6: Chapter 6: Pre-match Lottery - More Cards Revealed

The date of the small competition was fast approaching, and the atmosphere on the Xiao Family training grounds was becoming increasingly tense.

The shouts of the young disciples training were louder than usual, and an invisible pressure of competition permeated the air.

Lin Yan sat cross-legged in his secluded small room; the clamor outside seemed separated from him by an invisible barrier.

He did not go to the training ground to join the excitement, but instead sank his consciousness into the system interface.

On the points bar, the number "140" glowed faintly.

This was all the wealth he had saved after completing his initial alchemy and wealth accumulation tasks.

"It is time to try this random single draw." Lin Yan thought to himself.

A random single draw cost 100 points, which was quite a gamble, but as a newcomer, he urgently needed various resources to bolster his trump cards to deal with the upcoming small competition, especially Xiao Ning, whom he might have to face.

"System, use random single draw."

[Command confirmed. Consuming 100 points to perform one random single draw.]

The familiar vortex light lit up in his vision; it was much smaller than during the ten-draw, but enough to make one's heart race.

The light spun several times before finally settling.

[Congratulations host, you have obtained a special item: breath-concealing talisman (primary) × 3!]

It was not a cultivation technique, not a Dou Technique, and not a pill for direct enhancement.

Lin Yan was slightly taken aback and looked at the item description.

[breath-concealing talisman (primary): A single-use consumable. After use, it can perfectly conceal one's Dou Zhi Qi fluctuations and soul aura for three hours, simulating an illusion of being 1-3 minor realms lower than one's actual cultivation (the specific degree is controlled by the host). It is effective against detection by those below Dou Ling. Note: It cannot conceal physical power bursts and special energy fluctuations such as Heavenly Flames.]

breath-concealing talisman?

A flash of light appeared in Lin Yan's eyes, followed by a knowing smile.

This item might not directly enhance combat power, but in certain situations, it was more useful than a powerful Dou Technique!

"Perfectly concealing fluctuations, simulating a lower cultivation... If used cleverly, it can indeed save a lot of trouble." He muttered to himself.

For instance, in the small competition, he could continue to "maintain" the illusion of his cultivation being at the fifth or sixth stage, only to suddenly erupt at a critical moment and catch his opponent off guard.

Or, in the future, when he needed to hide his tracks or sneak into certain places, this item would be a divine tool.

More importantly, the existence of this item allowed him to execute his "playing the pig to eat the tiger" strategy more seamlessly, reducing the risk of being suspected.

After all, a genius who could control their own aura fluctuations, while rare, was not incomprehensible.

"Three sheets, enough to last for a while."

Lin Yan was satisfied as he stored the three talismans, which exuded a faint gray luster and felt cool to the touch, into his storage ring.

He still had 40 points left, which he would leave untouched for now.

After the draw, he got up and left his small room, heading to the square outside the family meeting hall.

Today, the specific rules and the draw arrangements for the small competition would be officially announced.

The square was already crowded with people.

Almost all the younger generation of the Xiao Family with Dou Zhi Qi above the fourth stage and under twenty years old had arrived.

Lin Yan stood in the back of the crowd, inconspicuous.

He could feel that since the market incident, there were many more gazes falling upon him, filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and disdain.

Clan Head Xiao Zhan and several elders soon appeared.

The deacon in charge of hosting loudly announced the rules: a knockout tournament format until the top three were decided.

For the first round of drawing lots, the winner would advance, and the loser would be eliminated.

The top three would receive double the resource quota for the next month and the qualification to enter the first floor of the Cang Gong Pavilion.

It was specifically emphasized that the competition was for sparring, so they should stop at the appropriate point and must not intentionally cause serious injury.

The rules were simple and direct, cruel yet tempting.

The drawing of lots began.

Names were called out one by one, and the youths stepped forward to take the number plates that would determine their opponents from a wooden box.

The atmosphere became even more tense.

"Lin Yan!" The deacon's voice rang out.

Lin Yan stepped forward, and under the gaze of many, reached into the wooden box and took out a number plate with "Jia Seven" written on it.

His opponent was the person who also drew "Jia Seven".

Soon, the preliminary match table was arranged.

Lin Yan looked at his opponent—Xiao Ke, a direct descendant with a Dou Zhi Qi of the sixth stage, placing him in the middle tier of the younger generation.

Not a formidable enemy, but certainly not weak.

"Good luck." Lin Yan thought to himself.

Avoiding the top few, such as Xiao Ning, in the first round was an ideal start.

"Hmph, count yourself lucky." A cold, hard voice rang out from the side.

Xiao Ning had walked over at some point; he had drawn "Bing Three" and his opponent was a fifth-stage collateral descendant, making his victory almost certain.

He glanced sideways at Lin Yan, making no effort to hide his hostility, "But that's only for this round. In the second round, I will personally teach you what a gap really is. Pray you don't meet me too early, though, of course, that is if you can even make it that far."

After speaking, he turned and left arrogantly with his followers.

Lin Yan's expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard.

But his gaze swept over the match table; if both of them successfully advanced, they would very likely meet in the third round, which was the round of eight to four.

"The third round, huh..." Lin Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.

The preparation time left for him was not much.

The drawing of lots ended, and the crowd dispersed to make their final preparations.

Lin Yan did not return to his small courtyard but instead followed the route Xiao Yan had told him about and quietly came to the back mountain.

After passing through a dense forest, he found the hidden cave behind a cliff covered in vines.

The entrance was not large, but the interior was quite dry and spacious, evidently cleaned often.

