The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

The threat from the Demon Sect had become too great. With only Yan Shao'an stationed in the Northern Plains, it was clear he was struggling to hold the line alone.

Li Chengyuan was, of course, aware that the current Grand General of the Northern Garrison Army was none other than Dong Wanjun, Xu Dingchun's disciple.

But times had changed. Under pressure from the Demon Sect, he had no choice but to send Xu Dingchun to garrison the Northern Territory. Otherwise, another major defeat like the last one would shake the very foundations of Xuan Yang.

Xu Dingchun gave a military salute and boomed, "Your subject accepts the command!"

Before the words had even faded, he departed from the Astronomical Bureau with swift decisiveness. That very night, he led his troops out of the Imperial City.

...

「By the shore of Cang Lake.」

Big Beard's breakthrough was nearing its end.

Bai Yuan didn't know what other Divine Communication Powerhouses' breakthroughs looked like, but Big Beard's could be summed up in one word: effortless.

There were almost no mishaps during the process; Big Beard completed his breakthrough in the span of a few breaths.

But for most Martial Artists, breaking through to Divine Communication was a life-or-death gamble. Even someone as powerful as Bai Yuan's Master, Xu Dingchun, had encountered numerous crises, though he ultimately made it through shaken but unharmed.

A breakthrough as peaceful as Big Beard's was a sight not seen in five hundred years.

But then again, Big Beard's foundation was terrifyingly solid.

Finally, Big Beard slowly opened his eyes, looking at Bai Yuan with a faint, teasing smile.

"Was I badass today or what?"

Bai Yuan gave him a thumbs-up. "Totally badass!"

Big Beard roared with laughter, a sound like a mighty tiger shaking the forest, causing the countless great demons and powerhouses of Cang Mang Mountain to fall deathly silent.

Before his breakthrough, Big Beard was the king of Cang Mang Mountain. After it, he could suppress the entire mountain with a single finger. Who would dare to provoke him at a time like this?

Big Beard's laughter stopped, and he looked at Bai Yuan.

"You'd better be right about what you said, kid. Otherwise, I've just made a huge mistake."

"..."

Bai Yuan was speechless.

'A Grandmaster who's passed the Divinity Communication Barrier is asking me, someone at Mingxin Pass, for validation? This is blatant bullying.'

'All paths lead to the same destination. That was a theory proposed by the great masters of the three teachings; I'm just a parrot repeating their words.'

However, he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

'Big Beard was already ridiculously strong before his breakthrough. Now that he's broken through, his fists wouldn't be as easy to take as before.'

Big Beard looked up at the starry sky and sighed softly.

A storm was brewing, and he'd had no choice but to break through.

During his recent sparring sessions with Bai Yuan, it wasn't just Bai Yuan who had gained a great deal; he had as well.

Although he was very knowledgeable about the Martial Dao of Xuan Yang, he had spent the last century isolated from the world on Cang Mang Mountain. Then, by a twist of fate, he met Bai Yuan, a practitioner who studied the styles of a hundred schools. This encounter finally allowed him to let go of his reservations and take that final step.

The step that halted Martial Artists for a lifetime was one he had crossed with ease.

Big Beard suddenly recalled what Mr. Yuan had said to him before.

"Great chaos is coming. Your current strength is nowhere near enough."

Boundless battle intent flared in Big Beard's eyes.

'If Mingxin wasn't enough, is Divine Communication enough now?'

...

On the surface, Big Beard's breakthrough didn't cause many waves in the Northern Plains. But in unseen places, the undercurrents were already surging.

Bai Yuan continued his routine of practicing his fist techniques and cooking his meals.

However, the most important part of his routine was now missing: sparring with Big Beard.

Of course, Big Beard actually wanted to fight, but Bai Yuan had decisively refused.

On the very night of Big Beard's breakthrough, Bai Yuan, eager to test the waters, had picked a fight with him.

The fists of a Divinity Grandmaster were truly fucking heavy. He had taken ten punches before being completely overwhelmed, with no chance to even fight back.

'How the hell am I supposed to fight that?!'

'The key to growing through combat was to gain something from it. Big Beard knocking him flat in a few punches was just pure abuse; there was no point to it at all.'

So, when Big Beard proposed they continue sparring the next day, Bai Yuan ignored him without a second thought.

This greatly disappointed Big Beard.

'Breaking through isn't all good, I guess. I could finally have a good, satisfying fight, but now those plans are ruined.'

