Holding your hand, I bind your life.

The next day at noon, in the Abandoned Mine Shaft behind the Outer Sect's Menial Labor Area.

Deacon Zhao Qian of the Outer Sect arrived as promised. He was slightly plump, his face bearing the slickness of someone who had spent years scheming. Now, his small eyes flickered with a mix of vigilance and greed.

He had been stuck at Foundation Establishment Perfection for ten years, with not much Lifespan left. He would never let go of any hope, no matter how small, of breaking through to Golden Core. Although the mysterious Message Paper Crane from last night was of unknown origin, it had precisely struck his vital point.

The mine shaft was dark and damp, filled with the scent of decay. Deacon Zhao Qian's Divine Sense swept across, finding no abnormalities, which made him even more uneasy.

"Which Fellow Daoist has summoned me? Please show yourself!" he called out in a low voice, his hand already subtly resting on the Magical Artifact at his waist.

Only an empty echo answered him.

Just as his suspicions grew and he was about to retreat, his foot seemed to trip over something. He looked down to find a broken Jade Slip half-buried in the mud.

As if by a ghost's prompting, he picked up the Jade Slip. His Divine Sense probed it, and the Jade Slip instantly shattered, a stream of information forcefully pouring into his mind!

The information was incomplete and disjointed, but it was shocking enough:

"...Lin Hao... possesses a unique treasure... possibly an ancient... Legacy... Cultivation speed is abnormal... has inexplicably obtained Opportunities several times in desperate situations... suspected of mastering... Heaven-Defying secret techniques... or related to... the Demon Abyss..."

The information abruptly ended there!

Deacon Zhao Qian abruptly withdrew his Divine Sense, his face changing erratically, a cold sweat breaking out on his back!

Who left this Jade Slip? Was the content real? Lin Hao? That kid who had recently been making waves in the Outer Sect, rumored to have unbelievably good Luck?

Was it a trap? Or... was it truly an Opportunity?

Greed ultimately overwhelmed vigilance. If this news was true... then the so-called "unique treasure" or "secret technique" might be the key to his Golden Core Breakthrough! Better to believe it than not!

He meticulously searched the entire mine shaft again but found nothing else, as if the Jade Slip was merely an accidental relic left by a deceased person, which he happened to pick up.

"Lin Hao..." Deacon Zhao Qian muttered to himself, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "Regardless of whether it's true or false, I must investigate!"

...Inside the Secret Cave.

Nightmare watched the glowing dot representing Deacon Zhao Qian on the System map linger in the Abandoned Mine Shaft for a long time, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

The bait had been cast, and the fish had bitten. The seed of doubt and greed had been planted. He didn't need to do anything himself; Deacon Zhao Qian would investigate and probe Lin Hao on his own. This would be enough to cause Lin Hao considerable trouble, at least preventing him from Cultivating peacefully before the Outer Sect Grand Competition.

"Squeak! Squeak!" The Treasure-Seeking Spirit Weasel suddenly became excited again, tugging at Nightmare's pant leg and pointing in another direction.

"Found something again?" Nightmare was in high spirits; this little guy was truly his lucky star.

Stealthily leaving the cave again, guided by the Spirit Weasel, this time the target was not Spiritual Plants, but an extremely hidden entrance to an underground dark river. Diving in, at the bottom of the riverbed, Nightmare found several pieces of icy, bone-chilling Dark Iron Ore, imbued with pure water Spiritual Qi.

These were excellent Materials for refining water-attribute Magical Artifacts, and quite valuable.

"Ding! Obtained Dark Iron Ore, gained villain points +80."

A good harvest. Nightmare was about to leave when his gaze was suddenly drawn to some blurry carvings on the dark river's stone wall.

These carvings were extremely ancient, almost worn smooth by the water flow, but it was vaguely discernible that they belonged to the same style as the bas-reliefs in the Cang Clan's ancient palace! The carvings pointed towards the depths of the dark river but broke off midway, as if documenting something unfinished.

"The Cang Clan... even has traces here?" Nightmare's heart stirred, and he committed this place to memory. Now was not the time for deep exploration, but this was undoubtedly an important clue.

In the following days, Nightmare stayed indoors, using the resources found by the Treasure-Seeking Spirit Weasel and the Medicinal Pills exchanged from the System, fully consolidating his cultivation and Cultivating the Soul Devouring Claw and the Breath Concealment Art.

Occasionally, he could also perceive subtle fluctuations in Lin Hao's Luck value through the System prompts.

"Ding! son of destiny Lin Hao nearly made a mistake in his Cultivation due to a disturbed mind, Luck Value -10."

"Ding! son of destiny Lin Hao was repeatedly and unreasonably harassed and questioned by Outer Sect Deacon Zhao Qian, becoming annoyed, Luck Value -15."

"Ding! son of destiny Lin Hao tried to find the Treasure-Seeking Spirit Weasel without success, feeling depressed, Luck Value -5."

Although each deduction was small, they accumulated over time, and more importantly, this continuous trouble was effectively disrupting Lin Hao's state of mind.

Nightmare was very satisfied with this effect... The day of the Outer Sect Grand Competition finally arrived.

The square was bustling with people, all Outer Sect Disciples gathered here, eager to stand out in this Grand Competition, enter the Inner Sect, and Leap Over the Dragon Gate.

