The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 285: Chapter 282: Turning the Tables

Bai Yuan and Chen Danian quickly finalized their division of labor.

Simply put, Chen Danian was responsible for matters within Lingzhou City, while Bai Yuan handled everything outside of it.

Anyone with eyes could see this was a blatant move to sideline Chen Danian.

However, everything went smoothly—or rather, this was precisely what Chen Danian had hoped for.

If it were some other vice-prefect bent on achieving merits, a life-or-death struggle with Bai Yuan would have been inevitable. But Chen Danian had no interest in politics to begin with, so he accepted the arrangement with pleasure.

Bai Yuan didn’t waste much effort on power struggles with Chen Danian. For someone like him, who had a cheat system, growing stronger was the only thing that mattered.

As long as he was strong enough, the Court would naturally grant him official positions. He immediately gathered the remaining soldiers in Ling Province and headed for the border with Dingzhou.

If Dingzhou fell, he had to be fully prepared at the border.

...

「A month passed.」

No bad news came from Dingzhou, which allowed Bai Yuan to relax a little.

He was still very busy, however.

This was not only because the number of Demon Sect People and Demons on the Dingzhou border was increasing, but also because he had intentionally made it so.

Before the great chaos arrived, he needed to increase his combat strength as quickly as possible.

And the fastest way for him to grow stronger was, without a doubt, to grind monsters.

Unfortunately, whether it was the Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber or the Manggu Zhuhe Technique, advancing them to the legendary level was not something that could be achieved in a short time.

Fortunately, he could still increase his power by infusing enhancement points into these two Cultivation Techniques.

With his poison arts and saber techniques combined, he was already capable of instantly killing ordinary Three Religions Martial Masters of the Perception Realm.

But Xuan Yang was full of masters, and Bai Yuan wasn’t arrogant enough to think he was truly invincible even within the Perception Realm.

The days passed, and Dingzhou remained surprisingly calm.

One day, Bai Yuan received a letter from the Divine Mansion Sect.

It was from Ouyang Hua, who wrote that something was wrong at the Divine Mansion Sect lately.

He didn’t specify the details, only expressing his hope that Bai Yuan would return to the Divine Mansion Sect.

Since things were quiet on the Dingzhou border, Bai Yuan headed south back to Huanglong Prefecture.

Two days later, he arrived at the main peak of Shenfu Mountain.

Returning to Shenfu Mountain after several months, he was struck by a feeling that while the place was the same, the people had changed.

As his strength grew, the Divine Mansion Sect became less and less helpful to him, so he spent progressively less time on Shenfu Mountain.

He had just returned to the Sect Leader Hall.

Ouyang Hua arrived with the other Peak Masters of the Thirteen Peaks.

Under Bai Yuan’s leadership, the Divine Mansion Sect’s strength had now surpassed even its former peak.

It was not only the undisputed hegemon of Huanglong Prefecture, but it had even surpassed Longevity Palace to become the number one sect in all of Ling Province.

All of the Thirteen Peaks now had Peak Masters, with the exception of Wan Jun Peak, which held a special status.

Dong Wanjun had a total of three disciples.

Bai Yuan had already become the Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect, so he naturally couldn’t serve as the Peak Master of Wan Jun Peak as well.

Meanwhile, You Shengnan and Xiongshan still hadn’t broken through to the Entering the Realm stage and were not yet ready for such a heavy responsibility, so the position remained vacant.

Ouyang Hua bowed with his fists clasped.

The authority Bai Yuan now commanded in the Divine Mansion Sect was even greater than what Murong Tian had possessed in his time.

"Sect Leader, there have been frequent earth tremors recently. It’s very unusual."

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Of course, I know the source of the tremors. It must be the work of the Great Demon Raccoon Power hiding in Shenfu Mountain.’

"I know."

He nodded.

Within the entire Divine Mansion Sect, only the Old Sect Leader Murong Tian knew of the Great Demon Raccoon Power’s existence, and Bai Yuan had no intention of telling anyone else.

