The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The Little Daoist Child, Luo Zhenyi, glanced at the humble room, grumbling inwardly.

’I’ve never stayed in a place this bad in my entire life.’

’In the entire Celestial Profound Sect, he’s probably the only one willing to stay in such a dump.’

This was also why none of the other Celestial Profound Sect disciples liked traveling with this Senior Brother Chen. He was only concerned with getting results.

Unlike disciples such as Xu Hui and Zhou Yun, Chen Qing came from a humble background. He was already a Martial Dao expert in a small province before joining the Celestial Profound Sect, and was only able to enter after Cangsong Taoist took a liking to him.

Of course, his "humble background" was only in comparison to disciples from noble families like Xu Hui. In truth, a background on par with the three major powers of Qinghe County was not bad at all.

But in the Celestial Profound Sect, with its complex web of internal factions and countless children of high Court officials, even the direct son of a General was considered merely mid-tier. Someone of his standing was naturally seen as the lowest of the low.

Chen Qing frowned in deep thought.

Divine Mansion Sect...

’This is going to be tricky.’

He wasn’t one of those brain-dead fools from the Celestial Profound Sect who’d practiced martial arts until they were stupid. He knew full well that a local power like the Divine Mansion Sect was not to be underestimated. One careless move could lead to his downfall.

Xu Hui and Zhou Yun’s disappearance was most likely connected to the Divine Mansion Sect.

But only if he found evidence would Cangsong Taoist have a reason to act.

The reason Cangsong Taoist valued him was because he was discreet and didn’t cause trouble.

Xu Hui’s noble birth meant he could cause all sorts of trouble and still get away with it, but a single mistake from Chen Qing would plunge him into an inescapable hell.

’No matter what world you’re in, being born into the right family is the most important thing.’

"Senior Brother Chen, should we storm the Divine Mansion Sect and question them?"

The Little Daoist Child, Luo Dao Yi, asked excitedly.

Chen Qing glanced at Luo Dao Yi. "Investigate secretly. Don’t let anyone from the Divine Mansion Sect know we’re here."

"Oh."

Luo Dao Yi said, "Oh."

’I’d been hoping to come to a backwater place like Huanglong Prefecture in Ling Province and throw my weight around, but it looks like that’s not going to happen now.’

’This Senior Brother Chen is just as frustrating to work with as the rumors say.’

...

Shenfu Mountain.

A mountain breeze blew in from the vast, distant ranges, pressing Bai Yuan’s robes against his body.

He stood alone on the mountain peak, gazing into the distance.

That Tier Eight Great Demon hadn’t moved for three days.

That was the exact day the Celestial Profound Sect disciple, Xu Hui, had disappeared.

Bai Yuan frowned slightly.

As a Demon Hunter, he was extremely sensitive to changes in demons, so he could clearly feel that although the Tier Eight Great Demon hadn’t moved, the fluctuations in its aura were far stronger than before.

’This must all be related to that disciple from the Celestial Profound Sect.’

After much deliberation, he finally flew toward the small hill.

If a Tier Eight Great Demon went berserk, the entire Shenfu Mountain would likely be torn apart.

’Better to investigate now than to just sit here and wait to die. This way, I can prepare.’

Although Bai Yuan was no match for a Tier Eight Great Demon at his current level, he could still manage a quick look around with his skills as a Demon Hunter.

Bai Yuan’s speed was incredible. In just a moment, he arrived at the foot of the small hill.

This hill looked completely ordinary.

But only Bai Yuan knew how terrifying this place was.

He took a deep breath and slowly took a step.

He had been secretly monitoring the Tier Eight Great Demon for some time, but this was the first time he had ever gotten so close.

’A Tier Eight Great Demon... An existence that even the Prefect of Lingzhou, Jiang Changping, would have to flee on sight. It’s truly terrifying.’

Bai Yuan cautiously made his way up the mountain.

