I am *not* jealous."

Su Xinyan muttered continuously, her ample chest heaving. She looked like a volcano, distorted with jealousy and on the verge of erupting.

Earlier today, she had experienced a burst of inspiration and finally succeeded in summoning a Stone Golem, a Gold-Tier undead creature. Thrilled, she had decided to come to Cave No. 1 to share the good news with Fang Zhou and show off a little. She never expected that as soon as she arrived, she would run into Fang Zhou putting on a show for everyone.

Then she remembered that she had only succeeded in summoning her Stone Golem thanks to the inspiration Fang Zhou had given her. At that thought, Su Xinyan's excitement and pride instantly cooled.

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