Chapter Five: Mastering the Body with the Mind, Invincible in Every Endeavor

“What a domineering skill!” Lin Bo described the True Name Manipulation technique in these terms.

There is a saying: “The enlightened remain still as if dead, yet move like a machine.” When Lin Bo activated his true name through the Word Spirit, his control over his body reached an extraordinary level. He treated the flesh and bones as mere tools, and the hand that wielded these tools was none other than his own will and spirit.

Whether it was flying through the air or lifting a limb, every movement was fluid and effortless.

The speed of his punches and kicks under True Name Manipulation surpassed that of any ordinary martial artist because his actions were not constrained by nerve signal transmission.

Human nerve signals travel at speeds between 5 and 20 meters per second. Combined with the brain’s processing delay and the lag in muscle contraction and extension, this greatly hampers real-time reaction in combat.

Many martial artists spend their entire lives seeking a state of instinctive action, where thought delays are eliminated, enabling their fists and swords to move as swiftly as the wind.

However, Lin Bo’s physical movements depended solely on the speed of thought. The moment he conceived a punch, it was already launched under the control of True Name Manipulation, with no delay from nerve signals, not even requiring muscular exertion.

The only limits to his speed were his cognitive delay and the frailty of his own flesh and bones.

Tendons and bones can only withstand so much speed and force. If he recklessly pushed the Word Spirit too far, his fist might strike like a cannonball but would simultaneously tear all the muscles in his arm. Such a catastrophic move was best avoided.

Aside from these extreme uses, True Name Manipulation — Flow effectively endowed Lin Bo with top-tier martial aptitude. He could effortlessly perform standard moves without awkward or uncooperative limbs.

If Lin Bo mastered the true names of other elements, like metal or iron, it would be as if he had obtained a flying sword, dramatically enhancing his combat power.

Unfortunately, he had no access to professional knowledge channels.

“There’s nothing related to true names in Agilent’s product list. To learn the profession of a True Name Mage, I need to find another path.”

Though the merchant offered a vast array of goods, none included the knowledge he most desperately sought: magical linguistics, spells, or true names.

Perhaps his player level in the network was too low to access such content, or maybe the merchant’s Multilink platform simply did not carry those items.

Lin Bo suspected the latter was more likely. Different player communities form trading platforms with their own specialty goods.

While the Multilink platform was brimming with magical items, their variety and quality lagged several tiers behind the technological goods.

True Name Mages are classified as multi-dimensional legend-level professions. Their related equipment, tools, and knowledge scrolls are never common items.

He would have to inquire among mage players for magical knowledge. Lin Bo sincerely hoped those book sellers wouldn’t gouge him too hard.

Knowledge is precious among network players, and paid knowledge is the norm on trading platforms.

Of course, sharing knowledge among player friends is also common.

Had Lin Bo had a senior peer to guide him, his path as a mage would be far less bewildering, much like the plight of a grassroots scientist.

He could only warn himself against arrogance, remaining humble and eager to learn, preferring to be a lifetime apprentice rather than a master for a single day.

After flying around using True Name Manipulation for a while, Lin Bo began to feel mentally fatigued. The Word Spirit power of a level 2 mage was still too weak. He had been recklessly pushing himself, performing extreme aerial maneuvers for testing, which drained his spirit.

“I can easily treat the slow-moving mechanical guards like stationary wooden stakes with my mobility when using True Name Manipulation. As long as I have a sufficiently powerful offensive—be it a sharp weapon or a combat technique—I can easily flank and eliminate these mechanical guards.”

Lin Bo realized his current strength was sufficient to attempt a hard difficulty challenge.

Though the mechanical guards were strong, their movements were stiff, and despite their sturdy defense, their weaknesses were obvious. Tanks might struggle with such foes, but highly mobile professions easily countered them.

“My challenge attempts for today are used up; now is a good time to prepare for battle.”

Lin Bo began carefully considering the problems he needed to solve, foremost among them the protection of his true name’s secret.

True Name Manipulation was powerful, but as a novice mage, he had to recite his spells aloud—and his only known magical language was his own true name.

