Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 405 - 305: Gugu Bird’s Advancement, Talent Solidification!

"Senior Sister Die Wu, when are you free? Once you have a moment, I’ll come find you for your help."

[Green Robe, My Heart Swings] (Liu Diewu): "Junior Brother Fang Zhou, I’m free every day. Also, the Spring Rain Transformation skill has a usage limitation: each Spirit Pet can only receive it once per day. It’s getting a little late tonight. How about this? Starting tomorrow, come by the Natural Attribute Professional Association every day after your afternoon classes. I’ve been cultivating here recently, so I can help you catalyze your Pearl Bird’s growth."

Fang Zhou sent Liu Diewu an "OK" emoji and returned to his dormitory in high spirits. What she had told him was an unexpected, pleasant surprise, and his confidence in the upcoming Rookie Competition grew substantially.

「The next day.」

Fang Zhou arrived at the greenhouse garden of the Natural Attribute Professional Association. The space was filled with lush greenery and the rich scent of flowers. With every breath, it felt as though he were inhaling lungs full of fresh, clean air.

Fang Zhou and Senior Sister Liu Diewu sat opposite each other with two small, exquisite teacups placed before them. Steam rose in wisps, carrying the fragrant aroma of tea.

Liu Diewu knew that as the absolute core member of Sea City Military Academy’s competition team, Fang Zhou’s time was exceptionally precious. After a few brief pleasantries, she went straight to the point. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Junior Brother Fang Zhou, release the Pearl Bird now so I can give it a buff."

Fang Zhou nodded, took out the exquisite Sealed Bone Bell, and shook it gently. Accompanied by a soft white light, the Pearl Bird, Gugu, manifested from the void and landed in Fang Zhou’s palm.

Gugu’s feathers appeared especially vibrant under the sunlight. Its small, curious eyes glanced around, seemingly intrigued by the new environment.

Fang Zhou then took out the bottle of Insect Food Pills Gu Yueyuan had gifted him, retrieved one, and fed it to Gugu. The Pearl Bird hopped lightly on Fang Zhou’s hand with its delicate claws, then pecked at the Insect Food Pill with its sharp little beak, tilting its head back to swallow it.

The Pearl Bird seemed drawn to the rich natural energy radiating from Liu Diewu. As it digested the energy from the Insect Food Pill, it turned its nimble little head to look at her. Liu Diewu exhibited the natural affinity of a Natural Druid toward small animals, gently calling the Pearl Bird’s name in a soft voice. Gradually, Gugu began hopping between her fingers, clearly having established a degree of trust.

Subsequently, Liu Diewu picked up her vine Magic Staff, closed her eyes, and began the casting ritual. As she muttered an incantation, the surrounding air seemed to grow humid. It was as if countless tiny water droplets coalesced in the air, each one exuding an essence of life. These droplets gradually merged into fine streams, gently falling like spring rain onto Gugu’s body and being instantly absorbed.

With the casting of the Spring Rain Transformation skill, the plants inside the greenhouse seemed to respond; their leaves swayed gently, and the flowers bloomed more vividly. Under the influence of the skill, Gugu’s feathers became more dazzling, as if enveloped in a faint halo. Its aura visibly strengthened, and its once-vague Spiritual Power contour gradually became distinct, marking a significant step toward the Upper Apprentice rank.

After the spellcasting, Liu Diewu opened her eyes with a satisfied smile. She gently touched Gugu’s round little head with a slender finger and said approvingly, "Not bad. It seems the Spring Rain Transformation skill works very well on small Spirit Pets like the Pearl Bird. If you can maintain the supply of Insect Food Pills, it should be able to break through to the Upper Apprentice rank after just a few more applications."

The Pearl Bird seemed to sense its own changes as well. It chirped happily, flapped its wings to circle in the air a few times, and then landed steadily on Fang Zhou’s shoulder.

"The supply of Insect Food Pills isn’t an issue," Fang Zhou nodded. "Senior Brother Gu Yueyuan gave me several bottles, which should be more than enough for Gugu. This type of Pearl Bird is an Apprentice-level Spirit Pet to begin with, so its potential is limited. Breaking through to the Upper Apprentice rank is already excellent; it’ll be useful to me for the entire Apprentice Stage. A further breakthrough to the Lower Black Iron rank would be extremely difficult. I don’t plan to force it."

With that, Fang Zhou gestured with his hand, letting Gugu fly off freely. The bird joyfully circled in the sky, enjoying a rare moment of freedom.

Watching Gugu fly about, Fang Zhou was filled with satisfaction and anticipation. He turned to Liu Diewu and said, "How have you been, Senior Sister Die Wu? After breaking through to become a Lower Black Iron Professional, your Seed Student ranking in the second year must have improved, right?"

Liu Diewu pursed her lips and smiled gently. "I have you to thank for that, Junior Brother Fang Zhou, for trading me that Evergreen Fruit. My speed in breaking through the bottleneck to the Black Iron rank was among the fastest of all the second-year students. To be precise, I was the second student in our year to advance to the Black Iron rank, right after the Insect Nest Walker, Gu Yueyuan. As a result, the military academy instructors directly raised my Seed Student ranking to second place. The corresponding benefits have also increased significantly."

She paused, then continued, "Right now, I’m busy updating my skill set, upgrading all my Apprentice-level Profession Skills to their Black Iron-level versions. Once that’s done, my combat strength will increase immensely. After some combat training, I’ll be able to start taking the combat missions the academy offers to Black Iron-level students, just like Gu Yueyuan."

Fang Zhou nodded and praised her, "Senior Sister Die Wu, your own exceptional talent and diligent cultivation were the foundation for this breakthrough. The Evergreen Fruit was just a small catalyst. I’m sure that once you master your new skills, your rate of growth will only accelerate."

Hearing this, Liu Diewu shook her head, a little embarrassed. "Not at all," she said softly. "Compared to a monster-level genius like you, Fang Zhou, my talent is nothing special. My biggest regret is that when I broke through to the Black Iron rank by condensing my Invisible Core, I failed to solidify a Talent Skill like the true geniuses do. That kind of Spiritual Light, which allows you to solidify a Talent Skill, only has a small chance of appearing during a Great Realm breakthrough. Perhaps my knowledge reserves weren’t deep enough, or maybe I was just unlucky. It’s a shortcoming I won’t be able to make up for anytime soon."

Fang Zhou fell silent, feeling a pang of sympathy as he listened to her words.

He was not unfamiliar with the Talent Skills Liu Diewu was talking about. After all, having cultivated to the Upper Apprentice rank, he was only a single step away from breaking through the bottleneck to the Black Iron rank. So, naturally, he paid close attention to such details regarding breakthroughs. From what he knew, when human Professionals attempted a Great Realm breakthrough, they could enter an extremely rare state: a Burst of Inspiration. In this state, a few exceptionally gifted and lucky Professionals get the chance to solidify one of their mastered instinctual skills, turning it into a personal Talent Skill and engraving it onto their Energy Core. Once a skill becomes a Talent Skill, it is enhanced substantially. The skill’s effectiveness increases dramatically, while its energy consumption is greatly reduced. The skills that a Professional manages to practice to an instinctual level of proficiency are almost always the core, critical skills of their Profession. These skills form the very foundation of a Professional’s combat strength and fighting style. Therefore, for any Professional making a Great Realm breakthrough, solidifying an instinctual skill into a Talent Skill provides an incomparable boost to their overall combat power.

However, such an opportunity was a matter of serendipity, requiring not only a profound reserve of knowledge but also a stroke of good luck.