The third category was the skeleton soldiers painstakingly crafted by the mages themselves.
These skeleton soldiers, brought into existence through the intricate combination of multiple spells, became the exclusive possessions of the mages.
As undead entities, these skeleton soldiers had the ability to absorb the flesh, blood, and soul energy of their foes, thereby growing in strength.
Moreover, with a mere expenditure of a small amount of maintenance magic power, a mage could effortlessly control these skeleton warriors.
When on the move or during periods when they were not required, the mage had the option to teleport the skeleton soldiers to the undead plane.
Once on the undead plane, these skeleton soldiers would soak up the death - related spiritual energy, continuously augmenting their power.
During combat scenarios, the mage could swiftly summon the skeleton warriors to their side using the summoning incantation.
This particular type of skeleton soldier was the go - to choice for spellcasters who specialized in necromancy spells.
It boasted a high cost - effectiveness ratio. The mage could own it permanently, and it would keep getting stronger over time.
Of course, if there was a suitable location in the vicinity of the mage, there was no compulsion to teleport these skeleton soldiers to the undead plane.
After all, sending skeleton soldiers to the undead plane carried certain risks.
The undead plane was teeming with countless undead creatures, constantly engaged in battles, devouring the bones and soul energy of their adversaries.
When teleporting their summoned skeleton soldiers back to the undead plane, mages had to brace themselves for two possibilities: the skeleton soldiers might either experience a sudden surge in strength or perish.
On some occasions, the skeleton soldier dispatched might be a newly minted Black Iron - rank one.
But upon subsequent summoning, it could have transformed into a seasoned senior Black Iron - rank skeleton warrior.
Naturally, there were instances of both gains and losses.
It was not uncommon for a summoned skeleton soldier to turn out to be a disabled one.
...
The breakthrough process had officially reached its conclusion.
After a short - lived meditation session to recalibrate his state, Kael called up his attribute panel for a thorough examination.
Name: Kael
Bloodline: Human
Rank: 1st Rank Black Iron Mage (1st Stage)
Strength: 5.3
Physique: 5.1
Agility: 5.0
Spiritual Power: 15.3
Magic Power: 153/153
Skill: "The Breath of Darkness Meditation Method"
Zero - level Spells: Bone Tooth, Gray Mist, Touch of Fatigue,Lesser Defense Armor, Lesser Surveillance Eye, Lesser Haste Wind, Heal Minor Wounds, Lesser Shadow Entanglement
Secret Technique: The Seed of the Bone Graveyard
Potential Points: 73.5
Gazing at his rank, Kael could see that he had attained the status of a Black Iron mage.
The Black Iron rank was further segmented into nine stages.
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Stages 1 to 3 were categorized as ordinary, stages 4 to 6 as elite, and stages 7 to 9 as senior.
Once the magic power had accumulated to 1000, one could commence preparations for a breakthrough to the Silver rank.
Nevertheless, for Kael, this was still a distant prospect.
Glancing at his magic power, it stood at only 153.
This increase was attributable to the magic power surge during the breakthrough, which had added over fifty points to his magic power reserve.
This was already quite remarkable, signifying that he had traversed half of the 1st stage of the Black Iron rank.
Capitalizing on the momentum, his next task was to learn and master the spells inscribed in the spell book.
Potential points, engage!
As he delved into the learning process, he immediately noticed the disparity.
In the past, mastering a zero - level spell had required merely two potential points.
However, now, a first - rank spell demanded a full 10 points.
Nonetheless, this was well within Kael's tolerance range.
Currently, he still had over seventy potential points at his disposal, sufficient to learn seven spells.
After careful selection from the spell book, he picked out five spells.
Bloody Bones, Bone Shaping, Soul Reconstruction, Bone Resurrection, Bone Armament, Bone Spike
He also needed to set aside a portion of his potential points to learn life - saving spells at a later time.
Among these six spells, the initial five were essential for creating skeleton warriors, while only the last one was a straightforward offensive spell.
[Bloody Bones]
Spell Effect: The caster casts the spell onto a corpse. The bones of the corpse will absorb the flesh and blood, ultimately integrating the essence of the flesh and blood into the bones.