If someone overheard this secret during practice, it would be utterly humiliating. He would become a historic joke, remembered as the most foolish True Name Mage, joining the ranks of countless reckless predecessors.

After some thought, Lin Bo hatched a plan.

He had just obtained a piece of equipment from his last map run: a gray-quality Mechanical Guard Mask, perfect for modification.

He messaged [Trash Picker]: “Help me modify this gear—add a voice changer.”

[Trash Picker]: “No problem, send it over.”

After opening a teleportation channel, Lin Bo tossed the mask inside.

[Trash Picker]: “This mask has plenty of modification space. We can add scopes, night vision, gas filters, or a voice changer. What are your requirements?”

[Lighthouse Guest]: “I want the voice changer to make my voice almost impossible to understand.”

[Trash Picker]: “Huh? Not something like an older sister voice or a loli voice? Are you asking for a voice changer or a noise generator?”

Three question marks followed, showing confusion.

[Lighthouse Guest]: “Just make whatever I say turn into completely indecipherable noise. How much will it cost?”

[Trash Picker]: “That’s so simple, I’m embarrassed to charge you. This one’s on me.”

[Lighthouse Guest]: “Thanks.”

The other party logged off, then after just over a minute, logged back in and returned the modified mask.

The efficiency was impeccable.

Voice Changer Mask (Gray)

Type: Engineering Product

Weight: 0.8 kg

Description: Originally a personalized mask made from the head parts of a mechanical guard by workers. Modified by players with an internal voiceprint eliminator, it transforms every spoken word into meaningless noise.

“Some clients are really strange,” the modifier left a comment.

The mask’s aesthetics were impressive—a matte black metal shell shaped like a human skull, with cold, hard lines giving it a strong design sense. Inside was cushioned with soft, sweat-absorbing padding, held firmly in place by two adjustable leather straps so it wouldn’t come off during movement.

The eye lenses were detachable. Initially designed for users with vision issues, they could also be replaced with advanced optical modules such as telescopes or thermal imaging lenses.

Lin Bo weighed the mask in his hand, unconcerned about any possible eavesdropping devices.

Firstly, item descriptions in the network always disclosed equipment functions; since listening devices weren’t mentioned, none existed. Secondly, even if they did, how could signals penetrate the cosmic barrier?

Lin Bo donned the mask and quietly intoned: “(Word Spirit) Copper Moon.”

His true name was transformed by the mask into a low, electric static, like sand-laden wind blowing through a cave. Yet before the voice changed, the spell power had already surged through his body, turning it into a weapon of the mind.

“Success.”

The iron-masked watchman soared into the air before gently descending.

Now it was time to solve the weapon problem. Although the data cables on the back of the mechanical guard were weak points, their material was quite sturdy. Previously, he had used a lumberjack’s axe to violently pry open the alloy shin gaps, chopping with all his might to sever the cables.

“I need a sharper, more handy weapon. When I launch an aerial assault, it must be capable of a one-hit kill.”

His first thought was a whale oil handgun, a powerful weapon he had seen at the old street pawnshop. But it was too dangerous for routine use, being noisy and costly due to the price of whale oil bullets.

Next, he considered the swift sword, also called a rapier, a weapon often banned in local folk duels for its lethal damage to the human body.

However, the rapier was too light to instantly sever the tough cables of the robot.

“I need a short spear, easy to grip for diving strikes. The tip must pierce the cable’s outer covering. It should be electrified so that when the spearhead touches the internal copper wires and optical fibers, it can discharge current to directly paralyze the machine.”

Were such weapons available? Yes.

The merchant had a wide selection of simple tech-modified cold weapons, priced between 5 and 20 disaster coins, featuring electric, thermal, acid, freezing, and other special effects.

Lin Bo chose an electric assault short spear for 6 disaster coins each, with a buy-two-get-one-free deal.

He still had 58 disaster coins left. After this small splurge, thanks to being a regular customer, the merchant gifted him a rubber target dummy, perfect for the upcoming combat training.