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

You can read the latest updated chapters of "Daily Intelligence: From Miner to Dao Ancestor of Alchemy and Talismans" without any issues on the "Renren Bookstore" APP. Over one million books are available for free reading. Visit the APP's official website for more information.

The two exchanged a knowing smile, their smugness and ruthlessness clearly reaching Xu Yuan's ears across the courtyard wall. They thought their conspiracy was flawless, but little did they know that the person they were looking for and plotting against was right there on the other side of the wall, having overheard their entire scheme.

Xu Yuan silently withdrew his divine sense and retreated lightly back to his own courtyard without making a sound or disturbing anyone next door.

Back in the main room, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his face showing no anger.

Anger and impulsiveness are the greatest taboos for those seeking survival through cunning and opportunism.

Now that we have figured out all of the enemy's cards, the next step is to make targeted plans and turn this seemingly hopeless situation into an opportunity.

He sat at the table, his fingertips lightly tapping the surface, and quickly devised a foolproof plan. He would immediately refine the Spirit-Clearing Pill, which could neutralize the Spirit-Locking Powder. The Daoist Scripture of Pills clearly recorded that the Spirit-Clearing Pill could neutralize most forbidden pills that disturbed spiritual power and pill fire, perfectly countering the Spirit-Locking Powder placed by Li Mo and his group, thus breaking the third round of the furnace explosion trap at its root.

Then, he would study the past exam questions of the Alchemist Conference in advance, especially the refining methods of second-grade high-quality pills. Even if Li Mo changed the proportions of the final pill formula, he could quickly find a way to deal with it by relying on the origin of alchemy in the Pill Talisman Dao Scripture, and would never be caught off guard.

He concealed his true strength throughout the competition, playing the fool to deceive others. In the first two rounds, he only used the level that was just enough to advance, never showing off or revealing his true alchemy skills. This made Li Mo and Xue Wuyai completely unaware of this "old rogue cultivator." Until the finals, he surprised them with his performance and caught them off guard.

Once the plan was finalized, he immediately got up and went into the alchemy room.

He took out the materials for refining the Qingling Pill from his storage bag, set up the second-tier pill furnace prepared by the Baodan Pavilion, lit the spiritual fire, calmed his mind, and began to refine the Qingling Pill according to the methods in the Pill Talisman Dao Scripture.

With the ultimate control of spiritual power through the eight-inch spiritual aperture, and the blessing of the exquisite methods of the Pill Talisman Dao Scripture, refining second-grade low-level Qingling Pills was already a piece of cake for him.

Two hours later, the alchemy furnace emitted a clear chime, and the rich aroma of the elixir instantly filled the entire alchemy room.

Xu Yuan lifted the lid of the alchemy furnace and saw sixteen round... The Qingling Pills, shimmering with a pale blue spiritual light, lay quietly in the alchemy furnace. Three of them, in particular, were exceptionally lustrous with clear patterns, reaching the highest quality.

Sixteen pills were produced in one batch, with a success rate of 80%, far exceeding the level of an ordinary second-level alchemist.

Looking at the Qingling Pill in the alchemy furnace, Xu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

From this moment on, the furnace-exploding trap set by Li Mo and his team had become completely ineffective.

He carefully put away the Qingling Pill, then took out the past examination questions from the Pill Master Competition sent by Baodanlou and began to study them diligently, making thorough preparations for the upcoming competition.

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and early the next morning, a soft knock came from outside the courtyard gate. Manager Wang's respectful voice came in: "Senior Xu, I have brought you the competition rules, registration process, and past exam questions for the Alchemist Competition that you requested."

Xu Yuan opened the courtyard gate, took the dossier from Manager Wang's hand, and thanked him.

After seeing Manager Wang off, he closed the courtyard gate, opened the competition rules for the Alchemist Conference, and went straight to the third round of the competition questions.

The case file clearly states that in the third round of the competition, designated medicinal materials will be used to refine a second-grade superior Rejuvenation Pill. The organizing committee will distribute the medicinal materials for alchemy, and bringing private medicinal materials into the venue is prohibited.

