In the next moment, a whirlwind of slaughter once again swept across the outskirts of the Burial Wilderness.
One hour later, as a skeleton disintegrated into ash, an extremely faint stream of warmth materialized from thin air and flowed into Fang Zhou's skeleton clone. Immediately, its skeletal body began to transform dramatically.
The skeleton clone's height increased from just over 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters, and the bones that composed its body grew a full size thicker. Although they were still slender bones without a trace of flesh, they now gave off a sense of robustness.
Fang Zhou clenched his bony fist and looked at the Attribute Panel.
[Clone] Skeleton
[Tier] Apprentice · Middle Rank
[Attributes] Strength 5, Constitution 3, Agility 3, Spirit 3
[Equipment] Skeletal Long Spear (Gray Inferior)
[Skills] Skeletal Armament (Instinct), Brutal Strike (Beginner)
[Soul Power] 10
Not only had the skeleton clone's Four-dimensional Attributes increased, but its Tier had also risen to Apprentice Middle Rank. He could now cast the Brutal Strike skill five times in a row, which greatly increased his combat endurance.
Excited, Fang Zhou pushed through the fatigue in his soul and once again began to wreak havoc on the newly spawned, fragile skeletons.
...
Early the next morning, Fang Zhou arrived at the classroom, yawning, with faint dark circles still under his eyes. He had fought late into the night in the Burial Wilderness, killing dozens of skeletons. As a result, his soul was severely fatigued and hadn't recovered even after a full night's sleep.
However, the results were gratifying. Once his soul recovered later today, the skeleton clone would be able to explore deeper into the Burial Wilderness.
Fang Zhou yawned again. The curious Bai Xiaochan, who sat beside him, poked him and whispered, "Did you meditate very late last night?"
Fang Zhou nodded slightly, not noticing the solemn expression on Ye Fan, who was on his other side. Ye Fan's Demon Hunter was a Combat Profession, so he hadn't attended the meditation class yesterday. However, he had already heard about Fang Zhou successfully beginning his training in the Meditation Method.
Now, seeing that the obviously talented Fang Zhou was cultivating so diligently without a hint of complacency, Ye Fan felt a great sense of crisis.
He couldn't help but sigh, "Fang Zhou, you are indeed worthy of being my rival."
At his words, Fang Zhou and Bai Xiaochan stared blankly at him. Ye Fan, however, had already turned to look out the window, a look of profound loneliness, as befitting a master, on his face.
...
The morning classes were still on ideology and culture, this time focusing on the laws and military regulations that Professionals must follow.
After decades of development, the rate of human Awakening had just barely reached one-tenth. This meant the vast majority of humanity were ordinary people. Though ordinary people lacked Combat Ability, they still played a crucial role in research, administration, trade, and other fields, serving as the cornerstone of society. Therefore, the Human Alliance strictly prohibited Professionals from using their power to oppress ordinary people.
In the face of racial crises, the few traitors had long since been exiled from human society. Humanity was more united than ever, demonstrating incredible solidarity and cohesion.
Fang Zhou was also quite satisfied that there wasn't much political infighting within the Human Alliance.
As he listened to the lecture while mentally recuperating, his longing for a Soul Calming Potion and a Concentration Array grew. With his current Soul Strength, he could control the skeleton clone in continuous combat for at most one hour. Afterward, he needed at least ten hours of complete rest to recover from the spiritual fatigue. The Soul Calming Potion could speed up this recovery, while the Concentration Array could reduce the strain of continuous combat.
If I had those, my growth would speed up significantly.
Unfortunately, aside from the massive amount of contribution points they required, Fang Zhou didn't even meet the basic E-level permission requirement for these two resources.
I'll just have to wait for the Simulation Battlefield to open, he sighed to himself.
...
That afternoon, a company of trainees gathered on the wide training ground for their first practical combat class.
Their instructor was Lu Hu again. He stood on the platform and shouted, "Students, today's class is divided into two parts. In the first half, I'll teach you some standard tactical movements, including basic running, sneaking, crawling, jumping, and rolling. Whether you're a Combat Professional, a Magic Professional, or a Support Professional, you need to watch closely and learn them well. On the battlefield, this training can save your lives. In the second half, I'm going to test you and see what you new recruits are made of!"
Instructor Lu Hu's lesson was very practical, and Fang Zhou learned with great earnestness. His understanding deepened, especially when he combined these standard tactical movements with the combat experience his skeleton clone had gained over the past two days.
As an Undead Mage, Fang Zhou's basic physique wasn't outstanding among the trainees in his company. Although the skeleton clone could feed back its attributes to him, not enough time had passed for any significant accumulation. As a result, his own Strength, Agility, and Constitution hadn't grown yet. Therefore, he naturally had to work harder to keep pace with the physically powerful Combat Professionals.
Two hours passed. Lu Hu looked at the sweaty, panting trainees and nodded slightly. He blew the whistle to dismiss the class, and the trainees immediately collapsed onto the training ground.
Lu Hu said, "No matter the type of combat, it always boils down to five key elements: attack, defense, control, displacement, and enhancement. The tactical moves I taught you today are an embodiment of the displacement element. The fundamentals never change. Master these tactical moves, and you'll find learning Displacement Skills much easier in the future. Alright, take a ten-minute break. I'll go prepare something fun for you."
Fang Zhou sat on the training ground, still mulling over Lu Hu's lesson. He planned to experiment with these tactical moves on the skeleton clone tonight.
GRIND.
GRIND.
Soon, Lu Hu steered ten cylindrical robots back onto the training ground.
Seeing the puzzled gazes of the trainees, Lu Hu smiled. "These are Apprentice-level test dummies that can test your attack and defense capabilities. We use the Abyssal Demon's weakest cannon fodder unit, the Little Inferior Demon, as a reference. An Attack Power of 100 is what's needed to break its Scale Armor head-on, and a Defense Power of 100 is enough to block its claws. These test dummies have an Attack and Defense Power of 100 each. This is your chance to test yourselves and see how big the gap is between you and a Little Inferior Demon! Who wants to go first?"
The company of trainees looked at each other, their eyes blazing with fervor. They were full of the fearlessness of youth. Having just Awakened, their confidence was sky-high.
"Instructor, I'll go first!"
Beside Fang Zhou, Ye Fan decisively raised his hand.
At Lu Hu's signal, Ye Fan stepped up to a test dummy and took a deep breath.
"Vengeful Strike!"
He immediately used the powerful initial skill he had acquired upon his Awakening as a Demon Hunter, punching the test dummy squarely.
As a deep fist print appeared on its chassis, several large words flashed on the dummy's display screen.
"Attack Power: 65!"