Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 516 - 370: Apostle Development—Clone or Divine Spirit? (Part 2)
"Just from this point alone, it’s clear your talent exceeds mine by who knows how many times!"
Sandro also nodded slightly. Although he didn’t speak, he clearly agreed wholeheartedly with his apprentice’s opinion.
Fang Zhou simply refilled everyone’s tea, showing no false modesty. His talent was undeniable and known to all, so there was nothing to hide.
Sandro took the Skeleton Bat from Fang Zhou’s hand and studied it carefully before signaling for Fang Zhou to dismiss it. Then, he asked with some anticipation, "Fang Zhou, what Silvanas said earlier was right. There’s an old saying in your Longxia, ’to glimpse a leopard through a pipe,’ meaning you can infer the whole from just one part. From the Summon Skeleton Bat skill alone, it’s clear your talent in the Undead Mage profession is truly extraordinary."
"I previously heard Instructor Su Xinyan mention that after you broke through the bottleneck to advance to the Black Iron Stage, you also successfully deduced and perfected our Undead Mage’s Zombie Meditation Method. After hearing that, I went to the Human Alliance Skill Library and redeemed the Corpse Commander Meditation Method that you perfected. However, due to time constraints, I haven’t had a chance to study and cultivate it yet. Now that the developer himself is right here, would you be willing to explain it to us?"
That Sandro, a Golden Upper Rank Great Undead Mage, would take such a humble posture was something Fang Zhou hadn’t expected. Therefore, Fang Zhou naturally would not refuse Master Sandro’s reasonable request.
He opened his personal terminal, displaying the skill projection and deduction mind map for the Corpse Commander Meditation Method. The latest version of the technique involved visualizing Fang Zhou’s Corpse Clone to achieve a closer connection with the Undead Realm. As the one who had personally experienced the entire process, Fang Zhou was naturally extremely familiar with the relevant deductions and skill principles.
Therefore, even though he was merely a Black Iron Tier Undead Mage, he remained calm and composed under the gazes of two Golden Tier Masters, speaking with confidence and ease. Before long, he had explained the new Meditation Method, which was originally abstruse and difficult to begin, in a simple and accessible way.
Given the proficiency of Master Sandro and Instructor Su Xinyan as Undead Mages, they could naturally keep up with the pace of Fang Zhou’s explanation. What was more commendable was that Silvanas, who was on the same tier as Fang Zhou, could also understand his line of reasoning, even if her comprehension was slightly slower. Furthermore, she had previously followed her mentor to acquire the Skill Book for the Corpse Commander Meditation Method and had studied it privately for some time. Although she hadn’t yet mastered it, she had a certain foundation.
Due to this combination of factors, Silvanas became visibly excited during Fang Zhou’s brief ten-minute explanation. She successfully comprehended the Corpse Commander Meditation Method and entered a meditative state on the spot.
At that moment, a notification appeared on the attribute panel of Fang Zhou’s Corpse Clone.
"Apostle +1: Silvanas, Moon Elf, Black Iron Lower Rank Undead Mage."
By this time, Fang Zhou had finished his explanation of his understanding of the Corpse Commander Meditation Method. Everyone’s gaze fell upon Silvanas, who was in the process of converting to the new technique.
As a traditional Black Iron Lower Rank Undead Mage, Silvanas had naturally been cultivating the most conventional Zombie Meditation Method. Now, before everyone’s eyes, she was gradually replacing it with the Corpse Commander Meditation Method.
Sandro, Su Xinyan, and Fang Zhou could all clearly sense the mana fluctuations around Silvanas becoming darker and more profound, as if she were drawing closer to the true essence of Death. A faint black mist seemed to envelop her, gradually coalescing into form, like a thin veil separating her from the outside world.
As time passed, both Master Sandro and Instructor Su Xinyan could feel that Silvanas’s mana fluctuations had deepened from their original shallowness, becoming as unfathomable as an abyss.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Silvanas quickly completed the most critical stage of the transformation. She opened her eyes and stood up, feeling the renewed mana fluctuations in her body and the increasingly intimate, mystical link with the Undead Realm, a joyous expression spreading across her face.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhou, who was multitasking by controlling both his main body and his clone, made a new discovery.
Previously, Instructor Su Xinyan and Master Sandro had cultivated the Skeleton King Meditation Method he had deduced during the Apprentice Stage, becoming his first two apostles. However, aside from being able to quietly tap into some of their meditation gains for a bit of soul power growth, Fang Zhou couldn’t perform any other operations. The so-called title of "Apostle" seemed to be nothing more than a name.
Yet, after acquiring his third apostle—Silvanas, who possessed only the strength of a Black Iron Lower Rank and was considerably weaker than the newly advanced Black Iron Upper Rank Corpse Clone—Fang Zhou was pleasantly surprised. He could distinctly perceive a mysterious channel between his soul and Silvanas’s. Through this channel, Fang Zhou could clearly sense Silvanas’s mental fluctuations as she cultivated the Corpse Commander Meditation Method and visualized his Corpse Commander Clone. When he focused his attention, he could even perceive traces of her innermost, secret thoughts.
This perception wasn’t superficial; it was deep. Fang Zhou could sense every subtle change in Silvanas during her meditation. From her breathing rhythm to her heart rate, from the flow of her mana to the waves of her mind, everything was laid out before him like a clear tapestry. The connection felt like an invisible bond, tightly linking their souls.
In his brief, ten-minute experiment, Fang Zhou even discovered that he could, to a certain extent, influence the efficiency of Silvanas’s cultivation of the Corpse Commander Meditation Method. If Silvanas’s mana growth was 100 under normal conditions, Fang Zhou could increase or decrease that effect by about thirty percent. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
The difference was staggering. A thirty percent higher meditation efficiency than another Professional would, over time, create the gap between a seed student and an ordinary student. This disparity would be constantly magnified over long periods of cultivation, potentially leading to a colossal gap in power.
Fang Zhou realized this wasn’t just an influence on Silvanas personally, but a potentially powerful method of control. Since Fang Zhou and Silvanas had no grievances between them, he naturally wouldn’t lower her meditation efficiency for the time being. However, he was also extremely cautious about actively increasing it. After all, even in the Era of Myth, the fundamental law of conservation of mass and energy still applied. He had just discovered this function of the Apostle tab and was still unclear what resources it might consume as a price, so he decided not to experiment with it for the moment.
At this time, Master Sandro and Instructor Su Xinyan began to ask Silvanas about her personal experience cultivating the Corpse Commander Meditation Method. While listening to Silvanas’s account with half his attention, Fang Zhou continued to explore the uses of his clone’s Apostle tab.
As he explored this apostle soul channel, Fang Zhou quickly discovered another function. He could seemingly expend Soul Power to transmit his thoughts to his apostles.
It was a domineering, one-way power. As long as someone cultivated the Corpse Commander Meditation Method and was weaker than the Corpse Clone, he could use this method to transmit his thoughts to his apostles, ignoring any restrictions. Of course, this was merely the transmission of thoughts, not the imposition or distortion of will. Therefore, it shouldn’t have any coercive force on the apostle.
Even so, after discovering this use for the apostle’s soul channel, a chill ran down Fang Zhou’s spine.
He was no ignoramus on the subjects of faith and divine spirits. Based on the knowledge he had acquired at Sea City Military Academy, the relationship between his Corpse Clone and his apostles bore a striking resemblance to the dynamic between divine spirits and believers in the Mythical World.
