The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

"Do you know how strong they are?"

Bai Yuan asked.

Lu Shanshan shook her head. "I don’t know. The Celestial Profound Sect is too far away and too powerful. It’s impossible to infiltrate them."

Bai Yuan nodded.

Just as Lu Shanshan said, it was already difficult enough to learn that people from the Celestial Profound Sect had come to Huanglong Prefecture. Prying for more information was indeed asking too much.

As far as he knew, pitifully few disciples from Ling Province had ever joined the Celestial Profound Sect, so naturally, Ling Province knew very little about the sect’s affairs.

’But their strength surely won’t be any less than Zhou Yun’s,’ he thought.

After many days of observation, Bai Yuan had more or less confirmed Zhou Yun’s strength.

’She’s already a true Martial Artist, yet she’s still just a disciple... The Celestial Profound Sect’s foundation is truly terrifying. I wonder where Zhou Yun ranks among them in terms of strength.’

Lu Shanshan: "What should we do next?"

Bai Yuan mused for a moment. "Continue tracking them. We’ll watch and see how things unfold."

Lu Shanshan nodded.

Just then—

Jiang Yan burst in, giving the two of them a suspicious look.

Lu Shanshan smiled and took Jiang Yan’s hand, brushing off her suspicion with a casual excuse.

Jiang Yan’s status was special, so Bai Yuan hadn’t told her about the Celestial Profound Sect. If Jiang Changping were to find out, the situation would spiral out of his control.

Don’t be fooled by the good relationship between the Divine Mansion Sect and the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office right now; it was only because Jiang Changping was new to the post and in desperate need of allies.

Once the Lord Governor found his footing, the relationship between the two sides would surely not be as harmonious as it was now.

"Miss Jiang, I hear the people from the Celestial Profound Sect have arrived in Ling Province?"

Bai Yuan took the initiative to ask.

Jiang Yan nodded. "Cangsong Taoist is leading the group. My father has already arranged for their accommodations."

"What do you know about the Celestial Profound Sect?"

Bai Yuan pressed, genuinely curious about the sect.

Given her family background, she was bound to know more than he did.

Jiang Yan said thoughtfully, "They’re the number one sect in the Northern Lands. Their Sect Leader, Chi Yangzi, is even called the strongest man in the Northern Territory. Their power goes without saying. The one who came this time, Cangsong Taoist, is an Elder of the Celestial Profound Sect and a Sensing Powerhouse, on par with my father in strength."

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow.

’A powerhouse on par with Jiang Changping is merely an Elder? The Xuanyang Martial World truly has hidden masters everywhere.’

No wonder Grand Tutor Xuanyang had to personally intervene to get the Celestial Profound Sect involved. They certainly had the clout to back it up.

Jiang Yan was on good terms with Bai Yuan. Since her father’s relationship with the Divine Mansion Sect was at its closest, with many affairs being inseparable from the sect’s help, she decided to tell him about the Celestial Profound Sect.

No matter how strong Jiang Changping was, he was still only one man. The affairs of Ling Province were complex, and if he wanted to secure his position as Prefect, he had to borrow strength from others.

A flicker of worry crossed Jiang Yan’s eyes. "The Celestial Profound Sect is powerful. Even if they’re here at the Grand Tutor’s request, I’m afraid Ling Province won’t be at peace. Sect Leader Bai, my father is losing sleep over this."

Of course, Bai Yuan didn’t believe that a man like Jiang Changping would be excessively worried over this.

He was merely using Jiang Yan’s words to propose another alliance with the Divine Mansion Sect.

"Lord Jiang needn’t worry too much."

Bai Yuan said reassuringly.

He didn’t commit to anything immediately. The situation was still unclear. Although there was a misunderstanding with the Celestial Profound Sect because of Xu Hui, it was far from the point of open conflict.

Bai Yuan chatted a little more with the two women before leaving the Jiang Mansion.

...

「Elsewhere.」

The little Daoist child, Luo Zhenyi, was a bit frustrated.