It was exactly the same thing he overheard through the wall last night.

The area in front of the Blackwater City Lord's Mansion was bustling with activity.

The registration area for the Alchemist Conference was located in the side hall of the mansion gate. Alchemists from all around came in an endless stream, each dressed in brocade robes and accompanied by guards and attendants, exuding confidence and arrogance. Even the lone cultivators mostly had a calm demeanor, with cultivation levels above the sixth level of Qi Refining, and their eyes carried the unique pride of an alchemist.

In the crowd, an old rogue cultivator with a hunched back and a white goatee hanging down to his chest was slowly moving around. It was Xu Yuan in disguise.

He maintained his disguise as a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, wearing a faded coarse cloth Taoist robe, carrying a tattered bag, and tightly clutching a cloth bundle containing the spirit stones and identification needed for registration. He looked exactly like a lowly, unsophisticated old rogue cultivator who had never seen the world and just wanted to join the fun at the Alchemist Conference.

As he walked to the registration window, the cultivator in charge of registration glanced at him. Seeing that he only had the cultivation level of the third level of Qi Refining, his eyes instantly flashed with undisguised disdain. Without even stopping writing, he lazily asked, "Register? Name, cultivation level, alchemist rank, and any sect background?"

"A first-tier alchemist? Qi Refining Level 3?" The registering cultivator scoffed, took the spirit stones, and tossed them into the basket. Too lazy to even fill out the register properly, he scribbled a couple of lines and tossed out a wooden competition token. "Here, take this. The tournament opens in three days. Entry is by token; being late means forfeit. Hey old man, don't get so scared when the furnace opens that your hand shakes and it explodes. Losing your life won't be your problem."

Hearing this, the other alchemists around him burst into laughter, their eyes filled with mockery as they looked at Xu Yuan. In their eyes, this kind of first-level alchemist, a rogue cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining, was just there to join the alchemist conference and make a name for himself. He couldn't even make it past the first round; he was simply there to embarrass himself.

Xu Yuan pretended not to hear their mockery, meekly accepted the competition token, carefully tucked it into his pocket, hunched over, and slowly walked out of the registration area. He didn't attract anyone's attention at all, like a grain of sand falling into water, without even a ripple.

As Xu Yuan stepped out of the city lord's mansion, he glanced at the laughing crowd behind him out of the corner of his eye, but his lips remained unmoved.

The core of playing dumb to outwit the enemy is never about deliberately acting crazy or stupid, but about making everyone completely ignore you, despise you, and treat you as insignificant dust. Only in this way can you deliver the most fatal blow at the most crucial moment.

This is also the essence of the art of survival: concealing one's shortcomings.

Instead of returning to Baodan Tower immediately, he turned into a teahouse opposite the City Lord's Mansion, found a corner seat, ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea, and slowly drank it with his head down, while listening attentively to the discussions of the cultivators around him.

The teahouse was filled with alchemists attending the Alchemist Conference and cultivators who came to watch the excitement. The topics of discussion were all about the popular contestants of this Alchemist Conference.

"The champion of this Alchemist Tournament will definitely be Senior Brother Li Mo from Pill King Valley! He's a second-tier high-grade alchemist, a direct disciple of Pill King Valley, and who in the entire Blackwater City can compare to him?"

"That's not necessarily true. Su Qingyao, the young master of Baicaotang, is no pushover either. She's a mid-grade second-tier alchemist, and her skill in refining the Rejuvenation Pill is unparalleled. Last time, she only narrowly lost to Li Mo!"

"Hey, don't even think about it, there are only three second-level alchemists among the more than one hundred participants. They're not good enough. They can only last until the second round at most. The champion will definitely be between Li Mo and Su Qingyao."

The surrounding chatter was incessant, and everyone's eyes were focused on Li Mo and Su Qingyao. No one mentioned the old rogue cultivator called "Old Xu" who had just signed up.