After the Peak Masters of the twelve peaks departed,

Bai Yuan followed the demonic aura alone to a large mountain at the very edge of Shenfu Mountain.

The Raccoon Power was an untidy sleeper, its position always changing.

Fortunately, as a Demon Hunter, Bai Yuan was highly skilled at finding demons.

He arrived at the foot of the mountain and with a mere thought, his body began to grow at a visible rate, soon transforming into a giant, white-haired, barefoot ape.

’Approaching the Raccoon Power in human form would be a death sentence.’

’Even though I’m quite strong now, I’m still no match for the Raccoon Power.’

Having transformed into a Zhuyan, Bai Yuan walked all the way to the mountain’s peak.

Not long after he stopped, a giant, pig-shaped monster appeared before him.

It was the Raccoon Power that slumbered in Shenfu Mountain.

"Zhuyan, why are you still here?"

the Raccoon Power asked, somewhat groggily.

In its mind, several months were like the blink of an eye, so to it, Bai Yuan had been on Shenfu Mountain the entire time.

Bai Yuan didn’t answer, changing the subject instead. "Raccoon Power, what’s going on?"

The Raccoon Power had been fine for thousands of years, but its recent, frequent movements meant it must have sensed something.

The Raccoon Power spoke, still dazed. "I don’t know what’s been happening lately. I can’t sleep peacefully. I feel a cold wind constantly blowing from the north."

"The north..."

Bai Yuan muttered to himself.

The Raccoon Power added, "That’s right. It feels like something terrifying is reawakening there."

Bai Yuan’s expression was grim.

’I’ve already guessed. The only thing that could frighten even the Great Demon Raccoon Power is one of the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers.’

’Only an existence like a Nine Heavens Profound Soldier could make an eighth-rank ancient beast feel terror.’

The Raccoon Power yawned. "I haven’t been sleeping well. I’m going to catch up on my sleep. Zhuyan, don’t forget to help me find the key."

"Don’t worry."

Before Bai Yuan could finish, the Raccoon Power sank into the ground and vanished.

’It seems it really was tired.’

Staring at the ground which had returned to normal, Bai Yuan’s heart grew even more worried.

The perception of an ancient beast like the Raccoon Power far surpassed that of a human. The fact that even it felt uneasy, combined with the earlier divination from the Astronomical Bureau, meant that Dingzhou was likely in grave danger.

’Du Qinghui probably... won’t make it out alive!’

Bai Yuan took a deep breath and walked down the mountain.

Once he reached the foot of the mountain, his body shrank, and he returned to his original form.

Having learned his lesson from last time, Bai Yuan was much better prepared.

He had brought an extra set of clothes.

After all, Sister Qiao had gone to Linzhou, and there was no one else to bring him clothes.

After getting dressed, Bai Yuan returned to the main peak.

When he returned to the main peak, he was surprised to find the former Sect Leader Murong Tian, who rarely left the Supreme Elder Hall, waiting for him in the Sect Leader Hall.

"Elder Murong."

Bai Yuan looked at Murong Tian, a little surprised.

Murong Tian turned his stooped body, his old, cloudy eyes gazing at Bai Yuan.

Ever since using the Blood Rolling Technique, which had severely damaged his Qi and Blood, his body had declined rapidly. Even though Bai Yuan had used Spirit Medicine to stabilize his injuries,

there was no way to save his two-hundred-year lifespan.

Now, he was nearly seventy years old and looked no different from an ordinary old man.

Murong Tian was already quite satisfied with this. If things had continued on their previous course, he would have been in his grave long ago.

"You’ve come."

Murong Tian spoke in a hoarse voice.

Bai Yuan asked, "Elder Murong, is something the matter?"

’He came to the Sect Leader Hall as soon as he heard I was back. It must be something important.’

Murong Tian smiled faintly. "Sect Leader Bai, this old man has an impertinent request."

"Please speak freely, Elder Murong."

