Spirit Hall Academy truly lived up to its reputation as the top academy on the entire continent. Its educational resources left Heding City Academy in the dust by dozens of miles.
For example, in Soul Beast class, when a teacher wanted the students to learn about a Soul Beast in depth, they didn't just read from a textbook. They had a groundskeeper catch one and brought it in so the students could observe it up close while the teacher gave a lesson on the spot.
In practical Soul Skill classes, the academy would invite a groundskeeper with the same Soul Skill as you to share their insights into it, along with their battle experience.
What's more, the academy had a truly formidable faculty.
No matter how badly Zhang Yang was hurt in unarmed combat class, a healing-type Soul King could toss out a Soul Skill and have him bouncing around again before class ended.
He'd never had that kind of treatment at Heding City Academy.
Studying in an environment like this, Zhang Yang felt his progress was lightning-fast.
And as for cultivation, Zhang Yang naturally hadn't slacked off either.
Since he'd been moved to a single dorm room and inspections were rare, he could finally put in more time cultivating.
What's more, after obtaining a Soul Ring, Zhang Yang's strength had improved enormously.
After all, Zhang Yang hadn't even turned off Auto-Aim. What could anyone else say? They'd just let him have it.
With his kills coming faster, he had more time to search for loot, and the Season Mission was easier to complete too.
At only level 17, Zhang Yang had already completed the second season's 3*3 mission.
Come to think of it, the 3*3 mission this season wasn't much different. They'd merely changed the targets for the elimination tasks.
The targets had gone from Soul Masters of the Upper Three Sects to noble Soul Masters of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom, while the boss had changed from an academy dean to a city lord.
Nothing new there.
The Collector didn't hold up his progress much this time, either. The gold bars and champagne were unchanged, while the other three one-slot red items had become a "fossil," a "graphics card," and a "Golden Gazelle."
"Red, Tusk Fossil"
"Value: 350040"
"Art Collectible"
"0.93 kg, 1*2 slots"
"A fossilized animal tusk. Even the erosion of time can't conceal its deadly nature."
"Special effect of red collectibles: Slightly enhances the penetration of M14 attacks."
"Red, Graphics Card"
"Value: 335213"
"Electronic Item"
"1.43 kg, 1*2 slots"
"A piece of computer hardware specially designed to process graphics data. It accelerates the processing of graphics and images, including 3D rendering, video decoding, and display output."
"Special effect of red collectibles: Enhances the ability to gather and process visual information."
"Red, Golden Gazelle"
"Value: 350040"
"Art Collectible"
"2.9 kg, 2*2 slots"
"An exquisite ancient work of art, showcasing its collector's taste and considerable wealth. It has immense collectible value and room for appreciation."
"Special effect of red collectibles: Increases the value of art collectibles."
"Extraction successful."
"Extraction point: Haagen-Dazs City—Classified"
"Duration: 01:00:35"
"Loot from this match: 2329853"
"Total kills: 18"
Back in the real world, a pale blue light screen appeared.
22>>>23
200EXP↑
17932/42000
After closing the experience page, Zhang Yang opened the [Season Mission] page and entered the [Action Plan] page.
"[Action Plan 1: First Place]"
"Mission Briefing: Resources are the foundation of every operation. Even an enormous organization like Spirit Hall faces astronomical daily operating expenses."
"※ In any operation, accumulate earnings of >500000000 Haf Coins. (500000000/500000000)"
"Mission Reward: [Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Card] *1"
"[Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Card]: Use to obtain a 3*3 secure case. Only usable at your current level; expires when your level increases."
He selected [Claim Reward].
A new mission unlocked.
"[Action Plan 2: Head-on Strike]"
"Mission Briefing: Last season, the noble Soul Masters of the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom suffered heavy losses. The royal family refused to back down and spent a fortune hiring many Soul Masters to reinforce the capital."
"※※ In any operation, eliminate a total of 999 enemy Soul Masters. (0/999)"
"Mission Reward: [Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Card] *1"
After claiming the reward, Zhang Yang went to the [Storage] page again.
[Storage] page.
On the left was Zhang Yang's character model, wearing a Spirit Hall Academy uniform and holding Lord M14, with two Yellow Soul Rings at his feet and the childish innocence still on his face.
