The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

"An Iron-Eating Gu, shot into the crotch with a bit of skill... the effect would be incredible."

Lu Yu mused as he watched Bai Yuan refine the Iron-Eating Gu.

The Iron-Eating Gu, as its name suggested, didn’t have many abilities. It just had a good set of teeth, capable of taking a bite out of even Celestial Meteorite Iron.

If used against an opponent, flinging this Gu at their crotch would surely produce some unexpected results.

On this point, Bai Yuan was in complete agreement. Once a fight started, there was no need to worry about martial ethics.

Why go for the eyes when you can solve the problem by going for the crotch?

Whenever Bai Yuan had free time these past few days, he would come to Xinglong Pawnshop to find Lu Yu.

Besides teaching Lu Yu about refining Gu and using poisons as they had agreed, he was also very interested in Lu Yu’s creative and eccentric ideas.

His cheat system allowed him to skip the tedious process of training.

The inspiration he got from Lu Yu, however, could reduce the time he needed to train and could even lead to some unexpected changes.

He had to admit, Lu Yu was a true genius, even more monstrously talented than Murong Jiujiang.

Little did he know, Lu Yu thought the same of him.

He had originally thought himself exceptionally brilliant, but that was before he met Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan was only in his early twenties, yet his grasp of Gu refinement and poisons was like that of an old scholar who had studied them for a hundred years. He could master even the most minute details without missing a thing. Such a capacity for learning was terrifying.

He felt utterly outmatched.

"Oh, by the way, I heard your master made a breakthrough. Congratulations."

Lu Yu suddenly spoke up just as Bai Yuan was about to leave.

With Dong Wanjun’s breakthrough, his killing power was likely now comparable to his own father, the General. Naturally, his attitude toward Bai Yuan had changed significantly.

He still had to search for the Divine Mansion, but that didn’t stop him from befriending Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan cupped his fist in a salute, then turned and walked into the alley.

Watching Bai Yuan’s departing figure, Lu Yu sighed.

He had been in Huanglong Prefecture for three whole months, yet he still didn’t have a single clue about the Divine Mansion.

It left him feeling dejected.

...

Three more months passed.

Aside from his daily Demon Hunting trips up the mountain, Bai Yuan would visit Xinglong Pawnshop whenever he was free.

He got a lot of good ideas for poisons and Gu refinement from Lu Yu. The two could be considered both good teachers and friends to each other.

「On this day.」

In the deep mountains, a hundred li outside of Huanglong Prefecture.

Bai Yuan killed a Tier Five Tiger Demon with a single slash of his saber.

Although he was a Demon Hunter, and his demon-finding skill was at the legendary level, Tier Six Demons, like human Entering Martial Artists, were extremely rare in the world. In fact, Tier Six Demons were even rarer.

A demon must live for a hundred years just to gain sentience; growing into a Tier Six Demon would take even longer.

In comparison, the time it took for a human to reach the Entering the Realm was significantly shorter.

Fortunately, with a god-tier "logging" skill like legendary-level demon-finding, he had a sufficient supply of Tier Five Demons.

It’s just that his trips away from home were getting longer and longer.

But he had finally saved up enough enhancement points.

’Add the points!’

[You have practiced the Wave-Splitting Saber for 200 years. Your saber technique has reached Second Heaven Perfection.]

...

[You have practiced the Wave-Splitting Saber for 217 years. You have vaguely discovered a new realm of saber technique.]

...

[You have practiced the Wave-Splitting Saber for 351 years. You have comprehended the Third Realm of saber technique!]

[Name: Bai Yuan]

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

[Skills: Broken River Saber (Proficient), Demon Qi Lure (Master), Thousand Faces Technique (Master), Sunflower Acupuncture (Proficient)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]

’There really is a Third Realm!’

Bai Yuan stared at his panel. The words "Wave-Splitting Saber" had quietly changed to "Broken River Saber."

’That fisherman predecessor’s idea was actually real!’

His progress in cultivating the Wave-Splitting Saber was fast at first, reaching the proficient level in just fifty years, but it slowed to a crawl after that.

He still hadn’t broken through to the master level after three hundred years of practice. Fortunately, Bai Yuan knew the Wave-Splitting Saber was extraordinary, so he persisted for a long 351 years to comprehend the Third Realm of the saber technique.

No wonder that brilliant, great figure had never comprehended this third realm of saber technique.

