The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

"Again!"

Yan Dong, his hair disheveled, walked into the great hall carrying the broken half of his Long Sword. His previous arrogance was completely gone.

He glared fixedly at Bai Yuan.

He was convinced that if not for his carelessness, he never would have lost so quickly.

Now, all he wanted was a proper rematch with Bai Yuan to wash away his shame.

"Yan Dong, stand down."

The middle-aged, dark-skinned Taoist barked.

Yan Dong, who moments ago had been defiant and frenzied, instantly fell silent, as if he’d been choked.

This scene startled everyone from the Divine Mansion Sect.

’This dark-skinned Taoist’s status must be extraordinary, or Yan Dong wouldn’t be so afraid of him.’

"Yes, Senior Brother Kaiyang."

When Ge Zhen heard the name "Kaiyang," the shock on his face was impossible to hide.

"So this is the Longevity Palace’s Kaiyang Taoist?!"

Hearing Ge Zhen utter the name ’Kaiyang Taoist,’ Ruan Xiuluan also looked shocked.

Although the Longevity Palace called itself a Daoist Sect, only a handful of people within it could be addressed with the title "Taoist," and all of them were Sensing Grandmasters.

Just like Fa Zhen Taoist, who was leading the group this time.

But there was one exception in the Longevity Palace: the Kaiyang Taoist standing before them.

Although he had yet to break through to the Sensing realm, the Longevity Palace Master had personally bestowed his Daoist name upon him and openly declared that after he himself passed on in two hundred years, Kaiyang Taoist would be the next Palace Master.

’He actually came too.’

Ruan Xiuluan looked at the dark-skinned Taoist with trepidation.

Although Kaiyang Taoist was still only a True Disciple at Longevity Palace, his status was second only to the three Sensing Grandmasters, similar to Murong Jiujiang’s role in the Divine Mansion Sect.

Murong Jiujiang stared intently at the dark-skinned Taoist. This man was the strongest genius in all of Ling Province. Before a single blow was exchanged, Jiujiang already admitted to himself that he was no match.

This was because although Kaiyang Taoist had few recorded fights, his most recent one ended with him killing an expert from an Outer State—an expert whose strength was no less than that of the Divine Mansion Sect’s Peak Masters.

"Junior Brother Bai Yuan must be the strongest one here. Are you willing to ’lend a hand’?"

Kaiyang Taoist’s gaze, calm yet firm, was fixed on Bai Yuan, completely ignoring everyone else from the Divine Mansion Sect in the hall.

Hearing Kaiyang Taoist’s words, the expressions on the faces of the Divine Mansion Sect members turned strange.

Everyone present was a top expert of the Divine Mansion Sect. Besides the three Peak Masters and two Supreme Elders, there was also Murong Jiujiang, who was by no means inferior to a Peak Master. Yet, Kaiyang True Man claimed Bai Yuan was the strongest, which made them all lose a bit of face.

Bai Yuan replied, "Since you’re so interested, I’ll oblige you."

Today, the Longevity Palace were unwelcome guests. As the host, he didn’t need to be too polite; doing so would be a show of weakness.

Of course, "lending a hand" as Kaiyang Taoist put it, didn’t mean literally holding hands. Bai Yuan had no such inclinations.

The so-called "lending a hand" was Jianghu slang in Ling Province, meaning to spar.

It had long been said that this Kaiyang Taoist enjoyed wandering the Jianghu and rarely appeared at Longevity Palace, so it was normal for him to know such slang.

And for that very reason, very few people actually knew what Kaiyang Taoist truly looked like.

Kaiyang Taoist said, "Please."

"Come!"

Bai Yuan shot to his feet. The long saber in his hand was not yet sheathed, perfect for cutting someone down.

His first move was his strongest strike.

Mountain’s Return!

Seeing this swift and fierce strike, the hairs on the back of Kaiyang Taoist’s neck stood on end.

The simple, ancient Long Sword in his hand flicked upward from below, attempting to neutralize Bai Yuan’s attack.

Bai Yuan’s long saber clashed with Kaiyang Taoist’s sword, but astonishingly, the collision of the blades made not a single sound.

Ge Zhen’s eyes widened when he saw this. "It’s force manipulation."

