Chapter 156: Master's Wife is Fearsome

How did the first Advanced Martial Master come to be? I am talking about the very first one.

As for the Refining Array, it was forcibly shoved into my mind and engraved upon my heart by the system on the very second day I arrived in this world. As for its origin, I want to know where this damned system came from much more than you do!

Ling Mo inwardly muttered these thoughts, but his expression remained entirely unruffled. With an air of absolute nonchalance, he said, "Didn't you say you were done taking risks? Why pry into so many secrets? Don't you know that when your strength is lacking, the more you know, the faster you die?"

This single remark thoroughly subdued Catherine. She patted her own head and stopped pressing the matter, though Vayne, standing nearby, rolled her eyes rapidly as she plotted some mischievous scheme.

Catherine pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, does it mean that from now on, only Master and I will be laying the foundations for people? Isn't that terribly inefficient?"

"There's no help for it. After all, Martial Arts is a newly established school of thought, so a difficult beginning is completely normal," Ling Mo said somewhat irresponsibly. "Trust me, at least for now, Martial Arts is supported by a systematic theory, which makes it far better than the primitive days of magic."

Seeing that Catherine was somewhat speechless, Ling Mo offered further comfort. "Although laying foundations for others one by one is exhausting, once you get the hang of it, an Advanced Martial Master can easily handle thirty or forty people a day. I will also try to refine more 'Foundation Establishment Pills' to lighten your burden. Look on the bright side—once the first batch of martial artists matures and a few more 'Advanced Martial Masters' appear, Martial Arts will experience an explosive growth."

"I suppose there's no choice. Until Junior Sister advances to an Advanced Martial Master, this is all we can do..." Catherine nodded with a somewhat strained smile. Then, as if recalling something, she said with renewed enthusiasm, "Come to think of it, am I not the third 'Advanced Martial Master'? That unseen Mistress must be the second Advanced Martial Master, right? Master, why don't you invite her to Scarborough Fair to teach martial arts as well? With three people, our efficiency would instantly increase by fifty percent compared to just two!"

"This..." Ling Mo's expression grew somewhat distant. "She won't help us. You can forget about that idea..."

"Why?" Catherine asked, uncomprehending.

"Because I can't beat her."

"..." Catherine and Vayne were rendered speechless in unison. This reason was excellent and overwhelmingly powerful. Because he couldn't beat her, he couldn't invite her—there was literally nothing to say to that, and it was entirely logical. Yet hearing it spoken by Ling Mo made it feel remarkably bizarre.

What kind of person was standing right before them? A humanoid monster, a walking forbidden spell, someone who could instantly kill seventh-rank magical beasts, whose strength surpassed a Saint Mage, and against whom even eighth-rank magical beasts had no certainty of victory! And yet, when discussing his own girlfriend, such a towering figure actually admitted he couldn't beat her! At that very moment, the image of the unseen Mistress in Catherine's mind expanded infinitely, swelling almost to the level of an eighth-rank magical beast! Remembering her previous flirtations with death, Catherine now simply wanted to stay as far away from her master as possible.

Seeing the ghostly expressions on Catherine and Vayne's faces, Ling Mo scratched his head and explained, "Don't misunderstand. Originally, I could beat her. But ever since I was ambushed and severely injured by her and her subordinates over a dozen years ago, I haven't been her match anymore."

"..." So the two of you actually went through a phase of loving and killing each other! Catherine and Vayne's thoughts synchronized completely at that moment. The two exchanged glances, neither daring to ask Ling Mo what kind of conflict had arisen between him and his girlfriend. After staring blankly at each other for several seconds, Catherine forced a smile and said, "Uh, Master, let's not talk about these distant matters anymore. What are we going to do next? Are we heading straight to Scarborough Fair?"

"Mhm." Ling Mo had no desire to delve deeply into the topic of his girlfriend either. After a simple acknowledgment, he said, "Our route from here is quite straightforward. We will follow the Thanatos River all the way downstream, return to my forest cabin to grab a few things, and then continue following the river until we reach our destination."

"Impossible!" Vayne was the first to shake her head in denial. "Near Scarborough Fair, how could there possibly be a magical river like the Thanatos River! If such a river truly existed, its fame would have spread across the entire world! Although there are four rivers flowing past that town, every single one of them is just an ordinary..."

At this point, she abruptly stopped, a trace of disbelief coloring her voice as she said, "Could it be that the 'Sage River' near the fair is actually the Thanatos River itself? No wonder the creatures in the Sage River are so much larger than those anywhere else! If its upper reaches are indeed the Thanatos River, everything suddenly makes sense!"

Ling Mo smiled without answering. He turned his head, gently patted Catherine on the shoulder, and said, "Ever since you started practicing Martial Arts with me, you haven't experienced many good days. Before we part ways, let me show you the truly fascinating scenery within this Magical Beast Rainforest."

Catherine couldn't describe the feelings stirring within her; she simply gave a silent nod.

……………………………………………………………………

"Hello, dear chat members! The previous broadcast suffered from a certain *you-know-what* broadcasting accident, so it was interrupted for a brief moment, but now I'm back! As the ancients say, not seeing each other for a day feels like three autumns. The broadcast was stopped for five minutes, so doing the math, it must have felt like... 3.8 days since you last saw me! Rounded up, that's basically a whole year! You must have missed me terribly, right?"

When Catherine's energetic voice once again echoed in the livestream channel, the viewers' bullet comments instantly flooded the entire screen:

"Host, I missed you to death!"

"The moment you started talking about how to establish a martial arts foundation, your stream dropped. I thought you got harmonized by socialism!"

"Just another routine livestream ban! Stay calm!"

"Achievement unlocked: getting the livestream banned once every day! Current progress (5/5)!"

"Huh? If my eyes aren't deceiving me, aren't you guys by the Thanatos River right now? Why did you suddenly end up by this river again?"

"Speaking of which, Host, did Teacher Ling allow you to go back to your hometown to get married yet?"

"..."

"Thank you all for your concern! I've met my master's requirements and reached the realm of an Advanced Martial Master, and my master has also given me a long vacation! Right now, we are preparing to head out of the Magical Beast Rainforest, and we are currently walking along the Thanatos River toward its downstream. As everyone knows, if you want to walk out of a rainforest, you can only follow the rivers within it so you won't lose your way, and eventually, you will definitely reach the river mouth and be able to leave the rainforest," Catherine explained to the chat members in her livestream with a faint trace of joy:

"After fighting and killing for several days, I've grown a bit tired of it, so it's time for a change of pace. I heard from my master that along the banks of the Thanatos River, you can see many unique and interesting sights exclusive to the Magical Beast Rainforest. Don't forget to take screenshots, everyone! Moreover, we'll be heading to a mysterious place next to unveil the lifestyle secrets of a powerhouse like my master! Stay tuned in the livestream and don't go anywhere—please look forward to... Wow, Master, what is that? Why is there a leopard in the Thanatos River?"