The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

「Six days later.」

The agreed-upon transaction time between Bai Yuan and the Changhe Gang had arrived.

"Sect Leader, should we call for more of our brothers?"

A fierce glint appeared in Hu Ben’s eyes.

He’d had some dealings with the Changhe Gang in the past. Those people never played by the rules, and they were certainly no strangers to double-crossing.

If the Changhe Gang dared to pull any tricks during this trade, he wouldn’t mind leading some men to give them a taste of their own medicine.

Bai Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

"No need."

They were just the Changhe Gang; not worth being overly cautious about.

Bringing more people along would just dilute his enhancement points, which was truly unnecessary.

Hu Ben nodded.

He now followed the new Sect Leader’s every word and never questioned his decisions.

Bai Yuan shouldered a bundle and, along with Hu Ben, arrived at a hollow in the mountains outside Huanglong Prefecture.

He had been a Demon Hunter here for many years. In his time hunting demons in the mountains, he had traveled over nearly every inch of the peaks near Huanglong Prefecture.

If the Changhe Gang’s men really dared to try anything, the terrain here would be their undoing.

When Bai Yuan and Hu Ben reached the appointed location, a dozen or so members of the Changhe Gang were already there, along with a horse-drawn cart laden with goods.

’The Changhe Gang really is capable,’ Bai Yuan thought. ’That cart is very likely filled with Spirit Medicines. To be able to smuggle such precious goods past the Lingzhou Army’s spies and into this valley is quite an impressive feat.’

When Nie Dao saw Bai Yuan and Hu Ben appear, he grinned broadly and laughed. "Brother Bai, I’ve brought all the goods you asked for."

As he spoke, he turned and patted the bulging cargo on the cart.

Nie Dao naturally saw the bundle on Bai Yuan’s back.

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

’Alchemy Masters really are filthy rich,’ he mused. ’That small bag of pills on Bai Yuan’s back can be traded for a whole cart of Spirit Medicines. Anyone would be green with envy.’

However, he had no intention of double-crossing them.

Mainly because he didn’t think he was a match for the two men before him.

Bai Yuan didn’t hesitate, untying the bundle from his back and tossing it to Nie Dao.

Then, he and Hu Ben swaggered straight toward the cart.

An incense stick’s worth of time later, both parties had confirmed the goods.

Nie Dao looked at Bai Yuan with fiery eyes. "Brother Bai, I was wondering if you have any higher-tiered Spirit Medicines? The price is negotiable."

Bai Yuan remained expressionless. "I’ll find you for the next trade."

He neither confirmed nor denied it.

His aim was to keep the Changhe Gang guessing. But these were just minor tactics; what truly mattered was having enough strength to back it up.

Nie Dao nodded with some regret but didn’t press the matter.

Just as Hu Ben was driving the cart away, Bai Yuan shot a seemingly casual glance at the lean old man beside Nie Dao.

...

Nie Dao watched the cart disappear into the distance.

Suddenly, he turned and bowed respectfully to the old man beside him.

"Gang Leader, what do you think?"

This old man was none other than the Changhe Gang Leader, Qiu Nan, a famous expert from Ling Province. Although he had been stuck at the Entering the Realm stage for many years, his foundation was extremely solid. Ordinary Entering Martial Artists were no match for him.

That day, Nie Dao had realized the gravity of the situation.

He had personally taken this news to Ling Province.

Qiu Nan was well aware of the significance of an unaffiliated Alchemist, so he had immediately followed Nie Dao to personally participate in this trade.

Everyone knew that the Changhe Gang Leader was skilled with a saber, but few knew that his judgment of character was also excellent.

He could confirm that the Alchemist’s strength was no less than his own.

It was common knowledge that Alchemists, absorbed in their Alchemy, neglected their martial training. Thus, while their strength might be decent, it was far from comparable to that of a true Martial Artist.

But this Alchemist, who had appeared out of nowhere, not only had profound skill in Alchemy but was also incredibly strong.

