Chapter Forty-Five: Milestone

"These Greeks, not a single one among them is worth a fight." Zhu Xiaoyong seized a roasted lamb leg, tearing off a hefty chunk with his teeth, chewing so vigorously that oil dripped from his mouth. He grabbed a bowl and gulped down a large serving of wine, then exhaled with satisfaction. "Ah, that's good!"

"Why, didn't you see Socrates?" Wang Dongwei nibbled at a piece of honey bread, puzzled by the absence of the most famed sage in Western history.

Earlier that day, Yanluo had bested a group of Greek scholars. At last, in the Parthenon, he was celebrated by Athenian citizens, foreigners, and slaves alike. Pericles, the embarrassed magistrate, announced the end of the diplomatic reception and arranged accommodations for the three.

"Maybe Brother Yan's fighting prowess is too overwhelming, and Socrates dared not appear," Zhu Xiaoyong declared proudly.

This chubby homebody was, without a doubt, a simple soul.

Wang Dongwei fell silent, still worried. After all, their goal was to participate in the Olympic Games, not to dazzle Greek scholars.

"But still..."

He recalled the Greeks shouting "Huaxia" and felt excited—no matter if their main quest failed, he would have no regrets.

Yanluo's face was expressionless, as were the masks of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness woven into his hair.

For once, he was truly exhausted. There had been no battle, no injuries, yet both his life force and mental reserve had dropped significantly. It seemed the ancients really did read themselves into exhaustion—like Zhong Ziqi, rumored to have died from mental fatigue. That story was more than mere legend.

But the gains were substantial.

Aside from the heroic mask of "Sword Immortal Li Bai," a prompt came from the World Modulation Program:

"You have achieved a legendary milestone: Debate with the Sages. In a world whose history mirrors that of the surface world, you have, through language, completely convinced more than five ancient sages."

There were not many who qualified as "ancient sages." In fact, this milestone could only be attained during the era of the Hundred Schools or here in ancient Greece—not even the Renaissance, for although Leonardo, Dante, and Shakespeare met the standard, their lifespans did not coincide.

As for the fifth Solvay Conference in 1927, that belonged to the modern era.

Who did Yanluo encounter today? The Father of History Herodotus, the tragic masters Euripides and Sophocles, the founder of political realism Thucydides, the pioneer of atomism Democritus, and Hippocrates, the father of medicine!

Among the onlookers were Zeno, inventor of dialectics, and Aristophanes, the future father of comedy...

Milestone:

Debate with the Sages!

"You have earned the legendary title: Sage. When equipped, you passively enter Sage Mode, becoming entirely free from desire, elevating your spiritual realm. You gain absolute composure, immune to all temptation."

Yanluo, expressionless, donned the title.

Zhu Xiaoyong and Wang Dongwei were startled to see the title "Sage" suddenly appear atop Yanluo's head—a title visible only to World Modulators. What astonished them was that, unlike their own "Zombie Hunter," his title gleamed with golden light.

They remembered the "Master Yu" they'd seen in Dreamspace, whose golden title shone just the same.

"Wow, an LV3 Sword Saint is impressive enough, but you as an LV1 Modulator, with the Sage title? You might frighten a whole crowd in Dreamspace!" Zhu Xiaoyong exclaimed.

In some magical worlds, Sage is the ultimate class for the mage branch, just as Sword Saint is for swordsmen.

"It's not that useful," Yanluo replied.

Sage Mode may benefit others, but for Yanluo, who had already lost all emotion, this legendary title might only serve special purposes in certain situations. He set the masks in his hair to joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. As expected, not a ripple stirred within him.

The masks failed.

"So theoretically, if I unleash intense emotions, this title would suppress them?"

Yanluo could not test this theory. The persona mask Bull's Head and the heroic mask Li Bai already occupied the 200-point storage space of the Heartless Doll.

Wang Dongwei was envious. Yanluo's Sage title shone gold atop his head, while Wang only had "Zombie Hunter," which was useless outside the zombie world. He hoped to earn a better title in this world of athletic competition.

The milestone brought more than just a legendary title. In his inventory appeared a ball of light:

A skill seed!

"The Power of Words."

Much like genetic material, it was of immense value. Upon absorption, it would unlock a skill in the skill tab—starting at LV1. Skills, like genes, could be upgraded, each level bringing transformative improvement.

Power of Words: At LV1, Word Bullet—turns language into bullets, releasing attacks with firearm properties.

He hadn't tested it yet, nor did he know what the highest level would offer. Its true strength and potential were uncertain, but Yanluo's Fate Talent allowed him to extract abilities, never lacking skills—even if some were one-time use.

A skill seed could fetch a fortune in Dreamspace, but Yanluo chose to absorb it.

The reason was simple.

This skill wasn't wielded by hand, but by "mouth," converting words into attacks—unless he pursued the magic branch, where spells required verbal incantations. For other branches, it meant a new attack method, without interfering with others.

Much like gene unlocking, absorbing a skill seed required a period of transformation. Yanluo sat quietly in Sage Mode; after ten minutes, the metamorphosis completed.

His personal panel now included the skill tab.

The gene tab featured Combat, Perception Domain, Psychic Side, and Mysticism.

The newly opened skill tab also had different branches.

Surface Skills—

Red:

Blue:

Yellow:

Awakening:

Inner Skills—

Black:

White:

Gray:

Secret Technique:

A prompt from the Modulation Program indicated that, based on the nature of "Power of Words," it would occupy the gray slot in Inner Skills.

As for what the surface and inner skills meant, or what the colors represented, Yanluo had no idea. The program said that upon raising his Modulator level, he'd gain more information. He didn't dwell on it, and began to test his new skill.

LV1, Word Bullet.

Turn language into bullets, unleashing firearm-type attacks.

"Yi."

Yanluo uttered a random syllable, activating the Power of Words. The spoken character materialized—a Han character for "Yi" shot forth, condensing mid-flight into a bullet's tip, and with a "bang," pierced the table.

Zhu Xiaoyong, in the midst of tearing lamb, was startled into a jolt, collapsing his bench with a crash.

"What was that?" Wang Dongwei stared blankly at Yanluo. Wasn't that a bullet? Why was it spat from his mouth? And why was it a bullet formed from a Han character? Such an incredible phenomenon defied all logic.

Yanluo checked his mental reserve—it had dropped another notch. The Word Bullet consumed mental energy; that single shot cost about ten percent. If his mental reserve were full, he could fire ten Word Bullets.

"This is just like the jujube pit nail technique..."

He tried again, this time speaking two words:

"Die."

The two spoken words materialized, merging into a single, larger bullet that shot toward the floor. The white marble was punctured, leaving a small pit.

"The more words, the greater the power?"

Yanluo stopped testing; his mental reserve was nearly depleted, and a deep fatigue seeped into his mind. Even Sage Mode could not ward off the encroaching drowsiness—he needed sleep to recover.

He checked his personal panel:

Yanluo

Limit Breakthrough: Tier One

Life Source: 88%

Mental Source: 12%

Emotional Fluctuation: 0

Soul Pollution: 1

Alignment: Absolute Neutral

Bloodline: Human

Talent Ability: Heartless Doll

Skill Tab: Gray: Power of Words (Word Bullet)

Gene Tab: Combat: Regeneration, Basic Life

World Modulator Level: LV1