This Is Interesting

If each True Word character were split apart and then recombined.

Then, needless to say, this was the combination Zhou Xu could currently think of with the highest success rate!

Almost the moment he spoke this string of True Words, an invisible force spread out again, causing the thirty-nine skeletons scattered around to emit dense 'crackling' sounds, as if they had been instantly tempered by the True Word's power.

At that moment, the visual change the thirty-nine skeletons brought to Zhou Xu was completely visible to the naked eye.

Before, the skeletons stood there loosely, even crooked and askew, feeling like they could be knocked over or even fall apart with just a bump.

But now it was different; their stances had clearly become more upright.

This change in stance, reflected in the skeletons, indicated an improvement in limb strength and toughness.

At this moment, Zhou Xu understood that the skeletons he had summoned using 'Skeleton Control' before were not considered Skeleton Soldiers at all; those were just ordinary skeletons.

And now, the skeletons summoned using his adjusted and upgraded 'Skeleton Soldier Control' were the true Skeleton Soldiers!

A single change in a True Word character had directly caused this True Word to be upgraded.

However, the Consumption had also increased accordingly.

Regarding this Consumption, Zhou Xu had some awareness; every time he used a True Word, he would feel something being drawn out of him.

This had happened even when he was just using 'Skeleton Control' to summon thirty-nine skeletons.

Now, after transforming the True Word into 'Skeleton Soldier Control' and activating it again, that feeling became much more pronounced, proving the increase in Consumption.

At the same time, these Skeleton Soldiers did not exist permanently until they were destroyed.

In fact, every second these Skeleton Soldiers existed, they continuously consumed his strength, although the continuous Consumption was much more negligible compared to when he used the True Word's power to summon them.

But even this negligible Consumption, over a long period, could not be ignored.

Realizing this, Zhou Xu quickly adjusted his thinking.

[It seems I can't just blindly pursue the number of Skeleton Soldiers; I also need to consider how long my strength can sustain these Skeleton Soldiers in battle. I must find a balance.]

[Thinking from another perspective, if it's just to wear down the opponent frequently in the early stages of combat, then using the more energy-efficient 'Skeleton Control' might not be a bad idea.]

With this thought, Zhou Xu glanced at Zhou Chongshan.

"Chongshan, put the stone axe on the ground."

Receiving the order, Zhou Chongshan didn't waste any words and complied directly.

Seeing the stone axe placed down, Zhou Xu began to try giving orders to one of the Skeleton Soldiers.

"Pick up the stone axe."

Receiving the order, the Skeleton Soldier stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the stone axe.

This scene caused the onlookers from the former Black Moon Tribe to gasp in surprise.

Because in their impression, the Skeleton Soldiers controlled by their former chief were completely unable to use weapons.

Skeletons inherently fear no death; their shortcomings, besides limited inherent toughness and relatively fragile bodies, were their lack of lethal attacks.

But once equipped with a weapon, the lethality of a Skeleton Soldier would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.

After this, Zhou Xu also attempted to have the Skeleton Soldiers form some attack formations.

As expected, after officially upgrading from 'skeleton' to 'Skeleton Soldier,' their execution ability clearly became stronger, feeling as if their intelligence had increased.

However, they could still only display simple formations; more complex formations were, as expected, still beyond their capabilities.

Fortunately, this was enough for Zhou Xu.

[Next, I need to see the combat power of these Skeleton Soldiers.]

With this thought, Zhou Xu directly called out a Warrior from the tribe.

"I want to confirm the individual combat power of these Skeleton Soldiers. You will fight one, but for safety, let's use wooden staffs for the weapons."

If he had chosen Zhou Chongshan, it would have been an overwhelming victory with no room for comparison or insight. Therefore, Zhou Xu specifically picked an ordinary Warrior from the tribe.

Upon hearing that only wooden staffs would be used, the other party naturally wasn't afraid and walked out with a wooden staff.

There was no need for further instruction; the surrounding tribal members naturally formed a circle to watch the spectacle.

Indeed, the way people gather to watch a spectacle is pretty much the same in any era.

Their faces were full of excitement. Thinking about it, in this primitive era with so few forms of entertainment, this was a rare form of amusement for them.

The unexpected crowd made the tribal Warrior's nerves tense up.

If he were to lose, wouldn't that be a huge embarrassment?

With this thought, the tension in his heart made his entire state become even more cautious.

However, Zhou Xu had no intention of prolonging the standoff. He directly signaled the Skeleton Soldier to attack with the wooden staff.

Seeing the Skeleton Soldier actively attack, the tribal Warrior's tension intensified. Facing the attack, he quickly raised his staff to block.

The next second, with a dull 'bang,' the two wooden staffs collided. After a slight pause, the tribal Warrior's heart settled, and he immediately pushed forward with his wooden staff. Relying on sheer strength, he made the Skeleton Soldier stumble, nearly falling to the ground.

Clearly, during the brief exchange, he had realized that the Skeleton Soldier's strength was not great.

Seizing the opportunity when the opponent lost balance, the tribal Warrior did not hesitate. He immediately pursued and, with a sweeping blow, knocked the Skeleton Soldier completely to the ground.

This blow, if it had been against a regular skeleton before, would have likely shattered it. But the Skeleton Soldier's frame was clearly sturdier than that.

Even though it was knocked to the ground, its skeleton remained intact, not hindering its movements in the slightest.

Furthermore, it felt no pain. After being knocked down, it immediately scrambled back to its feet using all four limbs, swinging its wooden club and launching another attack.

However, compared to the Skeleton Soldier, the tribe warrior's physical abilities were undeniably superior across the board.

And the Skeleton Soldier's attack patterns were very monotonous and simple, alternating between swings and thrusts, making them easy to read. Relying on its higher physical strength than a skeleton, it managed to endure several rounds of attacks, but ultimately couldn't escape the fate of being shattered.

To the onlookers, the tribe warrior had won with great ease.

But only Zhou Xu knew that in this duel, the individual Skeleton Soldier's greatest advantage had not been utilized.

After all, a Skeleton Soldier's biggest advantage is that it's fearless of death. This advantage can only be brought into play when equipped with more lethal weapons and fighting desperately against an enemy.

Not to mention, Skeleton Soldiers rarely fight alone; they usually swarm in groups.

Regardless, after this round, Zhou Xu was quite satisfied with the Skeleton Soldier's performance.

It also validated his previous line of thought.

[So, True Words can indeed be combined and used freely! This is quite interesting...]