If he hadn’t been certain that he couldn’t take the other man down, with his temperament, he would have done whatever it took to capture this Alchemist and bring him back to the Changhe Gang.

Whether it was his martial prowess, which rivaled Qiu Nan’s own, or his profound skill in Alchemy, either one of these traits alone would be enough to bring great fortune to a major power.

For both to appear in the same person was a heaven-defying stroke of luck.

However, Qiu Nan felt he couldn’t swallow such a prize, so he had to settle for the next best thing: sincere cooperation.

"From now on, don’t pull any tricks. You can even be more generous with the price."

Qiu Nan instructed Nie Dao.

Just the steady, long-term business of selling pills would be enough for the Changhe Gang to make a fortune, so they couldn’t afford to casually ruin their business relationship.

...

On a small path in the forest, a horse-drawn cart moved slowly, its wheels creaking.

"Sect Leader, that old man with Nie Dao is no simple character."

Hu Ben suddenly said in his booming voice.

Bai Yuan looked at Hu Ben with some surprise. He had, of course, noticed the old man long ago, but he hadn’t expected the usually unobservant Hu Ben to sense that something was amiss.

’After all, the old man’s concealment technique was very good. Aside from me, it was unlikely anyone else would have noticed anything unusual.’

"He must be the Changhe Gang Leader, Qiu Nan."

Hu Ben added.

Bai Yuan smiled and nodded. "I know."

Hu Ben chuckled foolishly.

’I was worrying for nothing,’ he thought. ’With the Sect Leader’s abilities, he’s naturally no less perceptive than me. If even I could spot the issue, the Sect Leader must have noticed it long ago.’

Bai Yuan looked at Hu Ben with a smile. "So, Tiger Commander is a sharp one after all."

Hu Ben scratched his head. "I’ve just met a lot of people, so I can tell when someone’s different."

Despite his words, Bai Yuan didn’t think so.

Most in the Divine Mansion Army thought the Commander of the Gang Camp only knew how to fight and kill. But now it seemed he was clearly a man of hidden depths, one who didn’t easily show his true abilities.

With Bai Yuan acting as a guide who knew the mountain paths better than the local mountain folk, they reached the Hundred Thousand Mountains even while driving a cart.

They didn’t pass a single village along the way, so it was impossible for anyone to have noticed them.

"Grand Commander, you’re back."

Liu Li, who was on duty today, saw Bai Yuan and Hu Ben returning with the cart and greeted them with pleasant surprise.

Liu Li stared, dumbfounded, at the cart full of Spirit Medicines.

He had expected their Sect Leader to bring back Spirit Medicines, but he never imagined there would be so many.

"These... are all Spirit Medicines?"

He asked with some hesitation.

Hu Ben grinned, placing a palm as large as a cattail fan on Liu Li’s shoulder, making Liu Li wince in pain.

"Of course. Go take a look for yourself."

Liu Li couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

As the Vice Commander of the Divine Mansion Army in charge of supplies, he knew all too well the value of this cartload of Spirit Medicines.

This was enough Spirit Medicine to supply the Divine Mansion Army for half a month!

Liu Li immediately called his subordinates over to unload the cargo.

Hearing the commotion, the members of the Divine Mansion Sect also came out of their rooms.

The current Divine Mansion Sect camp was no longer the simple, crude place it once was. Although it couldn’t compare to the grandeur of the Thirteen Peaks on Shenfu Mountain, it was now filled with pavilions and storied buildings.

Ruan Xiuluan and the other three Peak Masters of the Divine Mansion Sect were also astounded to see the cart full of Spirit Medicines.

While it was nothing compared to the former Divine Mansion Sect, it was enough to supply a medium-sized sect for a good while.

The situation in the current Divine Mansion Sect was very different from other sects. With Bai Yuan around, there was no shortage of pills for the Entering Realm and Blood Refining stages, but they lacked the most consumed low-tier pills.

