The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The small courtyard on Wan Jun Peak.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

Liu Qing and Jiang Fei both looked at Bai Yuan with curiosity.

Their master had bought a good deal of rouge and powder, along with some strange items they had never seen before.

The two women had originally thought their master had taken pity on them and bought the cosmetics for them, but they never expected Bai Yuan to use them himself.

Although there were some smooth-skinned, pretty boys who liked to dress up among the Martial Artists, most of them weren’t so particular.

Neither Liu Qing nor Jiang Fei could recall their master having a habit of meticulously grooming himself.

Bai Yuan didn’t offer much of an explanation.

He picked up the rouge box and began to apply it to his face with serious concentration. In his previous life, a technique like this on a livestream could have probably generated daily sales of at least ten million.

However, his next actions left Liu Qing and Jiang Fei completely baffled.

Bai Yuan then put some rouge into a pot of pale green water, stirring and mixing it with chopsticks.

Their master then applied a large amount of a transparent, gel-like substance to his face.

The complicated process made the two women, who enjoyed dressing up, feel ashamed of their own inadequacy.

But soon, their eyes lit up.

They watched as Bai Yuan’s facial features quietly transformed, leaving no trace of his former appearance. He even looked somewhat feminine.

Before the horrified gazes of Liu Qing and Jiang Fei, Bai Yuan’s broad shoulders suddenly shrank with a CRACK.

Then came a series of unnerving crackles that would set one’s teeth on edge.

In just a moment, Bai Yuan’s body had shrunk to half its size!

At a glance, he bore a striking resemblance to a woman. If he were to change his clothes, an onlooker would only assume he was the charming young lady of some wealthy family, with no hint of the sturdy Martial Artist he once was.

"Young Master, this..."

The two women were too shocked to speak.

Bai Yuan looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror and nodded with satisfaction.

This miraculous feat was, of course, because he had cultivated *Thousand Faces Technique*, a Cultivation Technique from Old Dong’s private collection, to the Master level.

*Thousand Faces Technique* was, at its core, a unique method for altering one’s appearance.

In its rudimentary stages, it was not much different from makeup in his previous life. It was just like those online influencers Bai Yuan liked to watch before bed—once the makeup was off, you couldn’t recognize them. It was practically witchcraft.

But if one mastered the *Thousand Faces Technique*, they could, like Bai Yuan now, easily transform from male to female.

With the Bone Shrinking Technique and masterful makeup skills, no abnormality could be detected even up close.

’And if I added the Shrinking Yang Technique... Tsk, tsk. Who could tell if I were male or female?’

If Bai Yuan needed to, he could even produce a voice a hundred times more delicate than Liu Qing’s or Jiang Fei’s.

These were all abilities gained after becoming a Disguise Master.

Any ordinary craft, once practiced to the Master level, would gain the ability to turn the mundane into the miraculous.

Who would have thought a rudimentary makeup technique could become so powerful?

Of course, a technique like changing gender didn’t have many practical applications. Most of the time, it was enough to simply change one’s appearance to avoid recognition, without going through so much trouble.

’This technique would be a great choice for a sneak attack,’ Bai Yuan mused, stroking his chin.

However, he was still in his female form, which made the gesture look even stranger in the eyes of Liu Qing and Jiang Fei.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Ma Dingjun appeared outside.

He saw Bai Yuan and couldn’t help but scratch his head.

"Sister Liu, Sister Jiang, who is this young lady?"

He was puzzled by the extra woman in the room. The key thing was, why was she wearing Bai Yuan’s clothes?

Although Ma Dingjun was an Outer Disciple, he had Bai Yuan’s permission to come up the mountain freely. It wasn’t just him; Cheng Li and Li Ting also had this privilege.

Liu Qing smiled, pursing her lips. "That *is* the Young Master."

’Him?’

Ma Dingjun blinked, seemingly in disbelief, and raised a hand to rub his eyes.

His brain nearly short-circuited.

Bai Yuan had no choice but to speak. "Senior Brother Ma."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Ma Dingjun was finally certain that the woman before him was Bai Yuan.

An excited look appeared on his face. "Junior Brother Bai, how did you do this?"

Bai Yuan replied, "You can’t learn it."

In fact, it wasn’t just him; even Old Dong hadn’t progressed as far in the *Thousand Faces Technique* as Bai Yuan had.

