If they didn’t seize this opportunity to latch onto Fang Zhou and foster a good relationship with this future top-tier powerhouse, they knew they would regret it bitterly. Consequently, Yan Yan, Lin Qingshan, Jing Fei, and the others were noticeably more enthusiastic and proactive toward Fang Zhou on the journey back. Even the handful of young Professionals in the Flame Medal Adventurer Group made a point of being seen by Fang Zhou. Their intentions were simple: to see if they had the chance to become Fang Zhou’s followers.

To all this, Fang Zhou simply offered a smile and paid them no mind. With his loyal Undead Summoned Creatures, he had no need for these ordinary Professionals of clearly limited aptitude. As for the Flame Medal members’ overly conspicuous change in attitude, he remained calm and unconcerned. As wily veterans who had navigated society for a long time, their ability to size people up was second nature. Everyone was looking out for their own interests; there was no need to pretend to be aloof.

They returned to the Outpost Fortress without any further incident. After greeting Lieutenant Colonel Shen Zhongyun, Fang Zhou settled the final payment of 10,000 Magic Stones with the Flame Medal members and signed a non-disclosure agreement. With that business concluded, he began the transaction process with the Beast Fighting City military and Sea City Military Academy.

The discovery of a fully excavated Naraku Civilization Mage’s tomb was a sensational event, even for a place as large as Beast Fighting City. After viewing the holographic recordings Fang Zhou brought back, the Beast Fighting City military was thrilled by both the Carved Golems of the ancient Naraku Civilization and the Array Patterns discovered in the research chamber.

With Sea City Military Academy providing backing, the officials from Beast Fighting City made sure Fang Zhou was not shortchanged. He sold the rights to the Naraku Civilization Mage’s tomb for the high price of 60,000 Magic Stones. This high price was negotiated even after Fang Zhou had already taken all the resources he personally wanted.

On top of that, Fang Zhou received an unexpected bonus. His Adventurer rank in the Beast Fighting City Adventurer Association was immediately promoted to A-rank. In a city where most Adventurers were at the Black Iron or Bronze level, this was considered the top tier. Even within the Flame Medal Adventurer Group, a team that had operated in Beast Fighting City and the Fierce Beast Mountain Range for over a decade, only the three leaders held the rank of A-rank Adventurer.

Sometime later, after briefly sorting his belongings, Fang Zhou returned to the long-missed Sea City Military Academy via the Cross-border Teleportation Array. This was the first time he had been away from the academy for so long.

It was worth noting that he returned with the status of a graduating year Seed Student. Upon learning that Fang Zhou had advanced to become a Bronze Middle Rank Undead Mage, Instructor Lu Hu submitted an application. With the unanimous approval of the other Seed Students, Fang Zhou was immediately promoted to the position of Number 1 Seed. After all, the strongest among the current graduating class was merely at the Bronze Lower Rank. Coupled with the evidence of Fang Zhou’s various glorious achievements in Beast Fighting City and the Fierce Beast Mountain Range, no sensible Seed Student raised any objections.

「Late at night, in the Undead Mage research project group.」

Instructor Su Xinyan let out a soft sigh and relaxed in Fang Zhou’s arms. Even after several intense battles day and night, Fang Zhou still looked invigorated, his posture radiating confidence. After they exchanged heartfelt words, Fang Zhou worked with her to carefully map out his next steps.

His academics were not a cause for concern; with his current progress, he could apply for graduation at any time. According to the typical growth trajectory for Professionals, even the most exceptional students only reached the Bronze Middle Rank after four years at the military academy. As a result, the academy’s resource library was mostly stocked with Cultivation Resources suited for Professionals below the Bronze rank. Once Fang Zhou broke through his bottleneck and advanced to Silver, he would likely have to apply for an early graduation.

Although Fang Zhou was talented and had the help of a small "cheat," his rapid growth would have been impossible without the vast resources provided by Sea City Military Academy. "With great power comes great responsibility" had always been the guiding principle for cultivating Professionals in both the Longxia Federation and the Human Alliance. Once he reached the Silver Tier, Fang Zhou would have to venture out into a wider world.

