Fang Zhou was already used to the gossip and envy he attracted from others. With a calm expression, he found Bai Xiaochan, who was once again slacking off in the simulation pod.

This cool and aloof campus belle, his desk mate, was actually a total slacker who still hadn't managed to clear the Hard Difficulty of the [Little Inferior Demon Camp].

After getting Bai Xiaochan to play another [Lullaby] for him, Fang Zhou casually advised, "Xiaochan, although the single-player mode is unfair to Support Professions like yours, you still need to put in the effort. If you don't perform well and fail to get selected for the seed list, the loss will be significant."

Fang Zhou rarely meddled in others' affairs. This rare instance of encouraging Bai Xiaochan was partly due to their bond as desk mates, but it was also for his own benefit.

Recently, Bai Xiaochan's [Lullaby] had been a great help in restoring his soul fatigue, increasing the growth rate of his skeleton clones by at least ten percent.

Fang Zhou had also researched the skill tree and guides for the [Chanting String] Profession. The predecessors of this profession had developed many support skills. Most were Beneficial Skills for combat, but there were also some high-difficulty support skills, like [Lullaby], that could aid in cultivation.

As a cultivation fanatic, Fang Zhou naturally wanted a powerful support to provide him with personalized service anytime, anywhere. Among the people around him, Bai Xiaochan, the [Chanting String], was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Fang Zhou assured himself that he definitely wasn't drawn to her fair skin, pretty face, long legs, and slender, curvy figure.

Having just finished playing her [Lullaby], Bai Xiaochan hugged her small harp and said shyly, "Fang Zhou, why are you so concerned about me?"

Fang Zhou gazed sincerely into Bai Xiaochan's glistening eyes and launched his charm offensive. "I told you before, you're my Zither Fairy! I want to see our names side-by-side on the historical speedrun leaderboard. Don't you want that too?"

Hearing Fang Zhou's "Zither Fairy" remark again, Bai Xiaochan's face turned beet red.

She turned her head away, covering her cheeks, and mumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Fang Zhou, don't look at me like that... Don't worry, the military academy has a separate assessment standard for us Support Professions. They won't put too much emphasis on our performance in this Simulation Battlefield."

Then, with a hint of pride in her voice, Bai Xiaochan explained, "The reason I haven't cleared Hard Difficulty is that I've been focusing all my energy on learning new Support Skills instead of practicing Attack Skills. Hmph, just you wait! Once I break through to the Apprentice Middle Rank and challenge the [Horn Demon Outpost] with you, you'll see how amazing I am!"

Hearing this, Fang Zhou nodded, reassured.

Although Bai Xiaochan was a slacker at heart, she was still sensible when it came to important matters like the seed list.

However, to deal with a slacker, you had to constantly paint a picture of future rewards and relentlessly push them.

Fang Zhou praised Bai Xiaochan a few more times, gave her a couple more motivational pep talks, and then headed off to class.

After his afternoon classes ended, Fang Zhou went to the Demon Hunter research group and put Ye Fan through the wringer once again.

Seeing Ye Fan get swarmed by the Skeleton Army, which was empowered by the [Group Brutality Skill], to the point he was questioning his own existence, Fang Zhou felt a rare pang of guilt.

It's not easy to find a willing test subject like Ye Fan who comes to me on his own initiative. Is it really okay to keep crushing his enthusiasm like this? Maybe I should go a little easier on him next time?

Just as Fang Zhou was thinking this, Ye Fan, who had been lying on the ground for some time, suddenly sprang to his feet with a kip-up.

Having given himself some kind of pep talk, Ye Fan, filled with fighting spirit, yelled the slogan he had been shouting at Fang Zhou for a month.

"Thirty years the river flows east, thirty years the river flows west, never bully a young man for being poor! Fang Zhou, just you wait! One day, I will repay all the humiliations you've subjected me to!"

By now, the other instructors and researchers in the group were completely unfazed. This scene unfolded every single day, to the point where they no longer even had an interest in watching Fang Zhou and Ye Fan spar.

Even Instructor Chen Qingshan sometimes found himself quietly admiring Ye Fan's resilience and fighting spirit. The kid might have a bad case of main-character syndrome, but with such an unyielding spirit, he was sure to achieve great things in the future.

Seeing his sparring partner brimming with vitality once more, Fang Zhou bid farewell to Instructor Chen Qingshan and the others and prepared to leave the research group.

Just then, Instructor Lu Hu burst in, his face beaming with joy.

Lu Hu spotted Fang Zhou at a glance and quickly waved him over. "Fang Zhou, with Principal Su's approval, the Undead Mage Research Group has been formally established! Xinyan is the group leader, I'm the deputy leader, and you're both a researcher and the subject of research. Come on, I'll show you our lab. Oh, by the way, Xinyan has already consolidated her Golden Tier rank. She's waiting for you there too."

Hearing this, a surge of joy rose in Fang Zhou's heart. Both the chance to interact with a talented Undead Mage senior like Su Xinyan and the research group itself were pieces of good news he had long been hoping for.

The other instructors and researchers also naturally understood the significance of Lu Hu's announcement. They were secretly astounded, but they all felt it was a matter of course. Fang Zhou's heaven-defying performance over the past month had left them unable to voice any doubt.

He mastered the Meditation Method in less than a day. Immediately after his Awakening, he could summon twenty skeletons. He broke through to the Apprentice Middle Rank in a single month. He single-handedly developed an entirely new Skeleton Series skill tree that included attack, defense, control, movement, and support abilities. His improved Meditation Method could even help a Silver-rank Mage break through to the Gold Tier. An army of one, his combat power was so transcendent that he flawlessly cleared the Abyss Difficulty [Horn Demon Outpost] all by himself.

One could say that Fang Zhou had earned this Undead Mage Research Group through his own incredible performance. Compared to Ye Fan, the lucky guy riding on the coattails of a legendary predecessor, Fang Zhou's accomplishments were of an entirely different caliber.

By now, Fang Zhou had completely conquered all the top brass at Sea City Military Academy with his talent and ingenuity. Even Principal Su Tiankuo, who had always seemed eager to find fault with him, could no longer find any reason to object.

Everyone present could imagine it. An already outstanding Fang Zhou, whose strength far surpassed his peers, would surely achieve even more shocking feats now that he had his own exclusive research group and priority access to the academy's resources.

Under the somewhat envious gazes of the others, Fang Zhou followed Lu Hu's hurried footsteps and left the Demon Hunter research group.

***

On the way, an unstoppable smile spread across Lu Hu's face. Thinking back to how dejected Fang Zhou had looked just after awakening as an Undead Mage, it felt like only yesterday. Who would have thought that in just over a month, Fang Zhou would prove the immense potential of not only himself but also the entire Undead Mage Profession.

This kid really makes me proud!

Seeing Instructor Lu Hu's excited expression, Fang Zhou felt not only happy but was also deeply moved. In the month or so since he had entered Sea City Military Academy, he had truly felt the meticulous care Instructor Lu Hu had shown him.

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