Translated by: Novellise
"The Dragon Group has finally revealed itself?"
Lu Yuan had been expecting this for a long time.
Before this moment.
He had survived several assassination attempts by the Red Lotus Cult.
Thanks to his tremendous strength.
He had managed to survive and live peacefully until now.
"Martial arts is in decline, it's a foregone conclusion. If you persist, you will eventually face dire consequences."
Ye Tianxiong stared at Lu Yuan with a complex expression.
In truth.
He had no ill will towards Lu Yuan, in fact, he admired him quite a bit.
But in the martial world, one cannot always act according to one's own will.
Some things are beyond one's control.
"Is that so?"
"I've heard that you are considered the top martial artist. As an inferior junior, I humbly ask for your guidance!"
Lu Yuan had no intention of wasting words.
Debating would only hinder mental development; fists are the ultimate answer.
Who is right or wrong will be determined by the fight!
Ye Tianxiong laughed.
For Lu Yuan's answer suited his temperament perfectly.
The two clashed fiercely, holding nothing back.
Their figures collided instantly like meteors from the sky.
But after the clash.
Lu Yuan was astonished to find that his opponent was actually at the peak of martial arts!
However, it seemed that Ye Tianxiong had once used some kind of secret potion that had depleted his potential.
As a result, he had the rank but not the strength to match it.
But no matter.
Ye Tianxiong was still the first peak martial artist Lu Yuan had encountered!
This battle.
was the toughest in Lu Yuan's life since his debut.
Fortunately, Lu Yuan had a vast and profound inner strength, having mastered several advanced martial arts to their peak.
He immediately activated the Heaven Rewards the Hardworking skill.
Lu Yuan fought day and night, his body covered in scars, not a single part intact.
However, the effects of Heaven Rewards the Hardworking were extraordinary.
As long as he didn't die, he could rapidly become stronger during battle!
Ye Tianxiong's situation wasn't much better.
As Lu Yuan's martial arts experience grew.
Gradually, he was at a disadvantage, and eventually he was wounded and fled.
Watching Ye Tianxiong's fleeing figure.
Lu Yuan didn't dare to stay either and turned to leave in another direction.
Not long after that.
A five-man team suddenly appeared on the scene.
But by the time they arrived.
The place was already empty, leaving only a pitted battlefield.
The ground was riddled with holes, and several nearby hills were almost flattened.
Everyone was secretly astonished.
They knew their captain was strong, but they didn't know to what extent.
Until they saw this awesome power.
They finally understood the terror of the martial arts peak.
What shocked them even more.
The remaining traces of the battle.
They saw that Lu Yuan, a rising star, had managed to go toe to toe with Ye Tianxiong.
Such talent and potential was truly unimaginable.
"No sign of Lu Yuan, it seems the captain has failed."
"The captain has been silent, his fate must be grim."
"This matter is of great importance, we must report to Dr Chen immediately!"
...
Wudang Mountain.
In a secret chamber.
Lu Yuan spent two months recuperating before barely recovering from his injuries.
[Defying Fate: You travelled south to promote martial arts, single-handedly advancing its cause and temporarily halting its decline.]
[Reward: 20,000 simulation points!]
[Mainline completion: 60%!]
[Simulation rating upgraded to S level!]
[Catastrophe delayed by twenty years!]
[Your strength has reached the Martial Arts Grandmaster level, "Heaven Rewards the Hardworking" duration extended to twenty hours!]
"The (Five Hurdles) Catastrophe has been postponed?"
Listen to the message.
Lu Yuan was surprised, more delighted than if he had won five million in the lottery.
As a simulator, it was hard to be accepted by the will of the reincarnated world.
The longer the stay.
The stronger the resistance to the will of the world.
This meant.
The simulated life had a time limit.
Most of the simulators' reincarnation periods lasted about forty years.
However, the higher the world level, the longer the reincarnation period.
But if this period was exceeded, the simulator would face the (Five Hurdles) Catastrophe.
The so-called (Five Hurdles).
Means the sealing of the senses, the loss of all perception, even the distortion of perception.
Eyes cannot see, ears cannot hear, mouth cannot speak, nose cannot smell, body cannot move.
Even if a breathtaking beauty were placed in front of you, you would not feel any desire.
Moreover, the (Five Hurdles) Catastrophe deals real damage, ignoring rank and cultivation.
No matter how high your martial arts skills or strength are.
Once the (Five Hurdles) Catastrophe comes, you will eventually go mad and die.
This is why many simulators have to return to the main world, despite having immense power and indulgence in the reincarnated world.
The only way to avoid the (Five Hurdles) catastrophe is to increase the world's recognition of you!
Lu Yuan hadn't expected this.
By raising the completion rate of the main mission to 60%, he had delayed the (Five Hurdles) Catastrophe by twenty years!
This was truly an unexpected pleasure!
"If I can continue to improve the mainline completion, won't I be able to stay longer, even forever?"
Lu Yuan's heart pounded, but he quickly calmed down.
This time, he had spent a whole decade promoting martial arts, visiting over a thousand martial arts schools.
He also spent a huge amount of money and manpower, buying advertisements on major media platforms to expand his influence.
In the final battle.
He narrowly escaped death, almost killed by Ye Tianxiong.
A combination of factors has led to today's achievement.
Although higher mainline completion leads to richer simulation rewards.
Passing is easy, but completing is hard.
The higher the completion, the greater the difficulty.
Achieving 100% completion is almost impossible.
Lu Yuan wasn't that greedy.
An S-rating, combined with a 60% mainline completion.
Even if he left the simulated life now, he would receive generous rewards.
"I'm still young, with 45 years until the (Five Hurdles) arrive."
"In that time, I could try for higher simulation ratings."
Lu Yuan clenched his fist.
Since the last battle, his desire to become stronger had reached unprecedented heights.
After healing completely without any remaining problems.
Lu Yuan finally picked up his phone and checked the thousands of missed messages.
As he unlocked the screen.
A short video advertisement suddenly appeared.
"Breaking news!"
"The epoch-making virtual game 'Ark' will celebrate its tenth anniversary tonight at 8pm!"
"This game, developed by Dr Chen and his team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, features a brand new virtual engine for a 100% realistic experience!"
"Join now, play 'Ark' and get a free virtual headset!"
The video ad featured a female character dressed in black silk with a scorching figure that looked extremely realistic.
Viewers were thrilled, exclaiming that cyber-brothels and electronic social workers were just around the corner.
"Ark?"
Lu Yuan was confused.
He had been so absorbed in martial arts over the years that he had paid little attention to the gaming industry.
But Dr Chen's name was famous and kept ringing in his ears.
Chen Hongyu.
A genius known throughout the Qian Nation.
Passed the college entrance exam at eight, graduated from Tsinghua and Peking University at ten.
By twelve he had earned several doctorates.
Developed the prototype of artificial intelligence at fifteen, becoming the youngest member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in history.
Father of artificial intelligence, founder of quantum machines, pioneer of genetic engineering...
These titles are just a few of his many honours.
You could say.
Chen Hongyu had single-handedly advanced human technology by at least thirty years.
Such monstrous scientific talent almost made Lu Yuan believe that he was a reincarnated simulator.
But that was impossible.
Because in lower-level reincarnation worlds, there would only be one simulator, like a single-player game.
This puzzled Lu Yuan.
Chen Hongyu, the most outstanding genius scientist of the 22nd century.
Why would he invest immense manpower and resources in developing a large-scale virtual game?
(The chapter ends.)