Chapter 1922: The Open Tournament

In his previous life, online chatting and shopping could be done entirely behind a screen. Often, after chatting for a year and calling someone 'wife' countless times, you wouldn't know that the person on the other end was actually a burly man with stinky feet.

This Divine Communication Jade Talisman sounded powerful, seemingly based on the same principle.

Entering it, one could conceal their appearance, possess the same strength as others, and thus hide their identity. You might chat with someone for a long time without knowing whether they were male or female, a master or an ordinary person.

'This is good too. Without the distractions of fame and profit, many people can let loose more. Perhaps... this was the original purpose of Master Kong when he created this thing!'

Master Kong taught without discrimination, hoping that everyone under heaven could become like dragons. But with fixed cultivation resources, differences in birth, talent, resources, and opportunities made this impossible.

He established the Master Teacher Hall to elevate humanity and spread teachings across the world, only to find that even the Master Teacher Hall had its own功利 (utilitarianism). He created the Kunxu Realm, only to discover that no one could achieve true equality. That was why, in the Upper Firmament, he created the Divine Communication Hall and things like the Divine Communication Jade Talisman!

Here, losing one's original identity and past glory, possessing the most equal identity and power, naturally brought relative fairness.

With a thought, his appearance indeed changed, becoming more ordinary. Zhang Xuan then clenched his fist and threw a punch.

The power stipulated by the Divine Communication Jade Talisman was Saint Realm Level 1.

In other words, once inside, no matter how strong you were, you could only exert this level of power.

After adapting for a while, feeling that this body was not much different from his physical one, Zhang Xuan walked forward. Soon, a massive palace appeared before him.

Starlight City, Divine Communication Hall!

'Starlight City is a second-rate town, and Xuanjiang City is under its jurisdiction...'

Recalling Shan Xiaotian's introduction, Zhang Xuan smiled slightly. 'It seems this is still a local area network...'

Only places with a Divine Communication Hall could manage Divine Communication Jade Talismans. Xuanjiang City didn't have one, so even if someone had a talisman, they could only enter the higher-level Starlight City.

Pushing open the door, he walked in. The crowd was bustling.

Sure enough, just like online chatting, although everyone had different appearances and body types, their power was exactly equal.

Many people, though physically far apart, sat together discussing cultivation or even conducting business.

Entering the jade talisman, information was shared, and communication speed increased, almost matching the information explosion of his previous life.

After being curious for a while, knowing that healing was the top priority, Zhang Xuan went to the counter of the Divine Communication Hall and called for service staff.

'Do you have any healing pills here? I want to buy one.'

'May I ask, sir, what level of medicine you wish to purchase?' The service staff was a young man in a uniform, quite handsome. Of course, this was probably not his real appearance, just like in his previous life, many people liked to use photos of Wu Yanzu or a web novelist named Sweeping the Horizon as their avatars.

'One that can heal injuries at the Void Shattering realm,' Zhang Xuan said.

He had specifically asked Shan Xiaotian on the way. In the Upper Firmament, the four levels of Ancient Sage also existed, with the same names. As for higher levels, he had no access to them and thus didn't know.

'We have White Wood Pill and Green Yang Pill.'

The young man handed over the two pills.

Opening the jade bottles, Zhang Xuan glanced at each and couldn't help but admire Master Kong's ability.

Even knowing this was an illusion, the spiritual energy and medicinal power of the pills were clearly visible, as if they were real.

'I've never heard of these two pills before. I don't know which one would be more effective for my injuries...'

The Upper Firmament and the Master Teacher Continent were two different worlds, with different pill systems. He had never seen either of these pills and didn't know their effects. Just as he was about to ask in detail, a thought struck him, and he couldn't help but touch them.

'Flaw!'

The Soul of Wu could use the Library. Could it be used here?

Buzz!

With a thought, he felt a stir in his mind, and a book appeared.

'Indeed...'

He hadn't expected it to work. Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up as he looked down.

Although these pills were fake, the Library seemed to adapt to the environment of the Divine Communication Jade Talisman, automatically bringing in the real pills. In an instant, it recorded the flaws and descriptions of the pills.

'White Wood Pill, with White Wood Grass as the main ingredient, greatly helps with soul injuries at the Void Shattering realm...'

'Green Yang Pill, made from sacred beast blood, has excellent effects on physical recovery and true qi recovery...'

'My injuries are to the body and true qi; my soul is fine. I'll choose the Green Yang Pill!'

Making a quick decision, Zhang Xuan informed the service staff.

'Green Yang Pill, twenty thousand Divine Communication Coins each. How would you like to pay, sir? Do you have a Divine Communication Card?'

The service staff smiled politely.

'Twenty thousand?'

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows jumped.

He didn't have a single Divine Communication Coin, and he didn't know what a Divine Communication Card was. How could he pay?

Having been awake for nearly two hours, he knew the purchasing power of Divine Communication Coins. The mansion where Shan Xiaotian currently lived, if sold entirely, would be worth at most five thousand Divine Communication Coins, only a quarter of this pill's price.

