After clearing his thoughts, Fang Zhou took out a silver-gray stone. This was the [Level 1 Refining Stone] he had obtained from the instance.

Sure enough, just like with the previous [Level 1 Sapphire], the attribute panel immediately sent a prompt:

*"Detected enhancement-compatible resource. Enhancement will consume 10 Soul Power."*

*"Begin enhancement?"*

Fang Zhou took out the Apprentice Magic Staff. "Begin enhancement."

With the consumption of 10 Soul Power, the small [Level 1 Refining Stone] quickly merged with the Apprentice Magic Staff. The once plain-looking staff now possessed a hint of mysterious luster.

Fang Zhou checked the equipment slot on his attribute panel. The Apprentice Magic Staff now had a "+1" mark next to it, and its boost to magic effects had slightly increased.

Fang Zhou gripped the staff tightly, his mind already conjuring a scene of himself wielding a +9 Divine Artifact-level staff and roaming the world unhindered.

However, he quickly came back to his senses.

A single [Level 1 Refining Stone] was worth 10 contribution points. By that logic, equipment Refinement was a completely resource-draining endeavor.

The road ahead is long and arduous!

The slight pride Fang Zhou felt from accumulating 500 contribution points was immediately extinguished.

He then wondered, since the equipment of human Professionals could be subject to [Refinement] and [Inlaying], could his skeleton clone's Bone Armaments be as well?

With this in mind, Fang Zhou focused his attention on the skeleton clone.

Seeing the significant amount of Soul Power he had accumulated, Fang Zhou tried to use the attribute panel to refine and inlay the Bone Long Spear and Skeleton Armor. Very quickly, he received feedback.

Inlaying required Gemstones as an essential material, while the Refining Stones required for Refinement could be substituted with Skeleton Essence. As a Black Iron-level Skeleton Warrior, the clone naturally did not lack Skeleton Essence.

In that case, attribute panel, begin Refinement!

*"Detected refinement-compatible resource. Refinement will consume 100 Soul Power."*

*"Begin refinement?"*

With Fang Zhou's confirmation, the 100 Soul Power he had accumulated over several days poured into the Bone Long Spear like a stream flowing into the ocean. The once-pale bone surface began to emit a faint, pulsing blue glow, as if it were alive. At the spear's tip, a rotating vortex of death vaguely formed, exuding a destructive aura.

Once the last sliver of Skeleton Essence was absorbed, the Refinement process for the Bone Long Spear was complete, successfully upgrading it to +1.

As Ordinary-quality, White-grade equipment, the Bone Long Spear could be refined a maximum of two times. However, refining it a second time would require even more Skeleton Essence and 200 Soul Power.

Fang Zhou couldn't come up with that many resources for the time being, but he was already quite satisfied. He had once again successfully applied the research findings of human Professionals on equipment to his skeleton clone. The combat potential of his clone now had even more room to grow.

This also meant his growth strategy—using his main body to nurture the clone, and having the clone, in turn, bolster the main body—was proving to be absolutely correct.

Fang Zhou's clone wielded the refined +1 Bone Long Spear and casually selected a nearby 'lucky' skeleton as a target.

SWISH!

Amidst an almost inaudible whistle of air, Fang Zhou clearly felt that the +1 Bone Long Spear was sharper and more powerful than before. Like a hot knife through butter, the spear shattered the 'lucky' skeleton's skull, sending it into an infant-like, peaceful sleep.

CRACK.

CRACK.

The skeleton clone laughed silently. Such a significant improvement was well worth the 100 Soul Power he had consumed.

He checked his attribute panel again. The proficiency of his [Brutal Strike] skill was still stuck at [Perfection]. The difficulty of advancing from [Perfection] to [Instinct] was indeed immense.

Fortunately, the skeleton clone had already broken through to the Lower Black Iron tier, which significantly increased the number of times he could continuously cast Apprentice-level skills. According to Fang Zhou's estimate, he should be able to train [Brutal Strike] to [Instinct] proficiency in another three or four days.

Under the glow of the Blood Moon, the skeleton clone, wielding the refined +1 Bone Long Spear, began another shameless journey of the strong bullying the weak.

「…」

In the following days, the Simulation Battlefield gradually returned to a state of calm. A few elite trainees managed to clear the Normal Difficulty [Little Inferior Demon Camp], but most were still stuck there. Being unable to defeat a Little Inferior Demon in a one-on-one duel was a matter of raw power, something that could only be improved through daily Cultivation and combat.

Even outstanding newcomers like Ye Fan, Meng Hongzhuang, and Gu Zhiqiu repeatedly met with defeat in the Abyss Difficulty. However, inspired by Fang Zhou, they also began tentatively employing various tactics and managed to achieve some results.

The [Natural Summoner] Meng Hongzhuang, in particular, was making the most clearing progress, even surpassing Ye Fan. In her best performance on the Simulation Battlefield, she had successfully stormed the camp and killed several Little Inferior Demons. She was ultimately defeated only by the sustained barrage from two Abyss Demon Children using their [Magic-Devouring Talent] and [Desecration Beams].

While others were working hard, Fang Zhou was certainly not idle.

Every morning, he would enter the Simulation Battlefield and clear the Abyss Difficulty [Horn Demon Outpost]. Thanks to the attribute growth from the Spirit Secret Medicine and his increasing familiarity with the instance's mechanics, Fang Zhou's clear speed became faster and faster, and he dealt with the demons with growing ease and proficiency.

He even began experimenting with other tactical approaches beyond digging traps and exploiting the terrain advantages of the Thick Fog Jungle. For instance, he would lure the demons out of their hole and then usurp their nest, turning the outpost's own defenses against their siege. At other times, he employed kiting tactics, using his high Agility Attribute and the superior movement speed from his [Skeleton Wings] skill to gradually wear down the demonic forces inside the outpost.

The results of these tactical experiments varied. The successful ones earned him a "Perfect" evaluation, while the worst barely scraped by with a "Pass." But regardless of the outcome, these attempts greatly expanded Fang Zhou's tactical repertoire.

The Abyss Difficulty, which other trainees dreaded and avoided like the plague, had become his personal testing ground for verifying his knowledge and honing his tactical thinking.

Fang Zhou's performance was naturally observed by the instructors. Whether it was combat prowess, research ability, mentality, or tactical thinking, his performance was impeccable.

It went without saying for instructors like Lu Hu, Shen Hongyu, and Chen Qingshan, who had always been optimistic about Fang Zhou. But now, even the stubbornly critical Principal Su Tiankuo had silently designated Fang Zhou as the top candidate for Sea City Military Academy's number one seed.

The other first-year trainees, on the other hand, had grown completely numb to Fang Zhou's performance. He was a prodigy, and for ordinary people like them, it was enough just to gaze up at him from the ground.

Only a brash youth like Ye Fan would become more determined with each setback. Faced with the gap between himself and Fang Zhou, he wasn't demoralized; instead, his deep-seated fighting spirit was ignited.

As for Bai Xiaochan, she had completely given up. Single-player instances just weren't for her. Her future lay in team instances.

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