Ye Fan tightly gripped the Blade Bow in his hand. The Demon Power that had been accumulating in his body for a long time boiled at this moment, rushing through his veins like volcanic lava before finally converging in his legs.
"Fallen Heaven Strike!"
Ye Fan's voice echoed throughout the training ground, a soul-stirring cry.
Then, he forcefully pushed off with his feet, his body soaring nearly ten meters into the air as if he had broken free from the shackles of gravity.
"Found you!"
In midair, Ye Fan quickly locked onto Fang Zhou, who was cloaked in a hooded robe. Apprentice-level Professionals had yet to develop aura-locking abilities, so Ye Fan was easily deceived by Fang Zhou, who was draped in optical camouflage cloth.
"Fang Zhou, take this!"
Ye Fan's entire body erupted with power, transforming into an Arrow of Death engulfed in endless darkness and destructive force. Like a comet crashing into the earth, he shot straight toward Fang Zhou's location.
SMACK!
Chen Qingshan's face twisted in pain as he saw this. He couldn't help but cover his eyes, unwilling to witness the impending carnage.
PFFT!
Lu Hu, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh out loud, eagerly anticipating the coming scene.
At that moment, time seemed to stand still. In the entire training ground, nothing remained but the black arrow Ye Fan had become, carrying with it the world-toppling Fallen Heaven Power.
As he soared through the air, Ye Fan's heart blazed, his eyes fixed on the single panicked figure clad in a robe and holding a Magic Staff.
Become the first stepping stone on my path to invincibility, Fang Zhou! When I ascend to the Legendary throne, your name will be remembered alongside mine!
No, something's wrong!
He caught a glimpse of the instructors and researchers from the project group out of the corner of his eye; they all wore unbearably pained expressions. Are they pitying Fang Zhou for being defeated by my Fallen Heaven Strike?
BOOM!
With no time to ponder, he crashed down toward Fang Zhou with unparalleled force.
Ye Fan was confident that no Apprentice-level Mage could physically withstand his Fallen Heaven Strike! When he made contact with Fang Zhou, the training ground's protective mechanisms would trigger, ensuring Fang Zhou wouldn't be injured.
But that also meant Fang Zhou was defeated!
At this critical moment, Fang Zhou, who was hidden among the horde of Skeletons, activated the Skeleton Shield Skill. As his Spiritual Power was consumed, a Skeleton Shield appeared above the decoy "Fang Zhou."
THUD!
With a dull collision, Ye Fan felt as if he had crashed into a solid wall. Pain wracked his entire body.
"What kind of Skill is this?" the onlookers couldn't help but exclaim. Even Chen Qingshan, who was covering his face, couldn't resist peeking through the gaps between his fingers.
Lu Hu's eyes shone brightly as he exclaimed in surprise, "A new Skill for an Undead Mage?"
However, Fallen Heaven Strike was ultimately Ye Fan's trump card, and its power was too great for a mere Skeleton Shield to withstand. The Bone Shield delayed Ye Fan for only a few seconds before shattering completely under his massive impact.
Immediately after, Ye Fan's agile body pinned "Fang Zhou" to the ground with the crushing force of a mountain.
CRACK. CRACK.
"Fang Zhou" struggled slightly, then shattered into a pile of bones on the ground.
The massive impact also left Ye Fan dizzy and disoriented. He pushed himself up on one hand, staring at the pile of bones beneath the Mage Robe, momentarily unable to process what had happened.
Fang Zhou... I smashed him into a pile of bones?
No, that's not right!
His keen combat instinct immediately alerted him to his situation.
I was tricked. Fang Zhou tricked me! That wasn't him at all, but a Skeleton wearing a Mage Robe!
Ye Fan whipped his head around, trying to stand up, but it was already too late. Under Fang Zhou's command, another ten Skeletons had already surrounded the exhausted Ye Fan without him noticing.
"Vengeful Strike!"
Unwilling to accept defeat, Ye Fan desperately squeezed out his last ounce of stamina to unleash another Skill.
One Skeleton fell to the ground.
But Ye Fan was already powerless to turn the tide. He was soon pinned to the ground by the swarming Skeletons, his limbs held fast.
Ye Fan struggled desperately for over ten seconds until he was utterly exhausted. He could only lie on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling with wide eyes.
Seeing that Ye Fan had given up resisting and the match was decided, Chen Qingshan blew his whistle at Lu Hu's urging.
"Fang Zhou wins! You can come out now."
Fang Zhou coughed lightly as he removed the optical camouflage cloth. He spoke with some embarrassment, "Ye Fan, thanks for the fight."
Ye Fan had lost all of his earlier bravado. He looked completely dejected as he stared blankly at Fang Zhou, his eyes holding a hint of accusation.
Fang Zhou touched his nose, feeling inexplicably guilty.
I just used a little strategy, that's all. Surely it didn't hit him too hard?
However, Fang Zhou had his own effective method for dealing with chuuni teenagers like him. He had the Skeletons help Ye Fan up, then stepped forward to pat the dust off his clothes. Without a word, he gave Ye Fan a look of exasperated disappointment.
Ye Fan, however, seemed to grasp something else entirely and suddenly sprang back to life. He broke free from the Skeletons' grip, pointed at Fang Zhou, and panted, "Failure is just fuel for me to grow stronger! The tables will turn! Fang Zhou, we'll fight again tomorrow!"
Just then, Lu Hu and Chen Qingshan approached the two.
Chen Qingshan pointed at Fang Zhou and praised him sincerely, "Fang Zhou, you're so deviously clever. You're sure to become a Tactical Master in the future."
Lu Hu was not as subtle. He gave Fang Zhou a thumbs-up and said excitedly, "Fang Zhou, that Shield spell you just cast, was that a new Skill you developed yourself? I know a thing or two about Undead Mages, but I've never seen a Skill like that."
Fang Zhou's decision to reveal the Skeleton Shield was a calculated one. He wanted to use it to earn contribution points. Furthermore, he wanted the military academy to recognize his potential and hopefully assign him to a project research group like Ye Fan's.
So, Fang Zhou replied, "Yes, Instructor Lu. While practicing Summon Skeleton, I had a moment of insight and comprehended two new Skills. I've named them Skeleton Flying Spear and Skeleton Shield."
Lu Hu couldn't help but step forward and pat Fang Zhou's shoulder. "Fang Zhou, you're truly impressive."
He turned to Chen Qingshan and said, "Junior Brother Qingshan, you have the professional equipment here. Why not test Fang Zhou's new Skills?"
Chen Qingshan had no objections, and the other researchers were also very interested in the new Undead Series Skills. For the past week, their research subject, Ye Fan, had been talking nonstop about having a showdown with Fang Zhou. Today, they had witnessed the impressive and exciting match between the two firsthand. Aside from finding him rather devious, they all held Fang Zhou in high regard.
At this moment, Fang Zhou suddenly said with embarrassment, "Instructor, my Spiritual Power is at rock bottom. I'm afraid I can't fully test these two new Skills."