Daily Intelligence: From Miner to Dao Ancestor of Alchemy and Talismans

In a secluded corner of Qingyafang, far from the hustle and bustle, there is a small courtyard with green tiles, from which a soft sigh suddenly came.

"It still doesn't work..."

Inside the room, Xu Yuan sat cross-legged on the couch, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. Since transmigrating, he had cultivated for a full ten years, but he still couldn't get past the hurdle of the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

"If things continue like this, what's the point of talking about immortality?"

Ten years ago, Xu Yuan was hit and killed by a truck. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a world of cultivation, becoming a rogue cultivator. His master, who was also a rogue cultivator, passed on his cultivation techniques to him before his death, which led him onto the path of cultivation.

Unfortunately, this road is really difficult to travel.

His spiritual aperture was less than four inches, and his talent was so poor that no sect was willing to accept him. Helpless, Xu Yuan could only come to Qingya Fang, a place where rogue cultivators gathered, and like the low-level cultivators there, he had to rely on himself to endure little by little.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and he has only just reached the third level of Qi Refining.

"It's alright, it's alright. As long as people are still alive, there's always hope."

Xu Yuan reassured himself and quickly calmed down.

Knock knock knock—Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Is young friend Xu here?"

Xu Yuan went to open the door upon hearing the sound and saw a thin old man standing outside, dressed in brocade robes and with an extraordinary bearing—Li Qinghe, one of the managers of Qingya Workshop, with a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 7.

"Greetings, Manager Li."

Facing a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining, Xu Yuan dared not be negligent and quickly bowed, inviting the person into the house.

Back then, in order to stay in the market and cultivate peacefully, he, like most of the independent cultivators here, signed a contract with the "Zhao family" who controlled the market.

The Zhao family gave them spirit stones and allowed them to stay there permanently.

In exchange, they had to work for the Zhao family every year for twenty years.

Li Qinghe waved his hand, his expression indifferent, and said, "I've come to tell you that your job this year is mining. Report to the spirit mine in three days."

Mining? This...

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's heart sank.

In previous years, he was assigned tasks like planting spirit fields and feeding spirit beasts. Why did he end up mining this year?

Although getting a job depends entirely on luck, among independent cultivators, the most dreaded job is being assigned to mining. Conditions in the mines are poor, accidents happen frequently, and a slight mistake can result in death or serious injury. Xu Yuan's cultivation is already difficult enough; if he develops any health problems, he might never be able to establish his foundation in this lifetime.

He gritted his teeth and tentatively asked, "Manager Li, is there any other work I can switch out of?"

"What do you think?" Li Qinghe said coldly. "Good jobs don't come your way every year. What you get depends entirely on fate."

Xu Yuan listened without saying a word. After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth, took out a spirit stone bag, forced a smile, and handed it over: "Senior, you've worked hard. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Twenty-four spirit stones—this was all the wealth he had accumulated over more than ten years.

To avoid going into the mines, Xu Yuan had practically risked everything. Upon seeing the spirit stone bag, Li Qinghe finally smiled slightly: "Young friend, you're very kind."

Upon opening it, his smile deepened.

"If I remember correctly, there seems to be one vacancy for the market day this year. I'll check for you when I get back and let you know."

"Thank you, senior."

Xu Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute, breathed a sigh of relief, and watched Li Qinghe leave. Night watch wasn't exactly easy, but it was much better than going down into the mine.

three days later.

Xu Yuan received a conscription order, which read: Effective immediately, proceed to the Spirit Mine.

What happened?

He immediately went out to find Li Qinghe to demand an explanation, but when he actually met him, his anger was first suppressed by reason.

"Steward Li, is there a mistake in how I've written down my job description for this year?"

Li Qinghe sat behind the desk, arms crossed, and glanced at him sideways: "That's right, it's mining. Is there a problem?"

Xu Yuan gritted his teeth, but could only bow and nod, "No, it's nothing. I was just a little worried, so I came to check."

There must be a reason behind Li Qinghe's reneging on his promise. After much thought, it's likely that someone offered him more benefits, thus squeezing him out of the running.

Seeing that Xu Yuan didn't mention spirit stones, Li Qinghe nodded in satisfaction: "I'm sorry, young friend Xu."

"I'm not the kind of person who goes back on his word, but this time I truly am powerless to do so. I'll return the spirit stones I borrowed from you a few days ago."

He said all that, but he didn't make the slightest movement with his hands.

Xu Yuan knew in his heart that this old man would never spit out the meat that was already in his mouth, so he could only cup his hands and say, "Senior, you are too kind. It was just a small token of my appreciation. Now that the matter is settled, I will take my leave."

Xu Yuan clasped his hands and withdrew, while Li Qinghe curled his lips into a cold smile.

After walking a distance, Xu Yuan could no longer suppress his anger. He had been tricked, mocked, and his word hadn't been kept—that old dog Li Qinghe had taken advantage of him, a nobody in the early stages of Qi Refining, knowing he could only swallow his grievances, which was why he dared to be so arrogant.

Ultimately, it comes down to my own lack of ability.

After all that trouble, all my savings were gone, and in the end, I still couldn't escape my fate of going down into the mine?

[Ding! Today's intelligence has been updated.]

[White Intelligence: On the banks of the Xiling River, a jade pendant lies hidden in a crevice of a strange rock, seemingly left behind by a noble person.]

A few lines of text appeared before his eyes. Xu Yuan, who was walking briskly, stopped in his tracks, paused for a moment, and the doubt in his eyes slowly turned into ecstasy.

"This is……"

Intelligence system? If he hadn't lived two lives, he would have thought he was seeing things.

After a while of excitement, he suppressed his joy and decided to take a trip to the banks of the Xiling River. Once outside the market town, without the protection of the array, Xu Yuan became more cautious in his actions.

Fortunately, the riverbank is not far from the market.

However, the shore was littered with huge rocks, and finding the right spot took him quite a bit of effort.

Half an hour later, Xu Yuan indeed found a jade pendant brimming with spiritual energy in a crescent-shaped boulder. The pendant was engraved with ancient seal script, two delicate characters: Autumn Moon.

Xu Yuan was startled.

Everyone in the market knows that the Zhao family's daughter's real name is Zhao Qiuyue. Could this jade pendant be the one that the Zhao family's eldest daughter lost?

Since the intelligence mentioned it, this thing must be important to its master. With that thought in mind, Xu Yuan immediately headed towards the Zhao family's main residence—he had to report to the spirit mine tomorrow.

There's no time to lose, we need to hurry.

Inside the Zhao family mansion, a slender young woman in green robes exclaimed with delight, "This is wonderful! Where did you obtain this jade pendant, fellow Daoist?"

This young woman was none other than Zhao Qiuyue, the daughter of the Zhao family.

Holding the spirit contract token, Xu Yuan explained his purpose and met the person without much trouble. He explained that he had found it by chance on the banks of the Xiling River. Seeing the seal characters engraved on it, he guessed that it might belong to the young lady and specially brought it over.

"Fellow Daoist, thank you so much." Zhao Qiuyue's face was full of joy at having regained what she had lost, and she kept stroking the jade pendant.