Peculiar and Cautious, Overly So?

The stands were abuzz with discussion.

Meanwhile, the numerous alchemists remained silent, focusing intently on their tasks.

However, their performances varied greatly.

Some were flustered, their expressions tense, fearing even the slightest mistake.

Others were exceptionally calm, their movements smooth and effortless, exuding confidence as if everything was under control.

Xiao Ling'er had been observing carefully, especially focusing on those handling herbs she had never encountered before. But she didn't watch just anyone.

She ignored the flustered and panicked ones, instead closely monitoring those who remained composed.

She was learning by watching.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xiao Ling'er closed her eyes, recalling everything she had seen, like a series of rapid images playing in her mind.

"So that's it. The key to enhancing the pill success rate with these auxiliary ingredients is the Five-Colored Flower." 

She murmured to herself. 

"Extract the essence of the Five-Colored Flower, leveraging its properties of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—to perfectly integrate the other auxiliary ingredients, achieving a harmonious balance of the elements. Using this harmonious balance to assist in pill formation will indeed slightly reduce the potency, but it significantly increases the success rate. This doesn't seem too difficult as long as these auxiliary ingredients maintain the balance of the five elements. At least, it won't be a problem for me."

Xiao Ling'er finally began to act.

Bang!

With a swift slap on the pill furnace, the lid flew off.

Her efficient and heroic action immediately drew many curious glances from those around her.

But Xiao Ling'er suddenly froze and stuck out her tongue.

"Almost forgot to keep a low profile."

So, she started to play dumb.

Originally, she should have used her own energy to support the lid, allowing her to add the herbs before replacing it—efficient and impressive.

But now, she let go of her energy, allowing the lid to crash to the ground with a clatter.

The nearby alchemists: "(⊙o⊙)···"

"Hiss~"

Instantly, there were boos from the crowd.

Xiao Ling'er's face turned red as she quickly picked up the lid and then clumsily began tossing herbs into the furnace.

Seeing her like this, the crowd lost interest.

With such performance, she wouldn't pass the first round! But Xiao Ling'er was pleased. Although she appeared clumsy, she had everything under control.

And during this process, she even had the mind to chat with Liang Danxia: "Teacher, in your opinion, are there any strong competitors among these alchemists?"

"Naturally." Liang Danxia spoke confidently, "With a million alchemists, although the vast majority are ordinary, there are bound to be some exceptional ones. Though I've been dormant for many years and am not thoroughly familiar with the current state of affairs, judging from their performances now, three individuals are worth noting."

"Oh?! Please tell me, Teacher!"

Xiao Ling'er was intrigued.

"Follow my spiritual sense. Do you see him? To your left front, the man wearing a feathered crown. His entire process of alchemy is as smooth as flowing water. His control over the various herbs and his mastery of the fire's heat are extraordinary. He is indeed a formidable opponent.

"And behind you, the red-haired woman in red clothing. If I'm not mistaken, she practices the Fire Virtue Sect's core cultivation method. Although the Fire Virtue Sect is renowned for its weapon refining techniques, this woman has taken a different path, excelling in fire control and reaching a high level in alchemy. Her control over herbs might be slightly inferior, but in terms of fire manipulation, you are not yet her equal."

"So it's them!" Xiao Ling'er suddenly realized she had noticed them earlier as well. "And the third person is...?"

"To your right, the one who seems less intelligent and is even more flustered than you."

"Ah?!" Xiao Ling'er was stunned but quickly understood, "Teacher, do you mean he is also pretending to be weak and biding his time?"

She observed carefully but couldn't find any flaws.

"I can't tell," she admitted. 

Liang Danxia, however, looked serious, "Precisely because you can't tell, he is more worthy of caution. This one hides deeply, and his acting is excellent. But I am certain his overall alchemy skills are not much weaker than yours, and he is quite peculiar. His cultivation level is... questionable."

"Questionable cultivation level?"

Xiao Ling'er looked more closely, yet the seemingly 'honest and not very smart' man appeared to be only at the first level of the Condensation Realm.

Was he hiding his cultivation?

But even so, how could it be that even her teacher couldn't see through him and had to describe it as 'questionable'?

"This person..." She frowned slightly, "is indeed strange."

Although she didn't understand the reason, if her teacher said so, there must be something to it.

"He is peculiar. Just remember to be wary of him!"

"Yes, Teacher."

***

Soon, more than half an hour passed.

Many had already formed their pills, and the air was filled with the fragrance of medicine.

In the initial stages, most of those who opened their furnaces were successful.

Because they had the necessary skill, they became the first to open their furnaces. Only a few failed, ending up with unfortunate mishaps and evident frustration.

However, as time passed, the failure rate increased sharply.

Some succeeded in forming pills, but they didn't reach the third grade.

Others couldn't even form pills at all.

There were even quite a few who caused their furnaces to explode.

Xiao Ling'er waited until the last dozen breaths of time before 'barely' opening her furnace, producing three third-grade Condensation Realm Pills.

It was very 'barely,' but it was enough to advance to the second round.

Then she looked at the 'peculiar and seemingly foolish' alchemist, only to find that he was still working on his pills.

It seemed his alchemy fire was out of control, and he was frantically trying to extinguish it!

Only in the last breath did he manage to put out the fire and open the furnace to retrieve the pills.

Two pills... Xiao Ling'er couldn't tell if they were second-grade or third-grade Condensation Realm Pills, which made her mouth twitch.

The pills had a very unstable 'aura.' Two rings of light were normal, but the third one was flickering, appearing to light up and then dimming as if it could go out at any moment.

Eventually, it 'stabilized,' but it was noticeably dimmer than the other two rings.

"Playing the fool, isn't he overdoing it?" 

Xiao Ling'er was speechless. If her teacher hadn't warned her, she would have been completely fooled!

In theory, playing it safe like she did shouldn't draw attention, right? But this guy???

Isn't this being overly cautious?!

Hmm???

Wait, overly... cautious?!

"This seems very familiar. Where have I heard of someone this cautious recently?"

However, try as she might, she couldn't recall where she had heard of such a cautious person and had to give up.

Just then, the expert cultivator took the stage again, "Those who have advanced, stay. Those who are eliminated, leave."

These simple ten words instantly divided the million alchemists into two groups.

To Xiao Ling'er's surprise, the first round had already eliminated nine out of ten!

Only less than a hundred thousand alchemists remained.

And the 'peculiar and seemingly foolish' guy was one of them.

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