The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 286: Chapter 283: The Heavens Change

Given Bai Yuan’s current status, he could have found a suitable successor eventually, even without relying on the Murong Clan.

He chose the young boy, Murong Fu, because he valued the boy’s inherent nature.

A certain simplicity...

If Murong Fu had answered fluently and possessed a natural brilliance, Bai Yuan wouldn’t have taken him as a disciple.

Cultivating such a disciple would require immense energy, and Bai Yuan wasn’t yet at a point in his life where he could settle down and focus solely on teaching.

That’s why he needed a "dull" disciple.

A disciple who could grow steadily, even if he might never surpass his master.

Murong Fu was perfect for this.

Many martial artists in Xuan Yang would make a similar choice when selecting their first disciple.

The first disciple didn’t need to be the most talented, but they had to be the most stable, as that was the only way to ensure the sect’s legacy would be passed down.

Bai Yuan took a saber manual from his robes.

"Consider this your initiation gift."

The boy, Murong Fu, bowed respectfully again. Had Bai Yuan not stopped him, he probably would have kowtowed several more times.

He had given Murong Fu the Rolling Blood Saber, a technique he himself had completed.

He had originally obtained the Blood Rolling Technique from Murong Tian; without him, Bai Yuan would never have had the chance to derive the Rolling Blood Saber from it.

Now, it was being returned to its rightful lineage, settling a karmic debt.

As for why he didn’t give him the Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber... it was because that cultivation technique was of too high a grade and incorporated demonic arts. If Murong Fu were to learn it too early, he would surely be led astray.

An Elder of the Murong Family watched from the side, his eyes filled with envy.

Murong Fu’s background was actually quite ordinary.

Although the Murong Clan held an extremely high status within the Divine Mansion Sect, not all its members were influential. Murong Fu’s immediate family, at least, was quite average. Because neither his parents nor his ancestors had ever produced a powerful martial artist, their standing was only slightly above that of commoners.

Who could have imagined that such staggering fortune would fall into their laps?

The youths of the Murong Clan have their bones read at the age of eight, and it was at that time that Murong Fu was identified as the genius of the Murong Family’s current generation.

Although Bai Yuan hadn’t mastered the Divine Mansion Technique, he could still perceive Murong Fu’s extraordinary potential. This was another reason he had taken him as a disciple.

In any case, after so many years as the Shenfu Sect Master, Bai Yuan had finally accepted his first disciple.

When a Sect Leader takes a disciple, a ceremony is naturally indispensable.

However, because the situation in Ling Province was currently chaotic, Bai Yuan decided to keep it simple.

Though he didn’t invite the various powerful figures of the Divine Mansion Sect, the scale of the event could hardly be called small.

All several thousand members of the Divine Mansion Sect ascended the main peak to witness the ceremony, which frightened the young Murong Fu so much he couldn’t sleep for days.

Bai Yuan continued his usual hands-off style.

After accepting Murong Fu as his disciple, he basically let him be, offering only occasional guidance.

Besides, even if Bai Yuan didn’t teach him, the Murong Family Elders would ensure he was well-trained. The status of being Bai Yuan’s disciple was more than enough.

Of course, Bai Yuan was also genuinely busy.

He was still in the prime of his life, at the peak of his strength. ’Back then, didn’t Old Dong raise me in the same hands-off way? Perhaps self-reliance is simply the destiny of our lineage.’

All was quiet in Dingzhou.

So Bai Yuan decided to stay at the Divine Mansion Sect for an extended period.

"Master, what does ’skin tempering’ mean?"

The boy, Murong Fu, scratched his little head.

Due to his family background, he had never been exposed to martial arts before he was eight, so he was naturally baffled by it all.

In his current condition, it was impossible for him to practice the Rolling Blood Saber directly.

Murong Tian personally selected a saber technique for him, which Bai Yuan also approved of, so Murong Fu naturally began to practice with a saber.

Bai Yuan replied, "It means tempering your skin until it’s as tough as cowhide. It’s grueling work."

He watched Murong Fu, his face glistening with sweat as he struggled against a wooden dummy in the sun, and was reminded of his own days at the Huwei Arts Hall.

Except he’d had a system, so he never actually spent much time training with a dummy.

Even though the Murong Family would pour vast resources into his disciple, allowing him to reach the Blood Refining realm without even practicing his forms...

...as Bai Yuan’s disciple and the genius of the Murong Family, he couldn’t possibly stop at Blood Refining. Breaking through to the Perception realm was the absolute baseline.

Therefore, Murong Fu was destined to endure great hardship.

How many martial artists ever succeeded without suffering?

...

Days passed one after another.

If not for the Demon Sect in Dingzhou showing no signs of withdrawal, the Lingzhou People might have truly thought the world was at peace.

Just as Bai Yuan was teaching Murong Fu the Cypress Fist stance, Yang Fangyu returned to Huanglong Prefecture.

Upon his return to Huanglong Prefecture, he heard Bai Yuan was at the Divine Mansion Sect. Without even returning home, he donned his armor and headed straight for Shenfu Mountain.

"Brother Yang?"

Bai Yuan looked at the dust-covered Yang Fangyu in surprise.

The boy, Murong Fu, looked at Yang Fangyu, from whom a murderous aura still emanated, and his face filled with fear.

Yang Fangyu glanced at the boy beside Bai Yuan. "Is this your disciple?"

Bai Yuan nodded.

"So it is..."

Yang Fangyu was a little surprised.

He hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to take a disciple so quickly.

"I didn’t bring a proper gift. Here, take this Jade Pendant."

Yang Fangyu took the Jade Pendant from his waist.

The boy, Murong Fu, looked up at Bai Yuan, not daring to accept it.

