Wen Rou took the large bundles Fang Zhou handed over with a smile and went back to the backyard to get busy.

Grandma Yun sat in her rocking chair, swaying back and forth as she watched Fang Zhou walk in, carrying the two little girls. Her eyes were no longer clear and bright, but the corners, full of wrinkles, exuded endless warmth and tolerance.

Fang Zhou was about to greet her when his personal terminal suddenly sent a notification.

"Junior Sergeant Fang Zhou, you have been listed as a seed candidate for Sea City Military Academy. The selection details will be announced shortly. Please continue to do your best!"

Fang Zhou raised an eyebrow. Unbeknownst to him, a month had passed since the Simulation Battlefield opened. It seemed the academy instructors had already made their preliminary selections for the seed candidates and were now waiting for the final round.

Seeing the change in Fang Zhou's expression, Grandma Yun smiled and said, "Zhou, what's the good news?"

Fang Zhou gently bounced the two plump little girls in his arms and said with a smile, "Grandma Yun, I've been listed as a seed candidate for Sea City Military Academy. I'm just one step away from becoming a seed."

Upon hearing this, Grandma Yun stood up happily and took a few steps toward Fang Zhou.

"A seed candidate? I remember Jiu once told me she was the number one seed at Sea City Military Academy. She said that becoming a seed requires a grueling selection process where only the best of the best are chosen. Zhou, you make me so proud!"

Fang Zhou smiled slightly.

As an ordinary person, Grandma Yun naturally didn't understand the nuances of a Professional's strength. With his current power, even if all the other seed candidates were tied together, they might not be able to defeat him. He was far more than just one in a hundred.

However, Fang Zhou would never boast about his strength to his family. It was enough for them to know he was doing well at the academy; that way, they wouldn't worry.

The warm day quickly passed, and Fang Zhou returned to Sea City Military Academy after nightfall. By then, the rules for the seed selection had been sent to his personal terminal.

There would be 100 first-year seeds in total. Ten of these spots were reserved for support professions, while the remaining 90 were for Combat Professionals and Magic Professionals. The support professions had a separate selection process.

As for the Combat and Magic Professionals, 90 people would be selected from a pool of 180 candidates, with their sequence positions also being decided in the process.

The selection consisted of two stages.

The first stage was Cave Hunting. Beneath Sea City Military Academy lay many Caves crafted by the academy's experts, serving as practical combat training grounds for the students. These Caves teemed with Low-Tier Demons and Fierce Beasts, each worth a different amount of Hunting Points. The so-called Cave Hunting involved opening these Caves to the 180 seed candidates for three days.

After three days, the top 90 candidates with the most Hunting Points would be added to the official seed list, while the rest would be eliminated. Teamwork and attacking other candidates were forbidden during the Cave Hunting, making it a pure test of individual combat ability.

Of course, to ensure safety, the academy provided each student with a Black Iron grade Shield Scroll. If faced with a life-threatening situation, tearing the scroll would allow them to establish a defensive position and wait for rescue, but it would also mean elimination.

The second stage was the Arena Challenge. Based on their rankings from the Cave Hunting, the 90 successful candidates would be ranked, which would affect their future training priority at the academy. If they wanted a higher rank, they could challenge others in the arena. The Arena Challenge would also last for three days. Afterward, the final rankings would determine the sequence positions for the academy's seeds.

The rules were simple, depending entirely on the students' raw strength.

Fang Zhou read the clear and concise selection rules, his heart pounding with anticipation.

The number one seed spot is destined to be mine!

「Late at night, in the Skill Training Room.」

Fang Zhou skillfully cast [Summon Skeleton]. With each wave of his Magic Staff, Skeletons emerged one by one from a black vortex.

Suddenly, he paused, a joyful smile spreading across his face. After practicing it over a hundred times in the past half-month, his attribute panel finally showed a change. The Skill Proficiency for [Summon Skeleton] had successfully risen from [Perfection] to [Instinct].

With his current Spiritual Power, he could summon up to 70 middle-ranked apprentice Skeletons at once. Although racial limitations made these Skeletons the weakest among same-tier creatures, their sheer number was overwhelming. This Skeleton Army alone was enough for Fang Zhou to stand peerless among the first-year students.

Of course, he was even more excited to see what kind of skill the [Instinct]-level [Summon Skeleton] could deduce for his Clone.

He looked at the attribute panel.

"[Summon Skeleton] has reached [Instinct] proficiency. It can be used as Skill Materials to develop and perfect a skill for the Clone. Estimated cost: 10 Soul Power."

"Begin deduction?"

As 10 points of Soul Power were consumed, the Skeleton Clone's Soul Fire flickered continuously as it carefully comprehended every motion of its main body casting [Summon Skeleton]. In a trance, it recalled the moment it was blessed by the Undead Realm upon breaking through to Black Iron.

In an instant, the attribute panel displayed a notification.

"[Skeleton Monarch] perfected successfully!"

[Skeleton Monarch] (Black Iron grade, Instinct): A blessing from the will of the Undead Realm granted to the mighty. Only the most powerful individuals of the Skeleton race have a chance to obtain it. Slightly increases damage dealt to Skeletons and their evolved forms, slightly reduces damage received, and grants the ability to enslave Skeleton Series undead creatures. The damage bonus, number of enslaved creatures, and other effects are determined by the user's four-dimensional attributes.

It worked!

Fang Zhou's heart leaped with joy, an excited smile on his face.

I can't believe it! The run-of-the-mill [Summon Skeleton] skill, something every Undead Mage has, can actually enhance [Skeleton Monarch] and grant my Skeleton Clone the ability to enslave other Skeletons.

Lately, Fang Zhou had been fretting over how vast and sparsely populated the Undead Realm was, requiring him to travel long distances just to hunt Skeleton Warriors. If he could enslave enough Skeletons—whether for scouting, serving as cannon fodder, or providing support—it would dramatically increase the Skeleton Clone's efficiency at grinding levels.

It was absurd for a [Skeleton Monarch] to not have a single Skeleton minion.

Fang Zhou was itching with excitement, desperate to find a lucky Skeleton to serve as his first test subject. He activated Heroic Charge and dashed toward an area bathed in dense scarlet moonlight. A few minutes later, he found his target: a Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior.

I choose you! Become my first servant!

Gripping his refined +2 bone Long Spear, Fang Zhou became a living shadow. The air around him twisted violently from his incredible speed, and the wind howled, kicking up fragments of bone.

The Giant Axe Skeleton Warrior was completely unable to react to his explosive velocity. It sluggishly tried to raise its giant axe to block, but the bone Long Spear had already become a bolt of deadly lightning aimed directly at its neck bone.

"Brutal Strike!"

Fang Zhou poured all his strength into the Long Spear, unleashing a mighty blow with the force of a thousand-pound hammer.

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