The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 281: Chapter 278: Making a Name

A valley in central Dingzhou.

What should have been a dense forest was now a sprawling military camp. Patrols of guards moved back and forth throughout the encampment, and hidden sentries were posted in its depths. The defenses were nothing short of formidable.

Jiang Changping had come to Dingzhou to resist the Demon Sect. He had no interest in territory, so he had chosen not to set up camp within a city.

Although the Jiang Family was powerful, they were still considered new money. With their small numbers, they couldn’t compete with the established factions of Dingzhou.

At this moment, many people were seated inside the Central Army Tent.

Yang Jiuyan, Fang Yan, Qiu Yang, Zhu Wanchong—even Monk Fa Ding of the Celestial Profound Sect was present.

As for the Celestial Profound Sect’s Sect Leader, there had been no news of him since he was gravely wounded by a Nine Heavens Profound Soldier.

Perhaps because they had suffered such a major loss before, the Celestial Profound Sect was being unusually low-key this time. Monk Fa Ding had even taken a seat at the very end of the table on his own accord.

Jiang Changping swept his gaze over the attendees and cleared his throat. "Everyone, I am greatly honored by your presence today. Dingzhou is currently in a state of chaos. I hope you can all set aside your past grievances and work together to eliminate our common enemy."

The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide.

This principle applied just as well to Dingzhou.

Before, the pressure from the Demon Sect wasn’t significant, so they naturally fought amongst themselves, each vying for the greatest benefit.

But now the situation had changed drastically. Parties that had once fought to the death could now sit down and talk.

Monk Fa Ding was the first to speak. "The Celestial Profound Sect will fully cooperate with Lord Jiang’s plans."

Hearing this, the others all had varied expressions.

Given the Celestial Profound Sect’s typically domineering style, their willingness to take a secondary position today showed just how devastating the blow from the Nine Heavens Profound Soldier had been.

For once, Yang Jiuyan didn’t wait until the very end to speak. "My Yang Family will also cooperate fully."

Unlike the other three families, the Yang Family had many clan members serving as officials in the Court, so they naturally had to give face to a high-ranking local official like Jiang Changping.

No one could say for sure if another member of the Yang Family, like Yang Fangyu, might one day come to serve as an official in Ling Province.

The Fang Family was now allied with the Yang Family. Not long after Yang Jiuyan stated his position, Fang Yan also expressed his cooperation.

With three of the five families having declared their stance, Qiu Yang and Zhu Wanchong naturally had no room left to bargain.

Seeing everyone being surprisingly cooperative, Jiang Changping nodded in satisfaction.

He put away the threats he had prepared.

"In that case, I hope you will all work together to repel the Demon Sect. I will also report this meritorious service to Lord Du."

Jiang Changping had invoked Du Qinghui’s name at the perfect moment, using his authority like a tiger’s skin.

Seeing the change in everyone’s expressions, he knew he had achieved his goal for the day.

After that, they began discussing the details of the battle against the Demon Sect.

Bai Yuan wasn’t a military strategist, so the discussion was naturally all Greek to him.

Seeing that he had no part to play, he excused himself and left the Central Army Tent.

He had been the most conspicuous person at this meeting. The others were all deeply experienced leaders, making his presence stick out like a sore thumb.

If Jiang Changping hadn’t insisted, Bai Yuan wouldn’t have wanted to attend in the first place.

He had barely stepped out of the tent when he saw Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu waiting for him on the path.

Ever since the Fang Family and the Yang Family had joined forces, the relationship between Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu had grown even closer.

Yang Fangyu asked, "What was the outcome?"

Bai Yuan replied, "They all agreed to unite. They’re discussing the operational details now."

Hearing this, both Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

If the infighting had continued, they might have all ended up being wiped out by the Demon Sect.

Although none of the people in the tent were fools, they had feared some stubborn, bull-headed individual might emerge. After all, the animosity that had built up between the factions over the past month was far from small.

Bai Yuan turned to Lu Yu. "You brat, how did you manage to persuade them?"

Lu Yu chuckled. "My wife wrote a letter to her uncle."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Hearing this, not only Bai Yuan but also Yang Fangyu were dumbfounded.

They never expected that Lu Yu, a man who had married into his wife’s family, had truly taken the art of living off a woman to its absolute extreme.

It was said that the woman Lu Yu married was the number one wonder of Lu State. Now it seemed there was really something to her.

What kind of person was Fang Yan?

For him to be willing to listen to a junior showed just how much weight that woman carried in the Fang Family.

’If I can’t get my money back from Lu Yu, I’ll just go ask his wife for it,’ Bai Yuan suddenly thought.

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu wanted to press for more details, but Lu Yu refused to reveal anything more about his wife.

The two could only give up.

「...」

With the six factions joined, they quickly launched a counterattack against the Demon Sect.

The two sides faced off on a plain near Yuquan Mansion in central Dingzhou.

This standoff lasted for ten days. Fortunately, Kuaidong seemed to have returned to the Northern Plains. He hadn’t appeared since the Nine Heavens Profound Soldier manifested and severely injured Shangguan Yang.

For the six-faction alliance, this was undoubtedly great news.

The once ordinary plain had now become a meat grinder.

"Open the gates!"

With a loud shout, the gates of Yuquan Mansion’s Prefecture City slowly opened, and a squadron of cavalry galloped into the city.

Bai Yuan led the charge, his body splattered with blood—all of it from the Demon Sect’s Demons, of course.

"You kid."

Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu stared at Bai Yuan as if he were a monster.

In fifteen days, Bai Yuan had fought in eight major battles, distinguishing himself above all others in the city. Setting aside the fact that he killed the most enemies every time, his stamina alone was enough to earn their admiration. The name "Ten Thousand Poison Yama" had also begun to spread quietly through the city.

