The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

A gentle breeze swept past, carrying droplets from the waterfall onto the Dragon Gate Platform.

It speckled the hair of the two figures on the platform with crystalline drops, which shimmered with rainbow colors under the scorching sun.

Li Zhu had no intention of wasting words on this disciple from Wan Jun Peak.

This Wan Jun Peak disciple was just a minor interlude, one that wouldn’t hinder his path to becoming a True Disciple in the slightest.

As long as he defeated this minor obstacle, his promotion to True Disciple would be a matter of course.

He was already growing impatient...

"Please."

He maintained a final shred of restraint.

But the moment the word left his lips, the Long Sword in his hand shot toward Bai Yuan like a silver dragon.

He struck with his full power from the very start. Just as he’d said, he wasn’t holding back.

Li Zhu felt he had been too merciful in the past, which was why just anyone dared to challenge him now.

So he decided to make an example of him!

Only by defeating the young man before him with the utmost speed would he ensure the Sect Leader and the spectating Peak Masters had no objections.

This sword strike was called "Autumn Wind Sweeps the Leaves," the final and strongest move of Qianzhu Peak’s secret Qianzhu Swordsmanship.

He was very confident in this strike.

The Long Sword hummed, shrieking as if it yearned to pierce straight through Bai Yuan.

Just then—

Bai Yuan moved.

The Blood Tiger Scimitar in his hand was suddenly unsheathed.

He shifted three feet to the right.

Turned sideways.

A horizontal slash!

CLANG!

A bone-jarring crack of metal rang out as Li Zhu’s Long Sword was snapped clean in two by Bai Yuan’s slash.

His pupils contracted as he stared at the scene in disbelief.

"Impossible!"

His mind screamed.

Bai Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. His free left hand balled into a fist and smashed into Li Zhu’s face.

The punch sent blood flying from Li Zhu’s nose.

His entire body was sent flying off the Dragon Gate Platform.

Silence... A dead silence.

Everyone below stared at the young man on the platform with incredulous eyes, unable to believe what they had just seen was real.

An Inner Sect Disciple of just one year had defeated Li Zhu, another Inner Sect Disciple, in a single move.

’This dark horse is a little *too* dark, isn’t he?!’

On the platform.

Murong Tian and the other Peak Masters shot to their feet.

"Entering Force!"

Murong Tian stared intently at Bai Yuan on the platform, spitting out those two words through gritted teeth.

The other disciples couldn’t see it, but how could he not? The reason Bai Yuan had defeated Li Zhu in one move was precisely because he wielded Entering Force—a power only an Entering Martial Artist should possess!

Bai Yuan’s Blood Tiger Saber and his passing the Blood Refining Pass hadn’t surprised Murong Tian in the slightest.

Because he himself had achieved such things, and had been even stronger than Bai Yuan.

But to possess Entering Force while still at the Blood Refining Pass was simply unheard of.

Dong Wanjun remained seated on his stone chair. His eyes had narrowed to slits, but the corners of his mouth eventually curved into a smile.

"Tiger Form Crane Style at Great Perfection. Very good."

He had already guessed the reason Bai Yuan had obtained Entering Force—his disciple had actually cultivated the Tiger Form Crane Style to the point of Great Perfection.

For nearly a thousand years, no one in the Divine Mansion Sect had been able to achieve this.

Moreover, the person who had perfected the Tiger Form Crane Style a millennium ago was already a Junior Grandmaster. This meant that Bai Yuan was the first to ever accomplish such a feat—truly unprecedented!

A true genius!

The other six Peak Masters who had come to the Dragon Gate Platform couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

It was safe to say the young man on the Dragon Gate Platform was already a surefire Entering Martial Artist, a future pillar of the Divine Mansion Sect. It wasn’t even out of the question that he could become a Peak Master.

It was just a pity he was Dong Wanjun’s disciple.

If he were a disciple of any other peak, they would have tried to snatch him away no matter what.

Poaching disciples had happened many times before; it was nothing new.

Since they were all disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect, there was no psychological burden in poaching. It was all in the family, so it couldn’t be considered betraying one’s master or sect.

But that young man belonged to Dong Wanjun. Unless they had a death wish, no one dared to trifle with Dong Wanjun over such matters.

They might dare to openly go after an Outer Sect or even an Inner Sect Disciple, but a True Disciple... Even if Dong Wanjun agreed, Murong Tian would never allow it.

