Chapter 91

Chapter 091: Karma Curse, Body Binding Curse, and Immortal Slaying Curse

Yu Jing's experience was certainly not an isolated case.

When the Fate Net update announcement appeared as a pop-up in every user's consciousness, an unusual brief silence fell over the forum and all major chat channels.

Only a few show-offs were still frantically spamming: "The Fate Net updated! The Fate Net updated again!"

But this announcement was pushed directly—everyone had received it, and their reminders were utterly unnecessary.

At that moment, almost all Chinese trial participants made the same choice.

That was to drop everything they were doing and rush into the Visualization Interface first thing.

Some even saved their own lives because of it.

Somewhere in the Trial Ground.

Inside a crude wooden cabin surrounded by dense forest, Wang Changhe was slumped against a wall.

His right leg had swollen to a purplish color, two small fang marks clearly visible on the wound, with the surrounding skin rotting and blackening at a visible rate.

It had happened just over two hours ago. After opening a treasure chest and stepping out, he accidentally trod on a venomous snake lurking under the threshold.

The snake moved with incredible speed. He only felt a numb sting on his ankle, and when he looked down, he saw a gray shadow dart into the grass—he didn't even catch what species it was.

The venom spread quickly.

First, an intense burning sensation radiated from the wound up to his thigh, followed by dizziness, nausea, and a rapidly rising fever.

In the Trial Ground, being bitten by a venomous snake was common enough—among billions of people, someone was bound to encounter such bad luck.

It was manageable now, thanks to the existence of Good Fortune Coins. Antivenom serum on the Trading House wasn't that rare anymore.

But the problem was, Wang Changhe didn't know which species of snake had bitten him.

More importantly, antivenom serum required intravenous drip—the kind that needed to be hung from a bottle and administered slowly.

It was nearly impossible for one person to complete the process alone.

After realizing the situation,

He could only watch helplessly as the status bar on his Fate Net Attribute Panel kept dropping.

[Status: 48% (Snake Venom Erosion, High Fever, Severe Pain)]

Forty-eight percent.

Less than half.

This status wasn't like a health bar in a game—when it dropped below half, the risk of shock or unconsciousness was imminent at any moment.

Wang Changhe forced a bitter smile.

He knew he couldn't delay any longer. The only option left was to abandon the trial.

But he couldn't accept it.

He had already saved over a thousand Fate Points, only needing eight thousand more for a Grand Fortune Coin.

If he could just hold on a little longer, he could use the Grand Fortune Coin to open a Silver Chest, and maybe get something that could change his fate.

If he gave up now, wouldn't all those days of eating wild vegetables and insects have been for nothing?

Even worse, since he had already opened the treasure chest, he didn't even have the chance to spend all his Fate Points on Good Fortune Coins for one last gamble.

But if he didn't give up, the chance of surviving on his own was zero.

Faced with the prospect of death and destruction, Wang Changhe felt it was better to obediently abandon the trial.

"If only I hadn't fantasized about being the protagonist, if only I hadn't refused to join a team!"

"Then I wouldn't be in this mess."

"After abandoning the trial, will I return to Earth? And then come back again after the Hundred-Day Trial ends?"

Just as he was lost in regretful thoughts, the Fate Net's update announcement popped up.

"Totem, Visualization, Spell Techniques?"

Hope rekindled in Wang Changhe's heart.

Gritting his teeth against the intense pain, he forced himself to finish reading the announcement, then opened the Visualization Interface.

Taotie Curse.

"Visualize the Palm Realm... recovery ability..."

He poured all his remaining strength into sinking his consciousness into that deep, pitch-black palm.

In a daze, his mind wandered through a vast universe devoid of stars, as if he were being assimilated into it.

For his first visualization, the gain was minimal.

The connection with the Taotie Curse increased by a pitiful 1 point.

But that single point was enough.

Wang Changhe's trembling hand opened the Trading House, and he casually bought a cheap Instant Bread.

He didn't go to the Food Zone—that required waiting for preparation, and time was what he needed most right now.

Bread in hand, he stuffed it into his mouth while activating the Taotie Curse.

His stomach felt like it was ignited; the food was broken down into pure energy within moments, flowing as a warm current to the bite on his right leg.

Part of the toxin was neutralized.

His body temperature began to drop, and the pain eased slightly.

"It works!"