Ma Dingjun was suddenly reminded of a joke Zhang Yang had once told him.

If your brother turned into a woman, what’s the first thing you’d want to do?

He still remembered Zhang Yang’s lewd grin as he gave the answer—give his brother a turn.

’I can’t believe something like this could actually happen one day.’

...

Ma Dingjun left.

Bai Yuan also returned to his normal appearance.

He looked at the panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Professions: Demon Hunter, Sword Ghost, Boxer, Spirit Cooker, Screen Master]

[Skills: Demon Find (Legendary), Demon Qi Lure (Master), Thousand Faces Technique (Master), Sunflower Acupoint-striking (Adept)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]

The two words "Screen Master" had appeared after his professions.

Not bad. He had unlocked a new profession.

This was also the reason he had chosen the Sword Ghost profession. The profession itself wasn’t top-tier, but it was extremely versatile and allowed one to acquire corresponding professions through skills.

This feature wasn’t particularly necessary for ordinary professions like a Swordsman.

But it was very useful for those professions whose legacies were nearly extinct, leaving only their Cultivation Techniques behind.

Take Screen Master, for example. This profession had died out a thousand years ago, and it was impossible to find a master to help unlock it. The Sword Ghost profession eliminated this problem.

Moreover, Bai Yuan knew that the power of a Screen Master lay not just in disguise, but in its advanced profession—the Skin Painter.

He was already lucky enough to have gotten a copy of the *Thousand Faces Technique* thanks to Old Dong. If he wanted more Screen Master Cultivation Techniques, he would have to find them himself.

Unorthodox Cultivation Techniques were rare to begin with, and finding them in this vast world was extremely difficult.

Old Dong himself had traveled to countless places and spent immense effort to collect the Cultivation Techniques in his secret room. Some of them had even been brought in from the Outer States.

If Bai Yuan wanted to collect those techniques, it would undoubtedly take a great deal of time, making it a poor return on investment.

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered someone... perhaps that person had what he needed.

...

「South of Huanglong Prefecture.」

The Wei Camp had followed Bai Yuan back to Huanglong Prefecture and had been assigned by Yu Hui to continue guarding South City.

As the Commander of the Wei Camp, Bai Yuan naturally became the overlord of this part of the city.

Zhao Han led Bai Yuan through the streets of South City.

Most of the residents here recognized Zhao Han and prudently cleared a path for them.

Bai Yuan followed Zhao Han and soon arrived in front of a pawnshop.

"Commander Bai, this is the Xinglong Pawnshop."

Zhao Han said, pointing at the pawnshop. He was puzzled as to why Bai Yuan had suddenly sought him out to come to this unremarkable pawnshop.

Although Bai Yuan was the nominal Commander of the Wei Camp, it was Zhao Han who was primarily responsible for managing the affairs of South City.

’This Xinglong Pawnshop only just opened half a month ago, and its background is clean. Why would Commander Bai be interested in it?’

"You can wait outside."

Bai Yuan instructed, then stepped into the pawnshop.

As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Xiaoyu, the young man from the Lingzhou Army he had met that night, lounging leisurely in a bamboo chair, basking in the sun.

When Lu Yu saw that the visitor was Bai Yuan, a slight smile appeared on his face.

At the same time, he made a discreet gesture with his right hand.

Seeing Lu Yu’s gesture, the pawnshop’s accountant and clerk went back to their own business.

The employees of this pawnshop all looked ordinary, but they were actually experts from the Lingzhou Army sent by his General father. The inconspicuous accountant was even a long-famous Entry-level Powerhouse from the Lingzhou Army.

Bai Yuan, of course, also noticed that these people were anything but ordinary.

’This pawnshop certainly raises the "crouching tiger, hidden dragon" quotient of Huanglong Prefecture quite a bit.’

Lu Yu casually led Bai Yuan to the pawnshop’s backyard, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to him before asking, "Brother Bai, have you found any clues about the Divine Mansion?"

Bai Yuan shook his head.

"I’m here for something else."

Lu Yu couldn’t help but look curious. He figured there was nothing for him and Bai Yuan to discuss besides the Divine Mansion.

"Your Gu techniques are rather average. I can teach you."

Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, then became even more interested.

