Chapter 129: The Third Stage of the Main Quest

Accompanied by the system's grand notification sound, Ling Mo’s field of vision was filled with a celebratory animation generated by the system—fireworks blooming across the sky, magnificent and elaborate. Yet, Ling Mo felt not a shred of joy. Even as the system calculated his rewards, he remained unmoved. At this moment, his mind was completely consumed by a single question:

How was Target Two of the main quest—reaching 1,000 martial arts disciples—achieved?

Target One, the number of those devoutly inclined toward martial arts, had been rising steadily throughout the broadcast. Especially after Weiss appeared on screen, the number of aspirants had surged explosively, far exceeding the 500,000 required by the quest. As for Target Three—having five individuals with strength exceeding that of a Junior Martial Master—he, his old flame, Catherine, Weiss, and Vane had met that requirement long ago. But Target Two? He hadn’t even begun large-scale teaching. Where did these thousand martial arts disciples come from?

Could it be that, aside from him, someone else on this continent was silently spreading the path of martial arts? Were there thousands of people in unknown corners quietly practicing it?

This, however, was illogical! He was supposed to be the only one on this continent designated by the system to practice martial arts. Furthermore, just this morning, when Weiss had advanced to a Junior Martial Master, he had checked the quest progress; at that time, the number of disciples at the martial arts apprentice level was still five—the progress for Target Two had been 5/1,000. In other words, as of this morning, only those five people he knew of were practicing martial arts. In a mere half-day, more than a thousand people had appeared out of nowhere!

"System, is there any other successor of martial arts on this continent besides me?"

After the initial shock, Ling Mo silently asked the system within his mind. However, the system offered no response, instead displaying its usual cold, mechanical prompts:

"You have completed the second stage of the main quest, 'Offer Martial Arts to a Beautiful World'."
"Quest rewards calculated."
"For completing Target One, you have gained the skill 'Endless Fury'."
"For completing Target Two, you have gained the skill 'Vitality Infusion'."
"For completing Target Three, you have obtained the ring-type equipment 'Echo of the Clear Spring'."

"Endless Fury: Endless rage will stimulate all the potential within your blood. Once activated, your stamina and endurance will lock at their current values for ten seconds, ceasing to decline. Consumption: None. Cooldown: 72 hours."

"Vitality Infusion: Surging vitality will stimulate all the potential within your blood. Once activated, for ten seconds, your stamina recovery speed will double for every nine percent of maximum stamina lost, up to a maximum of ten times. Cooldown: 24 hours."

"Echo of the Clear Spring: All your attack power is increased by 17%. Additionally, when you encounter mental attacks, the sound of flowing water will steady your resolve, allowing you to resist or mitigate partial mental damage."

"Main quest second stage rewards calculated."

Both skills and the accompanying equipment were incredibly powerful. If Ling Mo had completed the quest through his own efforts, he would have been ecstatic. But at this moment, hit by this windfall from the sky, he felt no joy at all; instead, he felt terrible. It was as if he were trapped in a massive, inescapable net.

The pale sense of powerlessness he felt when he first arrived on this continent washed over him once more. He had thought that by striving to cultivate supreme strength, he could shake off this helplessness. Unexpectedly, even at his current level, had he still failed to escape the invisible hand of fate?

A surge of overwhelming, violent intent rose from the depths of his heart. A terrifying, suppressed aura erupted from Ling Mo’s body, sweeping across everything nearby. Catherine, Zorro, and the Arctic Cat felt as if a giant boulder had been placed upon them, nearly buckling their knees and forcing them to the ground. Even Vane, who had been deep in thought in the distance, was startled awake. She was forced to summon her magic puppet to cast a protective shield, looking at the erupting Ling Mo in shock, unable to fathom what had driven him to madness.

The system, naturally, ignored Ling Mo's mood, continuing to provide mechanical prompts:

"Main quest: 'Offer Martial Arts to a Beautiful World', Stage Three, initiated."
"Quest Description: The influence of martial arts is already significant, and there is a certain base of practitioners. To further expand this influence, it is time to demonstrate the all-around power of martial arts to your disciples and the entire continent, allowing those who are wavering to embrace the path!"
"Main Quest Stage Three: Prove that the combat power of martial arts crushes magic at every tier!"

"Quest Target One: Seal your strength to the Senior Martial Master level and kill the Level 5 High-Tier Magical Beast: Motorized Headless Horseman."
"Quest Target Two: Seal your strength to the Grand Martial Master level and kill the Level 6 High-Tier Magical Beast: Bloody Butcher."
"Quest Target Three: Seal your strength to the Supreme Martial Master level and kill the Level 7 Low-Tier Magical Beast: The Little Match Girl."

"The above targets must be completed during a live broadcast."
"Broadcasting equipment and authorization will be provided by the system, free of charge."
"You have gained permission to leave the Magical Beast Rainforest."
"Warning! Upon entering the 'Rotten Lands', one of the eight forbidden regions, your strength will be automatically sealed to the Senior Martial Master level! Killing the Motorized Headless Horseman will unlock your strength to the Grand Martial Master level; killing the Obsidian Destroyer will unlock it to the Supreme Martial Master level; upon killing The Little Match Girl, your strength will be fully unsealed, and the quest will be complete."
"Quest Time Limit: Two months."
"Quest Failure Penalty: You will be teleported to the surface of the 'Fourth Moon, Nemesis'."

After carefully reviewing the prompts for the third stage, Ling Mo frowned. This quest was clearly designed for a lone wolf. It was logical enough—having completed the second stage, he had supposedly established a base of thousands of disciples. To solidify their resolve and attract more followers, demonstrating the power of martial arts was necessary. But the biggest problem remained: Ling Mo had no such disciples. Who was he supposed to be showing this to?

Lost in thought, Ling Mo was momentarily stunned until Northcajodul shouted from the light screen: "Mr. Ling? Mr. Ling, why have you stopped speaking? Is there a problem with the transmission signal? What were you going to say?"

Ling Mo snapped back to reality and said, "Apologies, Elder Northcajodul. I was suddenly distracted by some secrets regarding the Obedience Sect. Regarding our agreement, my terms are simple. I will lead my two disciples to Scarborough Market within five days, where I will teach martial arts. Please organize those who have traveled from afar to learn, so as to facilitate my teaching. Thank you."

Elder Northcajodul was stunned and hurriedly asked, "Mr. Ling, is your request really that simple? This is too..."

Ling Mo offered a forced smile: "My requirements end there. Let us cooperate again in the future. Signing off."