Chapter 1944: Open Tournament

In his previous life, online chatting and shopping were done entirely remotely. People might chat for a year, calling someone "wife" for ages, only to discover the person on the other end was actually a burly man scratching his feet.

This Heaven-Connecting Jade Token sounds incredibly powerful, seemingly operating on a similar principle. Upon entering, one can conceal their appearance and possess the same strength as everyone else. This effectively masks one's identity, meaning you could chat with someone for a long time without knowing if they are male or female, a master, or an ordinary person.

"This is a good thing," he mused. "Without the burdens of self-interest and reputation, many people can be more uninhibited. Perhaps... this was Master Kong's original intention in creating this item!"

Master Kong believed in education without discrimination, hoping everyone in the world could ascend to greatness. However, given the finite cultivation resources and differences in background, talent, resources, and opportunities, this ideal was impossible to achieve. He established the Master Teacher Pavilion to elevate humanity and impart knowledge to the world, but he likely found that even it had elements of self-interest. He then founded the Kunxu Realm, possibly realizing that true equality remained elusive. It was only then, in the Firmament, that he created the Heaven-Connecting Palace and the Heaven-Connecting Jade Token.

Here, stripped of their original identities and past glories, individuals possess the most equal status and power, which naturally fosters a greater sense of fairness.

With a shift of his consciousness, his appearance indeed changed, becoming much more ordinary. Zhang Xuan then clenched his fist and threw a punch. The Heaven-Connecting Jade Token limited one's power to the Saint Realm's first level. This meant that no matter how powerful someone was in reality, they could only wield this specific level of strength once inside.

After adapting for a moment and finding that this simulated body felt no different from his physical one, Zhang Xuan walked forward. A moment later, a colossal palace appeared before him: Starlight City's Heaven-Connecting Palace!

"Starlight City is a second-tier town, and Xuanjiang City happens to be under its jurisdiction..." Recalling Shan Xiaotian's introduction, Zhang Xuan smiled slightly. "It seems this is still a localized network..."

Only places with a Heaven-Connecting Palace could manage Heaven-Connecting Jade Tokens. Xuanjiang City didn't have one, so even with a token there, one would only be able to enter the higher-tier Starlight City.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, where a bustling crowd moved about. Just as with online chat, despite everyone having different appearances and physiques, their power levels were perfectly equal. Many individuals, separated by vast distances in reality, sat together, discussing cultivation or even conducting business. Inside the token, information was shared freely, and communication speed was significantly boosted, comparable to the information explosion of his previous life.

After a moment of curiosity, remembering that healing was his top priority, Zhang Xuan approached the counter in the Heaven-Connecting Palace and called for a staff member.

"Do you have any healing pills here? I'd like to purchase one."

"What level of medicine are you looking to purchase, young master?" asked the staff member, a young man in a uniform. He was quite handsome, though Zhang Xuan knew this was likely not his true appearance—much like in his past life, where many people used photos of Daniel Wu or the online author "Heng Sao Tian Ya" as their avatars.

"Something that can heal injuries sustained at the Breaking Void Realm!" Zhang Xuan replied.

He had specifically asked Shan Xiaotian on the way here. In the Firmament, the four levels of Ancient Saint also existed and shared the same names. As for higher levels, Shan Xiaotian had no access and thus no knowledge of them.

"We have White Wood Pills and Green Sun Pills!" The young man said, handing over two different pills.

Opening the jade vials, Zhang Xuan examined each pill, unable to help but marvel at Master Kong's ingenuity. Even though he knew this place was virtual, the spiritual energy and medicinal properties of the pills within were perfectly discernible, as if they were real.

"I've never heard of these two pills before. I wonder which one would be more effective for my injuries..." After all, the Firmament and the Master Teacher Continent were two different worlds with distinct pill systems. He had never seen either of these two medicines and wasn't sure of their effects. Just as he was about to inquire further, an idea suddenly struck him, and his fingers instinctively reached out.

"Flaws!" His Soul Oracle could use the Library of Heaven's Path. Could it be used here too?

With a mental command, his mind indeed stirred, and a book immediately materialized. "It works!" He hadn't expected it to actually work. Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and he looked down at the book. Although these pills were merely simulated, the Library seemed capable of adapting to the environment within the Heaven-Connecting Jade Token. It automatically cross-referenced them with real medicines, and in the blink of an eye, it had compiled their flaws and descriptions.

"The White Wood Pill primarily uses White Wood Grass as its main ingredient and is highly beneficial for soul injuries at the Breaking Void Realm..."

"The Green Sun Pill uses the blood of sacred beasts as its raw material and is excellent for physical recovery and True Qi restoration..."

"My physical body and True Qi are injured, but my soul is fine. I'll choose the Green Sun Pill!" Having quickly made his decision, Zhang Xuan informed the staff member.

"The Green Sun Pill costs twenty thousand Heaven-Connecting Coins per pill. How will you be paying, young master? Do you have a Heaven-Connecting Card?"

"Twenty thousand?" He didn't have a single Heaven-Connecting Coin, nor did he know what a Heaven-Connecting Card was. How could he possibly pay? He had been awake for nearly two hours now and understood the purchasing power of Heaven-Connecting Coins. Even if he sold Shan Xiaotian's entire residence, it would only be worth at most five thousand Heaven-Connecting Coins, enough for just a quarter of the pill.

