Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 491 - 355: True Body Advancement, Solidifying the Overturning Talent!
This was a rare opportunity, a turning point that would allow him to cross a Great Realm, and Fang Zhou absolutely could not miss it.
Thus, he immediately composed himself, withdrawing his consciousness from the wilderness and refocusing on his physical body, which sat meditating in the Concentration Meditation Room.
Just as he expected, when his consciousness returned to his body, the attribute panel glowed with an exceptionally dazzling light. The Spirit Attribute, in particular, had surprisingly reached 10 points. This meant he had touched the critical point between the Apprentice and Black Iron Tiers.
Fang Zhou sat upright in the Meditation Room and took a deep breath. He knew this was the perfect time for a breakthrough. During this period of cultivation, the experience from Instructor Lu Hu and the knowledge from Instructor Su Xinyan had fully prepared him for the process of breaking through the bottleneck to ascend to the Black Iron Tier. Therefore, when the moment finally arrived, he was exceptionally calm, as if everything was under his control.
Moonlight poured into the Meditation Room through the window, enveloping him in a gentle silver radiance as if bestowing a crown. He then began the final meditation of his apprenticeship. His Spiritual Power gathered like droplets of clear water coalescing into a river, and finally, a powerful torrent, filling his being with a sense of utter completion.
His Spiritual Power began to boil like magma before a volcanic eruption. It surged and split within his body, rapidly expanding until it shattered the barrier as thin as a cicada’s wing.
POP.
A sound, so faint it was nearly imperceptible, echoed in Fang Zhou’s mind. After the boost from the Nether Amber—an Undead-attribute heavenly and earthly treasure—the barrier that had once stood before him now seemed ephemeral, easily pierced by his Spiritual Power.
Next came the most crucial step: condensing a Black Iron-level Invisible Core. This was not only the critical moment for a Magic Professional’s Spiritual Power to transform into Mana, but also the important juncture that would determine if Fang Zhou could successfully solidify a unique talent skill during this Great Realm breakthrough.
Unlike other apprentices on the verge of a breakthrough, Fang Zhou possessed an incomparable advantage. During the chaotic melee of the new recruit competition, he had once, augmented by the Rune Resonance of [Harvest Festival], briefly experienced the process of condensing an invisible Mana Core. For any Apprentice-level Professional, such an experience was an invaluable key to reaching higher Tiers. Recalling his temporary breakthrough to the pseudo-Black Iron Tier during that melee, Fang Zhou was filled with confidence.
He took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and focused all his attention on the depths of his mind. Under his guidance, his Spiritual Power gradually coalesced into a swirling vortex, like the brightest galaxy in the night sky, continuously attracting surrounding points of light into it. Following Su Xinyan’s teachings, he meticulously recalled his previous simulated experiences, ensuring each step was precise and flawless.
As the Spiritual Power continued to gather, the density at the vortex’s center increased as if an invisible force was coalescing. Fang Zhou’s heartbeat quickened. He could feel an unprecedented power brewing, about to break free.
Finally, the vortex of Spiritual Power solidified in the center of his mind, ultimately transforming into an Invisible Energy Core. Simultaneously, the once-abundant Spiritual Power began a qualitative change. It merged with the Undead-attribute energy he guided from the outside world, forming the unique undead Mana characteristic of an Undead Mage.
During this process, the [Summon Skeleton] skill, which Fang Zhou had long since cultivated to an instinctual level of proficiency, also underwent its own transformation. Under his guidance, the skill was successfully fixed within the Invisible Mana Core, becoming a central part of his future combat.
Furthermore, through his own understanding and analysis, the [Summon Skeleton] skill evolved. It expanded from the narrow definition of summoning a single type of skeleton to the broader concept of [Summon Undead Creatures]. In other words, in the process of solidifying this talent skill, Fang Zhou had broadened the scope of [Summon Skeleton], creating an opening for summoning other undead creatures in the future.
He had originally thought his [Summon Skeleton] skill could only be solidified into a basic Apprentice-level spell. However, after a series of complex yet ingenious operations, the skill revealed new potential. It was no longer limited to summoning just skeletons but could call forth a wider range of undead creatures. As Fang Zhou advanced in the future—whether to Bronze, Silver, or Gold—this talent skill engraved within his Mana Core could be modified and refined at any time.
