CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER 157: SKILL ENHANCEMENT STRATEGIES AND THE WONDERS OF HEROIC SPIRIT MARK

"Soul Realm!"

Su Xinyan stood up, her eyes shimmering with an azure light as she slowly surveyed her surroundings. Experiencing this entirely new perspective, her fair face was filled with admiration. When she looked at Fang Zhou, she was slightly taken aback. His brilliant soul light had already completely surpassed the limits of an Apprentice-level Professional. Compared to Bai Xiaochan next door, who was deep in thought, the difference was like that between heaven and earth.

However, she quickly composed herself. The physical body represents the lower limit of strength, while the soul determines the upper limit. Fang Zhou’s inherently powerful soul only further proved his exceptionally high upper limit. It was perfectly in line with his usual Talent-level performance, so it wasn’t surprising at all.

After mentally simulating the power of [Mental Shock], Su Xinyan withdrew the azure light from her eyes. She looked at Fang Zhou’s expectant expression and, gritting her teeth in jealousy, said, "The [Soul Realm] is a detection skill with extremely high potential and practicality. It’s far more useful than the [Spiritual Perception] and [Death Detection] skills we Undead Mages previously had. If it can be advanced to a higher Tier, it could become an essential skill for all Undead Mages."

Fang Zhou nodded slightly. Practical tests during the Cave Hunt had already proven the [Soul Realm] skill to be incredibly useful. He looked at Su Xinyan and asked, "Instructor Su, what about the [Mental Shock] skill?"

Su Xinyan scoffed lightly and replied, "As a group attack skill, [Mental Shock] consumes far too much Spiritual Power. Overall, its cost-effectiveness isn’t very high. In most cases, it’s inferior to the [Skeleton Arrow Rain] skill you developed earlier. However, its strength lies in its invisible and intangible nature, making it difficult to defend against. This gives it an advantage against smaller Demons. Moreover, I feel it still has significant room for improvement."

Fang Zhou’s eyes flickered. Instructor Su really did have a few tricks up her sleeve. He seized the opportunity to share some of his own skill enhancement ideas with her, and her eyes sparkled with fascination as she listened.

Fiddling with the empty bottle in her hand, Su Xinyan appeared lost in thought. She then snapped her fingers and said to Fang Zhou, "Give me a few days. I’ll do some more research on these two new skills. I happen to have some old theories about new skills for Undead Mages, and I want to see if they can be applied here."

Fang Zhou was thrilled that Instructor Su was willing to help him develop skill enhancement paths. With the assistance provided by his attribute panel, he could perfect any skill to its limit as long as he had enough Skill Materials and Soul Power. The only real challenge was finding a viable direction for improvement.

Fang Zhou gave Instructor Su a sincere salute, only to receive a massive eye-roll in return.

Su Xinyan stood up, stretched lazily, and said somewhat impatiently, "Alright, Fang Zhou, do you have any other questions? If not, I’m going to start my research."

Seeing that she was trying to shoo him away, Fang Zhou didn’t move. Instead, he took a step forward and asked earnestly, "Instructor Su, there are two more things I’d like to ask you about. I was wondering if you’ve ever come across a [Heroic Spirit Mark]?"

Su Xinyan was taken aback. "A Heroic Spirit Mark?" she asked in surprise. "How do you know about something like that?" Then, it dawned on her. She grabbed Fang Zhou’s arm, her voice filled with excitement. "Did you obtain a Heroic Spirit Mark from General Ning Feihu?"

Fang Zhou nodded. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a Skeleton, then activated the brilliant, purple [Berserker Mark] in his mind. A beam of purple light shot from his eyes onto the Skeleton. Amidst the cracking sound of mutating bones, Olaf, the [Berserker Heroic Spirit] wielding two axes, appeared once again.

Fang Zhou looked at the astonished Su Xinyan and described in detail how he had obtained the [Berserker Mark].

"Instructor Su, after purifying the profane aura from General Ning’s remains, I used my [Soul Realm] skill and it was as if I saw his Heroic Spirit dissipating with a smile. Afterward, a purple light was inscribed in my mind. It’s called the [Berserker Mark], a final gift from General Ning Feihu before his death. I can use this Mark, along with a suitable medium, to summon a Heroic Spirit who has mastered some Berserker skills to fight for me."

Su Xinyan circled the silent Olaf, who stood attentively beside Fang Zhou. Using some unknown method to see through its secrets, she began muttering to herself, "A Golden Upper-Rank Heroic Spirit, currently has mastered Golden Body Series skills, and retains its core combat experience... Absolutely top-notch! This is a truly extraordinary Heroic Spirit Mark!"

After a long moment of admiration, Su Xinyan exhaled heavily. She looked at Fang Zhou with a mixture of pride, acknowledgment, and a strange hint of something else.

Fang Zhou quickly asked, "Is there a problem, Instructor Su?"

Su Xinyan shook her head and explained, "A [Heroic Spirit Mark] is the final gift from a human Heroic Spirit, encapsulating the essence of their lifelong cultivation. They are serendipitous and cannot be actively sought out. The conditions for their formation are incredibly demanding. Only High-Tier experts whose essence, energy, and spirit are highly concentrated in battle, having completely disregarded life and death, have a minuscule chance to form their own mark.

"If they successfully evade danger and escape Death’s embrace, the mark becomes a resource for their own cultivation, greatly benefiting their future development. If they are unfortunately killed in battle, their mark transforms into various kinds of Marvels before they fall. That is what you’re referring to as a [Heroic Spirit Mark]. They commonly come in Equipment, Summoning, or Consumable types."

Su Xinyan looked at the burly and imposing Olaf with genuine respect in her eyes. "Only those who are fully acknowledged by a human Heroic Spirit have the opportunity to obtain the [Heroic Spirit Mark] they leave behind. Although the Berserker Heroic Spirit you’ve summoned has no direct connection to General Ning Feihu, it allows one to catch a glimpse of the General’s former prowess."

She turned back to Fang Zhou, her expression serious. "Fang Zhou, receiving the acknowledgment of General Ning Feihu’s Heroic Spirit is an incredible honor, but it is also a grave responsibility. With the [Berserker Mark] in hand, you must not bring shame upon General Ning’s name."

Fang Zhou nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Instructor Su! I inherited General Ning’s Battle Banner and Mark, and I will slay more Demons to console his spirit in the heavens."

Looking at the sharp Bone Battleaxes in Olaf’s hands, Fang Zhou added, "Instructor Su, I’ve had an idea ever since I summoned this Berserker Heroic Spirit. Since it could form Skeleton Battleaxes at the Apprentice Stage using a Skeleton’s body, then other Apprentice-level Skeletons should also be able to form their own skeletal armaments."