The energy of heaven and earth here was a bit denser than at the foot of the mountain, making it a good place for cultivation, and more importantly, it was sufficiently secret.

"This is the place."

Lin Yan took out the medicinal ingredients provided by Xiao Yan from his storage ring, as well as some auxiliary materials he had purchased later.

He wanted to try refining the "fire-condensing pill" rewarded by the system here, and improve the "stamina pill" from before.

The fire-condensing pill, a first-grade pill, could slightly purify fire-attribute Dou Zhi Qi and briefly increase affinity and control over fire-attribute energy.

For Lin Yan, who was disguising his fire attribute and possessed multiple seeds of Heavenly Flames, this pill might have unexpected effects.

He sat cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and did not start immediately.

Instead, he first took a gray "breath-concealing talisman" from his bosom (actually from his storage ring).

He injected a bit of Dou Zhi Qi, and the talisman ignited without wind, turning into a wisp of gray energy that entered his body.

Instantly, his external Dou Zhi Qi fluctuations "weakened" at a speed visible to the naked eye, rapidly "receding" from the peak of the seventh stage to the level of around the fifth stage, and even his soul aura became much duller.

"Truly miraculous."

Lin Yan felt it; as long as he did not actively unleash his full power or use his Heavenly Flame, he was, in the perception of others, just an ordinary youth with fifth-stage Dou Zhi Qi.

Having hidden himself, he then calmed his mind and prepared to perform alchemy.

The first thing he tried to do was improve the "stamina pill".

With the experience of his previous failure and the knowledge from the "low-level medicinal herb identification atlas", he had a more precise grasp of the properties of the herbs.

He once again invoked the Living Spirit Flame seed, and a verdant green flame rose in his palm, gentle and stable.

Refining, merging, condensing the pill... This time, the process was much smoother.

Half an hour later, three round, plump, and uniformly colored pale yellow pills appeared in his palm, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

Although they still couldn't be considered top-tier first-grade, the quality was far superior to the "inferior" ones from last time.

The efficacy was expected to reach 70-80% of a genuine stamina pill, and because they contained the vitality of the Living Spirit Flame, the recovery effect was gentler and more lasting.

"Success."

Lin Yan let out a sigh of relief and carefully put away the three improved stamina pills.

After a short rest, he began the real challenge—refining the "fire-condensing pill".

This was a proper first-grade pill, requiring more medicinal ingredients, more complex combinations, and higher demands for flame control and soul perception.

He took a deep breath and invoked the Living Spirit Flame again.

This time, he was even more cautious, spreading his soul power to the fullest to meticulously perceive the changes of each medicinal ingredient within the flame.

The main ingredient of the fire-condensing pill was a first-grade herb called "Fire Velvet Grass", which was fierce in nature and required a gentle flame to slowly dissolve its violent medicinal properties before merging it with other auxiliary materials.

The process was several times more difficult than refining the stamina pill.

Twice, the flame temperature slightly lost control, and the herbs instantly turned charred black.

Fortunately, the quantity of herbs provided by Xiao Yan was enough for him to try three times.

The first two attempts both failed.

Sweat appeared on Lin Yan's forehead, not from exhaustion, but from the consumption of high mental concentration.

He closed his eyes to reflect on where he had failed, adjusting his soul's micro-manipulation of the flame.

The third attempt.

He cast aside distracting thoughts, his mind completely immersed in the verdant flame in his palm and that Fire Velvet Grass.

The flame was like the gentlest flowing water, wrapping around the herbs, stripping away impurities bit by bit, and extracting the essence.

Afterward, the other auxiliary materials were added one by one, and under the precise guidance of his soul power, the medicinal liquids began to slowly merge...

Time passed bit by bit; inside the cave, there was only the slight crackling of the flame and Lin Yan's long, steady breathing.

Unknown how much time had passed, in the center of the verdant flame, a point of crimson red light gradually condensed, and the medicinal fragrance became rich, carrying a hint of warmth.

"Condense!"

Lin Yan gave a low shout, and his soul power suddenly retracted.

The flame extinguished abruptly, and three pills, the size of dragon eyes, entirely crimson red, with faint fire patterns on the surface, dropped into the jade bottle he had prepared long ago.

The fire-condensing pill, complete!

And three pills in one batch; the quality looked quite good!

Picking up a fire-condensing pill, Lin Yan could feel the pure fire-attribute energy within it, as well as a peculiar sense of "guidance".

He hesitated for a moment and did not consume it immediately, but instead put away the three pills and the remaining improved stamina pills together.

Refining these two types of pills had taken up almost half his day.

The effect of the breath-concealing talisman was still active, so he tidied up the cave, erased the traces, and quietly left.

When he returned to his small courtyard, it was already dusk.

He took an improved stamina pill to quickly recover his consumed Dou Zhi Qi and mental energy.

Once the pill entered his abdomen, a gentle and continuous warm current quickly spread through his limbs and bones, and the effect was even better than he had expected.

He pushed open the window and looked toward the direction of the training ground.

It was brightly lit, and many disciples were still doing their final sprint exercises.

Tomorrow, the small competition would officially begin.

Lin Yan touched his storage ring, inside which lay quietly three fire-condensing pills, several improved stamina pills, and two remaining breath-concealing talismans.

"Xiao Ning, the Cang Gong Pavilion qualification..." He muttered to himself, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, "We shall see tomorrow."

The night grew darker; he did not know that near the cave on the back mountain, the shadow of an ancient tree twisted slightly, as if something had stayed there briefly, then silently merged into the darkness and swept toward the core area of the Xiao Family.