Fang Zhou nodded. He would counter every move and adapt to every situation. With his strength, he had no reason to fear any change in the competition's format.

In the following half a month, Fang Zhou and the other ten participating students grew rapidly under Instructor Lu Hu's hellish training. Every day's training was full of challenges. From the first ray of sunlight in the morning to the last sliver of moonlight at night, they were almost constantly undergoing rigorous tests. In addition to significant improvements in personal willpower, endurance, and combat power, their tactical coordination also took a qualitative leap.

After this half-month trial by blood and fire, the ten team members' military demeanor became more pronounced. Compared to ordinary first-year students, there was already a huge gap. This elite squad, composed mostly of Middle-rank Apprentices, could almost be considered an elite unit in any legion on the Blue Star battlefield.

「」

In the Concentration Meditation Room, Fang Zhou finished another night of battling monsters and leveling up with his Skeleton Clone. During this time, the Skeleton Clone had nearly finished absorbing the entire Nether Blood Ore vein. The purity of the Death Energy coursing through the Skeleton Clone had at least doubled. While its combat power couldn't be said to have doubled, its overall comprehensive strength had certainly increased by about fifty percent.

At this rate, it would only take a few more days for the Skeleton Clone to finish absorbing the mineral vein. Once that was done, he could lead his Skeleton Team to explore deeper into the region. Fang Zhou could clearly feel that as his clone advanced to Middle-rank Black Iron and ventured further into the Hill of Corpses, both the concentration of Death Energy in the environment and the density of Undead Attribute resources were much higher than before.

Fang Zhou was now eagerly anticipating what kind of Undead Attribute resources he would discover next. He imagined the various treasures the Skeleton Clone might encounter in the future, his heart filled with fighting spirit and desire.

Glancing at the bright, silvery moonlight, Fang Zhou stretched and prepared to return to his dormitory to rest. The Recruits Contest would begin in just a few days. He needed to adjust his physical and mental state to perform his best in the competition and achieve a higher ranking. If there were no surprises, with his participation, Sea City Military Academy was guaranteed to seize the champion's throne from the First Military Academy.

Just as Fang Zhou was about to turn and leave, a message suddenly arrived on his personal terminal.

[Green Robe, My Heart Swings](Liu Diewu): "Junior Fang Zhou, I heard from Gu Yueyuan that he successfully completed a transaction with you and gifted you a few bottles of Insect Food Pills. Are you using them on that Pearl Bird you got from me? How is it doing now? Has it broken through to become an Upper-rank Apprentice?"

Fang Zhou was a bit puzzled, wondering why Senior Liu Diewu was inquiring about the Pearl Bird's condition.

So, he quickly replied to the message on his personal terminal.

[Ordinary Apprentice](Fang Zhou): "Thank you for your concern, Senior Die Wu. The Insect Food Pills are indeed quite effective. However, since it hasn't been using them for very long, my Pearl Bird, Gugu, has not yet reached the level of an Upper-rank Apprentice."

[Green Robe, My Heart Swings](Liu Diewu): "Junior Fang Zhou, here's the situation. The Recruits Contest is coming up soon. If Gugu can break through to become an Upper-rank Apprentice before the competition, it will undoubtedly provide you with much stronger reconnaissance support.

"I recently broke through my own bottleneck and advanced to a Lower-rank Black Iron Natural Druid. While meditating today, I unexpectedly comprehended a skill—'Spring Rain Transformation.' This skill can help low-level Spirit Pets rapidly absorb energy, thereby accelerating their growth and evolution.

"If you're willing, you can bring Gugu over. I can cast 'Spring Rain Transformation' on it once a day, which might just elevate it to the level of an Upper-rank Apprentice before the Recruits Contest begins."

Fang Zhou carefully read Liu Diewu's message, a surge of warmth filling his heart. This world is full of surprises. I never knew a Natural Druid could have an obscure skill like 'Spring Rain Transformation.' It's completely beyond anything I've ever learned.

But regardless, Liu Diewu's reasoning was sound.

Limited by the Sealed Bone Bell's power, he couldn't seal creatures that were individually too powerful. After careful selection, Fang Zhou had ultimately chosen the Pearl Bird Gugu as his supplementary means of reconnaissance.

Although among creatures of the same level, the Pearl Bird Gugu's direct combat power was almost negligible, making it a total pushover, it possessed an extraordinary talent for high-altitude reconnaissance. At least during the Apprentice Stage, Fang Zhou was heavily reliant on the long-range reconnaissance method Gugu provided.

In the upcoming Recruits Contest especially, the Pearl Bird Gugu's role would become even more crucial. If its power could be catalyzed to the level of an Upper-rank Apprentice before the contest, its flight speed, altitude, and visual clarity would all increase significantly. With the Pearl Bird Gugu's help in the Recruits Contest, Fang Zhou could practically guarantee he would seize the initiative, giving him an immense advantage.

Understanding this, Fang Zhou immediately replied on his personal terminal.

[Ordinary Apprentice](Fang Zhou): "Thank you, Senior Die Wu. If the Pearl Bird can be raised to the level of an Upper-rank Apprentice before the Recruits Contest, that would be a huge help to me."

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