Casting Time: 5 seconds
Magic Power Consumption: 15 points
Duration: 5 - 10 minutes
[Bone Shaping]
Spell Effect: The caster casts the spell onto the target bones. Under the influence of magic power, the bones will either grow or shrink to a size suitable for a skeleton warrior.
Casting Time: 5 seconds
Magic Power Consumption: 10 - 20 points
Duration: 5 - 10 minutes
[Soul Reconstruction]
Spell Effect: The caster summons the soul of the bones using magic power and infuses it with the basic combat skills of a skeleton warrior. The soul is then stabilized by magic power.
Casting Time: 5 seconds
Magic Power Consumption: 15
Duration: 3 minutes
[Bone Resurrection]
Spell Effect: Through the casting of this spell, the deceased bones are resurrected, transforming them into a Black Iron - rank summoned creature, a skeleton warrior.
Casting Time: 4 seconds
Magic Power Consumption: 20
Duration: Until the target dissipates
[Bone Armament]
Spell Effect: Once the spell is cast, the targeted skeleton warrior will absorb the flesh, blood, bones, and soul energy of other corpses to fashion armor and weapons for itself.
Casting Time: 5 seconds
Magic Power Consumption: 20
Duration: Until the target dissipates
[Bone Spike]
Spell Effect: By casting this spell, a bone spike is unleashed. After a brief pause, it hurtles towards the enemy.
Casting Time: 3 seconds
Magic Power Consumption: 15 - 50
Spell Range: 25 times the spiritual power
Spell Strength: 30 - 100 degrees
It took Kael two full days to successfully master these five spells. The arduous learning process left him feeling thoroughly drained and light - headed.
Yet, his efforts were far from wasted.
His strength had now increased substantially.
Furthermore, this was not the zenith of his current capabilities, as he still had not acquired his summoned skeleton warrior.
However, the present was not the opportune moment.
Having just undergone a breakthrough, Kael needed to return to Blue Star to recuperate.
Simultaneously, he intended to acquire a life - saving spell.
He rose to his feet, summoned the Blue Star beacon without the slightest hesitation, crushed it, and thus returned to Blue Star.
...
Back on Blue Star, Kael retrieved his phone.
Now that he had broken through to the Black Iron rank, he yearned to share his elation with his family.
He scrolled through his contacts and located his mother Bai Xiaolan's number, then tapped to initiate the call.
On the other side, Bai Xiaolan was seated on the assembly line, hard at work.
Even though Kael had given the high - school scholarship to the family, she had not quit her job.
She was still determined to earn more money to support her second and youngest sons to achieve success.
"Ring - a - ding - ding~" The phone's ringtone pierced the air.
"Sister Bai, it's your son on the line. Come and take the call," the assembly - line team leader announced, rising from his position nearby and picking up the phone.
At the workplace where Bai Xiaolan was employed, mobile phones were not permitted to be carried around.
Instead, they were all placed on a table in a designated area.
In the past, the team leader would not have addressed her so courteously.
But ever since learning that Kael had been admitted to Tiannan University, his demeanor had changed significantly.
Bai Xiaolan promptly laid aside the task at hand and took the phone: "Hello, son. What made you decide to call me out of the blue?"
"Hello? Son, why aren't you saying anything? Did something go wrong at school, or are you running short of living expenses?" Bai Xiaolan inquired nervously.
For generations, no one in their family had possessed extraordinary aptitude.
As a result, Bai Xiaolan had no inkling of how many resources were required for cultivation.
Upon hearing these words, the neighboring workers also slowed down their work pace, craning their necks to eavesdrop.
The flames of curiosity within them were burning brightly.
"Mom, I've broken through to a Black Iron mage!"
With this simple proclamation, Bai Xiaolan, who had been feeling a tad uneasy, nearly lost her footing.
Her legs buckled, and she was on the verge of collapsing to the ground.
The team leader, who had been keeping a watchful eye on her, quickly rushed over to offer support and murmured softly, "Sister Bai, what's happened? Hang in there!"