It was the first time he had ever heard someone offer to teach him Gu techniques. Moreover, the person saying it wasn’t one of those Great Witches from the Southern Border, but a disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect who had supposedly never left Ling Province.

"Then what do I have to offer as payment?"

"I want your Cultivation Techniques."

Lu Yu was even more astonished. "Aren’t your master’s Cultivation Techniques enough for you to practice?"

He had, of course, heard the rumors that Dong Wanjun loved to collect Cultivation Techniques. When it came to unorthodox techniques, his collection was the best in Ling Province. That’s why Lu Yu couldn’t understand why Bai Yuan would still be looking for more.

"Besides, how can you possibly teach me?"

Lu Yu had his own pride. He didn’t believe a peer could guide him, not even in Gu techniques.

Bai Yuan didn’t waste any more words. He took a small jade bottle from his robes and handed it to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu took the bottle suspiciously, uncorked it, and saw a small, silkworm-like insect, entirely bluish-green, lying at the bottom.

He immediately fell silent.

This little green bug was a Wind-eating Gu, capable of confusing the body and spirit. It was far superior to his Shadow Gu.

Lu Yu knew that even with another three years of studying Gu techniques, he might not be able to refine a Wind-eating Gu.

Of course, this wasn’t because he was too dull. On the contrary, he was a genius. It was just that Bai Yuan had used sixty years to raise his Gu technique to the Adept level.

If anyone was to blame, it was himself for running into someone with a cheat system.

"What Cultivation Techniques do you want?"

Lu Yu was already tempted.

He wasn’t the type of useless trash who would burn with jealousy and scheme against a peer who surpassed him. Now that he had finally met someone whose Gu techniques were stronger than his own, he would naturally latch on for dear life. This could save him several years of detours.

Lu Yu thoughtfully took out all the Cultivation Techniques he owned.

Of course, he couldn’t possibly give Bai Yuan the techniques from the Lingzhou Army.

Otherwise, even with his status as an illegitimate son, he would be punished by military law.

The ones he brought out were all ones he had traded his own treasures for. There were three in total.

*Blood Refining a Hundred Gu*, *Eight Trigrams Step*, and *Half-Covered Face*.

Bai Yuan’s heart leaped with joy as he looked at the techniques Lu Yu presented. He hadn’t expected Lu Yu to have two high-grade unorthodox Cultivation Techniques. As for the *Eight Trigrams Step*, it was likely the strange footwork Lu Yu had used that night.

’*Half-Covered Face*... Judging by the name, it might be related to the Screen Master’s legacy.’

’I can’t let this one go!’

"I can also teach you how to use poisons," Bai Yuan added after a moment of thought.

Lu Yu grinned. "Deal."

Using poisons was a fine craft. For someone like him who disliked direct confrontation, it was a perfect match. He had just been struggling because he lacked a good Cultivation Technique for it.

Now was the perfect opportunity to learn about poisons. How could he possibly pass it up?

Bai Yuan handed Lu Yu the *Poison Classic* he had prepared in advance.

Food and medicine share the same origin, and the same was true for poisons. With his Spirit Cooker’s understanding of all things, writing a Cultivation Technique on poisons was child’s play. Lu Yu was definitely not getting the short end of the stick by trading a technique for it.

Bai Yuan unceremoniously picked up *Blood Refining a Hundred Gu* and *Half-Covered Face*. Body Technique manuals were easy to find, but unorthodox ones were not.

He opened *Half-Covered Face*.

’It really is a Cultivation Technique for disguise!’

’This young man from the Lingzhou Army named Lu Xiaoyu really is my lucky star.’

Bai Yuan immediately began to impart his Gu refining methods to Lu Yu.

To his surprise, although Lu Yu’s refining methods were still new, his creative ideas gave even Bai Yuan, an Adept-level Gu Refiner, moments of sudden enlightenment.

’A genius, indeed,’ Bai Yuan praised inwardly.

Someone with such excellent comprehension as Lu Yu might be able to walk a path no one has ever walked before.

Gradually, it became less about Bai Yuan teaching Lu Yu and more about the two of them researching together.

The two of them instantly felt as though they should have met sooner.

They talked by candlelight until the next morning, and only then did Bai Yuan leave, completely satisfied.

’Working in isolation is really a bad idea!’