He and Chen Qing had already been in Huanglong Prefecture for a full five days.

They were almost certain that Zhou Yun and Xu Hui had disappeared on Shenfu Mountain, but despite trying everything, they couldn’t find any proof.

"Senior Brother Chen, what should we do now?"

The little Daoist child Luo Zhenyi looked at Chen Qing beside him.

Chen Qing said calmly, "We’ll investigate for three more days. If there’s still no evidence, we’ll return to Ling Province and report the situation here to our Master."

He didn’t even know Xu Hui or Zhou Yun. Naturally, he wasn’t going to take too many risks for the sake of so-called camaraderie. He was just trying to complete his Master’s mission.

As a former gang leader in the Jianghu, he knew full well that failing a task wasn’t the end of the world, but frequent reporting was crucial.

Not finding evidence might earn him a reprimand this time, but it would just be a few harmless words. There would be plenty of opportunities later to make up for it.

Luo Zhenyi nodded. "That’s all we can do."

He had come to Ling Province to seek his fortune.

He’d heard that big things were about to happen in Ling Province, and he didn’t want to miss out.

Although Luo Zhenyi looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child on the surface, he was actually twenty-five. He only looked this way because of a cultivation deviation.

It wasn’t that the Celestial Profound Sect didn’t have a cure, but it was far too expensive.

Luo Zhenyi had come to Ling Province specifically to make money for his treatment, so how could he be willing to waste his time in Huanglong Prefecture?

The two were in perfect agreement. They decided to investigate Shenfu Mountain one last time. If they still found nothing, they would head north to Ling Province.

...

「Divine Mansion Sect, Sect Leader Hall.」

Bai Yuan, who was meditating, slowly opened his eyes.

He sensed the arrival of uninvited guests on the main peak. Their strength seemed considerable; almost no one in the entire Divine Mansion Sect was a match for them.

Bai Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly.

With a flicker, his form vanished from the hall.

A short while later, he appeared beneath the eaves of a building on the main peak.

In the darkness, he saw two figures flitting through the night.

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

’People from the Celestial Profound Sect?’

He recognized their identities by the cloud patterns on their sleeves, which were identical to the ones on Zhou Yun’s clothes.

’As expected, the Celestial Profound Sect couldn’t sit still any longer.’

However, Bai Yuan chose not to act, instead quietly disappearing into the night once more.

An incense stick’s time later, his figure appeared in the Divine Mansion Sect’s dungeons.

"What do you want now?"

Zhou Yun spoke coolly upon hearing the footsteps.

She had been locked up for seven days and had gradually grown accustomed to her current situation.

She hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to respond, but this time, he broke his silence. "I can give you two choices. Either let me plant a Slave Gu in you, or die."

The Celestial Profound Sect had already traced the trail to Shenfu Mountain.

So, he didn’t intend to let things get any worse.

Zhou Yun stared intently at the figure in the darkness. The day had finally come.

She bit her lip. "I don’t want to die."

Hearing Zhou Yun’s answer, the corners of Bai Yuan’s mouth lifted slightly.

He took a small vial from his robes and handed it to Zhou Yun. "Swallow it."

Zhou Yun took the jade vial, sighing softly in her heart. After their interactions during this time, she was almost certain that the man before her was the Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Before coming to Ling Province, she had researched its powerful figures.

This expert before her, only twenty-five years old yet ranked ninth, had quickly caught her attention.

From what she knew of his life, it wasn’t hard to deduce that if she refused the Slave Gu, he would kill her without a second thought. He was not one to show mercy just because she was a woman.

Zhou Yun tilted her head back and swallowed the contents of the jade vial without a second glance.

She only felt something incredibly slimy slide down her throat.

’A bug?’

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but feel a wave of nausea.

It seemed bugs were the natural enemy of women; even becoming a Female Martial Artist didn’t change that.

Zhou Yun suppressed the strange sensation in her body. "Can I go now?"

Bai Yuan: "Of course."

