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**Undead**—as the name suggests—are creatures born of death, embodying its continuation. Their existence is rooted in soul fragments. When intelligent beings die, their souls pass into the Undead World. Most souls shatter, but a small number remain intact.
These intact or fragmented souls gradually absorb energy under the laws of the Undead World. Once they gather enough energy, they transform into undead. The strength of the undead depends on the quality of the soul and the amount of energy accumulated.
Undead creatures grow stronger by battling one another. They absorb the soul fragments and energy released when others perish, achieving qualitative leaps in power through this process.
Chen Lin, however, was progressing at an extraordinary pace. Thanks to the Soul Art he practiced, his soul flame allowed him to devour ghosts far more efficiently—over ten times faster than usual. His strength had now reached the advanced level of the second tier. His current soul strength surpassed that of most skeleton warriors around him.
Having outgrown ghosts as his primary prey, Chen Lin turned his attention to skeletons. Yet, unlike ghosts, he couldn't simply devour them. Instead, he had to attack their soul fires directly, a more challenging and dangerous task. Following the principle of picking the weakest targets, he sought out newly born skeletons.
Upon finding one, Chen Lin launched a soul fire attack through its skull. However, he quickly discovered that devouring skeletons wasn't as easy as he had imagined. Unlike ghosts, skeletons had developed defenses and resistance. Though he eventually refined the little skeleton, its soul fire put up a fierce struggle, leaving Chen Lin's own soul somewhat weakened.
Repeated encounters with other weak skeletons yielded more soul fragments, but the energy cost outweighed the gains. Realizing this, Chen Lin decided to temporarily stop targeting skeleton warriors. He thought to himself, *"If only I had a body... It seems I must act quickly to acquire one."*
Through careful observation, Chen Lin determined that his soul power was now strong enough to possess and control a body. However, restricted by the laws of the Undead World, he couldn't create a body of his own. So, he decided to take over someone else's.
Chen Lin began his journey of body-snatching.
His first attempt ended in disaster as he killed his target instantly.
In his second, he held back too much, was gravely injured, and lashed out in frustration, killing his target.
By the third attempt, while successful in taking control, his clumsy manipulation left the body permanently disabled.
...
On his **537th attempt**, the body exploded. Another failure.
...
By the **1034th attempt**, he managed to walk a few steps, only to fall flat on his face. Another failure.
...
Finally, after countless tries, Chen Lin succeeded. He took over a skeleton body and "evolved" into a skeleton warrior.
Though he wobbled like a toddler and fell frequently, Chen Lin celebrated his success. But his joy was short-lived. Lacking full control over his new body, he was nearly killed by nearby skeletons mistaking him for a weak "newcomer." Only by releasing his powerful soul energy did he escape the beatdown.
Through continuous practice, Chen Lin eventually mastered control over his body. The next step was to refine and temper it. Refining was straightforward; his soul power merged with the skeleton, granting him complete control. Tempering, however, was more complex. It required using soul power to infuse and strengthen the bones, making them more resilient with the ambient energy of the Undead World.
Tempering his skeleton consumed immense mental energy, so Chen Lin alternated between training and fighting weaker skeletons to restore his strength. Over time, his relentless efforts bore fruit. After seventeen tides of the Undead—a recurring phenomenon used as a time marker—his skeleton body had hardened into a jade-white form. Its surface gleamed with a metallic luster, and faint energy coursed beneath the bones. Chen Lin had reached third-level advanced strength, nearing the threshold of mid-level undead.
The Undead World, though vast and desolate, followed a natural hierarchy. Stronger undead gravitated to areas with denser energy, while weaker ones clustered together. However, Chen Lin stood out in his region—a jade-white skeleton warrior wielding a bone blade, mercilessly slaughtering others. With no rivals in sight, he claimed dominance over his domain.
Yet, his victories brought little satisfaction.
*"Being king here is meaningless,"* he thought. *"I gain nothing from defeating these weaklings. I'm just bullying them."*
Boredom crept in, and Chen Lin decided to leave in search of adventure. Despite the desolation, the Undead World was vast and full of mysteries. He mused, *"If I can be reborn as a skeleton, who knows what other wonders are out there? This time, I'll make a name for myself."*
But before venturing out, Chen Lin knew he needed followers. Scanning the undead around him, he resolved: *"I must recruit some reliable underlings."*
And so, his journey as an overlord began.