Bai Xiaochan frowned, biting her quilt as she racked her brain, trying to figure out how to compete with Meng Hongzhuang and the newcomer, Shen Ziwei, for favor.

Meanwhile, the culprit, Fang Zhou, lurked silently in the group chat for a while. Once he saw that Shen Ziwei and the other two assistants had connected with each other, he relaxed and exited the chat, then began browsing the newly opened trading channel on his personal terminal.

According to Fang Zhou's understanding, this online trading channel had only appeared a few years ago. Senior academy students had undertaken various real-world tasks and accumulated a wide range of spoils in the process. Thus, besides the existing military academy recycling channels, they desperately needed a public and fair platform for person-to-person exchanges. After much consideration, the Sea City Military Academy authorities decided to create an exclusive online trading channel for senior students. This decision broke down the traditional barriers to resource exchange, allowing students to upload and browse each other's abundant resources through their personal terminals.

At this moment, a personal terminal projection emitting a faint glow floated in front of Fang Zhou. The resources were meticulously categorized into several sections, such as the "Rare Knowledge Base," "Skills Exchange," "Market," and "Recruitment Board."

In the "Rare Knowledge Base," a sea of knowledge unfolded before Fang Zhou's eyes, filled with ancient spells, rare magic, and various speculative hypotheses and research.

"One Hundred and Eight Ways to Kill Little Inferior Demons."

"Overview of Sea City's Surrounding Spatial Fragments."

"Thirty-Six Common Tactics of Horned Demon Commanders."

Next, Fang Zhou turned his gaze to the "Skills Exchange" area. Here, students not only proposed exchanging and experimenting with the advanced skills they had mastered, but some were even willing to trade incomplete secret manual scrolls acquired during their adventures.

"Seventy-Two Advanced Concepts for the Fireball Skill."

"Variant Deductions of Berserker Golden Body Series Skills."

"Mythical World Secret Manual Blind Box."

The "Market" was a section filled with exotic treasures. All kinds of non-standard weapons, armor, and even rare materials to enhance equipment were on display in a dazzling array. Fang Zhou noticed projections of various tangible items, ranging from homemade alchemical gadgets to well-maintained, refined equipment. Although the quality wasn't particularly high, the quantity was definitely astounding.

He even saw a "Bloodthirsty Giant Sword" made from solidified blood. It was wreathed in everlasting Blood Flame Fire, stirring an uncontrollable sense of disgust and anger within him.

According to the trading channel's introduction, this was a Green Excellent-Quality weapon named "Ancient Beheading Greatsword." It had been discovered by a Black Iron-Tier Flame Mage while exploring a spatial fragment not long ago. Fang Zhou knew very well that the power of this "Ancient Beheading Greatsword" was significantly stronger than the ordinary Green Excellent-Quality weapons mass-produced in the Human Alliance's manufacturing plants.

This was a weapon so precious that even a Bronze-Tier Professional would covet it. For the students of Sea City Military Academy, its rarity and practical effect could hardly be measured in contribution points. Owning such a weapon would make a Combat Professional student all but invincible in future battles.

However, the "Ancient Beheading Greatsword" had not been traded yet because its owner—the Black Iron-Tier Flame Mage—had set very stringent requirements. He required either a Flame Mage-exclusive Magic Staff of the same Green Excellent-quality or a Black Iron-Tier heavenly and earthly treasure with the Flame Attribute. He had no interest in any amount of contribution points or other resources. This requirement was extremely difficult for the other students at Sea City Military Academy to fulfill.

Fang Zhou shook his head, a hint of envy in his eyes. To be honest, he hadn't felt this kind of envy for a long time. In the three months since his Awakening, it had always been the other first-year students envying him. But now, in the trading channel unlocked by his E-level permission, faced with the dazzling array of items from the senior students, Fang Zhou once again felt a long-lost sense of envy and longing.

Reining in his wandering thoughts, Fang Zhou turned to the "Recruitment Board." This board was filled with unusual requests. Senior students even posted here to recruit teammates for exploring the academy's various caves.

"Recruitment for Cave No. 3 (Hunter-Series Profession): I, Zhang Shan, am a third-year student and a Black Iron Lower-Rank Knight. My teammate, Li Shi, is a Black Iron Lower-Rank Mage. We are now recruiting a Hunter-series Professional skilled in reconnaissance and trap-disarming to explore Cave No. 3. (Female candidates preferred.) Exploration rewards will be distributed equally. We can discuss details in person."

"Self-Recommendation for Furnace Fortress Team: I am Wang Wu, a fourth-year student and a Black Iron Upper-Rank Warrior. I have a fully enhanced New Star Warrior Set and have achieved Mastery in all Standard Shield Combat Skills. I am preparing to challenge the Abyss-difficulty, Black Iron Upper-Rank Simulation Battlefield, 'Furnace Fortress.' I'm seeking a suitable team. Interested parties, please DM me. We can exchange skill and equipment information."

