The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The three days were up.

The Dragon Gate Platform, once heavily guarded and sealed off to all, was now open. Its guards had silently cleared a path.

The roar of the waterfall was deafening.

No one knew how the Divine Mansion Sect’s Founding Ancestor had achieved enlightenment amidst the din of the waterfall. That alone was enough to earn him the admiration of all who came after.

As the Dragon Gate Platform opened, Inner Sect Disciples who had heard the news began to file in. Every eye was fixed on the massive stone dais before the waterfall.

To step onto the Dragon Gate Platform was to become a dragon!

Though they had all stood on the platform once before, that could hardly be considered a transformation into a true dragon—it wasn’t even enough to be called a flood dragon. Only by becoming a True Disciple could one truly be a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.

It was just past 7 a.m., but the area below the Dragon Gate Platform was already a sea of people, buzzing with constant discussion.

Sect Leader Murong Tian had given special permission for even the Outer Disciples to spectate at the Dragon Gate Platform, making this promotion to True Disciple far more bustling than usual.

Naturally, the crowd was discussing only one thing: the candidates for True Disciple.

Nearly seventy percent of the disciples considered Li Zhu the frontrunner.

This talented man from Qianzhu Peak was, after all, exceptionally strong.

If Long Ao hadn’t burst onto the scene, Li Zhu’s promotion to True Disciple would have been a certainty, and he wouldn’t have had to return to the Dragon Gate Platform today.

Eight figures stood atop the Dragon Gate Platform.

Besides Sect Leader Murong Tian, there were the Peak Masters of seven peaks.

Dong Wanjun was, of course, among them.

As for the other six peaks—aside from the Peak Master of Spring Thunder Peak, who had already been torn into eighty-eight pieces—none had disciples who managed to break through the fierce competition. They naturally saw no reason to show up and spoil their own mood by joining the festivities.

A white-haired, white-bearded old man chuckled softly.

"We have several promising sprouts in this batch of youngsters."

The speaker was Liu Donghai, Peak Master of Taibai Peak.

At ninety years of age, Peak Master Liu of Taibai was the most senior of the thirteen Peak Masters.

Amazingly, perhaps due to some life-extending technique, Liu Donghai was in far better condition than the Elders in the Supreme Elder Hall, whose Qi and Blood had long since withered, even if his own cultivation realm could no longer advance.

Liu Donghai had an excellent temperament and made a point of not offending anyone.

Taibai Peak was also the only lineage among the Thirteen Peaks that hadn’t targeted Wan Jun Peak.

Murong Tian nodded slightly.

His gaze landed on a young man in the crowd.

It was none other than Bai Yuan.

When it came down to it, this event at the Dragon Gate Platform had been arranged specifically for him.

Whether he would prove his path or perish in the attempt—that would depend on his own destiny.

"Junior Sister Ruan, I hear one of your disciples is among the youngsters at the Dragon Gate Platform this time as well?"

Murong Tian chuckled, turning the conversation to the woman at his side.

This woman was Ruan Xiulan, Peak Master of Qianzhu Peak.

She was also the only female Peak Master in the Divine Mansion Sect. However, though she was a woman, her lethality ranked near the very top among the thirteen Peak Masters.

Aside from Dong Wanjun, no one dared claim they could overpower her.

Although Ruan Xiulan was about the same age as Old Dong, she had the appearance of a beautiful woman in her forties.

"There is indeed one. His name is Li Zhu. He’s a descendant of my family, you could say."

A look of realization dawned on Murong Tian’s face.

"Ah, so he is a descendant of Senior Brother Li."

The original Peak Master of Qianzhu Peak had not, in fact, been Ruan Xiulan, but a Sword-Training Martial Artist surnamed Li. Ruan Xiulan had been his wife.

However, that Martial Artist Li later left the sect to quell a rebellion, only to be slain by a Martial Dao master from Ling Province.

Rather than collapsing in grief after her husband’s death, Ruan Xiulan began to train with a crazed fervor. She eventually forced her way into the Rujin realm and even learned some of Dong Wanjun’s techniques.

In the end, she not only avenged her late husband but also solidified her position among the Thirteen Peaks.

And this Li Zhu was a descendant of her late husband’s family line.

It was no wonder Ruan Xiulan was so adamant about supporting Li Zhu’s bid to become a True Disciple.

With a genius of his caliber emerging from her late husband’s clan, she was bound by both emotion and duty to lend him a hand.

