"I can divide territories?"
Ning Zhu was pleasantly surprised, and following the same method, he opened up another isolated area.
This was great; both Baby Skeleton and Snow White Skeleton now had their own activity zones.
As for how to throw them in... it was simple!
While in the Divine Temple, Ning Zhu couldn't directly command the Skeleton Soldier.
However, the teleportation array could be used. By selecting a specific undead unit and then choosing an area within his line of sight, he could achieve spatial movement.
"Abba abba..."
Baby Skeleton lay sprawled in the pitted, uneven Isolated Land No. 2, dumbfounded.
Perhaps it sensed that the terrifying predator had moved away from its side.
It wasn't as scared anymore. It bit the rib in its mouth, resuming its usual habit of smacking its lips from yesterday, looking as dazed as a clumsy little dog.
"Clang!"
In Isolated Land No. 1, Snow White Skeleton jumped up in fright.
It dropped the Little Old Man Skeleton's skull, which it hadn't fully absorbed yet.
It scurried into cover, found a random corner to squeeze into, curled its body, and did its best to conceal any trace of its existence.
"So scared?" Ning Zhu was surprised.
This was his first powerful unit; it couldn't fail him at a critical moment.
Just in case, he decided to summon it once to eliminate any potential risks.
"Minion, come out!"
Inside the room, a circular summoning array quickly materialized.
In Ning Zhu's soul fire, there seemed to be an invisible thread, one end tied to himself and the other extending into the Skeletal Divine Court.
"Abba..."
The one-armed Snow White Skeleton suddenly appeared in Ning Zhu's room, its tender green soul fire burning brightly.
It tried its best to remain calm, turning its skull, cautiously observing the unfamiliar environment.
When it saw Ning Zhu, it actually fell to its knees with a thud, prostrating itself in worship.
"Starting with imperial treatment? This is too grand, quickly get up..."
Ning Zhu feigned modesty, but his jawbone was practically splitting from his grin.
—It works!
The Skeletal Divine Court truly doesn't deceive me!
Summoning reserved undead units from the Divine Temple indeed only consumed half the mental energy!
Moreover, this was a special entity, in some ways similar to a Necromancy Apprentice—both are extremely rare low-level undead with promising future potential!
"It's decided, I'll call you Da Gu!"
"Bah, it's 'Da Gu'!"
"Don't worry, I won't boil you into soup. Follow me and work hard, and I'll at least give you a Skeleton General position!"
"Abba?" =͟͟͞͞(꒪⌓꒪*)
'Da Gu,' having received its name, tilted its head, its soul fire visibly bewildered.
Although its spiritual wisdom was just beginning to sprout.
It still couldn't understand Ning Zhu's complex "soul whispers" in his demon body state.
However, it remembered the pronunciation 'Da Gu'.
When its jawbone opened and closed, even if it could only produce "abba abba" with different tones, it practiced diligently.
"Keep it up! Strive to become my right-hand man!"
"Now—go home first, your BOSS is going to school!"
Ning Zhu snapped his fingers, the circular array closed, and Snow White Skeleton vanished before him.
Time was limited in the morning, so there was no time for a series of in-depth tests.
Confirming that the powerful unit could be summoned and was willing to obey commands was enough.
"Whoosh—"
In Isolated Land No. 1 of the Skeletal Divine Court, Da Gu returned.
It stood in place for a moment, trying to understand what had just happened.
But it had no clue and could only cautiously explore the new environment.
After a short while, it picked up the Little Old Man Skeleton's skull again, absorbed the remaining soul fire within, and its emotions slowly stabilized.
...
In the washroom.
Ning Zhu, having returned to his human form, took a shower, changed into a clean set of clothes, and then stood in front of the full-length mirror to tidy his attire.
The young man in the mirror had ice-gray short hair, two crescent-shaped eyebrows, and delicate, gentle features, like a refined young master straight out of an anime. The more one looked, the more appealing he became.
The only two minor imperfections were his fair and tender skin, which leaned towards handsomeness but lacked masculinity, and his height of 1.7 meters, which was slightly short.
However, considering his age of just over sixteen, with plenty of room for development, these weren't considered major flaws.
Ning Zhu's lips curved into a confident smile.
By the standards of his previous life, this was undoubtedly a handsome model; earning a living with his looks would be effortless.
But this was another world.
As the core of the transcendent system, a Magus's true body would be influenced by the demon body, indirectly gaining some characteristic enhancements.
Heterochromatic pupils, heterochromatic hair, heterochromatic skin... and then donning one or two uniquely designed otherworldly outfits, top-tier handsome men and beautiful women were actually abundant.
The current Ning Zhu, if thrown into a crowd without any famous deeds to his name, would still be an unremarkable nobody.
"Developing discreetly, that's good."
Ning Zhu chuckled to himself in the mirror, fastened his waist pouch, and leisurely pushed open the main door.
"Creak—"
It was now 7:15 AM, and brilliant sunlight streamed in through the windows in the corridor.
Ning Zhu's smiling expression suddenly froze, and like an electric shock, he scurried back into his home in a hurry.
"Body, hands, keys, money..."
"There's no phone here, but I need to bring one more thing..."
Ning Zhu squatted on the ground, rummaging through boxes and cabinets.
After three minutes, he found a light yellow bamboo umbrella with a "Cloud" character carved into its handle. The umbrella fabric was slightly soiled, suggesting it was an old item.
"I'll make do with it."
Holding the bamboo umbrella, Ning Zhu pushed open the main door again and took his confident first step.
This time, no brilliant sunlight shone directly on his face, and naturally, there was no burning sensation on his skin, constantly eroding his flesh and soul.
"Just possessing an undead Magic Coffin gives me a tendency to be afraid of light."
"Sealing the 'Necromancy Apprentice' indeed made it vulnerable to light. Light-elemental monsters are now my number one natural enemy. I wonder if I can overcome this weakness after my demon body evolves..."
Ning Zhu mused as he quickened his pace.
"Ning, dear, haven't seen you in days. Did you succeed in sealing the corpse?"
"Grandma says, there are many people who can't embark on the path of cultivation."
"If it really doesn't work, don't force it. Living a busy life as an ordinary person isn't necessarily a bad thing..."
On his way down the stairs, Ning Zhu ran into several grandfathers and grandmothers sitting at their doors shelling peas. All had white hair and kind, amiable smiles.
Seeing Ning Zhu, they gathered around, asking after him with concern in their words.
"Grandpa Qiu, Grandma Zhang... I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"As for the demon body... it's already formed. I'm just about to report to the Mirage Tower."
"What? You succeeded!"
The grandfathers and grandmothers were astonished, clapping their hands and beaming with joy:
"That's wonderful! Ning has worked so hard all these years, the heavens finally didn't let him down!"
"Ning is finally going to the Mirage Tower! That's the top academy in Mangcao City. He's destined to break out of his cocoon and become a dragon among men!"
"Alright, go on now, and remember to come back and visit us occasionally. Grandma will make you bug-meat dumplings then, you'll definitely like them..."