"I’m going to see Lord Jiang first."

Bai Yuan didn’t dismount. Instead, he galloped off toward the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Only when he reached the main gate of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office did he swing himself off his horse and make his way to the main hall.

As soon as he entered, he saw Jiang Changping in discussion with Yang Jiuyan and Qiu Yang.

"Your subordinate greets you, Lord Jiang."

The three of them turned their heads in unison to look at Bai Yuan.

Jiang Changping chuckled. "Nephew Bai, there’s no need for such formalities between us."

At the side, Qiu Yang gave Bai Yuan, who was standing at the entrance, a few extra appraising glances.

Bai Yuan’s reputation in the city was considerable, and it was built on solid battle records, with no exaggeration whatsoever.

Jiang Changping said, "Nephew Bai, you’ve been showing your face too often lately. I’m afraid you’ve already been targeted by the Demon Sect’s experts. You should stay inside the city for the time being."

"Yes, sir!"

In truth, Bai Yuan also knew he’d been too conspicuous recently. Even if Jiang Changping hadn’t said anything, he had no plans to continue leaving the city to fight.

The more Jiang Changping looked at Bai Yuan, the more he liked him.

He was beginning to understand why Du Qinghui had shown such favor to Dong Wanjun.

Others had to be forced onto the battlefield, but Bai Yuan was the opposite—he had to be actively pulled back into the city. The contrast made the difference obvious. What superior wouldn’t like a subordinate like that?

Bai Yuan excused himself and withdrew from the main hall of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

"Ah Yuan."

He had just walked out of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office when he saw Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu waving at him.

Yang Fangyu said, "I have a bottle of fine wine stashed away. Why don’t the three of us..."

"Let’s go!"

Bai Yuan grinned.

Because Dingzhou had the support of six factions, there was no shortage of rations. But that food only filled one’s stomach; it was completely tasteless.

Something like wine was even rarer.

The three of them immediately went to Bai Yuan’s quarters.

Before long, the aroma of wine filled the room.

Yang Fangyu downed a cup. "Ah Yuan, I heard Lord Jiang has already recommended you for the position of Vice Prefect of Ling Province. As long as Lord Du agrees, it’s pretty much a sure thing."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan was also taken aback.

Jiang Changping had never mentioned this to him.

Lu Yu clicked his tongue incessantly. A fourth-rank official under the age of thirty was a rare sight, even in the entire Xuan Yang.

Only the direct heirs of the great noble families received such treatment.

The youngest fourth-rank official in the Yang Family was already over forty.

Bai Yuan smiled faintly. To him, fame and fortune were merely external things. The only true pursuit was leveling up and growing stronger.

Seeing Bai Yuan’s calm expression, Yang Fangyu admired his disposition even more.

He knew he couldn’t remain as unfazed by praise or criticism as Bai Yuan was.

The small circle of friends that he had originally formed was now faintly beginning to revolve around Bai Yuan. Who could blame them? Bai Yuan’s rate of progress was simply too fast.

They had all started on the same line, but in just two years, Bai Yuan had already left them far behind.

Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu glanced at each other, both smiling wryly.

Sometimes, the gap between one genius and another was also vast.

But they weren’t jealous. They just wanted to firmly latch onto Bai Yuan’s coattails.

「...」

The night deepened.

Yang Fangyu and Lu Yu walked back to their own quarters with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

Bai Yuan leaned back alone in a lounge chair.

One pot of wine shared among three people, all of them Martial Artists, was naturally not enough to get them drunk.

He glanced at his status panel.

The Manggu Zhuhe Technique had already reached the Master level, and his combat power had grown stronger once again.

Next, he just needed to raise those two Cultivation Techniques to the Legendary level, and he would be able to unlock the Divine Mansion Technique.

’The battlefield really is a good place,’ Bai Yuan thought. ’But on the battlefield, death is always a possibility, even for someone like me.’

Someone as strong as Shangguan Yang, the Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect, was nearly killed by a Nine Heavens Profound Soldier, to say nothing of others.

’So, it’s still very important to keep a low profile.’

He had already made up his mind not to take action for at least half a month.

「...」

The war between the six-faction alliance and the Demon Sect remained at a stalemate.

In the mountain forest far across from Yuquan Mansion.

Whether they were beasts, Demons, or barbarians, almost all of them were untamable. They would never set up an orderly camp like the forces of Xuan Yang.

Nearly every attack was launched on a whim.

But today, they had gathered together, a rare occurrence.

Several figures stood in a circle amidst the trees. There were beasts, Demons, and barbarians among them, but without exception, all were experts.

These powerful beings were uncharacteristically well-behaved today.

The reason for this, of course, was that the tower-like, imposing old man standing before them had the authority to command such respect.

That old man was none other than Kuaidong, who hadn’t been seen for a long time.

"My lord, we are ready."

A burly barbarian warrior said in a rumbling voice, his attitude extremely humble.

Kuaidong was the War God of their barbarian tribes. The Northern Plains revered the strong, and the barbarians even more so. Thus, in the face of Kuaidong, the warrior was like the most devout of believers.

Kuaidong spoke slowly, "Then let’s make our move tonight."

As his voice fell, he began to walk slowly into the depths of the forest.

He had no intention of entering the city.

If an expert of the same level were present, they would have been able to see that he was now unprecedentedly weak.

The appetite of a Nine Heavens Profound Soldier was far greater than the world imagined.

Kuaidong had expended too much of his Qi and Blood to make a sacrifice to that terrifying Demon Soldier.

He hadn’t done this just to severely injure Shangguan Yang; that was merely a side benefit.

The Demon Sect’s goal had always been one and one only: to bring the Demon God back to the mortal world...