'I need to earn money again...'

Rubbing his forehead, he felt a headache coming.

Back on the Master Teacher Continent, his wealth surpassed that of entire families or forces. Here, he was as poor as before. Just thinking about it was frustrating.

Back in Tianxuan Kingdom, to solve the constitution problems of Zhao Ya and others, he had disguised himself as Teacher Yang, giving advice and treating illnesses. Was he going to do the same in the Upper Firmament?

Would he have to fake a new identity to earn Divine Communication Coins?

But deep down, he was a very low-key person who hated showing off the most!

Full of helplessness, he looked up at the service staff. 'Excuse me, is there any way to earn money quickly here?'

'Earn money?'

Hearing this, the service staff realized that the person before him probably couldn't afford the pill. Although his face showed no abnormality, his eyes lost their earlier enthusiasm.

Asking for a twenty-thousand-coin pill at the outset, he had thought this was a big spender, but it turned out he was a pauper.

'The fastest way to earn money is to participate in the Open Tournament! The rewards stack per match: the first match pays 100 Divine Communication Coins. If you win and don't leave the stage, the second match pays 200, the third 400. In short, as long as you remain undefeated, each subsequent match pays double the previous one.'

The service staff said flatly. 'If you can stay undefeated for eight matches, you should be able to afford the pill.'

'This... Isn't everyone's cultivation the same inside the Divine Communication Hall? What is the Open Tournament?' Zhang Xuan was stunned.

If everyone's attributes were the same, what was the point of competing?

Even if they did compete, wouldn't the win-loss ratio be about fifty-fifty?

'Cultivation is the same, and true qi quantity is the same, but... everyone's understanding of cultivation is different, their fighting styles are different, and their reactions in battle are different. With the same level and same strength, winners and losers can still be determined! Usually, the higher one's actual cultivation, the greater the chance of winning. Can an ordinary Saint Realm Level 1 defeat a Saint Realm Level 1 controlled by an Ancient Sage?'

Seeing that the other person's questions were becoming more and more novice-like, the service staff's tone showed some impatience.

'This...'

Zhang Xuan was stunned.

That's right!

Although cultivation was the same, understanding and awareness of combat were completely different!

The higher one's cultivation, the higher their combat understanding. At the same level, they would definitely be stronger, giving them an advantage in such competitions.

'Where is the competition? I want to sign up now...' Understanding this, Zhang Xuan said.

'You can sign up here. But let me warn you in advance: the number of wins determines your opponent. If you have many wins, your opponent will too.'

Seeing that the other person knew nothing, the service staff reminded him.

'Mm,' Zhang Xuan nodded.

This was like games in his previous life. If you were a king, even if your match wasn't a king, it would be close. If you got a bad teammate, no matter how strong you were, there was nothing you could do.

But... no matter what king or supreme, as long as it was the same level... no matter how many came, they would all kneel!

The Library could be used here. No matter how strong the person, they had no advantage over him.

'Alright, pay the registration fee. Five hundred Divine Communication Coins per match.'

The service staff said.

'Five hundred?' Zhang Xuan's eyebrows jumped. 'Why so expensive?'

'For such competitions, the Divine Communication Hall not only provides the venue but also records the footage and broadcasts the battle for everyone to watch... Each of these costs money, so naturally, there is a fee,' the young man said.

'But... I don't have five hundred. Can I offer some collateral? Or... could you lend me some? I'll pay you back double after I win the match...' Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

A single coin can stump a hero.

On the Master Teacher Continent, he was a god-like figure, revered by countless people as Teacher Zhang. Here, he couldn't even produce five hundred Divine Communication Coins and had to borrow... If word got out, it would be too embarrassing.

'If you don't have it, don't participate...' The young man shook his head, unable to hide the contempt in his eyes.

He couldn't even come up with five hundred, yet he wanted to buy a twenty-thousand-coin pill and compete... Where did this ignorant fellow come from?

As for borrowing money... They didn't even know each other. Here, everyone was just passing by. How could that be possible!

'Then... my Divine Communication Jade Talisman must be worth more than five hundred Divine Communication Coins, right? I'll use it as collateral to borrow five hundred. That should be fine...' Seeing the other's disdain, Zhang Xuan said helplessly.

Since the Divine Communication Jade Talisman was sold by the Divine Communication Hall, it could certainly be used as collateral or sold.

'That's possible. But you should know that if you lose and can't repay within three days, your Divine Communication Jade Talisman will be sealed and become completely useless,' the young man said.

The Divine Communication Hall could remotely seal the use of Divine Communication Jade Talismans, just like a telecom company could cut off your home internet.

'Mm,' Zhang Xuan nodded.

Seeing his agreement, the young man said no more and quickly processed the matter. After a while, he handed over a card.

'This is your Divine Communication Card, with the 500 Divine Communication Coins you borrowed. When you sign up for the competition, the fee will be automatically deducted. If you win, the reward will be automatically deposited into it. No need to worry.'

Seeing how convenient it was, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, put away the card, and walked toward the direction of the Open Tournament.