Therefore, it could effectively resist all direct and indirect attacks, and it could also reflect a certain percentage of physical attacks. As for magic attacks, there was a probability of reflecting them back to the caster. If the shield was broken, it would cause a brief paralysis effect on surrounding enemies.

However, the Death Ripple skill was by no means inferior in comparison.

As Death Ripple and Skeleton Shield collided, the two forces formed a brief point of balance in the air. Despite Death Ripple relentlessly trying to penetrate this layer of defense, the Skeleton Shield remained unbreakable. Every time a ripple touched the shield, a soft crackling sound echoed, as if countless tiny shockwaves were canceling each other out. The two energy outputs maintained a subtle balance, making the confrontation seem like a contest between two evenly matched opponents, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage.

Eventually, Fang Zhou and Su Xinyan simultaneously halted their energy output. As they did, the power of Death Ripple and Skeleton Shield began to weaken until they finally dissipated into an invisible tide of energy.

Although there was no clear winner, a satisfied expression appeared on Fang Zhou's face.

He knew this outcome proved his Death Ripple possessed considerable power, sufficient to contend with the Skeleton Shield cast by Instructor Su Xinyan.

Su Xinyan praised him softly, a trace of appreciation in her eyes. "This Death Ripple skill is truly exceptional. The most astonishing aspect is its operational flexibility, which offers a much greater scope than other area-of-effect attack skills. From your demonstration just now, it can either expand into a wide shockwave to inflict deadly damage over a large area, or it can be focused into a sharp, conical energy beam for a deeply penetrating, small-range attack. Based on this alone, Death Ripple surpasses the previous Skeleton Arrow Rain and Mental Shock skills."

Fang Zhou nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. I want to delve deeper into the casting techniques of this skill. Perhaps, in the future, Death Ripple alone can become my main means of attack. In this context, even a single-target damage skill like Skeleton Flying Spear might not necessarily surpass it."

Su Xinyan shook her head slightly, a hint of disagreement in her eyes.

"That's not certain. The Skeleton Flying Spear skill you meticulously perfected is already flawless. Death Ripple and Skeleton Flying Spear each have their own characteristics and advantages. Death Ripple absorbs the essence of various skills, aiming for versatility. Meanwhile, Skeleton Flying Spear is your signature move, holding an irreplaceable position in the Skeleton Series skill tree. It pursues the ultimate specialization in single-target damage. You can't neglect either of them. Especially when facing heavily armored, tank-like enemies, you'll still need to rely on Skeleton Flying Spear for effective strikes."

She continued to explain, "The accuracy and penetration of Skeleton Flying Spear are particularly important when dealing with such enemies. While Death Ripple is powerful, it may not achieve the desired effect against a single, formidable target. After all, Skeleton Flying Spear can concentrate all its power on one point, ensuring each strike accurately hits a vital spot. This is something Death Ripple would find difficult to do. Thus, the two should coexist and complement each other."

Su Xinyan's words sent Fang Zhou into contemplation. Moments later, he slowly nodded.

Indeed, compared to Death Ripple, which could cover a wide area and inflict group damage, Skeleton Flying Spear needed further development in its single-target lethality.

Fang Zhou realized he couldn't favor one over the other. Instead, he had to ensure every skill was fully developed. This was the only way to ensure he was invincible on the battlefield.

However, both of these skills had already reached their enhancement limits at his Apprentice Stage. To advance further, he would have to break through his current bottleneck and ascend to the Black Iron Tier.

Thinking back, with the help of Instructor Su Xinyan and his two assistants, he now possessed several skills that had reached their extreme enhancement limit for the Apprentice Stage.

Skeleton Flying Spear.

Skeleton Shield.

Skeleton Shackles.

Skeleton Wings.

Adding the newly perfected Death Ripple, he had a total of five Extreme Enhancement skills that had reached the Perfection level, or even Instinct level. This gave Fang Zhou, while still at the Apprentice Stage, terrifying power sufficient to look down on his peers.

Even without using Summon Skeleton, the signature skill of an Undead Mage Apprentice, the other Undead Mage skills he had deduced were enough to leave the other Seed Students of his year far behind in terms of combat power.

Fang Zhou let out a gentle breath, an indescribable sense of satisfaction surging through his heart. He gazed at Instructor Su Xinyan, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Instructor Xinyan, you once told me that the Mental Shock skill has two different development paths. On one hand, I've successfully merged it with Skeleton Arrow Rain to create the powerful attack, Death Ripple. As for the other path, the control-type skill, do you have any initial thoughts or inspiration?"

Su Xinyan's brow furrowed slightly as she seemed to consider how to express her thoughts. "Indeed, I have some vague ideas regarding a control-type Mental Shock skill. But these ideas are still crude and haven't formed a complete system. After all, in our Undead Mage skill system, there are no directly related skills to use as a reference. However, my basic concept is to use Spiritual Power to guide a large amount of Undead Attribute energy. By leveraging the inherent negative properties of this energy, we can trigger an opponent's inner fear and other negative emotions, causing them to panic or even suffer a mental collapse."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhou's eyes visibly brightened. "That sounds excellent!" he asked with interest. "During implementation, what are the key points or difficulties we'll need to pay special attention to? Perhaps we can discuss it together and find possible solutions."

Instructor Su Xinyan nodded, then opened her personal terminal and sent a document to Fang Zhou.

"You can look at this material first. It contains my initial ideas about a control-type Mental Shock skill. Due to the lack of existing foundational skills or referenceable civilization Marvels, I've found it challenging to integrate these scattered inspirations into a mature, systematic deductive approach, even though I have some preliminary ideas."

Fang Zhou took the data and began reading it carefully. The document detailed Instructor Su Xinyan's thought process on how to construct a control-type Mental Shock skill, including but not limited to methods for applying Spiritual Power, specific techniques for Energy Guidance, and details on amplifying and utilizing negative emotions. Her preliminary line of reasoning sent Fang Zhou into deep thought, his mind filling with various possibilities and hypotheses.

Suddenly, a glint of inspiration flashed in his eyes, as if a new idea had struck him.

So, Fang Zhou took the long-sealed blue Marvel from his Space Storage Capsule, the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner, and gently unfolded it. As the banner unfurled slightly, a powerful fighting spirit seemed to surge from the void, instantly sweeping across the entire laboratory.

"The Demon Accompanied Death Banner?!" Instructor Su Xinyan's voice carried a trace of surprise and doubt. "Isn't this the relic of General Ning Feihu that you acquired from Cave No. 1? Why are you taking it out now? Do you have a particular reason?"

Fang Zhou smiled slightly, gently caressing the time-worn banner as his fingers slid along its ancient and intricate patterns.

"Instructor Xinyan, I suddenly had a bold idea. You mentioned earlier that we lack skills or Marvels to use as a reference, didn't you? I'm thinking... this banner left behind by General Ning Feihu might provide us with inspiration from a contrasting example."

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