"The Murong Family has produced a promising seedling. I hope Sect Leader Bai can take him as a disciple."

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow.

’I have the complete Divine Mansion Technique now.’

’So I know the Murong Family bloodline contains a special power.’

’The promising seedling Murong Tian mentioned must be this generation’s lucky recipient of the modified genes.’

’He’s guaranteed to reach the Perception Realm. That’s an incredibly valuable prospect.’

Even the Li Royal Family couldn’t guarantee that its Princes would be able to break through to the Perception Realm.

Bai Yuan considered for a moment. "Alright."

’It’s about time I took on a disciple anyway.’

A few Peak Masters, like Liu Donghai, had mentioned the matter of him taking a disciple before, but it had been put aside because Bai Yuan was too busy.

A genius who was guaranteed to reach the Perception Realm was certainly worth cultivating.

It wasn’t easy for Bai Yuan to find such a candidate. Now that one had been delivered to his doorstep, he naturally had no reason to refuse.

Seeing Bai Yuan nod, Murong Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been keeping a close eye on Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan’s monstrous talent had far exceeded his imagination.

’The Divine Mansion Sect is simply too small to contain a true dragon like him.’

’Sooner or later, Bai Yuan will soar to the heavens just like Dong Wanjun, leaving Huanglong Prefecture and even Ling Province behind.’

’The Divine Mansion Sect will gradually become a burden to him.’

Murong Tian hoped to cultivate the next Sect Leader before Bai Yuan’s departure, and fortunately, the genius from the Murong Family had appeared.

A sect was not a family, after all; it couldn’t tie Bai Yuan down forever.

’Bai Yuan has already led the Divine Mansion Sect to unprecedented heights. We can’t ask for more.’

"Let me see this child,"

Bai Yuan said.

’Even though the Murong Family bloodline always comes with a quality guarantee, I still need to see him for myself.’

’After all, taking a disciple is no small matter. In Xuan Yang, a master must bear the consequences of their disciple’s mistakes. Besides talent, disposition is also crucial. I can’t be careless.’

"As it should be."

Murong Tian’s smile widened.

He immediately led Bai Yuan to a courtyard on the main peak.

This was where the Murong Family resided.

An Elder of the Murong Family was already waiting at the entrance.

"Sect Leader."

He bowed respectfully to Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan nodded, his gaze falling on the young boy standing next to the Elder.

He was a boy of about seven or eight, looking sturdy and strong-headed, perhaps even a bit dull.

Bai Yuan walked up to the boy.

"Do you know who I am?"

"The Sect Leader..."

The boy was a little timid.

"Do you want to practice martial arts?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"My parents said practicing martial arts is the only way to have a future."

Hearing the boy’s answer, the Murong Family Elder grew anxious.

He knew all too well the importance of this conversation. Though their words seemed light and casual, they would decide the boy’s fate, and perhaps even the future of the Divine Mansion Sect.

He glanced at Murong Tian.

But he saw Murong Tian slowly shake his head, signaling him not to act rashly.

Bai Yuan smiled faintly. "Then are you willing to accept me as your master?"

Hearing Bai Yuan’s words, both Murong Tian and the Murong Family Elder let out a long sigh of relief.

"Quick, kowtow,"

Murong Tian said gently to the boy.

As if suddenly enlightened, the boy dropped to his knees and kowtowed more than a dozen times, each one landing with a solid THUD.

He continued until even Bai Yuan couldn’t watch anymore. "That’s enough."

The boy obediently stopped at once.

’I just remember my parents saying that obedient children are well-liked,’ he thought.

Bai Yuan said, "From now on, you’ll practice martial arts with me. However, I may not have much time to teach you personally."

"Yes, Master."

The boy’s little face was tense with seriousness.

Bai Yuan patted the boy’s head.

’When it comes to taking a disciple, being a little dull isn’t a bad thing.’

"By the way, what’s your name?"

"Murong Fu."

"..."

"A fine name."