The King of Black Fog

"But the Visualization Map is different, it's a new concept. The little Martial Saint and that woman enhanced quite a few attributes just by using the Visualization Map, without having to risk their lives leveling up in instances."

Li Changzhou's attitude towards joining a faction remained the same: fine, but he had to be the leader.

"Forget it," he thought to himself.

Perhaps once he had broken through the limitations, the other team would let him be the leader, but clearly not now.

Master Huang wanted to say something else, but considering this was a stage, he had to switch tactics—making Li Changzhou experience more of the benefits of the Thunder Map.

He turned to the audience and said, "It just so happens that one player has learned it, now I will guide him, using him as teaching material, so everyone can try to learn as well, don't miss any opportunity."

Of course, no one objected to this proposal.

Master Huang immediately began teaching, everyone adjusted their breathing, staring at the Thunder Map, and visualizing together.

"Thunder Clouds overhead, gathering without release."

Most people couldn't enter meditation; their minds filled with distractions.

A few struggled to clear their minds, slowly forming Thunder Clouds in their minds.

Li Changzhou breathed deeply, his eyes fixed on the Thunder Map, as if he was making eye contact with the Thunder Clouds in the image.

In his mind, there was an identical Thunder Cloud, seemingly a mere dark mass, yet it harbored terrifying power.

"Once you make your move, it will be like a Thunder Strike!"

Boom!

In Li Changzhou's visualization, without any warning, a purple lightning bolt struck.

His whole body trembled, the thunder traveling down his spine, stimulating every part of his body, even each toe, all brimming with endless strength.

His whole body heated up, both numb and exhilarating, one instance worth hundreds of times at lake bottom training!

In the entire Ming'en Hall, only his body emitted the sound of Thunder Power.

"Excellent!" Master Huang exclaimed loudly, "From a person's state while practicing the Visualization Map, you can actually tell a lot about their background; you must already have at least two maxed attributes, and the others are not low!"

"Oh!" The astonishment this time was the loudest from the audience.

Martial Saints were too far away, like watching the world's richest or politicians on television.

But the person before their eyes was genuinely having two maxed attributes.

What did two maxed attributes mean?

A month into the game, eighty percent of players had only participated in one instance, not even increasing a single attribute.

Those present who could obtain a ticket to attend the lecture, were either players favored by officials or main forces of large groups and organizations, but even among these, most were only Level 1, a few Level 2, and Level 3 was rare as hen's teeth.

Even at Level 3, a total of 4 attribute points were awarded.

Starting with 5 points for each attribute, to max out one attribute, just a bit more was needed.

"You all don't need to worry," Master Huang reassured the amazed crowd with a smile.

He stroked his goatee, saying, "The game's matchmaking mechanism is always the strong against the strong, the weak against the weak, even if you go home by subway, everyone's mission will differ."

"Later, as we try our best to send Money to Van Gogh, he might be worried about how to help the Invincible Fleet of Spain turn defeat into victory against England."

The audience was amused by this joke.

Yet part of them felt disheartened, realizing the cruelty hidden beneath this jest.

That was the instance, but what about the real world? Did it also mean that they were merely painters holding brushes, while the other side was the Invincible Fleet that traveled across the four oceans?

"Next, let's try the Combat Skill," Master Huang turned to Li Changzhou, "You are a beginner, and there are many people here, so don't just release power into the air, I'll spar with you."

"Good!" Li Changzhou nodded, he had been eager to try it out.

The Practice Skill was so miraculous, if he could unleash this power, what kind of might it would be!

"Remember, the Combat Skill is different from the Practice Skill. The main tenet of the Thunder Map's Combat Skill is 'In silence, hear the thunder,' where the sound of thunder is no longer just a medium to arouse Physical Strength, but a real force."

"In silence, hear the thunder," Li Changzhou pondered over this phrase.

The crowd quickly refocused, not willing to miss a single word.

"In combat, visualize the Thunder Map, and as soon as the thunder falls, it will envelop your entire strength and strike the opponent."