For now, though, there are still many aspects of my personal strength to develop. For instance, there’s the Frost Skeleton left behind by the Skeleton Mage, along with its Soul Box. There’s also the Dragon Tempered Golden Battleaxe and the Dragon Descendant Undead that’s waiting to be synthesized. My Soul Series Skill Tree is still in its embryonic stages, and the Professional skeletal regeneration project is finally showing signs of a breakthrough after extensive experimentation. All of these projects will require a great deal of my time and energy. It just so happens that my schedule has been saturated with combat lately, so this downtime is the perfect opportunity to consolidate my gains. I believe that the next time I emerge, my combat power will have increased exponentially.

「A month later.」

Sea City Military Academy, in the laboratory of the Undead Mage research project group.

Several Soul Prisms floated in Master Sandro’s Alchemy Laboratory, each one imprisoning fragments of the Skeleton Mage’s consciousness. Fang Zhou’s fingertips drifted between the prism array, his Soul Eagle Eye reflecting countless flickering Naraku Runes.

"The key to this layer of the thought labyrinth is the inverted zodiac sequence," Su Xinyan suddenly said, her Moon Shadow Spider Silk already weaving a reverse-decoding array.

When Fang Zhou embedded the Frost Core fragment into the Array Core, the entire prism array suddenly seethed with energy. The remnant soul of the Naraku Civilization Skeleton Mage let out an ear-piercing shriek. Sandro retrieved his prized Eternal Freeze Star Dust. The powder, sourced from the Aurora Icefield, coalesced within the Soul Fire, forming several Frost Curse Nails. Su Xinyan’s Instructor Badge lit up, activating Sea City Military Academy’s unique Soul Resonance Barrier.

Frost instantly coated Fang Zhou’s left hand as he pressed his right palm onto the Soul Box, activating three imprints simultaneously.

The first was the Mental Shackles, a prison for the mind crafted from the stardust provided by Sandro.

The second was the Moon Shadow Spider Web, a soul-monitoring network woven by Su Xinyan.

The third was the Death Energy Seal, an infusion of Fang Zhou’s own source undead energy.

The Skeleton Mage’s struggles triggered an ice explosion, but the blast was shredded by the chains of Vigus’s silver hair before it could reach Fang Zhou’s brow.

Opening the Soul Box was just the first step. The final transformation ritual took place in an Ice Cave chilled to fifty degrees below zero. The Frost Realm Dragon Spine, contributed by Sandro, hovered in the air, creating an Elemental Resonance with the Ghostly Condensed Liquid prepared by Su Xinyan. When Fang Zhou embedded the Soul Box into the Dragon Spine, vengeful spells from the Naraku Civilization suddenly materialized on the surface of the Frost Core.

The ever-prepared Tiamat spewed Death Dragon Breath, corrupting the spell’s structure with the unique energy of a Black Gem Dragon.

"Now!" Sandro yelled, tossing out three Frost Sage Stones as Su Xinyan’s spider silk instantly wove into a neural transmission network.

As Fang Zhou’s Harvest Festival Sacrificial Rune operated at full power, completely forcing the remnant soul into its new body, the entire Ice Cave erupted with a tide of ice-blue energy.

The enslavement was a success.

When the Frost Skeleton Mage, now named Ryze, knelt on one knee, the flame flickering in his eye sockets was no longer the ghostly green Soul Fire of the Naraku Civilization. It was a silver-blue cold flame, interwoven with Fang Zhou’s own soul imprint. When Ryze lifted his bony fingers to practice his Skills, the runes of Soul Enemy appeared within the spreading trajectory of his Frost Nova. It seemed Fang Zhou’s source imprint was already reshaping his casting methods.

In the training ground, Master Sandro watched the alien undead creature in the field with radiant eyes, praising, "A truly genius concept. Fang Zhou, this is the first time I have ever successfully revived and controlled a Naraku Lich’s Soul Box. Beyond his power, his wisdom and knowledge are sure to offer us many new directions for advancement."

A slight smile touched Fang Zhou’s face. "You flatter me, Master Sandro. Ryze is merely a Skeleton Mage, not a true Lich. His Soul Box was much easier to crack than that of a true Lich. Isn’t that so, Ryze?"

The Skeleton Mage in the center of the field slowly nodded, his Soul Fire transmitting a mental thought, "You speak the truth, my master. It is my honor to serve you for all eternity, my master."

He was a Mage, a Skeleton Mage reduced to nothing but bone. He wore tattered, attribute-less Mage Robes, and over them, a blood-red, stained cloak.