Bai Yuan smiled. "From now on, when your Uncle Yang gives you something, you just take it."

"Yes, Master."

With Bai Yuan’s approval, the little boy Murong Fu grinned and took the Jade Pendant from Yang Fangyu’s hand.

Murong Fu didn’t understand the significance of the Jade Pendant, but Bai Yuan knew it all too well.

This was a Jade Pendant possessed only by core members of the Yang Family.

Having this Jade Pendant was equivalent to having the protection of the Yang Family. If Murong Fu were to travel the Jianghu in the future, this pendant would be a Life-saving Talisman.

"Go on back for now. Your Uncle Yang and I have something to discuss," Bai Yuan said to the boy.

Murong Fu nodded obediently and ran off toward the Murong Family’s quarters.

Only then did Bai Yuan turn to Yang Fangyu. "What is the situation in Dingzhou?"

While he could get information about Dingzhou from military reports, it was never as accurate or detailed as a firsthand account from Yang Fangyu.

Yang Fangyu replied, "It’s strange. The Demon Sect hasn’t made a move, but that’s made Lord Du and Lord Jiang even more worried. None of the spies sent into Yuquan City have returned, and no one knows what’s going on in there."

Bai Yuan frowned.

Clearly, the Demon Sect was up to something unspeakable in Yuquan City.

"Lord Jiang sent me back to Ling Province. I heard he’s preparing to investigate Yuquan City personally."

Yang Fangyu sighed heavily.

He was only able to return thanks to Jiang Changping.

In the past, because of Dong Wanjun, he had always looked down on this Prefect, seeing him as timid and overly cautious.

But after what happened in Dingzhou, he realized that for Jiang Changping to have risen from a mere martial artist to the Prefect of a province, he must be a man of tremendous character.

He admired him from the bottom of his heart.

To knowingly face near-certain death without regret... Yang Fangyu felt he couldn’t compare.

And there were two other men like him in Dingzhou. This was a blessing for Ling Province, a blessing for Xuan Yang!

It was just a pity that the great figures high up in the imperial court couldn’t see it at all.

...

「Dingzhou.」

The towering walls of Yuquan City were lined with bizarrely shaped figures.

They were described as bizarre because most were monsters, and some were even Demons, with no two looking remotely alike.

The defenses of Yuquan City were airtight.

The only reason these unruly monsters would stand guard so quietly on the walls was because something inside the city terrified them.

Fear is the true root of obedience.

It was because of these formidable defenses that Xuan Yang, for all its efforts, could not learn of the situation within the city.

And in a corner of the city...

The ground began to tremble slightly, and then a shovel blade broke through the earth.

Several figures emerged from the ground.

One of them was none other than Jiang Changping.

That’s right—he had dug a tunnel right under Yuquan City.

It was a case of turning their own tactics against them. The Demon Sect had used tunnels to attack them, and now he was using one to uncover the secrets of Yuquan City.

The breakthrough point had been carefully calculated, so they now found themselves in a dilapidated courtyard.

No monsters lived here.

Jiang Changping and his men looked up, their pupils contracting in unison.

Yuquan City was unnervingly demonic. A crimson mist hung in the air, creating an exceptionally eerie atmosphere.

Jiang Changping didn’t even dare to breathe.

’What in the world is the Demon Sect trying to do?!’

The shock in his heart was beyond description.

Jiang Changping and his men held their breath in unspoken agreement. He gestured with his eyes to the men behind him, and they stepped silently out of the courtyard.

The moment they stepped out of the courtyard, the scene on the street shocked them even more.

Bodies... endless, countless bodies.

Yuquan City had become a true city of the dead. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but corpses.

It wasn’t just the Profound People who were killed in the city that night; there were also countless other bodies that the Demon Sect had brought from gods-know-where.

By a rough estimate, there were at least tens of thousands!

Jiang Changping couldn’t help but gasp in horror.

A terrible suspicion was already forming in his mind.

The Ten Thousand Spirits Festival!

He knew the Demon Sect’s slaughter was for the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival, but he never imagined they would secretly initiate it here, within Yuquan City.

The hairs on the back of Jiang Changping’s neck stood on end.

He didn’t dare step out of the courtyard again. He immediately led his men back.

There was no need to go any deeper. They had to tell Du Qinghui what they had seen in Yuquan City.

The situation in Yuquan City was already beyond their ability to handle.

The Xuan Yang Court would have to dispatch several Grandmasters to have any chance of resolving this.

Just as they prepared to re-enter the tunnel—

a majestic voice rang out.

"The final offerings. You should feel honored."

Jiang Changping’s scalp went numb when he heard that voice. He recognized it as Kuaidong!

"Go!" he roared.

He tried desperately to dive back into the tunnel.

They were no match for Kuaidong.

Yet, the instant Jiang Changping shouted the word, Yuquan City fell deathly silent.

Not a sound could be heard from the monsters throughout the city. As if compelled by some ghostly force, Jiang Changping raised his head.

He saw a colossal object stretching across the sky above Yuquan City, large enough to blot out the sun.

The next instant, Jiang Changping’s eyes went vacant, his life force extinguished in a flash.

The monsters on the city walls suffered the same fate. One by one, their life force was stripped away, and their stiff bodies tumbled from the ramparts.

That’s right. Every living being in the city was an offering!

Kuaidong looked west, his expression impassive.

An old man in a black robe could be seen leading a hundred disciples of the Celestial Heart Sect in a chant.

The chanting grew louder and louder, until it echoed throughout the entire city.

"With our bodies, we make this offering to the Demon God!"

"With our bodies, we make this offering to the Demon God!"

"With our bodies, we make this offering to the Demon God!"

...