As he spoke, Lu Hu handed the black gemstone to Fang Zhou.

"This thing is quite unusual. You can take a look at it."

"Afterward, I'll use the [Sealing Demon Box] to seal it and send it to the military academy for processing."

"Fang Zhou, you stay here with the Stone Golem for now."

"Instructor Su, Instructor Wang, and I will go inspect these town ruins again to see if we've missed anything."

Fang Zhou nodded, carefully taking the [Desecration Core] from Lu Hu's hand. Its appearance was extremely unique. It wasn't smooth and round like a natural gemstone, but possessed a twisted, angular shape, as if it were the solidified form of some creature writhing in agony. Its color was a deep black, but mixed within this pure black were filaments of dark red, like blood flowing through veins, which exuded a sinister vitality.

Upon touching it, Fang Zhou could feel an icy chill penetrate his skin and reach straight to the depths of his soul. This was the exact soul-chilling cold he had felt before!

Fang Zhou observed it carefully for a moment. The inside of the Desecration Core seemed to contain an unstable power. Every time he tried to use his Spiritual Power to probe deeper, that power would subtly resist, making it impossible for his Spiritual Power to penetrate.

Just then, a notification suddenly popped up on his attribute panel.

"Detectable purifiable resource. Purification may yield unknown benefits."

"Purification requires an estimated 100 Soul Power. Begin?"

Purification? I can actually use Soul Power to purify the Desecration Core? Didn't the instructors say only the Light Attribute [Purification] skill could do that?

Fang Zhou was surprised, but he quickly understood and gave the command.

"Begin purification!"

He had enslaved many Skeleton minions recently, so his Skeleton Clone's rate of acquiring Soul Power had increased significantly. In addition, his main body had also gained a small amount of Soul Power over the past couple of days from hunting Cave Demons. Fang Zhou had now accumulated more than enough Soul Power to bear the cost of purification.

As 100 points of Soul Power were rapidly consumed, Fang Zhou's fingertips began to emit a faint blue light. This light gradually formed into fine threads that slowly wrapped around the [Desecration Core]. Upon contact with the Soul Power, the [Desecration Core] seemed to sense a threat. The dark-red light began to fluctuate violently, attempting to resist the purifying force.

Fang Zhou, however, remained unmoved. His output of Soul Power became even more stable and profound.

At first, the dark-red light grew more frenzied, as if trying to devour any external power. But as the purification deepened, the malevolent fluctuations began to weaken. The dark red was gradually replaced by blue light, like a bright moon in the night sky slowly dispelling the dark clouds.

During this process, he also seemed to gain some of the hidden knowledge embedded within the Desecration Core. A hint of delight appeared in Fang Zhou's eyes. He could feel the filth and evil essence inside the [Desecration Core] being stripped away, bit by bit, replaced by pure soul light.

Suddenly, the [Desecration Core] emitted a faint cracking sound. A gentle white light then overflowed from it, like the rising sun dispelling the darkness, and all the dark red vanished completely.

Fang Zhou looked down. The once-evil gemstone was now completely translucent, exuding a warm and peaceful glow. It was no longer a threat, but a pure gemstone.

At that moment, a series of pleasant notifications appeared on his attribute panel.

"Successfully purified [Desecration Core]. Obtained resource: [Level 2 Nether Stone]."

"Successfully inferred the skill [Soul Realm]."

Fang Zhou's expression lit up as he looked at the pure gemstone in his hand. He never expected that after being purified, the core of the Desecration Torch would turn into a precious Level 2 Nether Stone. What surprised him even more was that during the purification process, he had successfully inferred a completely new skill!

Soul Realm?

Filled with curiosity, Fang Zhou was about to check the Skills Bar on his attribute panel when he suddenly felt an indescribable surge welling up from the depths of his being. It was a warm and embracing force, gently enveloping him like the spring sun. The originally oppressive air around him seemed to turn exceptionally fresh. Even the tiny dust motes in the air seemed to be endowed with life, dancing joyfully.

Fang Zhou closed his eyes, allowing this warmth to penetrate every pore and seep deep into his bones. Bathed in this power, his body and mind underwent an unprecedented baptism. The fatigue and weakness from his continuous hunting and battling were replaced by an unparalleled vitality. Fang Zhou felt his Spiritual Power and Soul Power recovering at an unbelievable rate, even surpassing their previous states to reach an unprecedented peak. The feeling was like a dried-up river being nourished by spring rain, revitalized and flowing once more with clear water.

He slowly opened his eyes, which flashed with incredulity.

"Acquired status: [World Will's Attention]."

"Acquired World Rune: [Night Watcher I]."

He looked at his attribute panel. Sure enough, a new status had appeared in the [Status] section besides [Soul Split].

[World Will's Attention]: You have purified the desecrating aura left by an Enemy of the World, gaining the attention of the World Will.

Additionally, a new category called [Rune] had been added to the attribute panel.

[Night Watcher I]: A reward from the World Will. A Basic Level World Rune that can be bound to a skill to slightly reduce its Spiritual Power consumption. It can be unbound at any time, after which it has a 1-day cooldown.

A World Rune? Bind to a skill? Reduce Spiritual Power consumption?

Fang Zhou was stunned for a moment. He had never encountered such a concept before. But he quickly understood. Compared to the [Level 2 Nether Stone] and the [Soul Realm] skill, this World Rune was perhaps his greatest reward for purifying the Desecration Core!

Just as Fang Zhou was about to study the effects of the [Night Watcher I] rune, the three instructors—Su Xinyan, Lu Hu, and Wang Tao—sensed the previous fluctuation and rushed back.

At that moment, the afterglow of the World Will's favor had not yet completely faded from Fang Zhou. Su Xinyan and Lu Hu wore surprised expressions, while Wang Tao gazed at Fang Zhou in disbelief, as if reassessing this young and incredibly promising Undead Mage.

"This is... a gift from the World Will!" Su Xinyan said softly, her tone a mixture of surprise and a hint of envy. To receive the direct attention and reward of the World Will was an honor that most Awakeners pursued their entire lives but never attained.

Lu Hu suddenly thought of something. He looked at the object in Fang Zhou's hand—the Desecration Core that had been purified into a [Level 2 Nether Stone]—and asked in a strained voice, "Fang Zhou, what did you just do?"

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