Upon hearing the prompt, Chen Chuan refused directly. "That won’t be necessary."

The voice faded away.

He first washed his face, then began to organize his things.

About fifteen minutes later, a voice from the Realm Token notified him that the purchasing agent would arrive downstairs in ten minutes. It asked if he needed campus security to bring the delivery to his door, adding that a fee would be deducted for the service.

He didn’t try to save the money and confirmed that he needed the service.

A little over fifteen minutes later, a notification chimed. He went to the door, took a box from the security guard, thanked him, and closed the door before returning to his room.

He placed the box on the table and opened it. Unlike the box from Old Qi, this one contained no ice packs. Instead, a sealed bag was buried deep within thick cushioning.

He took out the item and removed the packaging. It was a nearly transparent eye mask. Upon closer inspection, he could see what looked like tiny, tube-like veins inside it. Thin, bone-like tubes extended from the back, designed to wrap around the head and face, forming a bone clasp at the nape of his neck.

Without close inspection, you would hardly notice it when worn; it could easily be mistaken for an ornament. Despite its delicate appearance, it was incredibly tough. And since it was made of a biological material, if it got damaged, it could self-repair by being soaked in a compatible nutrient solution.

This one was worth 3,520 Jianyuan Coins, but some models cost over ten thousand yuan, or even more. The best were custom-made. This price was considered relatively cheap and affordable for a generic model, though it included a sizable purchasing agent fee.

He took off his Bone Mask and put on the new device. He felt the fibrous, bone-like tubes extend on their own, settling around the shells of his ears and clasping shut at his neck.

The moment he tapped it, he realized how different it was. The flickering lights and shadows outside the building became sharper and more vivid. Functionally, he no longer needed to use a Boundary Point to contact people or add them to his list, and he could also look up various interfaces and services.

The biggest difference from the Bone Mask was its ability to display visuals. A screen of light formed about half a foot to a foot in front of him, which he could navigate and interact with using his fingers and voice. He could also filter out unwanted visual noise and light pollution.

He now understood that the old Bone Mask model indiscriminately fed him all surrounding information at once. Anyone else who wasn’t used to it would have become dizzy and nauseous. ’Though there’s no accounting for taste,’ he thought.

He then looked at his contact interface. He currently had two contacts. Old Qi’s profile picture was a cool-looking man in fingerless gloves, brandishing a short blade. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Tan Zhi’s, however, was completely different: the image of a classical scholar in ancient robes, complete with a silk turban and a feather fan, which he gently waved. The sound of flowing water and a zither accompanied the image.

Aside from his contacts, there was a message from half an hour ago, followed by a feedback request from the delivery company.

Chen Chuan tapped the "Good" option, then swiped the notification away. He began looking up other information, first reviewing the essential information for new students. After a moment’s thought, he searched for "Biological Domain Interaction and Linking Technology."

This time, the results appeared almost instantly.

Biological Domain Technology first emerged seventy years ago. It is based on a massive, mimetic biological collective. Through transfer nodes and biological contact points, the Biological Domains of individuals are merged and integrated into the overarching Domain link.

It is a vast biological collective that spans the entire Central City. Each Boundary Point acts as one of its neural tendrils, through which individuals can strengthen their connection. The Realm Token is the port that interfaces directly with the human body, allowing the Domain to identify and confirm each individual, thus enabling mutual expression and information exchange with the Domain.

The Consciousness Body is the Central Hub responsible for processing this vast amount of information. It is divided into active and non-active Consciousness Bodies. Non-active ones are spread throughout the city, helping process the countless daily streams of information, but they are rigid and inflexible, incapable of any response beyond their programmed permissions.

Central City’s Consciousness Body, "Pusuo," is an active one. It is directly accountable to government and public departments, and it autonomously makes optimal decisions based on external circumstances. It possesses an immense physical form, something between a plant and an animal, and is kept under heavy guard by government security forces.

The various corporations in Central City each have their own independent, active biological Consciousness Body serving them, and each has its own codename. Wuyi’s "Hong Fu," for example, is one such entity.

Her physical form is buried deep within "Yan Zhou," located beneath the Profound Palace, but her tendrils reach every corner of Wuyi. She can defend against intrusions from other biological consciousnesses and launch offensive attacks if necessary.

She can disconnect from the Fumu at any time to form an independent Biological Domain entity, thereby maintaining service for Wuyi personnel. In fact, for daily internal use, Wuyi does not connect through the Fumu.

This was the extent of the general, public-facing information on the interface. It didn’t provide specific details on how these things and this technology actually developed, or what the process entailed.

Further queries required a higher security clearance.

Then again, most people probably had no interest in knowing anyway, as it was all far too removed from their daily lives. The majority just wanted to enjoy the convenience this technology brought, not question its origins.

