The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 268: Chapter 265: Getting Stronger by Lying Down

In Guiyuan County Town.

Yang Fangyu and Li Huan stared at the pool of blood beneath the city wall, utterly shocked.

Even with all their experience, they had never seen such a method.

"Ah Yuan, how did you do that?"

Yang Fangyu quickly turned to Bai Yuan, desperate for an answer.

Bai Yuan smiled faintly and calmly uttered two words.

"Poison Array."

Hearing the words "Poison Array," the horror on their faces intensified. Only old monsters who had studied poisonous arts for countless years could set up such a thing.

The power of those old monsters was unfathomable, on par with a Grandmaster of Martial Arts.

Bai Yuan was not even thirty, yet he could already create a Poison Array.

Even more terrifying, Bai Yuan’s Poison Array was formless, colorless, and odorless. Not even the wind could disperse it, making it impossible to defend against.

Yang Fangyu couldn’t bear the thought of walking down the street one day only to melt into a pool of blood... He didn’t dare to even think about it.

Bai Yuan was also very satisfied as he gazed at the scene below the city wall.

This was the first time he had used a Poison Array, and the results were surprisingly good.

With the enhancement points he had saved up, he had finally upgraded his Manggu Zhuhe Technique to the Mastered level.

The skill awakened by the Mastered-level Manggu Zhuhe Technique was precisely the Poison Array.

However, his Poison Array was different from those of other Poison Masters. He used the Five Spirits Poison to set it up, which only required him to walk a lap around Guiyuan County.

Not only was it quick to set up, but even a Grandmaster with heightened senses couldn’t detect the presence of the Five Spirits Poison.

This was because, strictly speaking, the Five Spirits Poison couldn’t even be considered a poison.

With the Five Spirits Poison Array protecting them, they could hold out without losing a single soldier until the main forces from the various powers in Xuan Yang arrived in Dingzhou. The crisis brought by the Demon Sect would then naturally resolve itself.

Yang Fangyu gave Bai Yuan a thumbs-up. "Amazing."

He was shocked by Bai Yuan’s methods time and time again.

Although Bai Yuan’s innate talent was average, his comprehension was terrifyingly profound. Saber arts, poison techniques, disguise, culinary skills... he had mastered almost everything to a sublime level.

Yet any one of these skills was enough to take a person a lifetime to practice, while Bai Yuan had brought them all to the highest level in less than thirty years.

’He’s an absolute monster!’

Li Huan felt the same way.

Compared to his own older brothers, Bai Yuan’s monstrous talent was even greater.

’Now *that’s* what you call a top-tier genius.’

Li Huan felt increasingly grateful for his past decisions, for not falling out with Bai Yuan over a single city.

’It seems my friendship with Bai Yuan might be the greatest reward of all.’

Bai Yuan paid no mind to the looks on Yang Fangyu’s and Li Huan’s faces. He seemed to have discovered a better way to farm monsters.

...

In the jungle outside Guiyuan County.

A few figures gazed at the distant city wall.

Among them, a Little Daoist Child, only half the height of a man, was particularly conspicuous.

Luo Dao Yi stared at the walls of Guiyuan County Town with a grim expression, inwardly cursing his master for the thousandth time.

That’s right, he had been sent here again by Cangsong Taoist.

’Dao Yi, my boy, you’ve been my disciple for fourteen years. It’s time you helped shoulder your master’s burdens.’

Cangsong Taoist’s words still rang in his ears.

Luo Dao Yi’s mission this time was to find a way to uncover Bai Yuan’s secrets, and if he could kill Bai Yuan, that would be for the best.

’They’re treating me like cannon fodder, aren’t they?’

Luo Dao Yi felt there wasn’t much difference between this and being sent to his death.

Fortunately, Cangsong Taoist had assigned him several skilled Celestial Profound Sect disciples this time. But against the Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect, who was like a man-eating beast, it still didn’t seem to be enough.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but miss the days when Senior Brother Chen was around. At least back then, a dangerous mission like this wouldn’t have fallen to him.

It wasn’t that his relationship with Cangsong Taoist was better; it was that Chen Qing was more competent, and Cangsong Taoist didn’t want him to screw things up.

"Damn it!"

Luo Dao Yi cursed under his breath again.

"Junior Brother Luo, what are we doing dawdling around here?"

A young disciple from the Celestial Profound Sect said impatiently.

They had been staking out this spot for a full day and night, and they hadn’t seen anything but the sparrows in the forest.

The expressions of the others weren’t pleasant either.

These Celestial Profound Sect disciples were used to being arrogant and naturally lacked patience.

Besides, they had only heard about Bai Yuan from Luo Dao Yi, and the stories were so outlandish that they instinctively chose not to believe them.

A major reason was that Luo Dao Yi himself was not well-liked in the Celestial Profound Sect. He had suffered a cultivation deviation that left him with the body of a child, and countless Celestial Profound Sect disciples had mocked him for it.

If not for Cangsong Taoist’s orders, they would have ignored Luo Dao Yi completely.

Luo Dao Yi sneered inwardly, his eyes flickered.

"Senior Brothers, why don’t we sneak into the city and look for a chance to kill the Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect?"

"We should have done that from the start."

One of the Celestial Profound Sect disciples immediately spoke up.

Their patience had long worn thin. They just wanted to finish the mission quickly and return to Fenggu County to earn merits.

"I still have some preparations to make. Why don’t you senior brothers go ahead and investigate first? I’ll go next time."

"Dithering like a woman."