Just as Murong Tian was speaking with the seven Peak Masters—

DONG!

A deep, resonant toll of a bell rang out.

The Dragon Gate Platform was officially open!

Below the stage, all the spectators raised their heads as one, their gazes fixed on the stone dais before the waterfall.

The Divine Mansion Sect encouraged its disciples to have more mettle.

Thus, the rules of the Dragon Gate Platform had always been simple: the strongest fist prevailed.

Just as it had been for Bai Yuan before, this was a challenge tournament. The last one left standing on the Dragon Gate Platform would become the candidate for True Disciple.

However, there was a one-hour rest period after each bout. Therefore, the tournament to become a True Disciple often lasted for several days.

Generally, only a disciple who could sweep through all their opponents would catch the eye of the thirteen Peak Masters.

Every disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect knew that the more grueling the battles on the Dragon Gate Platform, the lower the chance a True Disciple would be chosen.

The current fifteen True Disciples were, without exception, peerless geniuses who had dominated their generation.

The Divine Mansion Sect never lacked talented disciples. What it wanted were absolute prodigies.

Only someone sufficiently brilliant and dazzling was qualified to contend for the position of Peak Master, and only they were worthy of the Divine Mansion Sect investing vast resources in them.

The instant the bell rang—

A handsome, elegant man in green robes landed gracefully upon the Dragon Gate Platform.

"Li Zhu!"

"Li Zhu..."

Recognizing the face of the man in green, many people began to murmur his name.

Just as everyone expected, Li Zhu was the first to take the stage.

For a genius disciple like Li Zhu, simply winning wasn’t enough. He had to win beautifully. Otherwise, even with Ruan Xiulan’s favoritism, he would never become a True Disciple.

Li Zhu’s once-gentle gaze turned resolute.

’This time, I will not lose again!’

He should have become a True Disciple the last time the Dragon Gate Platform was opened, but that man, Long Ao, had beaten him to the punch.

Li Zhu held no resentment.

’My skills were simply not as good as his. That’s all.’

But now, the opportunity was before him once more. This was the very position Long Ao had snatched from his hands, which was all the more reason he had to grasp it tightly.

That was why he had chosen, without hesitation, to be the first to step onto the Dragon Gate Platform.

This was the sort of bearing a True Disciple ought to have; it was the path every powerhouse had to walk.

Watching from the stage, Ruan Xiulan saw the change in Li Zhu’s disposition and nodded in satisfaction.

’Since Li Zhu is a descendant of my late husband, he’s practically my grandson.’

’I myself came from a poor family. If not for my long-departed husband, I would never have even had the chance to step onto the Martial Dao.’

’As a result, my own lineage has little prestige and, to this day, doesn’t even have a single Inner Sect Disciple.’

’My late husband’s lineage, on the other hand, has produced quite a few talented disciples.’

’Among them, Li Zhu is the most outstanding. It was just a shame that while his talent was immense, his disposition was average.’

’This is a common ailment for Martial Artists like Li Zhu who come from prominent families,’ she mused. ’They haven’t been tempered by enough storms. In the end, they can’t compare to those who have wandered the Jianghu; they lack that cutting edge.’

’But after the blow from the Long Ao affair, Li Zhu’s character has matured a great deal.’

’At least now he has some fight in him.’

’The old Li Zhu was too detached from fame and fortune. Such an indifferent nature can be both a good and a bad thing.’

’But once you’ve chosen to practice martial arts, you must contend.’

Li Zhu drew the long sword from his grip, tossing aside the scabbard sewn from Ox Demon hide. He waited quietly for his first challenger to take the stage.

The mountain wind blew, rustling his green robes.

A young man, leaning on his sword.

If any of the sheltered young ladies who swooned over the Young Heroes of the Jianghu were to see this, they would likely be having more than a few lustful dreams.

A full fifteen minutes passed.

And still, no one from the crowd below dared to step onto the stage.

Most of the Inner Sect Disciples present today had fought Li Zhu during the previous Dragon Gate Platform event. Without exception, all had been defeated. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

If not for Long Ao, the late bloomer from Spring Thunder Peak who had taken the stage last and defeated him,

Li Zhu would have already swept through this entire generation of Inner Sect Disciples once before.

Finally, one of the Inner Sect Disciples in the crowd could hold back no longer. A middle-aged man leaped up onto the thirty-foot-high Dragon Gate Platform in a single bound.

Many people recognized the middle-aged man.