Wang Changhe quickly bought a few more portions of food from the Trading House and stuffed them into his mouth.

He didn't hold back this time, not stopping the process voluntarily.

Until the Taotie Curse entered its Cooldown.

He looked back at the Attribute Panel.

[Status: 83% (Mild Neurotoxin residue, Void Clarity State, Weak)]

The snake venom status had changed to mild neurotoxin poisoning.

Though not fully recovered, he was at least out of immediate danger.

"Alive... I'm alive?"

Wang Changhe stared blankly at the panel, taking a long moment to confirm he had truly survived.

The remaining mild toxin could be gradually overcome by his body's own recovery ability, even without the Taotie Curse.

Once the Taotie Curse's Cooldown ended, using it again should completely eliminate the residue.

"This damn thing... really saved my life."

After surviving the ordeal, his first thought wasn't about anything else, but the Silver Chest he had been yearning for.

He could continue saving up for the Grand Fortune Coin!

But then he turned his mind to the Taotie Curse that had just saved his life, along with the other five Spell Techniques.

"Spell Techniques... could a Silver Chest yield abilities of this level?"

"Damn, there's no way that's possible!"

...

Meanwhile.

Deep in the forest on another side of the Trial Ground.

Three people stood before an intact trap, exchanging bewildered looks.

"Didn't you say your experience was foolproof?" One of them, a tall and thin guy, glanced sideways at his companion. "Where's the animal?"

"Ahem... well, maybe..." The man who called himself a Survival Expert rubbed his nose awkwardly, "Maybe the location wasn't right? After all, the creatures here have different habits than on Earth..."

"Bullshit, the big shots on the Forum have confirmed they're the same, just with some minor shape differences," the tall and thin guy retorted.

"And that's not what you said yesterday when you were boasting like crazy." Another Companion unceremoniously added a jab.

They had put in a lot of effort setting up traps yesterday, only to end up exhausted with nothing to show for it, so naturally, there was some resentment.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Just then, the Fate Net's update announcement popped up.

"Hey, there's an update!" Survival Expert, as if granted a reprieve, quickly changed the subject. "Let me see... Totem Visualization? Six types of Spell Techniques?"

"What's this?" Tall and Thin Guy was also drawn in. "Recovery, Defense, Tracking, Attack, Control, Speed... That's absolutely everything!"

"Wait, this Karma Curse?"

Survival Expert's gaze locked onto that pale golden finger.

[Karma Curse: Lock onto a target; attacks are guaranteed to hit.]

He almost instinctively clicked on it.

His consciousness sank into the void, and that massive pale golden finger stood before him like a pillar holding up the sky.

A moment later, a Fate Net prompt appeared.

[Through visualizing the Index Finger Realm, your Connection with the Karma Curse has increased by +1.]

[Through visualizing the Index Finger Realm, your Connection with the Taotie Curse has deepened.]

"Karma Tracking..."

He subconsciously looked up at the forest ahead.

A thought flashed through his mind.

"Nearby wild beasts?"

A pale golden Karma Force tugged slightly.

The direction pointed west-northwest at 30 degrees, only about 300 meters away.

No reason, no logic—just a thought, and he knew.

"...This powerful?!"

Survival Expert froze for a moment, then immediately led the two companions who had also learned other Spell Techniques to go.

Since the traps didn't work, they'd just go for a direct kill.

A few minutes later, the three indeed found a wild boar in the dense bushes 300 meters away.

Tall and Thin Guy, who had learned the Body Binding Curse, volunteered: "I'll handle it."

Then he activated his ability, and a purple light shot out in a sudden attack.

"Bind!"

The wild boar was frozen in place in an instant.

"Holy crap!"

...

The same exclamation echoed across different people simultaneously.

A Trial Participant living alone at the foot of a mountain, after visualizing the Middle Finger Realm and learning the Immortal Slaying Curse, tried attaching the frost-white light to his palm and casually struck the mountain wall.

With a dull thud, the hard rock was cut open like tofu, leaving a hole about half a meter wide.

He stared blankly at his hand, then at the hole, silent for several seconds.

"Awesome... Looks like I can dig myself a shelter?"

He muttered to himself, then unhesitatingly reached into the mountain again.

As stone chips flew, a simple cave shelter began to take shape.

With the Immortal Slaying Curse, even tools were unnecessary.