[Twist! Twist!! Twist!!! Another Golden Core]

[These options were all immensely tempting.]

[Reason told you to choose the first, obtain a top-tier [Heaven and Earth Wonder], and immediately achieve [Heaven-grade Qi Refining].]

[That was the safest path, the one most in keeping with your usual cautious approach.]

[But Third Elder Chen Ming's words—"Even at your weakest, you will surely reach [Foundation Establishment]"—poured into your ears like a demonic voice, echoing endlessly in your mind.]

[[Foundation Establishment]! That meant truly crossing the threshold of the Immortal path, enjoying a long lifespan, and wielding divine abilities!]

[Compared with a Future whose prospects were clear and whose lower limit was so high, even [Heaven-grade Qi Refining] seemed less enticing.]

[Enormous temptation churned in your heart. After a long struggle, you ultimately failed to resist that promise of "limitless potential." Gritting your teeth, you made a decision that went against your usual nature:]

["I choose three! Please help me awaken the [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] Fate Pattern!"]

[Upon receiving your answer, Chen Qingyan showed no sign of surprise.]

[Nor did he ask for confirmation or offer any further warning. He merely nodded silently, then let out a barely audible sigh.]

["Very well. Then I will... awaken your [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] Fate Pattern!"]

[Wild joy surged through your heart, and you overlooked the strangeness in that sigh.]

[You had wondered whether helping someone awaken a Fate Pattern was even possible, but since he was a [True Lord Reincarnation], perhaps he really possessed heaven-defying means?]

[Joy went to your head, keeping you from noticing the increasingly cold look in Chen Qingyan's eyes.]

[Or the aura emanating from him—not goodwill, but a resolute will to die.]

[He slowly approached you. His movements were not fast, but immersed in your joy, you remained oblivious.]

[The next instant—]

[**"Squelch—!"**]

[A muffled sound rang out, like a sharp blade piercing flesh.]

[You abruptly looked down and saw that a pale hand had already pierced your chest, crushing your vigorously beating heart with unerring precision.]

[Agonizing pain swept through your entire body in an instant. You struggled to raise your head, your face filled with incredulous horror and bewilderment as you stared fixedly at the calm-faced Chen Qingyan.]

[*"What is happening?! Wh... why is he killing me? Wasn't he here to repay his Karma?!"* The overwhelming confusion and sense of betrayal nearly suffocated you.]

[You heard Chen Qingyan speak in his still-flat voice, now chilling to the bone: "Do you still not understand? You were simply caught in a setup."]

["Not just you. This entire Chen Family, from the patriarch down to the servants, has long since been turned into marionettes..."]

[He paused, then pronounced each word like a sentence: "This Chen Family exists in name only now!"]

[Your pupils suddenly contracted!]

[Although your heart had been destroyed, the powerful vitality of [Embryonic Breath Realm perfection] kept you from dying immediately, only prolonging your suffering and awareness.]

[Chen Qingyan's words struck like thunder, shaking your very soul!]

[Scene after scene began flashing madly through your mind:]

[Your eerily smooth return to the lineage, the third elder's sudden appreciation and appointment of you as a Martial Instructor, that whole explanation about the [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] Fate Pattern, and your unquestioning belief in it—even your smug delight...]

[Everything had gone as smoothly as a meticulously arranged script!]

[Why had you failed to find a single [unclaimed opportunity] after years of wandering all across Blazing Sun Province, only to be told you possessed a [Hidden Dragon fate pattern] as soon as you returned to the Chen Family?]

[Why had you believed such a lie, riddled with holes, without the slightest doubt?!]

[And Chen Qingyan's pale face... that had nothing to do with his late-night visit. He had looked that way from the moment he "returned"!]

[He was no returning genius. He looked more like... a Puppet under someone's control, or a prisoner returning to meet his death!]

[You abruptly saw the truth!]

[Your original goal had merely been [Heaven-grade Qi Refining]. Why had you become so bewitched that you chose that nebulous "fate pattern awakening"?]

[Every abnormality, every clue, ultimately pointed to one person—]

[**"The Chen Family's third elder... Chen Ming!!!"**]

[He was the mastermind behind it all!]

[But... but before leaving home, you had clearly examined his profile with the [Eye of Illusion]!]

[The information displayed back then had shown nothing unusual?! Could even the [Eye of Illusion] be deceived?!]

[Yet before you could unravel this final mystery, clear, undisguised footsteps slowly approached from afar.]

[Using the last of your strength, you struggled to turn your eyes toward the doorway.]

[Under the moonlight, the newcomer's face gradually became clear. It was none other than—"Chen Ming," wearing a smile!]

[He looked at Chen Qingyan, whose hand had pierced your chest, then at the dying you. A spine-chilling smile spread across his face, as though everything lay within his grasp.]

[Your consciousness flickered like a dying candle in the wind, and in the final instant before it went out completely,]

[You clearly saw the stiff, numb smile on "Chen Ming's" face. That was no expression a living person should have.]

[In an instant, all the clues connected, and a truth that plunged you into despair surfaced.]

[Even Third Elder Chen Ming had long since become a Puppet under someone's control!]

[*"It's a [Golden Core Powerhouse]!"* you cried soundlessly in your heart.]

[Only a being who had transcended the River of Fate and wielded the rules themselves could possibly blind your [Eye of Illusion] completely.]

[Leaving you utterly unaware of the danger within arm's reach, and even believing everything without question!]