The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The Celestial Profound Sect quickly demonstrated its decisive power.

Cangsong Taoist led eighty disciples from the Celestial Profound Sect to slay over a hundred Demon Sect experts. It was a rare and great victory for Ling Province, and for a time, everyone in the province sang their praises.

With the Celestial Profound Sect’s aid, the pressure Ling Province faced from the Demon Sect was greatly reduced.

This political achievement emboldened Jiang Changping.

Furthermore, with the Xuan Yang Court delaying its appointment of a new Lingzhou General, Ling Province had become a place where his word was law.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Daoist Cangsong."

Jiang Changping took a sip of tea, chuckling.

"I was only doing my duty."

Cangsong Taoist did not grow arrogant from his accomplishments. This demeanor alone made him far superior to the Celestial Profound Sect leaders in the other provinces.

He suddenly asked, "Lord Jiang, is there any news of my sect’s disciple, Xu Hui?"

Jiang Changping shook his head. "We haven’t found any trace of him."

He wasn’t trying to deceive him; they truly couldn’t find Xu Hui.

He had dispatched several hundred soldiers from the Lingzhou Army to search for Xu Hui in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but the Celestial Profound Sect disciple had vanished into thin air, leaving not a single clue behind.

Cangsong Taoist said, "I appreciate your efforts, Lord Jiang."

"Think nothing of it, Daoist Cangsong."

After exchanging a few more words, Cangsong Taoist rose to take his leave.

His expression was dark and uncertain.

Xu Hui had been missing for a full half-month. This was highly unusual; it was very likely he was already dead.

Although Xu Hui wasn’t his direct disciple, if something had happened on his watch, he would face repercussions.

The mere thought of Xu Hui’s master and his methods gave even him a headache.

’So be it.’

After much deliberation, he decided he would have to personally find the disciple who was so fond of seeking immortals.

...

「Within the Divine Mansion Sect.」

Bai Yuan frowned as he stared at the note in his hand.

It was a message from Zhou Yun.

Cangsong Taoist had already left Ling Province and would soon arrive in Huanglong Prefecture.

Cangsong Taoist’s methods were far more sophisticated than those of the previous two Celestial Profound Sect disciples. With the help of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, he might just uncover the truth.

’This is a real headache.’

’In the end, it all comes down to the Divine Mansion Sect’s lack of strength. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to worry about the Celestial Profound Sect’s suspicions.’

’In the Jianghu, it was all too common for the innocent to suffer despite having done nothing wrong.’

’The arguments of the weak are never heard.’

This was why Bai Yuan hadn’t revealed the truth. The Celestial Profound Sect didn’t care about what really happened; they might even covet the Divine Mansion, just like that General Lu had before.

Zhou Yun could handle Chen Qing and Luo Dao Yi, but she couldn’t handle Cangsong Taoist.

Yu Hui, who was standing to the side, also saw the note in Bai Yuan’s hand.

"Sect Leader, what should we do?"

Bai Yuan mused for a moment. "Have Peak Master Ruan and Peak Master Liu keep a close watch on the situation in the city for now."

"Yes."

Yu Hui immediately acknowledged the order and departed.

Bai Yuan stood alone in the grand hall, his expression unreadable.

’Cangsong Taoist coming to Ling Province... this was definitely not a good thing.’

...

"Master, do you think Junior Sister Zhou is lying?"

Chen Qing said, his face expressionless.

A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of Cangsong Taoist, whose complexion was as ruddy as a child’s. "Who can say for sure?"

He had roamed the Jianghu for many years and was long accustomed to assuming the worst. If Xu Hui had truly just not returned from his quest for immortals, that would be one thing. But if he had been harmed, the Celestial Profound Sect would demand an accounting.

"Let’s go."

Cangsong Taoist said flatly.

Chen Qing followed silently behind him.

This time, Cangsong Taoist didn’t bring Luo Dao Yi, having only Chen Qing accompany him.

An hour later, they arrived at the foot of Shenfu Mountain.

"Who goes there?"

A guard protecting the mountain for the Divine Mansion Sect called out as was his duty.