Just as he had guessed, there was no unusual movement.

The Divine Mansion Sect had existed here for a thousand years, and there had never been a report of a disciple disappearing in the mountains without reason.

’If that Celestial Profound Sect disciple named Xu Hui hadn’t used some unknown Secret Technique, he would never have provoked that Great Demon.’

Bai Yuan soon reached the summit.

On the ground, within his line of sight, lay a peculiar-looking brass compass.

According to Zhou Yun, Xu Hui had relied on this compass’s guidance to find this place, so this compass must be extraordinary.

Bai Yuan didn’t rush forward to pick up the compass.

He stood quietly on the spot, his eyes closed, sensing the demonic energy around him, trying to pinpoint the Great Demon’s exact location.

Just as he was searching—

The virtual scroll of the Ten Thousand Demons Painting suddenly appeared before his eyes, seemingly of its own accord.

An unusual beast with the body of a pig and the claws of a chicken appeared before his eyes.

Lili!

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* says:

"First among the mountains of the south’s second chain is Mount Gui. To the west, it overlooks the Drifting Yellows; to the north, it faces the Zhupi; to the east, it gazes upon the Changyou. The river Ying springs forth from it, flowing southwest into the Red River, a place of abundant white jade and cinnabar grains. There is a beast there shaped like a pig, but with spurs on its feet. Its cry is like the barking of a dog, and its name is the Lili. Its appearance signals a time of great earthworks in the county."

An ancient, mythical beast!

Bai Yuan’s heart leaped in shock.

He hadn’t expected the Great Demon hidden in Shenfu Mountain to be the ancient beast, the Lili.

The Lili was extremely good at digging and was often seen in places of great construction. There were even rumors that the Lili was a divine beast of architecture.

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* from his past life had records of the Lili.

As his knowledge grew, Bai Yuan discovered that many of the mythical beasts recorded in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* were real in this world.

In his past life, some busybodies thought the Lili was just an African aardvark.

Bai Yuan didn’t know the situation on Blue Star, but at least in this world, the Lili was far more powerful than any aardvark.

Where a Lili appears, there must be a Divine Palace. This had to be the legendary Divine Mansion.

’A rare instance dungeon...’

Bai Yuan was of course very interested, but now was not the time.

He couldn’t even defeat the Doorman in front of that Immortal Sect, let alone clear the dungeon. Going now would be no different from seeking death.

He had no intention of dying just yet...

Bai Yuan mulled it over for a moment, then quickly darted forward, snatched the compass off the ground, and sped back down the mountain.

"Phew..."

He let out a long sigh of relief.

The Lili didn’t react at all.

Although the records in the Ten Thousand Demons Painting indicated that the Lili was not a bloodthirsty beast, there were always exceptions to the rule, just as people’s personalities varied.

Bai Yuan looked at the compass in his hand, hoping that this risky acquisition would not disappoint him.

This brass compass was only the size of his palm.

He had read plenty of novels and tales about tomb raiding and treasure hunting, so he recognized it at a glance: a Fengshui Compass.

Whether in his past life or this world, the concept of feng shui existed.

As for whether it could truly lead to a paradise in the afterlife or protect one’s descendants, no one really knew.

Compared to the high officials and nobles who might spend a decade searching for an auspicious feng shui location, things were much simpler for ordinary commoners.

For example, in Qinghe, where he was before, it was usually a respected elder who knew a little about the practice who would just point to a spot and declare it an auspicious site.

Whether it was a Feng Shui Master who made a living from it or a village elder, they would all use one tool: the Fengshui Compass.

This compass was very different from a sailor’s compass. Its magnetic needle wasn’t used to indicate direction, but to search for *qi*.

The way of *qi* was profoundly mysterious. Demonic energy, treasure aura, and immortal energy were all forms of *qi*.

According to Zhou Yun, Xu Hui had used this very compass to find the location of the Divine Mansion.