"Recruitment for Forest of Nature (Offensive Profession): I am Zhao Liu, the No. 15 seed from the second year and an Apprentice Upper-Rank Priest. Our standard eight-member squad with a Warrior, Mage, and Priest configuration is preparing to explore the newly formed spatial fragment 'Forest of Nature' near Sea City. We are currently recruiting an Apprentice Upper-Rank Professional skilled in offense and crowd control. Looking for one more, join now!"

Fang Zhou watched the various recruitment posts continuously scrolling across the screen, his eyes blinking with yearning. Beyond these main categories, the trading channel had four or five other sections as well.

Suppressing his excitement, Fang Zhou sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed and browsed through the trading channel again. He spent a few contribution points on some top-rated guides in the knowledge exchange area regarding simulation battlefields, academy training, and mission directives. Then, he started browsing the Market. The personal terminal made it easy for him to filter, categorize, and sort these resources.

However, he was soon disappointed to find that despite the dazzling array of goods in the Market, there were no resources exclusively for the Undead Mage Profession. He couldn't even find any general Undead-Attribute resources.

This, however, was within his expectations.

He sighed softly, sat upright before the terminal's projection screen, and opened the Market section again, intending to search for resources that offered soul nourishment and spirit restoration. He opened the search interface and whispered his keywords: "Soul Nourishment, Spirit Restoration."

As the command was given, the terminal's search engine roared to life. Soon, one resource after another slowly rose from the void, arranging themselves in the virtual space before him.

First was the "Tear of the Moon God," a bottle filled with Moonlight Essence. It was said to be dew personally collected by the Moon Worshiping Divine Cat clan on the night of a full moon. It was capable of cleansing the soul of deep-seated negative emotions, leaving one's mind as tranquil as a moonlit lake.

Next, the "Phantom Library" came into view. This was a virtual library composed of countless lights and shadows, collecting all known texts on spiritual enlightenment and mental guidance from across history and the world. Within its halls, one could converse face-to-face with the great thinkers of history, gaining endless wisdom and solace.

Then, the "Soul Resonating Pendulum" appeared. This was an ancient and mysterious Alchemy Magical Artifact. Gently rocking it would emit a distant chime that could penetrate the barriers of time and space. This sound would awaken dormant memories and return the soul to its original state of purity and tranquility.

There was also the "Song of the Dream Weaver Music Box," which contained a melody personally composed by a Dream Weaver. The melody held the power to guide dreams; listening to it allowed one to converse with their inner self in their dreams, to find their true self and heal mental trauma accumulated during the day.

The "Mirror of the Heart" was a seemingly ordinary mirror that possessed endless Magic Power. It could reflect the user's truest emotions and needs, allowing one to achieve spiritual self-redemption and growth through self-reflection.

Additionally, there was the "Star Heart Gemstone," a gemstone containing the Power of the Stars. Wearing it felt as if one could absorb positive energy from the cosmos, recharging the spirit and dispelling all gloom. There was also the "Seed of the Tree of Thought," which, once planted, would grow into a marvelous tree that could connect thoughts and inspire creativity. And finally, the "Hourglass of Time"; when gently shaken, it helped one perceive the flow of time and understand the transient, precious nature of life. Through this, one might gain a rare moment of enlightenment regarding life and time.

Fang Zhou examined these miraculous resources one by one, his heart filled with shock and delight. The terminal's virtual projections were so realistic that he was deeply moved.

Unfortunately, these dozen or so valuable soul-nourishing and spirit-restoring resources were mostly Black Iron-Tier or even Bronze-Tier. For one, the prices set by the sellers were extremely high, and many only accepted barter. This meant he could only trade by offering a specific resource the seller wanted. For another, at his current strength of Apprentice Middle-Rank, he was not yet able to use these treasures and resources, which were relatively High-Tier for him.

Finally, after careful consideration, Fang Zhou opened the exchange interface for the few Apprentice-level resources available. He couldn't help but click his tongue in awe as he reviewed the exchange conditions.

Fang Zhou had considered himself a minor tycoon among Apprentice-level Professionals. Among all his assets, the Purple Rare-quality Soul Marvel, the "Berserker Mark," was naturally the most precious. After that came the Blue Fine-quality "Heroic Spirit Battle Banner," followed by Green Excellent-quality Marvels like the "No. 1 Seed Medal" and the "Space Storage Capsule." At the bottom of the list were White Ordinary-quality equipment and Marvels, such as "Charging Scrolls" and the "New Star Set."

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