At this point, Instructor Lu Hu also understood what Fang Zhou was getting at. He went along with it and asked, "So, which Universal Skill for Combat Professionals do you think could help you prove your theory?"

Fang Zhou answered without hesitation, "That would naturally be the [Weapon Specialization] skill! I believe [Weapon Specialization] is the key to determining whether skeletons, as undead creatures, can condense Bone Armaments."

Lu Hu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "I'm not an Undead Mage, so I only have a shallow understanding of undead creatures like skeletons. However, based on what you're saying, it does seem possible. You're not a Combat Professional like us, so you might not be aware of the importance of the [Weapon Specialization] skill to our profession.

"Based on the five major combat elements I've mentioned before—attack, defense, movement, enhancement, and control—[Weapon Specialization] would be considered a passive enhancement skill. In fact, in my opinion, [Weapon Specialization] is a core skill that all Combat Professionals must prioritize learning, mastering, and improving their proficiency with."

Fang Zhou asked pensively, "So, Instructor Lu Hu, how does one improve the [Weapon Specialization] skill beyond the Apprentice level?"

Lu Hu answered without a second thought, "After Apprentice-level [Weapon Specialization], the next step is naturally the Black Iron Tier's [High-level Weapon Specialization].

"Weapon Specialization is the foundational stage. It means a Combat Professional has a basic proficiency and understanding of a certain weapon type, allowing them to use it effectively in battle. At this stage, they can begin learning basic skills unique to that weapon type and improve their related attack power and attack speed.

"High-level Weapon Specialization, on the other hand, can be seen as a deepening of this expertise, meaning the Combat Professional's mastery of the weapon has reached a higher level. At this stage, not only can they master more weapon skills, but they might also unlock more complex or powerful ones, gaining higher damage output, better defensive capabilities, or other combat advantages."

At this point, Lu Hu shot Fang Zhou a half-smiling glance and teased, "Fang Zhou, if you're willing to spend the Contribution Points, you could even use your E-rank authority to exchange for a book of [High-level Weapon Specialization] Skill Insights from the Sea City Military Academy's Skill Library. That would greatly deepen your understanding of the skill. Although the rules prevent Magic Professionals from learning Combat Professional skills, I think with your talent, it's entirely possible for you to draw parallels and gain some inspiration."

Lu Hu's words may have been meant to be teasing, but to Fang Zhou, they illuminated a clear path forward.

Fang Zhou clenched his fist tightly, a look of joy spreading across his face. [High-level Weapon Specialization], plus its Skill Insights. I have to get them for the skeleton clone tonight.

Improving the skeleton clone's combat power was a secondary concern. Fang Zhou was more eager to see if raising the clone's [Weapon Specialization] Skill Proficiency to the Instinctive level could help his main body in the deduction of the Armed Skeleton skill.

He glanced at the amount of Soul Power stored on his attribute panel; it should be more than enough to cover the cost of enhancing the [Weapon Specialization] skill tonight.

Fang Zhou asked again, "Instructor Lu Hu, besides the [Weapon Specialization] series, are there any other universal Combat Professional skills you'd recommend?"

Lu Hu's interest was piqued. He glanced around the training ground and saw that the battles between the other Seed Students and the Little Inferior Demons were proceeding without incident. Satisfied, he turned back to Fang Zhou and said, "Since you're interested in learning about us Combat Professionals, I'll take this opportunity to tell you a bit more.

"I'll give you a simple recommendation based on the five major combat elements: attack, defense, control, enhancement, and movement.

"In terms of attack, skills can be roughly divided into melee and ranged types. In the melee category of Universal Skills, the most classic is [Brutal Strike]. It's extremely versatile, consumes little stamina, and deals high damage, making it a nearly perfect attack skill.

"Furthermore, after decades of development and deduction, the Skill Tree for [Brutal Strike] has become incredibly comprehensive, branching out into various strong and powerful paths. For example, at the Black Iron Tier, it can be upgraded into [Brutal Heavy Strike], which has an enhanced Armor-Piercing effect. It's especially effective against clumsy, thick-skinned demons like the Horned Demon, which aren't good at dodging. Further up the tree, you can even add various types of elemental Energy Damage or inflict Negative States like bleeding and poison."

Fang Zhou nodded, feeling a deep sense of agreement. The moment his skeleton clone's [Brutal Strike] proficiency had reached the Instinctive level, it had consumed a large amount of Soul Power to upgrade the skill to [Brutal Heavy Strike]. At the time, Fang Zhou had been surprised at how smoothly the process went. Now, after listening to Lu Hu's explanation, he was beginning to understand.

Unlike the discipline of Undead Magic, with its handful of practitioners and underdeveloped skills, Universal Skills like [Brutal Strike] were the product of decades of collective wisdom from Combat Professionals. They had been perfected to a point where they could hardly be improved upon. That was precisely why the skeleton clone, despite having no foundation of its own, could so easily deduce the advanced skill.

Thinking of this, Fang Zhou couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. These Combat Professionals are so lucky, having such a mature Skill Tree to learn from freely. Unlike a poor, forsaken Undead Mage Apprentice like me. I have to rely on my own intellect, the small help from my attribute panel, and the comforting thought of Instructor Su Xinyan's fragrant, soft body, just to painstakingly deduce everything almost from scratch.

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