On the high platform sat several Inner Sect and Outer Sect Elders and Deacons, among whom was Deacon Zhao Qian, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Lin Hao in the crowd below, flickering with scrutiny and greed.

Lin Hao stood in the crowd, his face stern. The recent string of misfortunes had left him with a fire in his heart, wanting nothing more than to unleash it fiercely in the Grand Competition, crushing all opponents with absolute strength to prove himself!

He believed that once the Grand Competition began, the Heavenly Dao's favor would naturally return!

Nightmare's figure silently appeared in the shadow of a large tree at the edge of the square, his Breath Concealment Art operating at full power, unnoticed by anyone. He coldly watched the noisy scene below, like an outsider.

His gaze primarily fell on Lin Hao, as well as a few Disciples from his past life's memory who had caused Lin Hao some minor troubles.

"First round, draw lots for duels!" The presiding Elder announced loudly.

The matches proceeded one after another. Lin Hao indeed had astonishing Luck; the opponents he drew were either mediocre in strength or happened to be suppressed by him, allowing him to easily advance. His complexion gradually improved, regaining his confident and composed demeanor.

Nightmare was not in a hurry, waiting patiently.

Finally, it was the turn of a Disciple named Shiyan. This person was robust in build, Cultivating an earth-attribute Cultivation Technique, with extremely strong defense. In his previous life, he had held out against Lin Hao for quite some time, forcing Lin Hao to use some of his true abilities.

Shiyan's opponent happened to be a Sword Cultivator Disciple, whose attacks were fierce but struggled to break through Shiyan's defense. Ultimately, after a prolonged attack, his Spiritual Qi was exhausted, and he lost.

Shiyan advanced to the next round.

No one noticed that while Shiyan was recuperating, an almost transparent Medicinal Pill was mixed into his drinking water, instantly dissolving.

That was the "Thick Earth Pill" that Nightmare exchanged with his last remaining villain points. It could greatly enhance an earth-attribute Cultivator's defense and strength in a short period, but after the medicinal effect wore off, they would be weak for a while. A side effect was that during the medicinal period, emotions would become exceptionally agitated and irritable.

In the next round of drawing lots, as expected, Shiyan's opponent was none other than Lin Hao!

"Excellent! Finally, a decent opponent!" Battle Intent surged in Lin Hao's eyes; he needed a hearty victory to sweep away the gloom!

Shiyan stepped onto the arena, feeling the inexplicably surging power and restless Battle Intent within him, and let out a low roar, his entire body glowing with a brilliant earthy yellow light!

"Lin Hao! Come and fight!"

The battle erupted instantly!

However, as soon as they clashed, Lin Hao felt something was wrong!

Shiyan's defense far exceeded his imagination! His fierce Sword Qi struck the rock armor condensed by the opponent, only leaving shallow white marks! Moreover, Shiyan's strength was astonishing; every punch made his Qi and blood churn!

What annoyed him even more was that Shiyan was like a mad tiger, attacking without regard for defense, constantly roaring and bellowing, disturbing his mind.

"How is this possible?! He was clearly not this strong before!" The more Lin Hao fought, the more surprised he became; the situation once fell into a stalemate, and he was even gradually suppressed!

On the high platform, Deacon Zhao Qian watched this scene, his suspicion growing stronger: "This Lin Hao... doesn't seem as powerful as the rumors say? Could that secret technique be unreliable?"

The audience below also discussed animatedly.

"Did this Shiyan take drugs? Why is he so fierce!"

"Senior Brother Lin seems to be unable to hold on!"

"Is he going to lose?"

Nightmare, hidden in the shadows, watched all of this expressionlessly.

Lin Hao's veins bulged on his forehead; being pushed to such a state by an opponent he had easily defeated in his previous life made him feel immense humiliation! That elusive favor of the Heavenly Dao seemed to have failed once again!

"Damn it! I can't hide my strength anymore!" A trace of determination flashed in Lin Hao's eyes. He tried to enter that state of "Epiphany" as he did in his previous life, to unleash that Incomplete Spirit Rank Sword Art!

However, just as his mind converged and he was about to touch that Sword Intent—

"Roar!" Shiyan, who had consumed the "Thick Earth Pill," seized his momentary pause and unleashed a wild punch, timed with extreme precision!

Lin Hao's pupils constricted; he forcefully interrupted his Epiphany, awkwardly parrying and dodging!

Puff!

Although he avoided the vital points, the force of the punch still grazed his shoulder, making him stumble back several steps, his internal Qi and blood churning. That trace of Sword Intent he had just grasped instantly dispersed!

The Epiphany... was interrupted!

"Ding! Successfully interfered with son of destiny Lin Hao's crucial Epiphany node, preventing him from mastering the 'Incomplete Spirit Rank Sword Art'. Gained Luck Value -100, villain points +500!"

"Ding! son of destiny Lin Hao's mentality suffered a severe setback, causing self-doubt and a subtle crack in his Dao Heart. Luck Value -50!"

A trace of a smile finally appeared in Nightmare's eyes.

It's done.

On the arena, Lin Hao's face was pale, not because of his injuries, but because of the immense shock and bewilderment in his heart.

Why... why can't I enter Epiphany?!

Why isn't it working this time?!

He looked at Shiyan, who was roaring and charging at him again, and for the first time, in front of a fellow Disciple, he felt a hint of... panic.