...

「Outside the dungeons.」

Chen Qing and Luo Dao Yi were searching when a figure suddenly appeared before them.

"Junior Sister Zhou?"

When they got a clear look at the person’s face, both of them wore expressions of shock.

Zhou Yun, whom they had been searching for for days, had just appeared before them like that.

Luo Dao Yi couldn’t help but ask, "Senior Sister Zhou, how did you end up here?"

Zhou Yun glanced behind her. "This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s leave first."

Hearing this, Chen Qing nodded.

A short while later, the three of them left the Divine Mansion Sect smoothly and without obstruction.

’If Bai Yuan hadn’t specifically arranged for this, I wouldn’t believe it for a second,’ Zhou Yun thought.

After leaving the Divine Mansion Sect, the previously silent Chen Qing finally spoke. "Junior Sister Zhou, why were you on Shenfu Mountain? And what about Junior Brother Xu?"

Zhou Yun wasn’t the least bit surprised by Chen Qing’s question; in fact, she would have been more suspicious if he hadn’t asked.

"Senior Brother Xu came here seeking immortals. He followed his compass to the Hundred Thousand Mountains. I thought the little trinkets in the city were interesting, so I stayed behind in Huanglong Prefecture. Later, I was pursued by a Demon Sect powerhouse and was fortunate enough to be rescued by the Shenfu Sect Master. Tonight, it was he who discovered Senior Brother Chen and Junior Brother Luo and informed me."

This story was, of course, what Bai Yuan had instructed her to say.

The matter of Xu Hui’s disappearance on Shenfu Mountain could not be revealed under any circumstances, or the Divine Mansion Sect would face endless trouble.

Luo Zhenyi was dumbfounded. "That’s it?"

They had been searching for so many days, only to find out it was all a misunderstanding.

Xu Hui’s fondness for seeking immortals was well-known in the Celestial Profound Sect, so what Zhou Yun said was quite in line with his character.

’That Shenfu Sect Master, though, he must be something else, to have actually discovered me and Chen Qing.’

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed slightly. He felt that something was off, but he couldn’t find any flaws in Zhou Yun’s story. Besides, Zhou Yun had no real reason to lie. Thinking back on Xu Hui’s past antics, he let it go.

’There are always some fools in this world that I’ll never understand.’

"Let’s head back to Ling Province first and report to our Master."

Since Zhou Yun had been found and Xu Hui had gone to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there was no longer any need for them to stay in Huanglong Prefecture.

Chen Qing was a cautious man. He had long since studied the geography of Ling Province and knew that the Hundred Thousand Mountains were as vast as an ocean. Finding a single person there was fundamentally impossible.

Therefore, Chen Qing was unwilling to waste any more time on the matter.

Chen Qing immediately took Zhou Yun and traveled through the night back to Ling Province.

...

"The Hundred Thousand Mountains?"

Cangsong Taoist frowned as he listened to Zhou Yun’s account.

The Celestial Profound Sect had always had tales of seeking immortals, but not many people actually took them seriously. Coincidentally, Xu Hui was one of the few who did.

He couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

In the end, he could only go to Jiang Changping personally and hope the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office could help search for Xu Hui.

Otherwise, with the manpower the Celestial Profound Sect had in Ling Province, they might not find a trace of Xu Hui even if they searched for a year.

As for that Shenfu Sect Master, he was rather interesting.

He had already heard about this young Sect Leader from Jiang Changping.

Such a young talent was rare even in the Celestial Profound Sect. If there were an opportunity to take him on as a disciple, it would be a fine choice.

In the Jianghu, finding a master is difficult, but in truth, accepting a disciple is difficult as well.

Cangsong Taoist planned to visit Huanglong Prefecture in a few days to see this young Sect Leader for himself.

Daoist Sects emphasized fate and affinity when accepting disciples; it wasn’t something that could be done just because someone was strong enough. This was also the reason why the Daoist Sect lineage of the Celestial Profound Sect had so few members.