The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Li Huan only stayed for two days before returning to Qingzhou.

The situation was uncertain, and technically, he shouldn't have left Qingzhou. Yet, he chose to come to Ling Province, feeling it was essential to meet with Bai Yuan.

Yang Fangyu also made his decision.

To stay in Ling Province!

This was where the importance of marrying a virtuous wife truly showed.

Yang Fangyu was turning his back on a more stable life in Jiangnan, a more prestigious position, and a more glamorous existence. Instead, he chose to stay in Ling Province. Any other wife would have raised hell upon hearing such a decision, but Yan Hongxiu was no ordinary woman.

When she heard Yang Fangyu's decision, she was completely unbothered, as if he had just suggested a walk after dinner. She only said one thing softly.

"I'll follow your lead."

Then, she resolutely chose to take their child and stay with Yang Fangyu in Huanglong Prefecture.

Actions are always more powerful than words.

Yang Fangyu couldn't help but feel proud.

'With a wife like this, who wouldn't be completely whipped!'

The situation in Xuan Yang seemed to have been put on pause, but in reality, undercurrents were surging. The Jianghu... the Imperial Court... everyone was waiting for the fate of the person in the Imperial Palace to be decided.

Bai Yuan had once again led his troops to suppress a demon uprising in Dingzhou.

Although Dingzhou wasn't under his jurisdiction—in fact, it wasn't even under Xuan Yang's control anymore—he claimed it was to create a strategic buffer zone for Ling Province.

Of course, the real reason was that he needed to grind.

Dingzhou was a paradise for grinding right now. There were enough demons there to keep him busy for a month, and the enhancement points he earned were skyrocketing daily. Consequently, his progress with the Divine Mansion Technique was soaring.

Upon returning from his campaign, he first went back to Shenfu Mountain for a tender reunion with Sister Qiao, then began studying the final layer of the Divine Mansion Technique.

He had now opened a total of thirteen Divine Mansions.

But compared to what the final layer of the Divine Mansion Technique demanded, this was like a few mere stars in a vast cosmos. He still had a long way to go.

Because the final layer of the Divine Mansion Technique required opening a Divine Mansion in every single one of his cells!

'What's so great about embodying ten thousand techniques?'

'This thing wants me to embody hundreds of millions of them!'

'The person who created the Divine Mansion Technique must have been a madman. How could anyone possibly achieve this?!!'

'Or maybe the creator just phoned it in on the last layer, deliberately setting an impossible goal?'

Bai Yuan felt like a river fish suddenly cast into the ocean.

There was none of the poetic freedom of escaping one's bonds to roam the four seas. Instead, there was only endless confusion and emptiness.

'What else can I do?'

'I just have to grind it out.'

He had a good habit of simplifying complex problems. He had already come this far, and given his natural aptitude, there was no other path for him to take anyway. Reaching this point was already a massive win; every step further was just extra profit.

Otherwise, following the normal trajectory of his fate, he would never have even made it out of Qinghe County.

Becoming a Second-Grade Official was a dream for countless people.

「Night fell.」

Sister Qiao, having been thoroughly worn out for a good hour, was already fast asleep.

Bai Yuan sat alone in the small courtyard.

Even with light snow falling outside, he felt no cold at all. Such was the power of his physical cultivation; for him now, being impervious to fire and water was not just a metaphor.

He could leap into a furnace pit and emerge completely unscathed.

He was holding a tiny palace in his hand.

The next second, his figure suddenly vanished into thin air...

When he reappeared, he was inside the Divine Palace Immortal Realm.

The Divine Palace Immortal Realm was very different now. The biggest change was that the stone steps, previously shattered at the edges, were now complete, and the palace had a new side hall.

Bai Yuan walked straight into the side hall.

He had tested it many times and had finally figured out the side hall's function.

Accelerated time flow!

He discovered that spending two days in the side hall was equivalent to one day in the outside world.

This feature was simply heaven-defying.

Changing time itself!

This was a feat that only an Immortal should be able to perform. He couldn't imagine what kind of magnificent power could create such a potent function.

It also made him even more curious about the person who had forged this weapon.

At first glance, this function seemed somewhat impractical.

After all, Bai Yuan's natural aptitude and comprehension were both average. Although he could get double the training time in the side hall, his lifespan, even at his current cultivation level, was 300 years at most. Doubling that only amounted to 600 years.

For a genius like Yue Xiaobai, it would naturally be immensely useful, but for Bai Yuan, it was of limited value.

'Six hundred years?'

'That's not even enough time to master a single legendary-grade cultivation technique.'

However, Bai Yuan soon discovered the correct way to use the side hall.

And that was: allocating points!

Allocating points here also halved the number of enhancement points required for training his martial arts!

This discovery sent Bai Yuan into a state of ecstasy.

'Doesn't this mean my leveling efficiency has doubled?!'

'It's a perfect match for my cheat ability!'

With such a powerful tool, his speed at cultivating techniques would only get faster and faster. He looked at his right hand. 'Then I'll start with my right hand!'

'If I can fill every single cell in my right hand with the technique's power, I should be able to shatter mountains with my bare body, right?'

A sense of anticipation swelled in Bai Yuan's heart.

...

The snow in Ling Province stopped, the ice and snow began to melt, and there were already signs of life returning.

Under Bai Yuan's governance, Ling Province was gradually returning to its former glory.

Compared to the increasingly tense Central Plains, Ling Province had become something of a paradise.

The common people endlessly sang the praises of this great, just official.

「Huanglong City, Bai Mansion.」

Bai Yuan and Xiao Qiaoniang stood together in the small courtyard.

"Sister Qiao, I heard the plum blossoms outside the city are blooming beautifully. Shall we go see them today?"

Xiao Qiaoniang hummed softly in agreement. "Whatever Brother Yuan says."

This was the longest period they had spent together since leaving Qinghe. The two were inseparable, their figures a common sight in all of Ling Province's scenic spots. For the people of Ling Province, this lovely picture had long become a celebrated tale.