He could see that this bizarre scene was caused by Kaiyang Taoist coating the body of his sword with an extremely thin layer of force.

This layer of force, like a sticky plaster, adhered firmly to Bai Yuan’s saber.

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow.

’What brilliant Swordsmanship. Or more accurately, what unique control of force.’

Ordinary Martial Artists would only cover their bodies with force to enhance their strength and defense, but Kaiyang Taoist had forged a completely different path.

Bai Yuan was suddenly intrigued.

The terrifying power granted by the legendary-grade Tiger Form and Crane Style allowed him to easily break free from the binding force on the Long Sword.

He slashed again!

Kaiyang Taoist held his sword horizontally in his right hand and continued to block.

Only then did Bai Yuan realize that this Kaiyang Taoist’s style was to wait for an opening and strike second, completely different from the aggressive, brawling methods of ordinary Martial Artists.

Finding a worthy opponent, his fighting spirit was stirred, and he couldn’t resist delivering a few more slashes.

’If I could cut this Kaiyang Taoist down, the enhancement points would probably be huge.’

Bai Yuan slashed, Kaiyang Taoist blocked.

But not a single sound was heard in the great hall. The scene was, for a moment, utterly bizarre.

Watching this from the side, the look in Yan Dong’s eyes grew even colder.

He hadn’t expected the Divine Mansion Sect to have such a monstrous talent, someone who could fight his Senior Brother Kaiyang Taoist to a standstill like this.

Just as Bai Yuan’s long saber was about to descend again, Kaiyang Taoist suddenly floated ten meters backward.

"Junior Brother Bai has excellent skill. This humble Taoist admits defeat."

Kaiyang Taoist performed a Daoist salute and conceded just like that.

Bai Yuan: "The fight isn’t over. Victory and defeat can’t be counted."

A look of astonishment also appeared on Fa Zhen Taoist’s face. He hadn’t expected today’s contest to end in such a way.

The Longevity Palace had even brought Kaiyang this time, but in the end, it all concluded anticlimactically because of this young man named Bai Yuan.

Other than the heavily injured Shangguan Jin, no one was hurt.

Such a result was somewhat disappointing to Fa Zhen Taoist.

However, since Kaiyang Taoist had already chosen to stop the fight, he certainly wouldn’t be shameless enough to insist on continuing.

The Longevity Palace was a major sect in Ling Province. Even if they were indifferent to fame and fortune, they still had to maintain their dignity.

"Brother Ge, since it has come to this, we will trouble you no further."

Fa Zhen Taoist knew it was useless to stay any longer, so he immediately led Kaiyang Taoist and the other two down the mountain.

Ge Zhen smiled warmly. "Daoist Fa Zhen, please visit again."

Seeing the figures of the Longevity Palace delegation depart, the members of the Divine Mansion Sect finally let out a long sigh of relief.

If not for Bai Yuan today, the situation would likely have been very difficult to resolve.

Thinking of this, everyone’s gaze fell upon Bai Yuan.

Just as Kaiyang Taoist had said, it was very likely that Bai Yuan was the strongest among them. Even Murong Jiujiang, in his prime, and the three Peak Masters were no match for him.

Bai Yuan calmly accepted the gazes of the Divine Mansion Sect members.

Now that his strength had been exposed, there was no need to be coy about it.

Murong Jiujiang sighed softly to himself, then cupped his fists with a solemn expression. "Today, we owe everything to Junior Brother Bai."

He had personally witnessed the fight between Bai Yuan and Kaiyang Taoist. He knew he couldn’t have handled Kaiyang Taoist’s bizarre techniques. Any other Entering Martial Artist would have been tormented to death’s door by Kaiyang Taoist’s strange force.

Only someone like Bai Yuan, who could shatter all techniques with pure strength, could suppress Kaiyang Taoist in a fight.

However, neither Bai Yuan nor Kaiyang Taoist had used their true abilities, so just as Bai Yuan had said, today’s victory and defeat couldn’t be counted.

Before Murong Jiujiang could finish, the rest of the Divine Mansion Sect members all bowed to Bai Yuan in unison.

"Thank you, Junior Brother Bai."

"Nephew Bai, you acted with great righteousness."