Three hundred years... Besides Bai Yuan with his cheat system, no one would really grind away at a single Cultivation Technique like that.

After all, the probability of successfully continuing a Cultivation Technique was extremely low. If the fisherman’s idea had been wrong, centuries of time would have been wasted. It just wasn’t worth it.

In comparison, learning an existing Cultivation Technique was much more cost-effective.

That’s why most Martial Artist Xuan Yang didn’t think about creating their own Cultivation Techniques. Only those great figures who had no more techniques to learn would be willing to spend their time on creating new ones.

Of course, Bai Yuan was an exception.

’Heaven and Earth also have veins!’

Those six words surfaced in Bai Yuan’s mind.

The Broken River Saber was essentially the Wave-Splitting Saber’s practice of finding "veins" taken to the extreme—directly seeking the veins of Heaven and Earth!

Bai Yuan could feel that the Broken River Saber’s quality was in no way inferior to the "Returning to the Mountain" technique. The only problem was that without the experience of a predecessor, upgrading it to Master would require more enhancement points. And to reach Legendary... that would take even more.

Fortunately, the hardest step was already taken. Things would surely be much smoother from now on.

He felt the increasingly dense strength within his body.

Bai Yuan felt as if he was about to reach the limits of the Blood Refining Pass. Perhaps the day the Broken River Saber reached great mastery would be the day he broke through.

...

「South of Huanglong Prefecture, Xinglong Pawnshop.」

"What do you need me for?"

Bai Yuan asked, looking at the flippant expression on Lu Yu’s face.

He had just returned to Wan Jun Peak when he heard from Liu Qing that a letter had arrived today. Upon opening it, he saw it was from Lu Yu.

Lu Yu grinned and said, "Good news. Remember to buy your brother a drink when this is all over."

"What is it?"

Bai Yuan rolled his eyes. He hated it when people tried to be mysterious.

Lu Yu: "Have you ever heard of the Celestial Heart Sect’s technique for resurrecting the dead in another’s body?"

Bai Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Of course he knew.

Wasn’t that exactly what happened with Long Ao, whom he had killed? He had to kill the man twice to finally send him to the Underworld for good.

The memory of that resurrection technique was still fresh in his mind.

"A good buddy of mine in the Lingzhou Army gave me a tip. There’s a Celestial Heart Sect hideout in Jingshan Prefecture, and it’s highly likely the secret to that resurrection technique is hidden there."

Lu Yu lowered his voice, his face a mask of mystery.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Bai Yuan suddenly asked in return.

Lu Yu: "With our relationship, of course we should share in the good fortune."

Bai Yuan gave Lu Yu a sidelong glance, not saying a word.

But his skeptical look said it all: ’We don’t seem to be that close.’

In his past life, he and Lu Yu would at best be considered lab partners—the kind who only worked on a single project together. They were hardly ironclad brothers.

They hadn’t spent a short amount of time together, but aside from the necessary academic exchanges, he knew nothing about Lu Yu’s background, only that he was part of the Lingzhou Army.

Lu Yu cleared his throat. "Alright, fine. I don’t want anyone from the Lingzhou Army to know about this, so you’re the only one who fits the bill."

Only then did Bai Yuan nod.

"But let’s be clear beforehand, my strength is average. If we run into a powerful enemy, I’ll save myself and run."

Lu Yu sneered.

"Don’t pull that act with me."

After spending this much time together, he had a better understanding of Bai Yuan.

He knew that Bai Yuan had the terrifying battle record of killing an Entering Martial Artist while still at the Blood Refining stage. The longer they interacted, the more he discovered that Bai Yuan’s hidden depths were far greater than he had imagined.

Hiding his strength had practically become the guy’s passive ability.

If his own life-saving abilities weren’t top-notch, he really wouldn’t dare to cooperate with Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan didn’t reply, remaining noncommittal.

Afterward, the two of them finalized the details of the operation and agreed to set out in three days.

Bai Yuan was already very interested in the technique that had brought Long Ao back from the dead.

If he could obtain that Cultivation Technique, with the help of his cheat system, he would become terrifyingly strong.

...

「Three days later.」

Bai Yuan and Lu Yu appeared one after another on the Official Road outside the city.

However, both had tacitly altered their appearances.

The "Half-Mask" technique Bai Yuan used was originally given to him by Lu Yu, so naturally, Lu Yu was also proficient in the art of disguise.

Lu Yu looked at Bai Yuan, astonished.