Chen Qing announced, "Cangsong of the Celestial Profound Sect."

At the mention of the Celestial Profound Sect, the expressions of the Divine Mansion Sect guards changed. They had, of course, heard about the sect coming to the aid of Ling Province.

Many of the guards cast curious glances in their direction.

After all, the Celestial Profound Sect’s reputation as the number one sect of the Northern Lands was immense.

"Honored guests, please wait a moment."

The lead guard did not get flustered by their esteemed status. Instead, he first reported the matter to Grand Commander Yu Hui.

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu Hui appeared before the mountain gate.

"Daoist Cangsong, I have long admired your name."

Yu Hui walked forward with a warm, beaming smile.

The Celestial Profound Sect had come to aid Ling Province at the behest of the Grand Tutor himself. Even if he had a guilty conscience over the matter of Zhou Yun and Xu Hui, he still had to keep up appearances.

"The Sect Leader is already in the Sect Leader Hall. This way, please."

Yu Hui immediately led Cangsong Taoist and Chen Qing up the main peak.

Before long, they saw Bai Yuan seated upon the Golden Throne.

When Cangsong Taoist and Chen Qing appeared, Bai Yuan slowly rose to his feet.

The Celestial Profound Sect was a major power, so a certain amount of respect was due. However, there was no need to be excessively servile; that would only cause him to lose face and earn their contempt.

"Daoist Cangsong, you’ve come a long way. Forgive me for not greeting you sooner."

Bai Yuan took a few steps, coming to a stop before Cangsong Taoist.

Cangsong Taoist said, "Worthy of the title ’Flood Dragon of Ling Province.’ Sect Leader Bai is indeed a brilliant young talent."

He narrowed his eyes, sizing Bai Yuan up.

Unlike the Bone-Feeling Masters of Ling Province, he could tell with a single glance that Bai Yuan possessed a root bone of only mediocre quality.

’To have achieved so much with such a mediocre root bone... his aptitude for comprehension must be heaven-defying.’

The thought of taking him as a disciple couldn’t help but cross Cangsong Taoist’s mind.

It wasn’t as if he’d never taken a sect leader as a disciple before. Chen Qing, standing beside him, was a perfect example.

Compared to the sheltered scions of prominent families, Cangsong Taoist much preferred Martial Artists who had struggled and clawed their way through the Jianghu.

Bai Yuan replied, "You flatter me, Daoist Cangsong."

Cangsong Taoist chuckled, then cut straight to the chase. "Thank you for looking after my junior, Zhou Yun. I was wondering, Sect Leader Bai, do you have any news of another Celestial Profound Sect disciple, Xu Hui?"

"Xu Hui?"

"The Celestial Profound Sect disciple who came to Shenfu Mountain with Junior Zhou Yun."

"Daoist Cangsong, I’ve never heard of him."

"Perhaps my old eyes are failing me, and I’ve misremembered."

"But since you’ve asked, Daoist Cangsong, I will certainly keep an eye out."

The two of them spoke with an air of casual indifference.

But Bai Yuan could easily tell that Cangsong Taoist was deliberately testing him.

Fortunately, he had coached Zhou Yun on what to say, so there would be no holes in their story.

According to the story he’d given Zhou Yun, Xu Hui had never stayed on Shenfu Mountain for long, and Bai Yuan himself had never even met the disciple.

Cangsong Taoist chuckled.

"Then I’ll be counting on you, Sect Leader Bai."

With that, he cupped his hands in a brief salute and departed gracefully with Chen Qing.

Once they were off Shenfu Mountain, Chen Qing finally spoke. "Master, what do you think?"

The corners of Cangsong Taoist’s mouth lifted. "That was rather interesting."

There were no obvious flaws in what Bai Yuan had just said, but an old fox like Cangsong Taoist would never simply take someone at their word.

The two returned to an inn in Huanglong City.

Cangsong Taoist took two crescent-shaped blocks from within his robes.

These blocks were Magical Artifacts used for divination in the Daoist Family. They came in a pair, representing the principles of yin and yang.

Cangsong Taoist cupped the two blocks together, pinched their tips with his right hand, and gently tossed them into the air.

