The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

What was Blood Refining? 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

It was the overflowing of one’s Qi and Blood.

A faint red glow emanated from Bai Yuan’s entire body—the very sign of overflowing Qi and Blood.

Blood Refining, complete!

He felt himself become unprecedentedly powerful, every aspect of his physical condition enhanced.

But this small improvement wasn’t the most important part. What mattered was that his body could now accommodate even greater possibilities.

If a Martial Artist’s body was a container, then their realm was the container’s capacity, while their Cultivation Techniques and methods were the water within.

Before Blood Refining, the water inside a Martial Artist’s body was usually abundant. Thus, as their realm advanced, their strength would surge forward.

But after Blood Refining, the container’s capacity expanded manifold, making it extremely difficult to fill. This was why the gap between Blood Refining Martial Masters could be wider than that between a man and a dog.

This was also the key reason why Old Dong dared to cultivate all kinds of techniques. Otherwise, if realm alone could be used to crush others, then practicing any number of methods would be pointless.

However, realm wasn’t entirely useless. Take the Sect Leader Murong Tian, for example. His realm was high enough to allow him to reverse his age and return to youth. That alone was enough to drive countless Martial Artists into a frenzy. After all, who wouldn’t want to live a second life?

It was rumored that the Three Religions Martial Masters of the Central Plains Region placed more importance on realm, often scoffing at sheer killing power.

Furthermore, each advancement in realm granted powerful, special abilities, such as the Blood Combustion Assault of the Blood Refining Pass.

The Blood Combustion Assault involved detonating the Qi and Blood within one’s body to obtain several times one’s normal strength. The cost, however, was immense, so it was almost never used unless at a critical moment.

Another example was the refined internal force one gained after a major realm breakthrough.

In short, in the eyes of most Martial Artists, pursuing a higher realm was the true path.

People like Dong Wanjun were truly a minority.

But as Old Dong had said, the path that suited you was the strongest path.

What Bai Yuan had to do was maximize the effectiveness of his cheat.

Blood Refining Pass... He had already met the minimum requirement to become a True Disciple.

The True Disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect were highly valued. A Blood Refining Martial Master could be considered an overlord in all of Huanglong Prefecture, yet within the Divine Mansion Sect, they were still only disciples—albeit disciples of extremely high standing.

The Peak Masters of the Thirteen Peaks were all True Disciples, without exception.

The Dragon Gate Platform had just recently opened; the next promotion ceremony wouldn’t be for another year.

Bai Yuan still had plenty of time to prepare.

Nor did he intend to reveal his strength so soon.

A Blood Refining Martial Master in his early twenties was a top-tier existence even in Ling Province.

Bai Yuan knew well that standing out meant attracting countless hidden dangers. Revealing his strength now would only increase the risk; it was better to unleash it at a critical moment.

Things like fame were completely unimportant to him right now.

...

"So, you’re here, kid."

Zhou Siming’s two deathly white, hollow eyes were exceptionally unnerving, but a happy expression graced his face.

Even though Bai Yuan had not made a single sound, he knew Bai Yuan had arrived.

Bai Yuan sized up Zhou Siming.

’As expected of a Demon Hunter who has entered the Jin realm. His perception is truly terrifying. I just used Master-level Night Wanderer Step, but he still detected me.’

"Senior."

Bai Yuan spoke calmly. He had come here, of course, to ask Zhou Siming for guidance on the methods of a Demon Hunter.

Zhou Siming could be considered the only Demon Hunter in Ling Province, so this was a rare opportunity.

Since he was here to ask for a favor, and though he couldn’t call him ’Master,’ addressing him as ’Senior’ was still necessary.

Zhou Siming nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased to be addressed as ’Senior.’

"Sit down."

He lifted his hollow eyes, looking in Bai Yuan’s direction.

Demon Hunters were extremely strict about accepting disciples because the threshold to become one was incredibly high. As a result, many Demon Hunters went their whole lives without finding a suitable candidate to pass on the craft of Demon Hunting.

