As Shen Hongyu left, the female trainees around Bai Xiaochan couldn't wait to ask, "Xiaochan, I've only completed one-fifth of the visualization. How far are you?"
Bai Xiaochan replied softly, "I've completed half of the visualization."
Among the thirty or so trainees present, more than twenty had not even progressed past one-fifth. To them, hearing that Bai Xiaochan had completed half of it struck them like a thunderclap. Especially for those who had only completed one-seventh, they started to doubt if they were dreaming. How could there be such a vast difference between people?
Someone else asked, "Zhiqiu, what about you?"
"Me? Two-thirds progress," Gu Zhiqiu replied nonchalantly, seemingly without any intention of showing off.
But two-thirds? That number left all the other trainees dumbfounded. Seeing their reactions, the corners of Gu Zhiqiu's lips lifted imperceptibly, and he felt quite pleased.
Just then, Bai Xiaochan bounced over to Fang Zhou, her large eyes blinking. "Fang Zhou, what's your progress?"
The other trainees pricked up their ears, their curiosity piqued. Both Gu Zhiqiu and Bai Xiaochan had Rare Professions, so their Meditation progress far exceeded that of ordinary people. While enviable, it was somewhat understandable. But Fang Zhou was a Necromancer, supposedly the weakest profession. It was common knowledge that Necromancers cultivated at a snail's pace due to the barrier between life and death. How on earth did someone like Fang Zhou earn praise from Instructor Shen alongside Gu Zhiqiu and Bai Xiaochan?
Fang Zhou considered it. Since Instructor Shen already knew his progress, there was no longer a need to hide it.
He replied directly, "I've already reached the Beginner stage."
He's reached the Beginner stage?!
This declaration sent shockwaves through the hearts of the surrounding trainees. Gu Zhiqiu was particularly stunned. He had thought that completing two-thirds of the visualization was enough to stand above everyone else. He never expected Fang Zhou to come out of nowhere with progress that was even more monstrous than his own.
Given Instructor Shen's earlier praise, however, he didn't suspect Fang Zhou of boasting. Recalling his own smug demeanor from moments ago, Gu Zhiqiu's face flushed slightly. But he quickly regained his composure. After accepting this new reality, he proactively asked Fang Zhou for methods to increase his meditation efficiency.
Fang Zhou didn't hold back. Although success in Meditation depended mainly on Talent, there were indeed some small techniques for utilizing Spiritual Power. He generously shared these techniques, and soon, all the trainees were listening intently as he explained his experiences.
The more they listened, the more they admired him. But their admiration was tinged with a sense of pity. Why would such an outstanding talent Awaken as an [Undead Mage]? With such talent and potential, he could have definitely shone brightly in another Rare Profession, or even a common one.
「In the Principal's Office」
Su Tiankuo was browsing the performance records submitted by the instructors.
"Two-thirds progress? Not bad. A strong Awakened Profession and good personal Talent. Worth cultivating."
"Half? Hmm, a rare support Profession. The Talent is also quite good. Worth cultivating."
"Hmm?" Su Tiankuo suddenly sat bolt upright, his gaze fixed on the report in his hand. Completed the beginner stage of Meditation in less than a day? Which profession does this genius belong to?
A moment later, his old face darkened. "Undead Mage? Fang Zhou? His Talent is even stronger than Xinyan's? Hmph, what's the use of only being good at Meditation? Being able to fight is what truly matters!"
「In the dormitory」
Fang Zhou sneezed. He rubbed his nose. Who's talking about me? Whatever. I'll practice my Skills first.
Just like yesterday, he first exhausted his Spiritual Power, summoning 22 newly-summoned, fragile Skeletons.
"[Summon Skeleton] Skill Proficiency has increased!"
With a wave of his hand, he banished them back to the Undead Realm. Fang Zhou was delighted to see his Summon Skeleton Skill Proficiency had advanced from [Beginner] to [Master]. As a result, the number and strength of the Skeletons he could summon increased significantly, as did their duration.
Suppressing his excitement, Fang Zhou opened his personal terminal again and browsed through the Universal Skill Library, feeling a bit hesitant. During the post-class discussions that afternoon, he had learned a great deal from Gu Zhiqiu, Bai Xiaochan, and the other trainees. This included recommendations for choosing Universal Skills.
For Fang Zhou, the most pressing matter was selecting a powerful Combat Skill for his Skeleton Clone. The Skeleton Clone was following the Combat Profession route, and the most useful Universal Skills for combat were [Brutal Strike] and [Charge]. The former focused on instantaneous burst damage, while the latter prioritized rapid mobility. The Skeleton Clone desperately needed both.
After some thought, Fang Zhou decided to prioritize [Brutal Strike]. After confirming his choice on his personal terminal, he used his last free exchange to acquire a [Brutal Strike] Skill Book.
The personal terminal lit up, and a Cultivation Technique demonstration projection appeared before him. Shortly after, the Skills Bar on his attribute panel changed, showing a learnable Skill (+).
Fang Zhou looked at the attribute panel of his Clone and focused his attention on the "+".
"Detectable Skill Materials found. Consume 10 Soul Power to quickly master the Beginner stage."
"Begin learning?"
Fang Zhou confirmed without hesitation, "Begin learning!"
As 10 points of Soul Power were consumed, the Soul Fire within his Skeleton Clone's skull flared wildly. It was as if he had practiced stabbing with the bone long spear thousands upon thousands of times, finally mastering the correct way to exert force.
"Successfully learned Skill [Brutal Strike]!"
[Brutal Strike] (Apprentice-rank, Beginner Proficiency): Instantly unleashes tremendous force to attack an enemy. Power is determined by the Power Attribute and Skill Proficiency.
Following [Skeleton Armament], the Skeleton Clone had finally mastered a second practical Skill.
Excited, Fang Zhou, as the Clone, continued to sweep through the outer Skeletons with his bone long spear. He soon locked onto a target and decisively used [Brutal Strike], eager to see the Skill's true power.
HISS!
The Soul Fire in Fang Zhou's skull dimmed slightly, and then a layer of ethereal blue flame seemed to sheathe the tip of the bone long spear. Wielded with Fang Zhou's immense strength, it directly pulverized the clueless new Skeleton into bone dust.
Strength +0.01, Soul Power +0.1.
Feeling a faint warm current of Skeleton Essence flowing into his body, Fang Zhou nodded in satisfaction. Compared to his normal attacks, this [Brutal Strike] was at least twice as powerful. It was well worth the 10 Soul Power points to fast-track it to the Beginner stage.
However, the Skeleton Clone also needed to consume Undead Power to use Skills. At his current strength, he could use [Brutal Strike] a maximum of three consecutive times before depleting his body's Undead Power.
Fang Zhou glanced around, seeing a few Skeletons scattered here and there. By his estimation, after a few more hours of clearing them out tonight, the Skeleton Clone could advance to mid-rank Apprentice. At that point, the newly-summoned, fragile Skeletons would no longer provide much Skeleton Essence.