In this one-day new recruit competition, maintaining a full reserve of Spiritual Power was crucial. It was a battle of endurance.

As Skill Proficiency increased, the power of one's Skills also grew. However, the corresponding consumption of Spiritual Power also became greater. This was especially true for an Undead Mage. In the later stages, they could summon a vast Skeleton Army and use area-of-effect attacks. Although incredibly powerful, the high consumption of Spiritual Power was an issue that couldn't be ignored.

I must find a way to restore my Spiritual Power, Fang Zhou thought.

Learning how to rationally allocate resources during a prolonged battle and how to replenish Spiritual Power at critical moments was a technique that any Professional—especially a rare one like him—had to master.

Fang Zhou patiently waited for his Spiritual Power to recover to its optimal state before slowly getting to his feet.

He scanned his surroundings to ensure nothing was missed, then led his mighty contingent of over forty surviving Skeletons forward.

In the outer area of the Dark Forest, the Demons were mostly Middle-Rank Apprentices. The tribes with Upper-Rank Apprentice elite Demons were hidden deeper within the dense forest.

Although the Demon level on the outskirts was lower, it was sufficient for Fang Zhou's goal of accumulating points.

He had already gained dozens of points, placing him firmly at the top of the personal leaderboard with a significant lead.

As Fang Zhou and his Skeleton Army advanced, a strong fluctuation of Spiritual Power suddenly erupted beneath the feet of the lead Skeleton. Immediately, a gray-black torrent of cold spread out, freezing the Skeleton solid. The icy aura even clung to several other nearby Undead.

This cold presence seemed to surge from deep underground, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.

It was an Ice Trap, set by either a participating student or a Demon!

Fang Zhou reacted instantly, unleashing his Soul Vision skill. Within moments, a point of soul-light appeared at the edge of his perception range, swiftly approaching. The point of soul-light was like a firefly in the dark—faint, yet exceptionally clear.

Realizing the danger, Fang Zhou quickly ordered his Skeletons to halt and spread out to avoid triggering any more traps.

While observing, Fang Zhou noticed the point of soul-light suddenly stop twenty to thirty meters away. A moment later, it began to retreat, moving back the way it came.

A lone student, it seems, Fang Zhou deduced.

He had only seen the feedback from his Soul Vision; no living creature had appeared in his line of sight. Clearly, the other person had crept closer to investigate after detecting that their trap had been triggered.

Upon seeing the size of Fang Zhou's forces, the student wisely chose to abandon the ambush. Perhaps they were afraid of being swarmed by so many Skeletons, or perhaps they realized Fang Zhou's strength. In any case, they chose to retreat.

Fang Zhou felt a slight twinge of regret, since dealing with a lone student would have been an easy way to score points. But since the person had sensibly retreated, he didn't pursue the matter. After all, combat wasn't the only way to score points, and it was more critical to preserve his strength for potentially larger threats.

However, Fang Zhou did not let his guard down. As the leader on the leaderboard, and carrying the coveted Portable Concentration Meditation Array, he was acutely aware that he had become a prime target. Now that his position had been revealed to the unknown student, it was highly likely that large forces from other academies were already on their way.

I can't stay here for long! Fang Zhou thought.

Fang Zhou wasn't afraid of being besieged by other students, but the new recruit competition had just begun. Engaging in battle with students from other academies so early would undoubtedly hinder his point accumulation. After all, these participating students were elites meticulously trained by the major military academies. Compared to Demons, they were naturally harder to kill. Their strength couldn't be underestimated. Facing them head-on would certainly consume a great deal of time and energy. This was precisely what would hinder Fang Zhou's goal of rapidly accumulating points in the initial phase.

With this in mind, Fang Zhou swung his Crystal Ball, casting Healing Magic on the Skeleton damaged by the Ice Trap. An eerie light enveloped the Skeleton. The traces of frost gradually vanished, and its vitality was restored.

Then, Fang Zhou led his Skeleton Army forward once more.

To avoid triggering more traps, several Skeletons moved to the vanguard. They advanced slowly, walking side-by-side to probe the ground for any other hidden dangers.

Traversing the vast expanse of the Dark Forest, Fang Zhou kept to the outermost regions, proceeding slowly. In the time that followed, his party encountered more than a dozen lone Abyssal Demons and a flock of Harpies, but they didn't come across any larger groups of Demons.

Whenever these lone creatures appeared, the Pearl Bird, Gugu, always spotted them in time. No matter where these creatures hid, once Gugu detected their presence, they couldn't escape the perception of Fang Zhou's Soul Vision skill.

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