The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The situation in Huanglong Prefecture gradually stabilized.

General Zhao Wu, Ji Chang, withdrew the entire Lingzhou Army back to Shenfu Mountain.

The Divine Mansion Sect also began to gradually expand out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

’What a shame,’ Bai Yuan thought. ’Now that everyone has retreated, I won’t have any legitimate reason to kill people. I’ll be missing out on a lot of enhancement points.’

"Sect Leader, the Kaiyang Taoist has appeared in Huanglong Prefecture."

Liu Li reported with a fist-and-palm salute.

Yu Hui was extremely efficient. In just over a month, he had rebuilt the intelligence network in Huanglong Prefecture City. Although it was impossible to spy on top secrets, learning about major events in the city was no problem.

Besides, neither the Kaiyang Taoist nor that scholar had any intention of hiding.

Bai Yuan hummed in thought.

The Kaiyang Taoist represented the Longevity Palace, so his purpose in coming to Huanglong Prefecture was definitely not simple. As for the scholar, his identity was surely just as extraordinary.

’The waters of Huanglong Prefecture are getting deeper and deeper,’ he mused.

He glanced at the Lifebound Gu in his sleeve.

’Hmm, Old Dong seems to be more full of life than ever.’

’I wonder what in the Northern Plains has Old Dong so captivated that he’s forgotten to return.’

Bai Yuan pushed aside his thoughts. All he needed to do now was increase his strength.

He looked at the two saber techniques on his panel... High-tier saber techniques were treasures of the sects; they weren’t easy to come by.

This was why so many Jianghu people would fight tooth and nail to join a major sect.

High-level techniques were all monopolized by those major sects. This was the foundation of their power.

After all, a Martial Artist could live two hundred years at most. How could one possibly compare to a thousand-year-old heritage?

The cultivation techniques Bai Yuan needed were of a very high level. Even the former Divine Mansion Sect didn’t have many, and he had already mastered all of their saber techniques.

There were plenty of low-level techniques, but they were useless to him now.

Unfortunately, every high-level cultivation technique was a sect’s most treasured secret. Unless one became a Sect Disciple, obtaining one was extremely difficult.

In the Jianghu, countless battles that caused rivers of blood to flow had been fought over a single divine technique.

But to grow stronger, one had to fight for it.

...

"You want a method to detonate your Qi and Blood?"

Murong Tian frowned at Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan nodded.

His brow furrowed even more. "Nephew Bai, it’s not that I’m unwilling to pass it on to you. It’s that this cultivation technique is extremely slow to practice, and you can really only use it once in your lifetime. It’s utterly useless."

Murong Tian advised him with good intentions.

He had relied on that ancestral cultivation technique to escape the joint attack of Lu Xiao and the Changshou Taoist.

But just as he said, the technique was incredibly impractical.

Although it could unleash astonishing combat power, the aftermath of depleting one’s Qi and Blood was a fate little better than death.

Take Murong Tian himself, for example. If it weren’t for Bai Yuan’s Spirit Soup keeping him alive, he wouldn’t have many years left.

If this was the case for a Martial Artist at the Perception Stage, anyone below that level would probably be drained dry before they could even unleash the technique.

However, seeing Bai Yuan’s resolute attitude, Murong Tian ultimately wrote down the cultivation technique from memory.

He believed that with Bai Yuan’s disposition, he would surely make the right decision.

Murong Tian handed the "Blood Rolling Technique" to Bai Yuan.

He had only practiced this technique by chance in his youth. Dong Wanjun had just been too brilliant back then, causing a young and reckless Murong Tian to prepare for a life-or-death struggle early on.

This cultivation technique was very simple, just a few thousand characters long.

Its core was a single point: how to detonate the Qi and Blood in one’s body. That was it.

"Thank you, Sect Master Murong."

"There’s no need to call me Sect Leader anymore."

Murong Tian smiled faintly, waved his hand, and sank back into his bamboo chair wearily. He was now just an old man who wanted to live out his twilight years in peace.

