The King of Black Fog

"Regarding skills, one of the changes is that the effect of increasing Attributes has vanished."

"Doesn't that mean all the skills are useless now?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Those are for your current use. Do you still use a baby bottle to drink water or sleep in a crib?" Master Huang made a joke.

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Some players might have noticed that the highest level of skills currently exchangeable in the game is C-level. Only after getting on the train, stepping into the past, and proving your Value further can you exchange for skills above C-level."

"And these skills have two characteristics."

"One is they do not increase Basic Attributes, and the other is they're expensive."

Pausing, Master Huang lifted his book again, "As for how expensive they actually are, those who want to find out can buy the book."

"Master, you don't plan to exchange skills by selling books, do you?" a young man laughed out loud.

"You got me!" Master Huang pretended to be helpless.

The crowd erupted in laughter again.

Master Huang smiled, put down his book, and continued, "Because skills above C-level are particularly expensive, starting now, you should pay more attention to skills with 'Special Effects'."

"These 'Special Effects', under the influence of Ability, are extremely effective. They last longer and are more powerful."

"But don't forsake solid Attributes in pursuit of 'Special Effects'. At this stage, the most important thing for you is to stay alive, and high Attributes can offer you greater assistance."

"Then there's the new branch that has appeared in skills."

Master Huang took a sip of water, not because he was thirsty, but he felt this was the moment to take a sip to tease the audience's appetite.

Indeed, the crowd stared at him eagerly, as if they wanted to snatch the old man's water glass or squeeze his mouth to help him drink enough for a lifetime.

Under such gazes, Master Huang drank the water as if it was too hot, then carefully screwed the cap back on as though afraid the water would cool down.

"Let me ask you a question," he said leisurely, "what's the biggest difference between a person before and after birth?"

"One you can kill without breaking the law, the other one's illegal to kill." someone jeered.

Laughter filled Ming'en Hall.

Some people pursed their lips, disliking the joke.

But whether they laughed or disliked it, they could not deny the fact that killing a fetus is just regrettable, and neither morally nor legally problematic.

Master Huang also chuckled then said, "Although said in jest, it's close to the essence. So why is killing one illegal and the other not?"

"One is considered a person, the other is not," a high school student shouted.

"What makes one a person and not the other?" Master Huang asked again.

"Does it have thoughts?" a girl in the front row said.

"Exactly, it's the thoughts."

In a corner.

Li Changzhou said to his Miss Yang, "Regarding abortion, I think the national law needs further refinement. For instance, an abortion shouldn't be illegal in cases such as fetal abnormalities like Down syndrome, or parental poverty, or rape; but if it's because of the fetus's gender, then it should be illegal."

Miss Yang nodded nonchalantly.

Obviously, this twenty-year-old philosophy student wasn't interested in the topic of pregnancy.

On stage, Master Huang continued, "Once the fetus is born, it can cry and make a fuss, express its emotions, and have rudimentary thoughts. It's the same with us players, we develop thoughts after birth."

"Everyone can adopt one kind of thought or even multiple different ones, as long as you don't drive yourself insane."

"With thoughts, your abilities will have personality."

"The thought of water will make your abilities lean towards water, boosting the power of your Water Element Skills; the thought of fire will make your abilities aggressive, and your skills will be full of explosive force."

"These are the most superficial explanations. Water can also be sharp, cutting metal; snowflakes are soft, but avalanches are devastating and bone-chillingly cold."

"It all depends on what thoughts you can learn and to what extent."

"Here," Master Huang paused, "I'll teach everyone a thought for free."

Everyone held their breath, and many leaned forward in anticipation.

"This thought is very basic, it won't conflict with other thoughts, but even so, it will be tough for you to master."

"May I ask, Master, how difficult is it?" a elegantly dressed woman inquired.

"To use the same analogy, you are fetuses right now. Imparting a thought to you is like prenatal education. The difficulty of you learning this thought is equivalent to a fetus learning a song."

A song?

According to scientific research, fetuses dance to music during prenatal education, but to learn a song?

"If you want to apply it in practice, it's not just about learning. You also have to be very familiar with the song, and every note has to be in tune. That's roughly the difficulty."

Below, younger voices wailed, as if the teacher had handed out eighty-eight exam papers and there was only one day left of the holiday.

The adults shook their heads, as if their child had scored only eighty-eight points out of a possible total on a college entrance exam.

Both children and adults felt desperate.

If it truly was as difficult as Master Huang said, it was basically impossible to learn.

"Don't be discouraged," Master Huang chuckled, "there are players who haven't broken through their limits yet that have already learned it, so it's possible for you too."

"Who?" someone in the middle shouted.

Master Huang didn't hide it: "Two members of the national team, one known as 'Little Martial Saint', not because there's another 'Martial Saint', but because he hasn't broken through yet, so he's called 'Little Martial Saint'."

As he spoke, Master Huang showed a look of envy and admiration.