The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

There has always been a legend circulating in Xuan Yang.

It tells of the far north of the Northern Plains, a world of snow, of permafrost that never melts, a realm of eternal white.

However, very few people from Xuan Yang have ever managed to reach it.

And even if they could, it was incredibly difficult to return.

Therefore, the Profound People knew almost nothing about what lay north of the Northern Plains.

Now, Bai Yuan could testify that the legend was true.

Mr. Yuan had flown with him all this way. Bai Yuan had watched as they crossed Cang Mang Mountain and ventured into the even more distant north. This was the place of legends.

'It's probably like the... Arctic from my past life?'

A strange thought popped into Bai Yuan's head.

After his earlier words, Mr. Yuan had fallen silent. He simply walked quietly through the snow, leaving a trail of footprints behind.

He probably could have flown directly to their destination, but in the end, he chose to walk.

'Mr. Yuan must want to reminisce about the time he came here in his youth, right?'

Bai Yuan looked at the extremely harsh weather around them.

Not even the Barbarian People were willing to set foot here. Perhaps only a few monsters accustomed to the ice and snow lived here permanently.

'Like a spirit formed from an Ice Flea?'

Bai Yuan chuckled at his own thought. He was a little curious what level of strength Mr. Yuan had possessed when he first came here.

"Sir, when you came here back then, were you already at the Spirit Conduit... or Mind Illumination realm?"

He didn't believe a Martial Artist at the Perception realm could cross Cang Mang Mountain. Never mind powerful Barbarian experts like Big Beard; even a Greater Demon was far beyond what someone at that level could handle.

More importantly, there were no supplies after crossing Cang Mang Mountain. Even the strongest Martial Artist would starve to death without food.

He thought his morbidly curious question would go unanswered.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Yuan's voice sounded again.

"Half-step into Jin."

In other words, the Blood Refining Pass. But Mr. Yuan stubbornly believed he was already at the Jin realm back then.

Bai Yuan's eyes widened when he heard those four words.

'Blood Refining?!'

Forget Blood Refining; even someone at the Great Perfection of the Jin realm probably couldn't have made it here.

He couldn't even imagine how Mr. Yuan had managed it back then.

Perhaps it was like those scholars from Xuan Yang who traveled to study, shouldering their book packs and enduring countless hardships. Mr. Yuan's destination was simply much, much farther.

Sometimes, willpower is the key that determines how far a person can go.

The snowstorm intensified.

Bai Yuan fell silent.

He was thinking about whether he could have made it here when he was at the Blood Refining stage. The answer was no.

If even he couldn't do it, then likely no one in all of Xuan Yang could.

Yet, Mr. Yuan had somehow succeeded. It was nothing short of a miracle. But perhaps only such a person could have taken a nearly shattered Demon Sect and, in just a hundred years, rebuilt it into the powerhouse it was today.

Mr. Yuan suddenly chuckled. "No need to look at me like that. To be honest, I only made it here by pure luck. If I hadn't run into the Demon God, I would have died."

"..."

Bai Yuan believed him.

Still, not everyone gets a chance to have such a near-death experience and survive.

Most Blood Refining Martial Masters would have probably died before even reaching Cang Mang Mountain.

In the swirling snow, it was impossible to tell the time. Even day and night began to blur.

Bai Yuan walked on in silence.

Finally, Mr. Yuan stopped above a cave, its entrance almost completely hidden by a blanket of white snow.

With a light push of his palm, a full zhang of accumulated snow was swept aside.

A dark cave mouth appeared before them.

Mr. Yuan gazed at the cave with a nostalgic expression. He recalled his first visit here—a hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye.

His transaction with the Demon God was finally about to be completed.

"Go on in."

Mr. Yuan turned to look at Bai Yuan.

Seeing that Mr. Yuan had no intention of entering himself, Bai Yuan asked in surprise, "Sir, aren't you going in?"

"I've already been inside once, so I can't go in again. Besides, for me, it makes no difference whether I go in or not."

Bai Yuan frowned slightly.

'What in the world is hidden in this cave? Could it really lead to the Demon God's remnant soul?'

Mr. Yuan gave a meaningful smile. "I am merely the guide. Whether you enter or not is your decision."

"If you choose to go in, find Huyan after you come out. He will give you what you're owed."

"..."

Bai Yuan fell into a thoughtful silence.

After a long pause, he made his choice. "Alright, I'll go in."

Just as Mr. Yuan had said, he had never been harmed by the man. On the contrary, Mr. Yuan had helped him many times.

"Go on."

Mr. Yuan stood erect in the wind and snow, his slender frame making his robes seem vast as they whipped wildly in the gale.

Bai Yuan bowed to Mr. Yuan. "Thank you, Sir."

He was a Transmigrator, after all. He was neither one of the Profound People nor one of the Demon Sect People. He only felt gratitude toward those who had helped him.

So far, at least, Mr. Yuan had treated him well, and thus deserved his respect.

"You don't need to thank me. Perhaps I should be the one thanking you."

"Because of the transaction?"

"Yes."

Mr. Yuan made no attempt to hide the fact that he treated Bai Yuan differently because of their transaction.

Bai Yuan bowed again.

'A gentleman judges actions, not intentions.' Regardless, Mr. Yuan had truly been a great help to him.

His smooth journey through the Northern Plains, even his encounter with Big Beard, might have all been arranged by Mr. Yuan.

After bowing to Mr. Yuan three times, Bai Yuan turned and entered the cave without looking back.

If what Mr. Yuan said was true, the moment he walked out of this cave would be the moment he returned to Xuan Yang. After that, seeing Mr. Yuan again would likely not be so easy.

The cave was pitch-black, with almost no light.

Fortunately, Bai Yuan had long since mastered perception, allowing him to see just as well without light.