Because every True Disciple was the future of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Beyond recruiting disciples and expanding its influence, a sect’s core strength was even more important.

And that core strength was its supreme experts—its Entering Martial Artists.

Therefore, Sect Leader Murong Tian would never permit any True Disciple to become a casualty of internal strife.

Dong Wanjun rose slowly. "Very good. From this day forward, you are a True Disciple of my Wan Jun Peak!"

"Disciple greets Master."

Bai Yuan immediately dropped to one knee, offering a formal salute to Old Dong from a distance.

According to the rules of the Divine Mansion Sect, every True Disciple first required Murong Tian’s approval.

But when Dong Wanjun took a disciple, why would he need to care what others thought?

Murong Tian wasn’t annoyed, however. He simply watched the scene with a cheerful smile.

He was naturally happy that the sect had gained another genius disciple. As for the tedious formalities, he wasn’t fond of them either.

Moreover, the one breaking the rules was Dong Wanjun, which made it all the more normal.

The rules of the Divine Mansion Sect had never been able to restrain his Junior Brother Dong.

Just as everyone was waiting for Murong Tian to bestow a reward—

Disaster struck!

An unremarkable Outer Sect Disciple from the crowd suddenly shot toward Bai Yuan like an arrow.

His right hand thrust out.

The palm strike actually carried the power of an Advanced Martial Artist!

The Outer Sect Disciple’s attack was too sudden. Murong Tian, Dong Wanjun, and the others were a full hundred meters away from Bai Yuan; it was too late to intervene.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Bai Yuan spun around abruptly.

His Blood Tiger Scimitar was already sheathed, and there was no time to draw it again.

So, he simply thrust out a palm of his own to meet the attacking Outer Sect Disciple head-on.

BANG!

With a dull thud, Bai Yuan was sent flying by the Outer Sect Disciple’s palm strike, slamming violently against the stone wall of the Dragon Gate Platform.

As Bai Yuan crumpled to the ground, Old Dong and Murong Tian had already crossed the hundred meters in an instant, appearing on the Dragon Gate Platform.

Old Dong’s hand shot out and clamped down on the Outer Sect Disciple’s head.

CRUNCH!

With another sickening sound, the Outer Sect Disciple’s head was crushed by Old Dong.

An Entering Martial Artist had been killed by Dong Wanjun as easily as crushing a watermelon. Everyone gasped in cold shock.

Even the Peak Masters of the other six peaks wore solemn expressions.

Their Senior Brother Dong had grown stronger again.

Murong Tian, standing to the side, couldn’t help but give Dong Wanjun a second look.

’Dong Wanjun has actually cultivated the Ten Thousand Poison Hand to Great Perfection. How many Cultivation Techniques has he mastered to that level now?’

Murong Tian had long since lost count.

He even suspected that he himself might not be a match for his junior brother.

"A substitute... Soul-Chasing Tower?"

Dong Wanjun recognized the Outer Sect Disciple’s origins at a glance.

He happened to know of a Demon Sect expert hidden within the Soul-Chasing Tower, a master of the Puppetry Technique.

This Outer Sect Disciple had been controlled by that Demon Sect expert, which was how he could possess the strength of an Entering Martial Artist.

However, this power could only be used once. Even if Dong Wanjun hadn’t killed the Outer Sect Disciple, he would have self-destructed and died anyway.

"There are still spies."

Murong Tian’s eyes also narrowed, his face ashen with fury.

During such a grand event, the sect’s newly promoted True Disciple was ambushed by a spy from the Soul-Chasing Tower. This was an utter humiliation.

"Investigate!"

He roared through gritted teeth.

It seemed the Divine Mansion Sect still hadn’t been cleansed thoroughly enough.

After killing the Outer Sect Disciple, Elder Dong appeared before Bai Yuan in the next instant.

He placed his index and middle fingers on Bai Yuan’s neck.

"He’s not dying."

Elder Dong said flatly.

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but roll his eyes, though he was inwardly surprised.

’Just how many skills does this master of mine have? From the way he’s taking my pulse, he looks like an old-school traditional doctor, the kind with fifteen years of practice.’

"Ma... Master."

Bai Yuan said weakly, his expression listless.

"Take him back to Wan Jun Peak."

Elder Dong cut Bai Yuan off.