Zhou Siming naturally had high standards.

That was why when Bai Yuan first showed his talent for Demon Hunting, he hadn’t considered taking him as a disciple. But later, Bai Yuan’s temperament and methods proved to be very much to his liking.

And so, even knowing that the boy was already Dong Wanjun’s disciple, he still wanted to take him on as his own.

The small wooden cabin was not large. Besides a bed and a cabinet, it was practically bare.

Bai Yuan couldn’t find anywhere to sit, so he simply sat cross-legged on the floor.

"I admit Dong Wanjun is powerful, but he’s nothing special when it comes to Demon Hunting. The disciples he teaches are far too rigid."

Zhou Siming bluntly criticized Bai Yuan’s Demon Hunting techniques, taking the opportunity to belittle Old Dong as well.

Bai Yuan lowered his head in thought.

’My Demon Hunting skills are different from my swordsmanship or my cooking. I have no famous master, no Cultivation Technique to guide me, and no exceptional talent for it either.’

’My cheat let me grind my way forward through brute-force practice. The results aren’t bad, but just as Zhou Siming said, it’s all mechanics and no inspiration.’

’If I keep training blindly like this, it might take me ages to even reach the Master level, and reaching the Legendary level would probably consume an astronomical amount of enhancement points.’

’With my cheat, I could probably carve out a path even by reinventing the wheel, just like the world’s first Demon Hunter. But that would be a huge waste of time. It’s far more cost-effective to build on the experience of those who came before me.’

"Demon Hunting is not just about killing demons. Dong Wanjun has too much killing intent; the disciples he teaches are just brutes."

"Demon Hunting originates from hunting, but it transcends hunting. Its purpose is to suppress the ten thousand demons. Even the Dragon Race, we must slay! All to usher in an era of eternal peace for the Human Race."

"Kid, have you ever heard of the Ten Thousand Demons Painting?"

"..."

Zhou Siming’s voice grew louder and louder, his expression impassioned and heroic, completely oblivious to Bai Yuan’s strange look.

"The Ten Thousand Demons Painting is the supreme legacy of us Demon Hunters! A single painting to suppress ten thousand demons—immeasurably powerful! And now, I shall pass this painting on to you."

Although Bai Yuan had already mastered the Ten Thousand Demons Painting, he didn’t interrupt Zhou Siming’s train of thought.

He wanted to see what difference there was between Zhou Siming’s Ten Thousand Demons Painting and his own.

"Just as there are techniques to kill men, so too are there arts to slaughter demons. The ancestors of Demon Hunters studied the characteristics of the myriad demons and compiled the Ten Thousand Demons Painting. It records the weaknesses and habits of demons. By using this painting to hunt them, one’s power is multiplied..."

Zhou Siming spoke at length, showing no intention of holding anything back. Then, from within his robes, he took out a nearly decayed scroll. An ancient scent drifted through the room.

Bai Yuan now understood Zhou Siming’s Ten Thousand Demons Painting. Unlike his own cheat, it wasn’t a phantom scroll, but it was still extremely precious.

This was the culmination of wisdom from countless generations of Demon Hunters. With this Ten Thousand Demons Painting, dealing with demons would certainly become much easier.

He took the Ten Thousand Demons Painting from Zhou Siming’s hands and carefully unrolled it.

Lifelike portraits of demons leaped from the paper, with small lines of text annotating the characteristics of each one.

"It’s a pity. The Ten Thousand Demons Painting I have is only a fragment, less than a tenth of the original. I hope you can complete it one day."

Zhou Siming sighed softly. The Demon Hunter lineage had once suffered a civil war. The Ten Thousand Demons Painting was split into more than ten pieces, and the scarcity of Demon Hunters today was not only due to the high barrier to entry, but was also inextricably linked to that internal conflict.

Bai Yuan gazed at the phantom scroll before him, his eyes lighting up.