This was far more practical than what Fang Zhou had previously imagined, which was to simply solidify a generic Apprentice-level [Summon Skeleton] skill. After all, for undead creatures like skeletons, their current growth potential was capped at the Black Iron Tier. Once Fang Zhou’s strength reached higher levels, skeletons limited to the Black Iron Tier would no longer meet his needs, and the summoning skill fixed in his Mana Core would have become meaningless.
However, things were different now. Through his own efforts and a flash of inspiration, the [Summon Skeleton] skill had evolved into a talent skill capable of summoning a variety of undead creatures. Its practicality had undoubtedly increased significantly. He was confident that as long as he mastered higher-tier summoning skills, like the Black Iron-level [Summon Zombie], he could gradually integrate them into this talent skill, allowing it to be continuously refined and evolved.
Fang Zhou checked the skills bar on his attribute panel. Sure enough, the [Summon Skeleton] skill had changed to [Summon Undead Creatures] and was now marked as a talent skill.
He closed his eyes, attentively sensing the subtle changes within his Mana Core. The benefit of the solidified talent skill was simple and clear, yet exceptionally powerful. After solidifying [Summon Undead Creatures] as a talent skill, every future use would have its Mana cost reduced by fifty percent. This meant that even though Fang Zhou was still just an Upper-Apprentice Undead Mage, if his Mana pool had previously been enough to summon one hundred Apprentice-level skeletons at once, it was now sufficient to summon two hundred.
This fundamentally enhanced Fang Zhou’s strategic capabilities and overall combat system.
Now, Fang Zhou had truly become a Black Iron-Tier Undead Mage. Nevertheless, Fang Zhou was also keenly aware that his current combat power still had a significant gap compared to standard Black Iron-Tier Professionals. After all, he had only mastered Apprentice-level skills and had yet to master a single true Black Iron-level skill.
Fang Zhou took a deep breath and looked at his attribute panel.
[Name] Fang Zhou
[Profession] Undead Mage
[Sub-profession] Apprentice Alchemist
[Tier] Black Iron·Lower
[Titles] Enemy of Kobolds, Sea City Military Academy’s Number One Seed, Undead Chessmaster, King of New Recruits
[Attributes] Strength 15, Agility 15, Constitution 15, Spirit 30
[Status] Soul Split, World Will’s Attention
[Rune] Harvest Festival (Night Watcher I, Heart Steel II, Gallows I)
[Equipment] Apprentice Set (3 pieces, Refinement +1, Level 1 Gemstone*1), New Star Mage Set (4 pieces, Refinement +2, Level 2 Gemstone*2), Undead Magic Ball (Refinement +2, Level 2 Nether Stone*2)
[Marvels] Moon Orchid Fragrance (Blue), Sealed Bone Bell (Gray), Bone Shield Crystal Stone (Gray), Flower of Sighs (Gray), Regeneration Phylactery (Gray), Ripple Ring (Gray), Charging Scroll (White), Heroic Spirit Battle Banner (Blue), Berserk Mark (Purple), Small Space Storage Capsule (Blue), Transcendent · Sea City Military Academy’s Number One Seed Medal (Green), Celestial Curtain Magic Bottle (White), Mirror of the Heart (Gray), Contract · Longxia Blade Medal (Blue)
[Specialty] Magic Conductor (Accelerated Mana Regeneration)
[Skills]
Apprentice-Level: Skeleton King Meditation Method (Instinct), Summon Undead Creatures (Talent), Skeleton Flying Spear (Instinct), Skeleton Shield (Perfection), Skeleton Shackles (Perfection), Calm and Relaxed (Perfection), Domination Skeleton (Perfection), Resurrection of the Dead (Perfection), Skeleton Wings (Perfection), Brutal Aura (Perfection), Soul Realm (Perfection), Death Ripple (Perfection), Skeleton Blade (Perfection), Crowned with Death (Perfection), Iron Wall Aura (Perfection), Horror Aura (Perfection)
Black Iron-Level: Soul Enemy (Skilled)
Most of the skills Fang Zhou had mastered remained at the Apprentice Tier. Among them, the [Soul Enemy] skill was somewhat special. It was a passive ability that had been activated only after he participated in the Awakening Ceremony held by the Sea City Military Academy.