At this moment, You Shengnan and Xiongshan, who had been watching from below, had already come up onto the Dragon Gate Platform.

Xiongshan’s massive frame was exceptionally suited for carrying people. Bai Yuan was fairly well-built, but on Xiongshan’s back, he looked like a little chick.

Following Elder Dong’s command, Xiongshan hoisted Bai Yuan and strode briskly back to Wan Jun Hall.

"Junior Brother Dong, you go on ahead. I’ll handle things here,"

Murong Tian said coldly.

He had no intention of looking for a divine physician, because the best doctor in all of Huanglong Prefecture was Dong Wanjun himself.

"Alright."

Wasting no more words, Elder Dong leaped off the Dragon Gate Platform and floated away.

The disciples watching below looked at each other in dismay. They never expected this session of the Dragon Gate Platform to end in such a fashion.

The six Peak Masters on the platform exchanged glances.

They could all see the worry in each other’s eyes, not a trace of joy at the injury of Dong Wanjun’s disciple.

If the Soul-Chasing Tower could make a move on Dong Wanjun’s disciple, it was highly likely they could also target other True Disciples, or even them, the Peak Masters.

One should never underestimate the power of the Soul-Chasing Tower.

The Divine Mansion Sect was the sky of Huanglong Prefecture, but the Soul-Chasing Tower was an existence that even the Prefect of Lingzhou feared.

...

A hundred li outside the Divine Mansion Sect, in a mountain valley.

Inside a dilapidated small wooden cabin.

A tall, thin man grunted, his face contorting in pain. The puppet had been destroyed, and he had suffered from the backlash.

"Dong Wanjun, you truly have some skill."

Normally, the puppet’s destruction wouldn’t have affected his true self, but because the one who struck was Dong Wanjun, he had sustained an internal injury.

But even though the tall, thin man was injured, a smile appeared on his face.

Bai Yuan had ruined the Soul-Chasing Tower’s plans multiple times and had long been on his radar.

Now, not only had he crippled a genius disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect, but he had also made Murong Tian and Dong Wanjun lose face. This small injury was more than worth the price.

He had gone to great lengths to refine an Outer Sect Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect into a puppet precisely for this moment.

The Outer Sect Disciple could be considered to have died a worthy death.

Thinking of this, the tall, thin man couldn’t help but let out a cackle, but the sound was so grating it was like the wail of a ghost.

He had clashed with Dong Wanjun several times, but this was the first time he had come out on top.

This tall, thin man was the true master of the Soul-Chasing Tower in Huanglong Prefecture—Jia.

The Soul Chasing Tower Lord that Dong Wanjun had killed was merely a target he had set up for the outside world.

Heh... heh... heh...

The cold laughter echoed endlessly in the cabin as Jia’s eyes grew even colder.

This was only the beginning.

...

Wan Jun Peak, the small courtyard on the mountainside.

"Junior Brother Bai."

You Shengnan looked anxiously at Bai Yuan, who lay on the bed, seemingly on the brink of death.

Few could withstand a palm strike from an expert of the Entering the Realm, not even most True Disciples, let alone Bai Yuan who had just become one.

Xiongshan also stared at Bai Yuan with concern.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Bai Yuan’s mouth, a clear sign of a serious injury.

Just then, Dong Wanjun arrived at the small courtyard.

"You may leave for now."

He said flatly with a wave of his sleeve.

You Shengnan and Xiongshan obediently left the small cabin. Their master’s medical skills were unmatched in Huanglong Prefecture; he was clearly about to treat their junior brother.

Not long after You Shengnan and Xiongshan left the room.

Elder Dong glanced at Bai Yuan on the bed. "Not bad. Keep it up."

Before the words had even faded, Bai Yuan shot up from the bed, looking perfectly fine—a completely different person from the listless figure moments before.

A single palm strike from an Entering Force Puppet certainly couldn’t kill him.

Otherwise, all his master-level Cultivation Techniques would have been practiced for nothing.

Elder Dong wasn’t at all surprised by Bai Yuan’s performance. Acting could deceive people, but a pulse could not. He had seen through Bai Yuan’s trick long ago.

The Soul-Chasing Tower had openly attacked a True Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect.

This was likely just the beginning; more bloodshed was sure to follow.

By feigning injury at a time like this, Bai Yuan could save himself a great deal of trouble.

When a storm is brewing, it’s best to find shelter.