"What you unleash is not just strength but also the shock of the thunder; thus, even if the two sides have equal Strength, the player who masters the Thunder Map, relying on the shock power of the thunder, can shatter the opponent's internal organs, blood vessels, and muscles."

"Once you possess 'ability,' you will be able to turn 'ability' into genuine Thunder Power. In the world where I obtained the Thunder Map, this is called Thunder Attribute True Qi."

"Okay, now you try," Master Huang said to Li Changzhou.

He hadn't warned the people below not to use "Combat Skill" on others, as these individuals had barely entered the threshold and couldn't possibly execute it.

Li Changzhou's gaze once again fell upon the "Thunder Map" floating in the air as he visualized Thunder Clouds in his mind.

In his eyes, the Thunder Clouds were no longer a pitch-black mass; instead, they contained countless, twinkling sparks of lightning.

"Concentration."

The sparks of lightning flickered faster and brighter, and suddenly, at a certain moment, they all disappeared, and the clouds were completely still.

Thunder roared!

The clouds were illuminated as if transparent.

Thunder Strike burst into his body like a Flood Dragon crawling along his spine, stimulating an endless strength that surged from every part of his body.

At the peak of the strength, his thoughts flowed, merging the strength with the Thunder into his right arm with overwhelming momentum.

His right arm instantly felt swollen.

A rush of heat surged, making him feel as if he had become a bolt of Thunder.

Li Changzhou couldn't help but howl, his cry booming like thunder, causing painful grimaces on the faces of those seated in the front row as they covered their ears.

He threw a punch as though it were a charging thunderbolt.

Master Huang's face changed as he visualized a thunder strike melding into his own Combat Skill, also performing the "Soundless Superior Thunder."

The 'Silence' he achieved was genuine, not letting a single sound of the Thunder escape.

"Bang!"

Fists collided.

"Crackle!"

Amid the fierce and powerful clash, there was a faint sound of lightning, almost like the rumbling of thunder.

This was just a visualization; no matter how real it seemed, its essence was false.

It was just like the Mantis Fist; no matter how perfect the form, it was merely a resemblance, but now he could actually hear the sound of sparks!

The stage floor cracked, tables and chairs were blown away by the blast, and the massive, heavy curtains swayed like seaweed.

Thud, thud, thud, Li Changzhou took three steps back. After three steps, he still hadn't stabilized and took another step back to finally ease the momentum.

Impressive!

He couldn't help but exclaim.

Using his fist as a Weapon, his Strength was 10 points. With the addition of Thunder Power and Bull Horn Spiral Force, he even felt for a moment that he could punch down a skyscraper.

Yet, Master Huang had easily deflected it.

The expert from Prague last time who broke through the limits, was probably a fake that had not yet learned the new ideas!

"Impressive!" Master Huang also praised excitedly, stroking his goatee, "For your first attempt to unleash such tremendous power, I'm really looking forward to your future fight with the Young Martial Saint! How about it, would you reconsider and join my team?"

Li Changzhou, massaging his numb right arm, replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Master. Please allow me some time to think."

"Sure, take your time to think. Oh, and I'm giving you this book,"

Master Huang waved and the table that had been pushed to the edge flew back. He picked up a book from the table.

"This one has my signature on it," he joked, handing the book to Li Changzhou.

Not only did it have a signature, but it also included a contact number.

"Thank you, Master Huang," Li Changzhou said gratefully as he accepted it.

Having been intrigued for so long by Master Huang, he had already decided to buy a copy after the lecture.

"You're welcome. You can go now; I still have a few final announcements to make,"

Li Changzhou thanked him again, took the book, and returned to a corner. The gaze of the crowd followed him like a spider's web being dragged along.

On stage, Master Huang turned his back, picked up a cup from the table.

His body trembled slightly; his breath shook, and blood instantly surged to his mouth.

He opened the lid of the cup and drank several large gulps nonchalantly, swallowing all the blood back down.

'Good fellow...' he marveled inwardly.