...

After leaving Murong Tian’s small courtyard, Bai Yuan immediately opened the "Blood Rolling Technique" in his hand.

Just as Murong Tian had said, the "Blood Rolling Technique" was extremely simple. At only two thousand characters, it was far simpler than the other cultivation techniques he had seen.

Bai Yuan quickly finished reading it.

The "Blood Rolling Technique" had no system to speak of. It couldn’t even be called a cultivation technique, only a skill.

And yet, mastering this skill was extremely difficult. No wonder Murong Tian had told him not to waste too much time on the "Blood Rolling Technique."

Bai Yuan looked at his panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

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

[Skills: Rolling Blood Saber (Uninitiated), Broken River Saber (Legendary), Mountain Return (Legendary), Demon Qi Lure (Legendary), Thousand Face Technique (Legendary)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]

’Just as I thought!’

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the words "Rolling Blood Saber" on the panel.

’This cultivation technique is an incomplete fragment!’

The Blood Rolling Technique was part of the Rolling Blood Saber.

Although he had grinded out most cultivation techniques in his past life, the Rolling Blood Saber was one that had slipped through the net.

He had only ever seen this cultivation technique mentioned in guides written by top players.

Those top players all considered the Rolling Blood Saber a god-tier skill for taking down bosses.

A "real man’s thirty seconds" kind of skill was indeed very suitable for fighting bosses.

Unfortunately, the drop rate was abysmally low, and there was only one chance to get it in the Divine Mansion Sect dungeon, so very few players ever obtained this cultivation technique.

Bai Yuan was a grinding emperor, not an emperor of luck; such rare items were naturally out of his reach.

But in an unexpected turn of events, this cultivation technique was actually in Murong Tian’s hands.

Even if it was an incomplete fragment, as long as Bai Yuan grinded enough, he could complete it sooner or later.

With his current strength, most cultivation techniques in Ling Province could no longer meet his needs, unless it was a most treasured secret from a major sect like the Longevity Palace.

The other option was to leave Ling Province and head for the Central Plains.

Either path was fraught with danger. It was more practical to just stay put and grind his skills.

He couldn’t help but recall the legend of Ten-Mile Slope from his past life.

’By the time I emerge from my seclusion, I will have no rival in this world!’

...

「The Lu Family Estate.」

"Is what you say true?"

Lu Yu’s eyes narrowed, his already slender eyes growing even sharper.

The Lu Family expert before him stated with certainty, "Absolutely true."

The Lu Family had only been established for a little over twenty years, so of course they hadn’t cultivated many experts of their own. Most had been recruited from the Jianghu by Lu Yu’s father, the General.

At the end of the day, the Lingzhou Army belonged to the state. As soon as Lu Xiao was transferred out of Ling Province,

the tea would grow cold as soon as he left. The Lingzhou Army would become the new General’s troops, and no one would listen to Lu Xiao’s orders anymore.

That was why Lu Xiao had always been very keen on cultivating his own private forces.

However, every major power in Ling Province had a heritage of several hundred years. How could his twenty years possibly compare?

Fortunately, Lu Xiao’s personal strength was great enough, and he had enough friends in the Jianghu, which was how the Lu Family had managed to squeeze into the ranks of Ling Province’s first-rate powers.

But the moment Lu Xiao died, the Lu Family would surely collapse and crumble.

Lu Xiao was now putting great effort into grooming Lu Yu precisely to stabilize the Lu Family’s fortunes.

Lu Yu waved his hand to dismiss the Lu Family expert, then leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

’Just who is doing business with the Changhe Gang?’

Besides his love for practicing martial arts, his other vice was a love for money.

Lu Yu had keenly noticed that the volume of Spirit Medicine the Changhe Gang had recently been purchasing from the Lu Family had more than doubled compared to before.

He had sensed something was amiss right away.

After having his family’s people investigate, he discovered that the Changhe Gang wasn’t just buying up Spirit Medicine from the Lu Family, but from the Longevity Palace and the Seven Star Sect as well.

