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

Just then, the system alert that refreshed at midnight sounded in his mind precisely on time: [Ding! Today's alert has been refreshed.]

[Qingdao Daily: A total of 127 contestants participated in this Alchemist Tournament. The top seed is Li Mo from Danwang Valley (a second-tier high-grade alchemist and the core direct descendant of Danwang Valley), and the second seed is Su Qingyao, the young master of Baicaotang (a second-tier mid-grade alchemist and the sole heir of Baicaotang). Most of the other contestants are second-tier low-grade alchemists, and only 3 solo cultivators have reached the second-tier alchemist level.]

Xu Yuan held the rough teacup between his fingertips, his eyes clear and bright.

Just as he predicted, the key opponents in this Alchemist Conference were Li Mo and Su Qingyao.

Li Mo colluded with the Blood Fiend Sect, laying a trap that Li Mo had to overcome. Meanwhile, Su Qingyao's Hundred Herbs Hall had been suppressed by the Pill King Valley and was Li Mo's mortal enemy.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Su Qingyao was a potential ally he could win over. Even without deep cooperation, as long as he could use Su Qingyao to distract Danwang Valley and Li Mo, he could reap the benefits from the shadows without being the first to be targeted.

Having ascertained the backgrounds of all the contestants, Xu Yuan put down the tea money, still hunched over, and slowly left the teahouse, quietly returning to the villa of Baodan Tower.

He had just closed the courtyard gate when Manager Wang, accompanied by two employees, entered carrying thick volumes of files. His attitude was extremely respectful: "Senior Xu, I've found all the complete exam questions from previous Alchemist Conferences, as well as the predicted questions for the first and second rounds of this conference. In addition, I've also brought you the conference rules and venue layout that the organizing committee just announced."

Xu Yuan took the file, nodded slightly, dismissed Manager Wang and the shop assistant, and closed the door.

He sat at the table, meticulously reviewing the files word by word, thoroughly familiarizing himself with the past exam questions, conference rules, and venue layout. The Alchemist Conference consisted of four rounds: the first round was a basic selection, involving the refining of a first-grade high-quality Qi Gathering Pill; the second round was an advanced assessment, involving the refining of a second-grade low-quality Rejuvenation Pill; the third round was an elimination round, involving the refining of a second-grade high-quality pill using designated medicinal materials; and the fourth round was the final round, where participants would refine a designated pill according to a formula provided by the organizing committee to determine the final rankings.

After reviewing all the materials, Xu Yuan had already devised a complete plan to play dumb and outmaneuver others.

In the first and second rounds, he only refined low-grade pills just enough to advance, deliberately suppressing the success rate, pretending that he barely made it and was lucky to advance, never revealing his true alchemy skills. He let Li Mo and Su Qingyao steal the spotlight, letting them restrain and fight each other, while he hid in the shadows, observing coldly, conserving his strength until the finals, when he would make a stunning debut.

Never stand out, never be targeted beforehand, and always keep yourself in the safest and most concealed position. This is the ironclad rule for survival.

With the plan finalized, there are only three days left until the opening of the Alchemist Conference.

During these three days, Xu Yuan neither refined pills nor drew talismans. He did only two things each day: first, he meditated and cultivated to stabilize his Qi Refining Level 8 cultivation, keeping his spiritual power and state at their peak; second, he repeatedly deduced every aspect of the conference, preparing contingency plans for all possible unexpected events.

He carefully kept the Qingling Pill, which could dissolve the Qi-dispelling powder, close to his body; a reading feast: a vast collection of books and an ultimate experience. The second-tier alchemy furnace, spare talisman paper and cinnabar, and emergency pills needed for the competition were all neatly organized and placed in his bag. He also prepared a sufficient amount of disguise pills and concealment talismans.

For three whole days, he didn't step out of the courtyard, didn't contact anyone, and even Manager Wang only saw him twice. He perfectly avoided all the trouble and all the tests. Even Xue Wuyai next door didn't know that the person he was looking for lived in the courtyard just a wall away.

Before they knew it, it was the night before the opening of the Alchemist Conference.

At midnight, the system intelligence refreshed on time, but this time, what popped up was a top-level crimson intelligence report that carried a strong sense of crisis.

A line of large, blood-red characters suddenly appeared on the surface of his consciousness:

[Crimson Top-Tier Intelligence: In the first round of the Alchemist Tournament, Pill King Valley has tampered with the public alchemy furnaces at the competition venue. Any rogue cultivator who doesn't bring their own furnace will have their furnace explode mid-refining process, resulting in their immediate elimination in the first round.]

As dawn broke, the martial arts training ground of the Blackwater City Lord's Mansion was already packed with people.

The triennial Alchemist Conference is the grandest alchemy event in the southern part of the Western Region. Hundreds of alchemy platforms were set up in the center of the square, and the surrounding stands were filled with cultivators from all over the surrounding areas. High-ranking officials from the City Lord's Mansion, Pill King Valley, Hundred Herbs Hall, and Treasure Pill Pavilion were all present. Even the Blackwater City Lord himself appeared and sat in the main seat. The pressure of his Golden Core stage cultivation subtly enveloped the entire venue, and the noisy square instantly quieted down.

Xu Yuan mingled among the participating alchemists, still looking like a hunched-over, down-on-his-luck old rogue cultivator. His white goatee hung down to his chest, and his faded coarse cloth robe was patched. He clutched his tattered cloth bag tightly in his hand, huddled at the very back of the line, not daring to lift his head even slightly. He blended perfectly into the group of low-level rogue cultivators, attracting no one's attention.

His gaze swept across the entire room discreetly, taking in all the details.

At the very front of the procession, Li Mo from Danwang Valley, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, was surrounded by a group of disciples, looking spirited and high-spirited. The female cultivators on the stands frequently exclaimed in surprise, and even the steward of the city lord's mansion took the initiative to step forward and greet him with a cupped hand. He was the center of attention.

Not far away, Su Qingyao from Baicaotang, dressed in a green dress, with a cold expression and a jade pendant from Baicaotang hanging at her waist, was accompanied by only two maids. Yet, she still attracted countless eyes. She was the only seeded player in this competition who could rival Li Mo.

All eyes were focused on the two of them; no one paid any attention to the old, trembling cultivator at the end of the line, who was at the third level of Qi Refining.

As the city lord announced the official opening of the Alchemist Conference, thunderous cheers erupted. The participating alchemists entered the venue one by one, proceeding to their corresponding alchemy platforms according to the numbers on their participation tokens.

Xu Yuan's alchemy platform was in the farthest corner, secluded and inconspicuous, which suited him perfectly. He had barely settled in when he heard the referee on the platform loudly announce the rules for the first round: "The first round is the basic selection. The test is to refine a first-grade high-level Qi Gathering Pill, with a time limit of two hours. Those with a success rate of over 30% and pills of low-grade quality or higher will advance. The organizing committee will provide the medicinal materials. Participants may bring their own alchemy furnaces or use the communal furnaces at the competition venue!"

The questions were exactly the same as those from previous exams, and even his predictions were accurate.

The surrounding alchemists all sprang into action. Most of the independent cultivators did not bring their own alchemy furnaces, since first-tier alchemy furnaces were not valuable and were troublesome to carry around. They all reached out and accepted the public alchemy furnaces provided by the organizing committee. Only a few alchemists from sects or with backgrounds took out their own private alchemy furnaces.

Xu Yuan slowly took out a rusty, chipped first-tier alchemy furnace from his worn-out bag and placed it on the alchemy table.