It was the remnant soul of the Skeleton Mage! He tried to struggle but was held fast by the Soul Box, unable to move a muscle. He wanted to beg for mercy, yet he couldn’t even speak. He was filled with immense resentment and regret, his heart brimming with futile anger. In front of Fang Zhou, he had no right to vent his emotions. He, once a noble and powerful Naraku Undead Mage, was merely an ant before this young man. A slightly stronger ant, and nothing more.

Fang Zhou smiled faintly, took a Sealing Box from his Space Storage Capsule, and remotely placed the Soul Box stone inside. The Naraku Civilization had long since fallen and posed no threat to him. This Soul Box, containing a portion of the Skeleton Mage’s soul, was now Fang Zhou’s trophy!

Fang Zhou had once encountered a remnant Pseudo-Witch Lich soul named Vladimir in a Naraku Civilization tomb within the Forest of Nature. That deranged remnant soul had devoured too much useless soul residue, degenerating into a Soul Sewn Monster. Vladimir had used his last shred of sanity to unleash the Soul Struggle Battlefield in an attempt to possess Fang Zhou, leaving no opportunity for communication. After defeating him, Fang Zhou could only analyze the soul fragments to gather scattered bits of useful information.

But now, things were different. Compared to Vladimir, the remnant Naraku soul, this Skeleton Mage from the tomb in the Fierce Beast Mountain Range still had some capacity for communication. Moreover, Fang Zhou now had his Soul Box under control.

Once I get home and properly interrogate and... condition him, I might be able to get a grandfatherly servant who can answer my questions at any time, Fang Zhou thought. I might even obtain an exceptionally rare Skeleton Mage Summoned Creature!

Appraising the remaining trophies from the main burial chamber proved to be somewhat lackluster. The most eye-catching items were, of course, the Skeleton Mage’s Ice Coffin and the pile of shattered equipment and scrolls. After identification, the carvings on these items had deteriorated with age and were no longer functional.

Perhaps their final brilliance was spent during our battle, Fang Zhou mused, rummaging through the pile with a sigh of regret. These once-powerful pieces of equipment are probably only useful now as a way to analyze the Naraku Civilization’s manufacturing techniques.

After putting away these miscellaneous items, Fang Zhou’s eyes lit up. He spotted a glittering Magic Staff among the scattered bones of the Skeleton Mage. This was the extremely powerful staff the mage had used before. After checking it several times with his Soul Eagle Eye to confirm there were no traps, Fang Zhou picked it up. The attribute panel immediately displayed a notification.

[Fear of Frost Skeleton] (Blue Fine, Weapon): Repairable, relic of the Naraku Civilization. It was once a dazzling rare purple Magic Staff, but has lost much of its power with time. Provides moderate enhancement to Undead Attribute Magic power; moderately reduces mana consumption for casting Undead Attribute Magic; adds a [Frost Aura] state to summoned Undead Creatures, with attacks inflicting Frost Attribute damage and slow effects; contains three Magic Charge Slots, not exceeding Silver Upper Rank.

Looking at the equipment description on the attribute panel, Fang Zhou was ecstatic. This single Blue Fine Frost Skeleton Magic Staff was worth all the effort it took to defeat the Skeleton Mage. Blue Fine quality equipment wasn’t something just any Silver-rank Professional could obtain through strength and luck alone. Moreover, this was a profession-exclusive staff that an Undead Mage could only dream of. Fang Zhou was extremely satisfied with the enhancement to Undead Attribute Magic, the reduction in mana consumption, and the additional Frost Aura for his summoned Undead Creatures. Furthermore, the [Fear of Frost Skeleton] came with three Magic Charge Slots, allowing Fang Zhou to store spells and increase his strategic reserves.

Taking the staff in hand, Fang Zhou examined it carefully. The entire weapon was a deep, ethereal blue, as if it had been forged in the depths of a frigid abyss. Its main body was composed of a slender Frost Skeleton bone, its surface covered with fine, intricate frost patterns. The top of the staff had an inlay slot, which had perhaps once held a spherical object. However, the original inlay had weathered away with the passage of time. The base of the staff was a sharp Ice Cone, its surface veiled by a thin layer of frost.

A flash of inspiration struck Fang Zhou. I wonder if I can inlay the Soul Shattering Magic Ball from Instructor Su Xinyan into the top of this staff as an enhancement?

With this thought, Fang Zhou held the [Soul Shattering Magic Ball] and the [Fear of Frost Skeleton] side-by-side and found that their shapes were an unexpectedly perfect match.

Of course, I’ll probably need to adjust the energy circuits involved in the crafting process.

Fang Zhou made a mental note of the idea, then put away the Soul Shattering Magic Ball, keeping the Fear of Frost Skeleton in his hand. In terms of weaponry, he had now officially received an upgrade.

With the unexpected trophy of the [Fear of Frost Skeleton] in hand, Fang Zhou eagerly continued to sort through the various items scavenged from the main burial chamber. He subsequently discovered several Undead Attribute resources that could be used for inlaying, enhancement, and enchantment. Their original quality might have been very high, but after being ravaged by time, the best among them were now merely Green Excellent Quality.