...

Internal strife was one thing, but that was a private matter. When facing an external enemy, they naturally had to stand united.

Ruan Xiuluan, in particular, was immensely relieved. She was now certain that she was no match for that Kaiyang Taoist.

If she had been unable to resist the young Taoist’s goading and stepped forward to accept the challenge today...

Even if she had defeated the young Taoist, she would have certainly been defeated by Kaiyang Taoist. He might have even used the opportunity to defeat every Peak Master and Supreme Elder present.

At that point, the backbone of the Divine Mansion Sect would have been shattered by Kaiyang Taoist alone.

Fortunately, all of this was averted by the sudden appearance of Bai Yuan.

Shi Bai Mountain, also in the crowd, reluctantly stood up and offered a few insincere words to Bai Yuan.

Of everyone present, he was the one who most hoped for the Divine Mansion Sect to suffer a crushing defeat—the more brutally they were ravaged by the Longevity Palace, the better.

He had already placed his bets on the Lingzhou Army.

If the Lingzhou Army failed to swallow the Divine Mansion Sect and the two sides reached a stalemate again, his betrayal would surely be discovered by Murong Tian.

General Zhao Wu, Ji Chang, was not an easy person to deal with. He would definitely use him as a bargaining chip for greater benefits.

But he no longer had a choice...

Bai Yuan’s growth rate was already starting to frighten him.

The current Bai Yuan could already crush him completely. In less than ten years, perhaps even just five, the entire Shi Family would be forced to grovel at Bai Yuan’s feet.

He would never allow such a thing to happen.

Forced to choose between the Divine Mansion Sect and the Shi Family, he would, of course, choose his own family without hesitation.

Loyalty?

It was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Shi Bai Mountain would not do something as foolish as dying for his sect.

Ge Zhen patted Bai Yuan’s shoulder with a gentle smile. "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Unlike Shi Bai Mountain and the others, although he had once been a Peak Master, he had almost no foundation in the Divine Mansion Sect and no family backing.

After stepping down as the Peak Master of Nine Revolutions Peak to become a Supreme Elder, he had originally just wanted a life of leisure, but he was constantly being bothered by the Sect Leader, Murong Tian, and couldn’t find any peace.

However, compared to the other Peak Masters and Supreme Elders, his feelings for the Divine Mansion Sect were actually more genuine.

Perhaps only in old age does one come to appreciate the words "loyalty" and "righteousness." In his youth, he too had been rebellious, which was why he appreciated Bai Yuan all the more.

The Divine Mansion Sect had truly wronged Wan Jun Peak the most, be it Dong Wanjun or Bai Yuan. But Bai Yuan was still willing to take action today, which made him very gratified.

Bai Yuan: "Elder Ge, you flatter me."

The reason he chose to act today certainly wasn’t because of some bullshit loyalty or righteousness.

Truth be told, he didn’t have much affection for the Divine Mansion Sect. The only place he felt any connection to was Wan Jun Peak.

The Longevity Palace had come with ill intentions and was very likely scheming against the Divine Mansion Sect in concert with the Lingzhou Army.

If the Longevity Palace had succeeded today, the Divine Mansion Sect might have faced an even more difficult situation, and its destruction would not have been out of the question.

Once the Divine Mansion Sect was destroyed, the status he had worked so hard to obtain would be for naught. Finding another place where he could peacefully practice martial arts and add points would certainly take a great deal of effort.

Murong Jiujiang spoke solemnly to the crowd, "Everyone, the Longevity Palace’s visit was definitely not as simple as sparring. They must have other plans. We need to be extra careful."

Everyone nodded.

From the Longevity Palace’s conduct, it was clear that if not for Bai Yuan, probably no one from the Divine Mansion Sect would have walked out of the great hall on their own two feet today.

Murong Jiujiang’s expression turned thoughtful. "By all rights, Master should have returned to the sect today. Why hasn’t he appeared?"

He had sent a secret message to Murong Tian two days ago, right after receiving news from the Longevity Palace.

But two days had passed, and there was still no sign of Murong Tian.

If he wasn’t delayed by the battles at the front, then something major must have happened.

At this thought, a shadow of gloom fell over everyone’s heart.