The Changhe Gang’s leader hadn’t had a sudden breakthrough, so their demand for Spirit Medicine should have been relatively stable. A sudden spike was definitely suspicious.

To uncover the truth, Lu Yu had even mobilized spies from the Lingzhou Army.

Sure enough, the spies discovered that for the past month, the Changhe Gang had been trading with a mysterious Alchemist.

The corners of Lu Yu’s mouth curled up slightly.

’A mysterious Alchemist... Now that’s a real treasure.’

Although the Lu Family already had one Alchemy Master, he wouldn’t mind having another. When it came to existences like Alchemy Masters, the more the merrier.

As for the previous Alchemy Master from the Divine Mansion Sect, his General father had handed him over to the Prefect of Lingzhou as part of a political exchange.

...

「In a forest outside Huanglong Prefecture City.」

As usual, Nie Dao drove his carriage to the appointed location and waited.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a tall figure appeared in the woods.

Nie Dao frowned slightly. "Master Bai isn’t here?"

He frowned as he looked at the man beside the tall figure.

That man was not Master Bai Shui.

Hu Ben spoke in a booming voice, "Master Bai is busy with alchemy. I will be handling all future transactions."

Nie Dao nodded.

Most Alchemy Masters spent all day holed up in their alchemy rooms, so it was indeed unusual for one to go out frequently.

He didn’t pay it much mind. As long as the Spirit Medicine was genuine, it didn’t matter who made the trade.

Before long, Hu Ben and Nie Dao completed the transaction.

Bai Yuan was the Sect Leader, after all; he couldn’t personally handle everything. So he had assigned the trade with the Changhe Gang to Hu Ben. The one who had come with Hu Ben today was none other than the Vice Commander of the Gang Camp.

Nie Dao finished inspecting the goods and finally broke into a smile. "Please give my regards to Master Bai."

Even though Bai Yuan wasn’t there, it was important to express goodwill. This would help solidify the trading relationship between the two parties.

Hu Ben gave a fist-and-palm salute and drove the carriage away.

His massive frame made the large horse look particularly small and thin.

Nie Dao glanced at the carriage disappearing into the woods, then also left with the men from the Changhe Gang.

Not long after both parties had departed, a figure appeared at the trading spot.

It was none other than Lu Yu.

Lu Yu stared in the direction Hu Ben had left, a thoughtful look on his face.

Ever since he had noticed the anomaly with the Changhe Gang, he had been personally tailing Nie Dao for ten full days, finally waiting until the day of their Spirit Pill trade.

"He’s wearing a mask."

Lu Yu was also an expert in disguise, and he could tell at a glance that something was done to the two men’s faces.

There were many in the Jianghu who used disguises, but craftsmanship as exquisite as those two men’s was extremely rare in Ling Province. Even Lu Yu himself couldn’t reach that level.

"Interesting."

The corners of Lu Yu’s mouth curled up slightly.

It was as if he had discovered something incredibly fascinating.

After a moment of thought, his figure flickered and vanished into the forest.

’I’d like to see just who this mysterious master is.’

He decisively followed Hu Ben’s carriage, heading deeper into the mountains and forests.

...

Lu Yu followed Hu Ben for three straight days.

Although Hu Ben was meticulous, he was ultimately better at straightforward combat. Lu Yu, on the other hand, was well-versed in unorthodox methods. Using a Shadow Gu to scout the path while he followed from several miles away, there was no way Hu Ben could have discovered him.

Finally, amidst a sea of trees, Lu Yu saw a large complex of towering buildings.

He stared at the scene before him, his eyes narrowing.

To be hidden in the Hundred Thousand Mountains within Huanglong Prefecture and still possess such a grand atmosphere—it could only be the Divine Mansion Sect.

He never would have imagined that the one trading with the Changhe Gang was the long-lost Divine Mansion Sect.

"Brother Bai, you’ve really made me search high and low."