He was the strongest Inner Sect Disciple of San Yang Peak, and one of only two people who had given Li Zhu any trouble during the last tournament.

"Li Zhu, I might not lose this time," the middle-aged man said in a low voice.

’In his mind, this contest on the Dragon Gate Platform was, in the end, set up for the two of them. In a way, he had Long Ao to thank. If Long Ao hadn’t died so inexplicably, neither of them would have gotten this chance.’

Li Zhu didn’t say much.

’I am here to prove my path, not to trade useless words with this man.’

’I just need to strike and defeat him. There’s no need to say anything.’

’I never considered this middle-aged man a worthy opponent.’

’A master like Long Ao falling from the sky could happen once at most. Did he really expect a dark horse to appear every single time?’

The middle-aged man and Li Zhu quickly engaged in battle.

Although both were Blood Refining Martial Masters, Li Zhu was clearly a cut above.

Whether in Cultivation Technique or skill, Li Zhu surpassed the middle-aged man.

After more than twenty exchanges,

the middle-aged man stared dejectedly at his right palm, which had been pierced by Li Zhu’s long sword.

He had lost.

Even though he had used a secret killing move he had painstakingly practiced for years, he was still no match for Li Zhu.

The middle-aged man let out a long sigh.

He turned, leaped off the Dragon Gate Platform, and disappeared into the crowd.

Having missed this chance, he would likely never have another hope of becoming a True Disciple in his lifetime.

Li Zhu’s expression was blank as he watched the middle-aged man disappear into the crowd.

’The middle-aged man had prepared a killing move, but so had I.’

’After being defeated by Long Ao last time, I learned from the painful experience, diligently training my own killing moves. My combat ability has increased significantly.’

’If I were to face Long Ao again now, the outcome would be anyone’s guess.’

The crowd below looked at Li Zhu, who stood as straight and tall as a pine tree on the stage, and then at each other in dismay.

Even the middle-aged man from San Yang Peak had only lasted twenty moves against him. Who else could possibly be his opponent?

Another hour passed.

A few more Inner Sect Disciples, unwilling to give up, successively went up to challenge Li Zhu.

Li Zhu didn’t even rest, knocking eight people off the stage one after another.

What an imposing display.

Just when everyone thought the day’s challenges on the Dragon Gate Platform were over—

A young man with a saber at his hip walked slowly onto the stage.

"Bai Yuan?"

Many in the crowd instantly recognized the young man.

After all, the disciple from Wan Jun Peak had been too dazzling during the last Dragon Gate Platform event. Coupled with the fact that he was Dong Wanjun’s disciple, it would be difficult for him *not* to be recognized.

"Didn’t he just become an Inner Sect Disciple?"

A buzz of discussion rose from the crowd below.

They still remembered how Bai Yuan had fought his way through the Dragon Gate Platform to become an Inner Sect Disciple just a year ago. They never imagined he would dare to covet the position of a True Disciple so soon.

He simply didn’t know his own limits.

Many disciples who were hostile towards Wan Jun Peak wore expressions of people ready to enjoy a good show.

’After all, Bai Yuan is only Dong Wanjun’s disciple, not Dong Wanjun himself back in his prime,’ they thought. ’Does he really think he’s invincible?’

Going from an Outer Disciple to a True Disciple within a year—such a thing wasn’t unheard of in the Divine Mansion Sect. It had happened thirty years ago, and with two people at once.

That’s right. The two were none other than Murong Tian and Dong Wanjun, who now stood watching from above the Dragon Gate Platform.

That particular contest had been hailed as the most significant Dragon Gate Platform event in five hundred years.

It was also after that event that the Divine Mansion Sect completely secured its control over Huanglong Prefecture, even striking fear into many of the powers in Ling Province.

All of this stemmed from those two men, Murong Tian and Dong Wanjun.

The two of them had led the Divine Mansion Sect into a new golden age.

Li Zhu watched Bai Yuan walk onto the stage, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

He had some impression of the young man before him.

’But he only just became an Inner Sect Disciple. Where did he get the confidence to challenge me?’

’However, since he’s already on the stage, regardless of his strength, there is only one thing I need to do.’

’Defeat him!’

Li Zhu: "Blades have no eyes. I will not show mercy."

The relationship between Qianzhu Peak and Wan Jun Peak was mediocre at best; he wouldn’t go easy on Bai Yuan just because he seemed weak.

Bai Yuan: "Don’t worry. I will."

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