Interestingly, even with such advanced technology, the Upper Layer still placed great importance on Fighters. Wuyi Academy itself was located in Central City’s second-largest district, occupying an entire area of its own, surrounded by National Enterprises and corporations with which it had close ties.

Seeing he couldn’t find any more information, Chen Chuan swiped away a pop-up ad and began browsing news from Central City. Most of the reports were about violent incidents in the Lower City District.

The Lower City District was just a general term, not a single, distinct area. Its residents were mostly people without official citizenship or only temporary status, and they made up the vast majority of Central City’s population. The *true* "Lower City District," however, was a massive slum located deep beneath Central City.

Just then, a news story caught his eye. At around four o’clock this afternoon, the algae-oil power plant in the North City industrial zone had been bombed, causing a massive power outage in the area. The city’s public security forces had sealed off several major streets and city access points, and the lockdown was still in effect.

’That probably explains the patrol cars I saw on the road today.’

However, the news footage also showed a lot of corporate security personnel. ’This is probably more complicated than it looks,’ he thought.

After browsing for a while, he noticed it was already 9:30 PM. He took off the Realm Token, went to the shower, changed his clothes, and went to bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

He woke up promptly at five the next morning. He pulled open the curtains, washed up in the bathroom, and ate a few tubes of Nutrition Paste from the freezer.

He then walked to the window. From where he stood, he estimated he was about three hundred meters up, high enough to overlook most of the city.

The sky wasn’t fully light yet. Lingering sea fog drifted around the sides of the towering buildings, making them fade in and out of view. Shreds of gray-blue clouds were scattered across the sky, and a golden-red glow pressed down on the horizon.

The sun was about to rise.

This was a world devoid of the Realm Token. In Old Qi’s words, it was a false Central City, not its true face.

Chen Chuan remembered how Jing Lin, when they first met, had gone on and on about the "real world." He now suspected the underlying meaning referred to everything that existed behind the Realm Token. Being immersed in this Biological Domain, enjoying conveniences unavailable in the outside world—it would naturally foster a sense of psychological superiority, a feeling of looking down on outsiders.

But there was something very unnatural about this situation.

Cheng Zitong had once told him the world was divided into circles. This was partly a reflection of reality, and partly the result of artificial divisions.

He could sense that something deeper and unknown lay hidden behind this so-called "real world."

But he had a hunch that as his own power grew, these secrets would eventually reveal themselves, whether he sought them out or not.

After watching the sunrise for a while, he turned to the most important task for a new student.

He picked up the Realm Token from the table, put it on, and walked into his four-hundred-square-meter private training room. He connected to the Wuyi Academy’s biological Consciousness Body and began to look up the courses required for his enrollment.

Upon entering the Wuyi Academy interface, a voice sounded in his ear:

"Student Chen Chuan detected in new student enrollment period. The academy must conduct a basic test and potential assessment to confirm the student meets academic standards and is capable of completing his studies. Do you wish to proceed with the test now? If so, please call for ’Hong Fu’."

After hearing the prompt, Chen Chuan said, "Hong Fu, I need to take the entrance test now."

The instant he made the request, the woman in red he had seen standing on the eaves last night appeared in the training room. Up close, her eyes, visible above her veil, seemed even more spirited. Unlike the previous night, a Yanling Blade now hung at her waist, its hilt adorned with a red tassel.

"I saw that you use a blade. I figured you might like them, so I brought one along."

Although it was the same entity, her voice was completely different from the one he had heard through the Realm Token’s interface. This voice was vibrant and spirited, melodious and full of life and emotion.

She seemed to be a much more independent entity, almost like a living person.

Chen Chuan replied politely, "Thank you."

Hong Fu’s eyes rested on him for a moment. With a light wave of her hand, the scene around them transformed. Clouds and mist churned, revealing countless rolling peaks, while a brilliant Golden Light shot in from the side.

Chen Chuan found himself standing atop one of the peaks, with Hong Fu not far across from him. The two faced each other across the chasm.

Hong Fu said, "Draw your blade."

Chen Chuan was a little surprised. ’This is all an illusion. Can a test like this really measure my actual skill?’ Still, she must have her reasons for choosing this method.

He nodded and brought the Snow Monarch Blade up horizontally before him. Holding the scabbard, he flicked it aside, sending it flying as the blade emerged, glittering with a cold light.

Seeing him draw his blade, Hong Fu’s slender, pale fingers gripped the hilt of her Yanling Blade. With a sharp SHIING, she drew it. A flicker of red, a flutter of her dress, and in an instant, she was before Chen Chuan, her blade slashing down at him.

This time, Chen Chuan didn’t activate his Second Self, but he could still clearly see her movements. He raised his own blade to parry, and the two met with a clash of steel. A powerful, unyielding force traveled up his arms, making his stance sink slightly.

His eyes narrowed. ’This feeling... it’s definitely not a simulation. Could it be that I’m facing a real person right now?’

...

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