Compared to Bai Yuan’s masterful, almost divine skill in disguise, his own was clumsy and amateurish.

’Saber techniques, poisons, Gu arts, disguise... he’s proficient in almost everything.’ This made Lu Yu, who had always considered himself an absolute genius, feel a sense of despair.

’Could he really be an all-powerful genius?’

Lu Yu felt a bit gloomy.

He had always considered himself a Son of Heaven, a chosen one. Even if he couldn’t compare to those monstrous talents in the Central Plains, he should have at least been peerless in Ling Province. That was, until he met Bai Yuan.

This True Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect suppressed him on every front.

Whether it was Gu arts, poisons, disguise, or even the Martial Dao, Bai Yuan’s skill was very likely superior to his.

He was simply, unreasonably strong.

Bai Yuan said, "Let’s go."

’In truth, my disguise skill still has a lot of room for improvement. It’s just that I’ve spent all my enhancement points on practicing my saber, so my disguise skill hasn’t reached the legendary level yet.’

"Yeah."

Lu Yu nodded and followed.

Ling Province was comprised of nine prefectures. Jingshan Prefecture, their destination, was separated from Huanglong Prefecture by Qingyang Prefecture, a distance of a thousand li.

Although Bai Yuan had transmigrated to this world several years ago, this was his first time leaving Huanglong Prefecture.

Both Jingshan Prefecture and Qingyang Prefecture were significantly weaker than Huanglong Prefecture in terms of overall power.

An Entering Martial Artist was considered a top-tier powerhouse, and they didn’t have a single one at the Sensing level.

This was all, of course, because Huanglong Prefecture had the Divine Mansion Sect.

Before the Old Woodcutter established his sect, Huanglong Prefecture was not much different from the other prefectures. Sensing Powerhouses were the kind of experts that were supposed to exist only in Lingzhou City.

Although Huanglong Prefecture, Jingshan Prefecture, and Qingyang Prefecture were all part of Ling Province, their local customs and traditions were quite different.

Take Qingyang Prefecture, for example. It was much more open than Huanglong Prefecture. The women on the streets wore revealing clothing, with skirts that nearly reached the tops of their thighs. The flash of pale skin was particularly eye-catching.

No wonder there was a saying in Ling Province: "A man who hasn’t been to Qingyang Prefecture would feel regret even if he became an immortal."

It turned out the rumors weren’t baseless.

’It’s a shame this world doesn’t have black stockings,’ he thought, ’otherwise, I’d give it at least an eight out of ten.’

Bai Yuan and Lu Yu were both Blood Refining Martial Masters, so their stamina was naturally outstanding. However, for a distance of a thousand li, they still chose to ride horses.

They were both men of status, so of course they wouldn’t ride inferior horses.

The steeds beneath them were magnificent, with faint bumps on their heads that looked like small horns. A single glance was enough to tell they were a breed crossbred with demons.

A single Demon Horse like this was valuable enough to buy a hundred-acre estate in Qinghe.

A Demon Horse could travel several hundred li in a day. It only took Bai Yuan and Lu Yu three days to reach Jingshan Prefecture.

Lu Yu led Bai Yuan to a stop in a place called Sanhua Town within Jingshan Prefecture.

Although Sanhua Town was just a town, it was far more prosperous than Baisha Town, where Bai Yuan had stayed before. It had five restaurants and three brothels alone; the entertainment industry was booming.

All this prosperity was thanks to Sanhua Town’s location right next to the Official Road, which was also a necessary stop for merchant caravans from the Northern Territory heading south to do business.

Not only caravans from Ling Province, but even those from the Outer States would choose to rest here.

As a result, the people coming and going were extremely varied, a true melting pot where dragons and fish swam together.

Anyone who frequently roamed the Jianghu knew that in Sanhua Town, you had to tuck your tail between your legs and do your best not to cause trouble.

Otherwise, an ordinary-looking Wandering Martial Artist might turn out to be an Elder or even the Patriarch of some great family. So, regulars here all knew to keep a low profile.

Even when visiting a brothel, they would deliberately tell the woman in their arms to be quieter, for fear of angering the person in the next room.

Sudden murders were commonplace in Sanhua Town.

Legend has it that a Swordsman was beaten until his bones broke and was thrown out on the spot just because he was being too loud in a brothel.

Thus, behind every strange custom was a bloody lesson.

If you learned all these lessons, you could earn yourself the title of a seasoned veteran in the Jianghu.