In the middle was Zhang Yang's backpack page: a 20-slot chest rig and a 40-slot large backpack, both packed to the brim with loot from that match.
On the right was Zhang Yang's storage.
In the top-left corner of the storage sat a special 2*2 collectible: [Current-Season 3*3 Secure Case Usage Voucher].
It was something Zhang Yang hadn't had the heart to use during the first season and had kept ever since.
At this point, it could certainly be called a Relic.
Zhang Yang instinctively dragged the chest rig and backpack into storage as a whole, then hit sort and scrolled down.
He scrolled through the storage until he found the [Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Card] and selected Use.
The 3*3 icon on the page then changed from an exquisite Soul Tool Ring into a square box.
Two imposing black dragons with five claws were engraved on the box.
Then Zhang Yang froze.
"Two dragons? Why are there two dragons?"
Zhang Yang's mouth fell open, his face full of disbelief.
Two dragons.
Two dragons engraved on the box.
What did that mean?
It meant this was the second season's secure case.
The first season's secure case had one dragon, and the second season's had two. By rights, the third season's should have had three dragons.
"How could this happen?" Zhang Yang clutched his hair, unable to make sense of it.
Zhang Yang did have two [Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Cards] from the second season. He'd had them left over because he'd completed the second season's 3*3 mission so quickly.
But that was exactly the problem. How could an Experience Card from last season still be usable this season?
Zhang Yang couldn't figure it out. The question nearly made his brain crash.
No. Zhang Yang refused to let himself stay confused like this.
He hurriedly searched through storage and soon found the two [Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Cards].
One was a Relic from the second season, and the other was the third season's Experience Card he'd just received.
Zhang Yang carefully compared the icons on the two Experience Cards.
The icon showed a black card with a square box on it, its surface engraved with several winding dragons.
Looking closely, one card had two dragons engraved on it, while the other had three.
That was the only difference between the icons.
Then Zhang Yang tapped on each card's description in turn, comparing them word for word.
"[Current-Level 3*3 Secure Case Experience Card]: Use to obtain a 3*3 secure case. Only usable at your current level; expires when your level increases."
They were identical.
The icons were different, but the descriptions were the same. The Experience Card from last season could still be used this season...
Zhang Yang's eyes suddenly widened. It was as if a laser had shot through his brain, and he understood at once.
He opened the Experience Card's description again and read it word for word. "Use to obtain... only usable at your current level; expires when your level increases.
"...It doesn't say it's only usable during the current season. There's no restriction on which season you can use it in..."
Zhang Yang slapped his forehead. "Ah, I jumped to conclusions. So the system never restricted it..."
He suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence. It was as if a nuclear bomb had exploded; his brain went "boom" and blew apart in an instant.
Zhang Yang immediately returned to the top of storage and found the [Current-Season 3*3 Secure Case Usage Voucher] in the upper-left corner.
That [Usage Voucher] had been sitting in storage for ten months.
All this time, Zhang Yang had simply left it there without ever checking what it did.
The [Usage Voucher] icon looked very similar to the [Experience Card] icon. The only difference was that the dragon engraved on the box was gold.
A square box with a winding, five-clawed golden dragon carved on it. That was what the first season's 3*3 secure case looked like.
Zhang Yang opened the item description and read it word for word. "Use to obtain a 3*3 secure case. Only usable during the current season; expires when the season ends..."
The item description likewise didn't mention that it was only usable during the current season.
It had no restriction on which season he could use it in, either.
Zhang Yang closed the system, raised his head to the sky, and was too speechless to say a word.
After a long silence, Zhang Yang selected the Relic and chose Use.
The icon for the secure case in the middle of the page changed again.
A square box, with a five-clawed golden dragon winding across its surface.
The bottom-right corner showed the usage period: [Current season only].
System: Say what?
Zhang Yang spread his arms wide. "OK, brothers, eyes on me, all of you! Look at me, look at me. I have an announcement: I'm a dumbass! No question about it."
And so, in the midst of these complicated emotions, Paratrooper No. 1, Zhang Yang, spent the most unforgettable day of his life on Douluo Continent.
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