Now that they had opened a trade route with the Changhe Gang, pills would flow into the Divine Mansion Sect in a continuous stream.

Although supplies would still be tight, they could at least hold out for a good while longer.

They couldn’t help but be amazed by their new Sect Leader’s methods.

Cultivation Techniques, Alchemy, Demon Hunting... it seemed Bai Yuan alone was enough to be a one-man sect.

He seemed to excel at everything a sect needed.

Everyone felt even more fortunate that they had chosen to elect Bai Yuan as the new Sect Leader.

Otherwise, the Divine Mansion Sect, which had been like a tray of loose sand, would have inevitably collapsed. They would have been forced to go to the Outer States to find a new way to live, and they certainly wouldn’t be enjoying the comfortable days they had now.

With the pill problem solved, the issue of feeding the thousand-plus mouths in the Divine Mansion Sect was also temporarily resolved.

Bai Yuan immediately had Yu Hui rebuild their intelligence network.

An intelligence network was crucial for a sect. If their information fell behind, they would risk being annihilated.

...

The Divine Mansion Sect, hidden in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, was finally showing signs of a revival.

After enduring so many hardships, the internal strife among the members had naturally decreased significantly.

The sect was a scene of thriving prosperity.

Although Bai Yuan was the Sect Leader, he was not like the previous Meng Ruo Sect Master, who spent all his days in closed-door cultivation in a secret chamber. Instead, like Old Dong, he couldn’t sit still.

He often led his men into the Hundred Thousand Mountains to hunt demons.

The deeper the mountains, the more demons there were, especially in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, which occupied half of Ling Province.

Bai Yuan was having the time of his life hunting in the mountains.

With the Ten Thousand Demons Painting, he was the bane of all demons. The demon meat he brought back alone was enough to feed many of the sect’s disciples.

He even found several rare species in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, adding a few more figures to the Ten Thousand Demons Painting.

If Zhou Siming were here, he would surely be gratified.

「On this day.」

Bai Yuan led the Slaughter Camp in pursuit of a Tier Six Eagle Demon for a full day and night.

Finally, he slayed the Eagle Demon with a single slash of his saber.

Bai Yuan looked down at the Eagle Demon’s corpse. ’A normal Tier Six Demon wouldn’t have been this much trouble. But this Eagle Demon was an expert flyer. If my demon-tracking skills weren’t so superb, allowing me to chase it down the moment it landed, it would have long since flown away.’

"Sect Leader is mighty!"

Xu Siwan, the Commander of the Slaughter Camp, admired his new Sect Leader down to the marrow of his bones.

Anyone who regularly hunted demons knew that avian-type demons were the trickiest to deal with.

After all, Martial Artists couldn’t fly. An Eagle Demon could cover ten li with a single flap of its wings; how could they possibly catch up?

But Bai Yuan was different. It was as if he had a pair of eyes in the sky; no matter where the Eagle Demon flew, he could find it.

’This ability is truly amazing,’ he thought.

Only he and Bai Yuan were left in the forest.

Originally, Bai Yuan had brought dozens of men to hunt the demon, but only Xu Siwan had been able to barely keep up with his speed, which was why only the two of them remained.

Bai Yuan nudged the Eagle Demon’s corpse with the tip of his boot, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

The reason he was so happy, of course, wasn’t the demon meat, but the number "1032" on his panel.

This was the result of three days of demon hunting.

’Add the points!’

[You have cultivated Demon Qi Sense for 370 years. No demonic qi in the world can escape your perception.]

...

[You have cultivated Demon Qi Sense for 413 years. You have become a Legend!]

...

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Class: Demon Hunter, Sword Ghost, Boxer, Spirit Cooker, Skin Painter]

[Skills: Broken River Saber (Legend), Mountain Return (Legend), Demon Qi Sense (Legend), Thousand Face Technique (Legend), Sunflower Acupoint Striking (Master)...]

[Enhancement Points: 102]

He had finally raised Demon Qi Sense to the Legend level!