"Looks like I'll have to earn money again..." He rubbed his forehead, a headache beginning to form. On the Master Teacher Continent, he had been wealthier than entire families or even major powers. Now, upon arriving here, he was back to being penniless, a thought that filled him with resignation. Back in Tianxuan Kingdom, to help Zhao Ya and others with their unique constitutions, he had disguised himself as Master Yang, offering guidance and healing. Could it be that he'd have to do the same thing again here in the Firmament? Would he also need to create a new false identity just to earn Heaven-Connecting Coins? Yet, deep down, he was an incredibly low-key person, and what he disliked most was showing off!

Filled with helplessness, he looked up at the staff member. "Excuse me, are there any quick ways to earn money here?"

"Earning money?" Upon hearing this, the staff member realized that the man before him likely couldn't afford the pill. Although his face remained expressionless, the enthusiasm in his eyes had clearly vanished. Requesting a twenty-thousand-coin pill right off the bat, he had assumed he was dealing with a wealthy client, only to discover he was a pauper.

"The quickest way to earn money is by participating in open competitions!" the staff member stated plainly. "The rewards increase with each match. The first match is 100 Heaven-Connecting Coins. If you win and stay on, the second match is 200, the third 400, and so on. In short, as long as you remain undefeated, the prize for the next match will always be double the previous one."

"If you can manage to win eight matches consecutively," the staff member said indifferently, "you should have enough for the pill!"

"But... aren't everyone's cultivation levels the same once they enter the Heaven-Connecting Palace?" Zhang Xuan asked, momentarily stunned. "What exactly are these open competitions?" If all character attributes were identical here, what was the point of competing? Even if they did compete, wouldn't it simply be a 50/50 chance of winning or losing?

"While cultivation and True Qi reserves are the same," the staff member explained with growing impatience, "everyone's understanding of cultivation differs, as do their combat styles and reactions during a fight. Even at the same level and with identical strength, there will still be winners and losers! Typically, the higher one's actual cultivation, the greater their chance of winning. Can an ordinary Saint Realm First Level practitioner truly defeat a Saint Realm First Level controlled by an Ancient Saint expert?"

Noticing how naive the questions were becoming, the staff member's voice carried a hint of impatience.

"Ah..." That's right! Even though their cultivation levels were synchronized, their understanding and awareness of combat were completely different! The higher one's actual cultivation, the deeper their comprehension of combat, making them undeniably stronger at the same synchronized level and giving them a distinct advantage in such competitions.

"Where are these competitions held? I'll sign up right away," Zhang Xuan said, having grasped the concept.

"You can sign up right here," the staff member replied. "However, let me warn you beforehand: the more matches you win, the stronger your opponents will become."

"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded. This was just like games in his previous life: if you were a top-tier player, your opponents, even if not also top-tier, wouldn't be far off. And no matter how strong you were, a "pig teammate" (incompetent ally) could still render you helpless. But... who cared about "kings" or "supremes"? As long as they were at the same synchronized level... no matter how many came, they would all have to bow down! With the Library of Heaven's Path accessible here, no matter how powerful someone was, they held no advantage over him.

"Alright then, please pay the registration fee. It's five hundred Heaven-Connecting Coins per match."

"Five hundred?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrow twitched. "Why is it so expensive?"

"For these battles, the Heaven-Connecting Palace not only provides the venue but also records the footage and broadcasts the fight for everyone to watch," the young man explained. "Each of these services incurs a cost, so naturally, there's a fee!"

"But I... don't have five hundred," Zhang Xuan said, scratching his head. "Can I offer something as collateral? Or... could you lend me some? I'll pay you back double once I win the match..." A single coin could stump even a hero. On the Master Teacher Continent, he was a god-like figure, Master Zhang, revered by countless people. Here, he couldn't even produce five hundred Heaven-Connecting Coins and had to resort to borrowing... If word got out, it would be utterly humiliating.

"If you don't have the funds, then don't participate..." The young man shook his head, no longer bothering to hide the disdain in his eyes. He couldn't even afford five hundred, yet he wanted to buy a twenty-thousand-coin pill and participate in competitions... Where did this ignorant fellow come from? As for borrowing money... they were complete strangers. Everyone here was merely passing through; how could he possibly lend money?

"Then... my Heaven-Connecting Jade Token must be worth more than five hundred Heaven-Connecting Coins, right?" Zhang Xuan said, seeing the contempt in the other man's eyes and feeling utterly helpless. "Surely I can use it as collateral to borrow five hundred?" Since the Heaven-Connecting Jade Tokens were sold by the Heaven-Connecting Palace, they could certainly be mortgaged or even sold.

"That's possible," the young man replied. "However, you must understand that if you lose and cannot repay the loan within three days, the Heaven-Connecting Jade Token you're using will be locked and rendered completely useless!" The Heaven-Connecting Palace could remotely deactivate Heaven-Connecting Jade Tokens, much like a telecom company could cut off your home internet connection.

"Understood!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Seeing his agreement, the young man said no more and quickly processed the request. Before long, a card was handed over to Zhang Xuan. "This is your Heaven-Connecting Card," the young man explained. "It contains the 500 Heaven-Connecting Coins you borrowed. The fee will be automatically deducted when you sign up for a match, and your winnings will be automatically deposited, so there's no need to worry."

Relieved by the convenience, Zhang Xuan put away the card and headed towards the open competition area.