Lu Renjia's eyes grew vacant as he recalled with a bitter expression, "Later, Fang Zhou told me that his Elite Double Axe Skeleton possessed such formidable combat power, rich battle experience, and had mastered so many Berserker skills because it was the final gift from General Ning Feihu's Heroic Spirit. Then, he had me spar with an ordinary Great Sword Skeleton he had casually enhanced. Although I won that time, I had to exert all my strength, and my stamina was nearly exhausted. By the end of the battle, I was so tired I could barely stand, as if all my energy had been drained."

At this point, Lu Renjia shook his head ruefully. "From that moment on, I understood more profoundly just how vast the gap in strength between me and Fang Zhou really was. We were incredibly lucky to have been the first to invite Fang Zhou to team up with us for the Shelter Defense Battle."

Meanwhile, Lu Yiyi had finished watching the battle footage Lu Renjia sent her on fast-forward, shaking her head in admiration, utterly convinced. Suddenly, a jolt went through her. Her gaze was sharp and intense as she looked at Lu Renjia, speaking rapidly, "Since a top player like Fang Zhou has already sent us a team invitation, what are you hesitating for? Hurry up and accept! We can't let someone else snatch this powerhouse from right under our noses! Look at the two first-year seed students, Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang; aren't they the best examples?"

Lu Renjia nodded, fully understanding Lu Yiyi's meaning. In the past few days, Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang had stuck closely by Fang Zhou's side. By teaming with him, they easily secured the top spot on the historical speedrun rankings for the Apprentice Middle Rank Horn Demon Outpost Simulation Battlefield. This achievement had sparked widespread envy, jealousy, and even a bit of resentment among the students of Sea City Military Academy. After all, for any student, the chance to fight alongside a formidable warrior like Fang Zhou was a dream come true.

Now, with Fang Zhou having advanced to the Upper Apprentice Rank, it was the golden opportunity for Lu Renjia and Lu Yiyi to latch onto this powerful backer. If everything went smoothly, they might, like Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang, be able to rely on Fang Zhou's support to experience a meteoric rise and taste the supreme glory of topping the historical speedrun rankings. At that moment, Lu Renjia's heart filled with excitement and anticipation as he could almost see his and Lu Yiyi's names shining on the leaderboard.

Thinking of this, Lu Renjia quickly opened his personal terminal and sent Fang Zhou a message to confirm their plan for a team challenge that night.

[How to Raise a Bystander Male Protagonist] (Lu Renjia): "Boss Fang Zhou, Lu Yiyi and I haven't used our Simulation Battlefield challenge attempts today. We can team up with you. If it's convenient, how about we team up for the Shelter Defense Battle tonight?"

At that moment, Fang Zhou, who was attending a course in the Hall of Glory, glanced at the message on his personal terminal. He simply replied with a "no problem" emoji before immersing himself fully in his intense studies once again.

「...」

After class that evening, Fang Zhou once again stepped into the building of the Undead Mage research project group. This time, Instructor Huang Qiuyue was also present.

"Fang Zhou, you've actually broken through to the Upper Apprentice Rank!" Instructor Huang Qiuyue's voice was full of surprise and admiration. "It's truly unbelievable!"

Fang Zhou nodded slightly. He had achieved this entirely through his own efforts, so he naturally had nothing to hide.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Instructor Huang Qiuyue praised him repeatedly. "Instructor Su Xinyan just informed me that you successfully broke through the bottleneck and advanced to the Upper Apprentice Rank. This means you can now equip two more pieces of white-grade, Normal-quality equipment. I knew you would have new equipment and would need refinement and inlaying, so I came right away."

Hearing this, Fang Zhou felt a surge of warmth and said gratefully, "Thank you, Instructor Qiuyue. I received a white-grade, Normal-quality Crystal Ball exclusive to Undead Mages from Instructor Xinyan. However, it's already been enhanced to the limit. I also got a New Star Necklace from the military academy's logistics department. This necklace still needs refinement and inlaying."

As he spoke, he took out an exquisite New Star Necklace from his Space Storage Capsule, along with the Refining Stones and Gemstones prepared by the logistics department, and handed them to Instructor Huang Qiuyue.

"I've already acquired the necessary Refining Stones and Gemstones from the logistics department. If you would be so kind as to assist..." Fang Zhou's words were full of anticipation.

Instructor Huang Qiuyue waved her hand, indicating he didn't need to be so formal. "Leave it to me."

With that, she led Fang Zhou toward the forging workshop of the Undead Mage research project group. The workshop was brightly lit, its various forging tools gleaming under the lights. Instructor Huang Qiuyue stood before the workbench, closed her eyes, and muttered a spell. Following her gestures, a giant, transparent white hand slowly materialized. This was her signature skill, "Mage's Hand."

Under Instructor Huang Qiuyue's control, the "Mage's Hand" picked up the forging tools. Soon, a series of CLANGS and BANGS echoed through the workshop. Before long, Fang Zhou's new New Star Necklace had been enhanced to its limit.

Taking the finished necklace, a masterpiece which Instructor Huang Qiuyue proudly handed to him, Fang Zhou's gaze immediately shifted to his personal attribute panel, eager to see the changes the item would bring.

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