Another Celestial Profound Sect disciple shot Luo Dao Yi a disdainful look and strode toward Guiyuan County.

The others followed him.

Luo Dao Yi wasn’t angry. He just watched them walk away with a blank expression, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.

’Since these people want to die, they can serve as guinea pigs. If they all die, it’ll make my report to Cangsong Taoist that much easier.’

The few Celestial Profound Sect disciples moved quickly, but as elites of the sect, they weren’t stupid.

They carefully observed their surroundings.

After all, even though Luo Dao Yi’s story sounded far-fetched, they figured some kind of trick must have been placed on the walls of Guiyuan County.

Just as the group was cautiously advancing, still within the forest—

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream!

The scene that followed made Luo Dao Yi suck in a sharp breath.

The familiar sight appeared again. A Celestial Profound Sect disciple had, in an instant, melted into a pool of blood, just like the monsters that had attacked the city before.

Seeing this, the others were also horrified.

Who had time to worry about the disciple who had just been turned into blood?

They turned and fled madly back the way they came.

Luo Dao Yi was even faster. The moment they turned, he had already run ten meters.

"What the hell!"

he cursed inwardly.

’We’re still so far from the city wall, so why did it trigger?’

’Don’t tell me that thing has eyes?!’

But Luo Dao Yi was in no mood to worry about such things now. He just wanted to get out of this godforsaken place as fast as possible. Even being punished by Cangsong Taoist was better than dying here for no reason.

As he ran, a series of screams erupted behind him.

Clearly, the other Celestial Profound Sect disciples had also fallen into the trap.

Luo Dao Yi’s mind was in turmoil, and he began to run blindly in his panic.

He burst through the jungle, and just as the Official Road came into view, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.

The feeling was extremely faint at first, but it intensified dramatically in the next instant.

He felt as if he were being roasted over a fire. The suffocating, burning sensation made him throw his head back and scream.

"AHHH!"

With a final, agonized howl, only a pool of blood was left on the ground.

It was the rainy season. Perhaps a single downpour would be enough to wash the forest clean, restoring it to its original state.

...

Enhancement Points +1451

"Hm?"

Inside Guiyuan County, Bai Yuan was deciphering the contents of the beast-hide book when he saw a string of notifications for increasing enhancement points flashing on his panel.

He had gained nearly ten thousand enhancement points in one go, which left him a little stunned.

’Looks like the traps worked.’

A smile slowly formed on Bai Yuan’s lips.

Indeed, what Luo Dao Yi and his group had encountered were the poison gas traps he had set in the jungle.

These traps were originally intended for the monsters attempting to attack Guiyuan County.

Luo Dao Yi and his men were just unlucky enough to run into them.

Having been a Hunter in the past, Bai Yuan knew very well that to live comfortably, a Hunter couldn’t rely on just a bow and spear. Only by making good use of traps could one catch enough prey.

And the Poison Array he had just comprehended was the perfect tool for setting traps.

And now, it seemed the effect was very good.

The only drawback was perhaps the inability to efficiently make use of the prey and extract the spirit essence from their bodies.

The ever-frugal Bai Yuan couldn’t help but feel it was a bit of a waste.

’But this feeling of leveling up while just lying at home is pretty great.’

Bai Yuan was personally experiencing why, in games, the classes with the fastest growth were always Hunters and Poison Masters.

He was willing to call himself the king of power-leveling for this patch.

...

"They’re all dead?"

Cangsong Taoist’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the terrified Celestial Profound Sect disciples before him.

Ten Celestial Profound Sect disciples had gone this time, but only two returned. His own disciple, Luo Dao Yi, had also died in that forest.

Cangsong Taoist didn’t feel a shred of sadness for Luo Dao Yi.

’It’s no big deal. I can just recruit a new disciple.’

There was no shortage of people who wanted to join the Celestial Profound Sect.

He was merely pondering what kind of method could kill people from a distance.

"You two may leave."

Cangsong Taoist waved his hand dismissively.

Not long after the two Celestial Profound Sect disciples left, Elder Monk Fatong appeared before Cangsong Taoist.

"Junior Brother Cangsong, do you require my help?"

The events in Guiyuan County naturally couldn’t be hidden from him.

He could ignore the minor skirmishes before, but now that eight Celestial Profound Sect disciples had died in one go, he had to intervene.

Cangsong Taoist had already prepared his excuse. "Senior Brother Fatong, I had originally intended to send my disciples to investigate the surrounding counties and offer aid to those in peril. However, the situation in Guiyuan County seems... unusual..."

He didn’t continue.

Elder Monk Fatong quietly chanted a Buddhist mantra.

"Junior Brother, are you implying there is a demon in Guiyuan County?"

"That is precisely my meaning."

Cangsong Taoist smiled faintly. ’The Buddhists really are something else when it comes to identifying enemies.’

Elder Monk Fatong said, "Junior Brother, the sect has received news from Dingzhou and has already dispatched Senior Brother Fa Ding to assist. When Senior Brother Fa Ding arrives, we shall vanquish the demon together."

Hearing this, Cangsong Taoist’s expression tightened.

’Fa Ding... just from the name, I can tell he’s an expert from the Buddhist faction of the Celestial Profound Sect. The Buddhists clearly intend to swallow up all of Dingzhou for themselves.’

As a member of the Daoist Sect faction, if Fa Ding also came to Dingzhou, Cangsong Taoist’s position would become very awkward. All his efforts would be for naught, merely paving the way for someone else.

’It seems I must make my move before Fa Ding arrives...’