CLACK!

Two soft clacks echoed as the wooden blocks hit the floor.

Both blocks landed with their curved sides facing up, forming a Yin Trigram.

Cangsong Taoist repeated the process twice more.

He frowned, staring at the blocks on the floor. They had landed with both curved sides up again.

Yin, yin, and yin.

As the saying goes: A divination of pure yin foretells disaster; in all things, there is no star of salvation.

This was an omen of extreme misfortune!

Although Chen Qing was not versed in the Divination Technique, he had seen it performed enough to understand some of the results.

"Master..."

He looked at Cangsong Taoist.

Cangsong Taoist pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "It seems my Nephew Xu is well and truly doomed."

Although the Daoist Sects within the Celestial Profound Sect primarily focused on the Martial Dao and the Alchemy Dao, they had also preserved many esoteric Daoist techniques. The Divination Technique was one of the most widely practiced among them.

The method Cangsong Taoist had just used was the Three-throw Spirit Divination Method.

The process seemed simple, but only when performed by someone with profound cultivation like Cangsong Taoist was it effective. For an ordinary person, it would be no different from simply tossing copper coins.

"The heavenly dao reveals forty-nine paths, leaving one for humanity to find. Perhaps there is still a sliver of hope."

Cangsong Taoist muttered to himself as his fingers began to move, pinching and forming signs so quickly they became a blur.

A full stick of incense later, his hands finally came to a rest.

Cangsong Taoist gazed out the window, his eyes landing on a corner of Shenfu Mountain visible in the distance.

He narrowed his eyes.

"It seems our dear Sect Leader Bai wasn’t telling the truth."

His deductions from the divination told him that Xu Hui was very likely still on Shenfu Mountain.

Chen Qing watched this unfold, his eyes shining with admiration.

The main reason he had taken Cangsong Taoist as his master was to learn this very Divination Technique.

The ability to deduce the matters of the world with just a few movements of the fingers—who wouldn’t be captivated by such a profound art?

He had heard that the Grand Tutor himself was a grandmaster of divination, which was how he had become the Imperial Tutor.

A cold glint flashed in Cangsong Taoist’s eyes.

This time, he had used the Celestial Inference Technique, and he was now ninety percent certain that Xu Hui was already dead on Shenfu Mountain.

The Celestial Inference Technique was incredibly powerful, but its side effects were immense. Even someone of Cangsong Taoist’s caliber would need to recuperate for half a month to fully recover.

If he tried to deduce something too momentous, he could even die on the spot.

This time, he had only divined the subject’s fate and location, which was why the recovery period was only half a month.

Prying into heavenly secrets always came at a price.

But before he began his recuperation, he was going to kill the young sect leader who dared to spout such blatant lies.

Xu Hui had died on Shenfu Mountain, which meant Cangsong had to provide an explanation to the Celestial Profound Sect. Otherwise, when blame was assigned, the consequences for him would be severe.

It was true that he saw potential in Bai Yuan, but that was all.

The moment his own interests were at stake, he would abandon him without a second thought.

He wouldn’t just do it to a promising young man; he would cast aside even his own disciple like a worn-out shoe.

In the face of self-interest, anything and anyone could be abandoned.

Annihilating the Divine Mansion Sect outright wasn’t feasible. After all, Xu Dingchun was no longer presiding over the Northern Territory, and the Court was now watching the region closely. It was no longer so easy to use the Demon Sect as a pretext, as that demoted Prefect had done before.

But he could kill the young sect leader directly.

Whether or not the Divine Mansion Sect had killed Xu Hui was irrelevant. As long as he died on Shenfu Mountain, the sect had to provide an explanation and pay the price.

The Celestial Profound Sect hadn’t become the number one sect in the Northern Territory by quietly training, but through blood and slaughter.

Otherwise, other sects would feel free to use underhanded tactics against them, and it would be impossible to defend against every plot. The best method was to make others fear them—fear them to the bone.

Of course, Cangsong Taoist would first interrogate the young sect leader, then kill him and take his head back to the Celestial Profound Sect to complete his mission. Not even Jiang Changping could stop him.