Each use of the Shituo Ghost Hand consumes your own energy and life force. When your life is completely withered, the Shituo Ghost Hand will fully awaken. The higher the compatibility between the Shituo Ghost Hand and yourself, the less life force it consumes, potentially approaching zero.

　　Even if you don’t use the Shituo Ghost Hand, it will fully awaken within one to three years after successful integration, and this awakening will result in the host’s death—unless there is some means or item capable of counterbalancing it.

　　……

　　Three side effects—compared to such a ‘badass’ thing, they don’t seem like much.

　　But once any of these three side effects erupt, they’re enough to cost you your life!

　　Who in their right mind would bring something like this into reality?

　　And spend 2,000 yuan-jade on it?

　　Even if you gave me this thing for free, I wouldn’t want it!

　　……

　　Adam Carter was silent for a while.

　　In fact, he knew very well what value this ghost hand held—just the fact that it could easily tear apart shadow fiends and open up an escape route showed its immense potential.

　　But integrating this ghost hand into himself would mean that, at just over twenty years old, he’d have at most ten years, at least only one year left to live!

　　Under the influence of various side effects, he might not even have a year.

　　Compared to its value, the price of owning it was simply too high.

　　However, with the supernatural about to awaken and the world about to be completely severed from the past, in such times, who could guarantee they’d live to die of old age anyway?

　　Adam Carter was deeply conflicted.

　　Fortunately, since the ‘Shituo Ghost Hand’ appeared as an option, it definitely wouldn’t disappear and would always be available, giving him enough time to consider.

　　Especially since his current success rate for integrating the ghost hand was only 1%. If he tried to bring it out and integrate it now, that would really be like looking for death—like searching for a lantern in a toilet.

　　As for how to improve the success rate and compatibility of integrating the ghost hand, Adam Carter had a possible approach: spend 500 yuan-jade to enter the past life of the owner of the Gangdong relic.

　　There might be a way hidden within to improve both probabilities.

　　Even just experiencing everything the relic’s owner had gone through might itself increase both probabilities.

　　He currently had 684 yuan-jade, enough to try once.

　　However, the priority of this was after he successfully escaped the shadow fiend—lantern fiend’s territory in reality and found a truly safe place to stay.

　　Before that, he needed to invest all his yuan-jade into future simulations.

　　Only if he had enough yuan-jade to be a little extravagant would Adam Carter consider exploring the past life of the Gangdong relic’s owner.

　　“Exchange Option 1: Pain Transfer (White) Talent.

　　Exchange Option 2: Hunger Endurance (White) Talent.

　　Use two Talent Upgrade Talismans (Green) to upgrade both talents to Green quality!

　　Use one Talent Upgrade Talisman (Blue) to upgrade Koi Possession (Green) to Blue quality!”

　　The simulator prompted Adam Carter that three green talismans could be combined into one blue talisman.

　　He ignored this prompt and gave his own instructions to the simulator.

　　Soon, a wave of heat surged through his body, and several talents fused with him as one.

　　Koi Possession (Blue): Your luck is incomparable to ordinary people’s, giving you a very high chance of obtaining high-quality mysterious items.

　　Pain Transfer (Green): When you smoke or watch some adult-only films, even if you endure cruel tortures like the tiger bench, hot irons, or having your nails pulled out, you can remain expressionless.

　　Hunger Endurance (Green): Among ordinary people, you are exceptionally able to endure hunger. In extreme hunger, you can maintain 60% of your normal activity level.

　　……

　　Now Adam Carter already had five talents.

　　Blue talents: Calmness and Koi Possession.

　　The remaining Pain Transfer, Dark Walker, and Hunger Endurance were all green.

　　With these five talents combined, his overall abilities already surpassed ordinary people. In harsh environments, his chances of survival were definitely much higher than most.

　　Of these five talents, four were directly related to ‘survival.’

　　After reviewing the ‘assets’ he possessed in the simulator, Adam Carter exited the simulator.

　　It was already late at night.

　　He glanced out the window, then lay down on the bed to sleep.

　　He needed to rest well—tomorrow, he would start dealing with his real-world assets, so they could help him more effectively in the coming era of supernatural awakening!

Chapter 14: Retreat at Noon

　　As the sun set in the west, the afterglow painted the cliffs of Long Mountain a fiery red.

　　Around Yunlong Temple, built halfway up the mountain, tree shadows danced.

　　An elderly man with his hair in a bun, dressed in a dark blue Daoist robe, rode his electric scooter to the temple gate, parked it, then turned to lift a plastic bucket from the scooter and slung a long package over his back before entering the temple.

　　“Disciple, disciple!”

　　His face was full of smiles as he walked and called out.

　　Though he looked seventy or eighty years old, carrying a heavy plastic bucket, he could still walk briskly.

　　Passing through the corridor and around the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, the old man saw smoke rising from the chimney of the kitchen in the backyard.

　　A young Daoist with hands covered in soot came out of the kitchen, also smiling, took the plastic bucket from the old man, peeked inside, and said, “I’ve almost finished steaming the rice.

　　How many fish did you catch today?”