Fortunately, the Bai kid still cooked as always, and his skills were getting better and better.

The two of them spent a peaceful half-month like this, paying no attention to the turmoil in the outside world.

Until one person's arrival shattered that peace.

...

「On this day.」

As usual, Bai Yuan was by the Cang Lake Shore, preparing the day's ingredients. He had just finished plucking the fur from a Tiger Demon when he saw an old Confucian scholar appear in the far distance.

At almost the same instant, Big Beard also walked out of the wooden cabin.

'Mr. Yuan!'

Seeing the old Confucian scholar, Bai Yuan's expression turned grave.

'From the moment he set foot in the Northern Plains, he knew he would inevitably meet Mr. Yuan.'

Mr. Yuan walked very slowly, as meticulous as an old teacher from a private school, yet his steps were incredibly steady.

The distance, which wasn't particularly long for a Martial Artist, took Mr. Yuan a full hour to cross.

Big Beard pursed his lips in annoyance.

Most Northern People revered Mr. Yuan, but he was an exception. In his eyes, Mr. Yuan was the source of all calamity—a scholar full of wicked schemes.

Mr. Yuan finally reached the two of them.

To Bai Yuan's surprise, Mr. Yuan completely ignored the newly-ascended Divinity Grandmaster, Big Beard, and walked straight up to him.

Mr. Yuan was stern with almost everyone, but when facing Bai Yuan, he always broke into a smile.

"We meet again."

Bai Yuan didn't answer. He just watched Mr. Yuan in silence.

'The first time they met, the gap in their power had been too vast, so he hadn't been able to truly appreciate Mr. Yuan's strength. He had only seen Mr. Yuan being chased and beaten by Elder Pei.'

'But during their second and third meetings, as his own strength grew, he began to feel more and more of Mr. Yuan's terrifying power.'

'If Elder Pei was a world-shaking thunderclap and Yan Shao'an was a divine sword of slaughter, then Mr. Yuan was a vast, boundless ocean.'

'Why an ocean?'

'Because Mr. Yuan's foundation ran too deep. In any single discipline, he might not be the absolute best among those at the Divine Communication level, but the problem was that Mr. Yuan knew far too much.'

'Taoist Mysterious Technique, Buddhist Technique, the Righteous Qi of the Confucian Sect—he was a master of them all.'

'It was the combination of all these arts that made him so terrifying and gave him his supreme status in the Northern Plains.'

Just then, an annoyed Big Beard forcibly wedged himself between Mr. Yuan and Bai Yuan.

"Hey, Yuan! This is my turf. Is this how you scholars act when you're a guest?"

In the Northern Plains, others respected the old Confucian scholar, but he had never given a damn about Mr. Yuan.

It was true back when he was still at the Mingxin level, and it was true now.

Big Beard had always believed only in his fists. Mr. Yuan had many tricks up his sleeve, but he couldn't kill him. And if he couldn't be killed, there was even less reason to be polite.

Mr. Yuan gave Big Beard a cool glance.

The two had only met once during the Blood Spirit Conference, and now they were meeting again.

"Brother Huyan, since you've already had your breakthrough, you should know that not even you can control what happens next."

Big Beard scoffed. "But I'm just bored enough to meddle anyway."

Mr. Yuan paid no mind to Big Beard's attitude.

"Everything is subject to fate. It cannot be forced."

Big Beard snorted coldly and said no more.

'As they say, those with different paths cannot walk together. He couldn't care less about what Mr. Yuan was planning, but if Mr. Yuan dared to make a move on Bai Yuan, he would have to test just how much strength backed up the reverence Mr. Yuan commanded in the Northern Plains.'

Mr. Yuan noted Big Beard's wary posture.

"Brother Huyan, you can rest assured. In all the world, I might be the person who least wants to see Bai Yuan die."

Big Beard remained silent, his stance unwavering. His actions made it clear that he didn't believe a word Mr. Yuan said.

"Fine."

Mr. Yuan said coolly.

He stopped moving forward. "I once promised the Demon Sect Ancestor Master that I would do three things. The first was to find the Demon Seed. The second was to deliver the Cultivation Technique to him at the appropriate time. And now, for the third thing."

Bai Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

'Just as Mr. Yuan had said.'

'They had met twice before, and Mr. Yuan had completed the first two tasks. What could the third be?'

'He felt a rare flicker of anticipation.'

Mr. Yuan once again said something shocking.

"You have already obtained the embryonic form of the Divine Palace. Aren't you curious where the other two parts are?"