Bai Yuan tucked the compass into his robes.

Obtaining this Fengshui Compass was a pleasant surprise.

...

「Back in the Sect Leader Hall.」

Bai Yuan entered a secret room.

He skillfully took down several medicine vials and, as if conducting an experiment, used a scale to weigh them, performing each step with extreme care.

’If I’d been this meticulous during my grad school days,’ Bai Yuan thought, ’I wouldn’t have had to delay my graduation.’

He could still remember his advisor’s exasperated expression, a look of profound disappointment.

’Video games are a menace!’

After a long while, a small vial filled with a liquid that bubbled with green gas appeared in his hand.

This was the fruit of his cultivation of the *Thousand Shadows Poison Technique*.

After this period of diligent cultivation, he had finally practiced the *Thousand Shadows Poison Technique* to the master level. He combined it with his spirit-extracting methods and improved it, finally refining the bottle of Cyan Jade Poison in his hand.

Only poison users with inferior methods liked to use brutally potent poisons.

For poison masters like Bai Yuan, there was a trade-off. The stealth of delivery was far more important than sheer toxicity.

Killing an opponent with poison without them even noticing—that was the realm that poison users pursued.

Blindly pursuing toxicity was a crude, inferior approach.

If an enemy could tell you were using poison at a glance, they would surely take precautions. How could you hope to poison them if you couldn’t even get it into their system?

The Cyan Jade Poison in Bai Yuan’s hand was a testament to the art of stealthy poisoning.

This poison was one of the three legendary poisons recorded in the *Thousand Shadows Poison Technique*. It was colorless and odorless, impossible for even the most vigilant person to detect. When combined with the Hundred Poison Hand, the effect was astonishingly good.

In addition, Bai Yuan had also integrated his philosophy that a great tonic can be a potent poison, using a Water Spirit to improve the Cyan Jade Poison.

The current Cyan Jade Poison was so refined that even the original creator of the *Thousand Shadows Poison Technique* would feel inadequate by comparison.

Just as he was pondering the Cyan Jade Poison—

Yu Hui’s voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.

"Sect Leader, Miss Lu is looking for you."

Bai Yuan put away the Cyan Jade Poison and walked out of the secret room.

Only three people in the Divine Mansion Sect knew of this secret room. As Bai Yuan’s confidant, Yu Hui was naturally one of them.

Of course, given Bai Yuan’s cautious nature, he would never have only one secret chamber.

As the saying goes, a sly rabbit has three burrows. In the Sect Leader Hall alone, there were four secret passages that only he knew about.

Bai Yuan asked, "Did she say what it’s about?"

Since Lu Yu left, Lu Shanshan’s talent for intelligence gathering had been on full display. She had been the one to discover many of the Demon Sect experts hiding in Huanglong Prefecture.

Unlike the intelligence experts of the Soul-Chasing Tower, Lu Shanshan preferred to cultivate street beggars into her eyes and ears, then use her terrifying intuition to unearth information that ordinary people could never find.

Yu Hui replied, "It seems to be related to the Celestial Profound Sect."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan’s heart tightened.

’The Celestial Profound Sect has made its move, just as I thought.’

He immediately left the Sect Leader Hall and went to the Jiang Mansion in Huanglong Prefecture City.

The Lu Family now only consisted of Lu Shanshan and the still-young Uncle Yongzhuang. Since Lu Shanshan and Jiang Yan were close friends, she had simply moved into the Jiang Mansion.

Besides, the Jiang Family was not the declining Lu Family; this was arguably the safest place in all of Ling Province.

The servants of the Jiang Mansion all recognized Bai Yuan, and he made his way to the main hall with practiced ease.

Lu Shanshan was already in the hall.

Seeing Bai Yuan appear, she was the first to speak: "Two disciples from the Celestial Profound Sect have arrived in Huanglong Prefecture. They’re staying at the Fish Dragon Inn in the south."