The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Perhaps to display the legitimacy of his ascension, the new emperor, Li Wei, established the reign name Tiande—signifying that he was favored by heaven's mandate and possessed profound virtue. Thus began the First Year of Tiande.

The establishment of a new reign name meant the era of the former emperor, Li Chengyuan, was over. It was now the age of Emperor Tiande.

All subjects of Xuan Yang were required to submit to Li Wei; otherwise, they would be considered dregs to be swept away.

However, the various factions did not seem to be buying it.

Among them, the Eldest Prince, Li Kang, had the most momentum. He clashed with the new emperor's grand army in the Central Plains, while the major sects backing him used every trick in the book, leaving the battlefields littered with corpses.

They were all princes, after all, and Li Wei wasn't even the most senior among them. Naturally, many refused to accept his rule.

...

"Brother Yuan..." Xiao Qiaoniang called out softly.

Bai Yuan's first son, Bai An, was finally celebrating his first birthday. Though little Bai An was still young, his talent was already beginning to emerge. His innate aptitude was so good that even Bai Yuan was envious; the genetic alterations from the Divine Mansion Technique were truly beyond his expectations.

'If the Li Royal Race had obtained the Divine Mansion Technique back then, they probably would have established an eternal dynasty long ago. They could have dominated the world with their clan's power alone, without relying on destiny, and they certainly wouldn't have fallen into their current predicament.'

With the world in chaos, Bai Yuan didn't throw a lavish celebration; only a few close friends came to gather.

To his surprise, Lu Yu appeared at his doorstep with his wife, Fang Wan, and his second disciple, the lovely Fang E, in tow.

A look of delighted surprise flashed in Bai Yuan's eyes when he saw Lu Yu.

'Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Lu Yu in several years.'

"Xiaoyu, what brings you to Ling Province?"

He looked Lu Xiaoyu up and down. They hadn't seen each other in years, and somehow, the man had actually broken through to the Perception Realm.

'Lu Xiaoyu's talent was decent, but for him to break through so quickly, he must have had some great fortuitous encounter.'

But then Bai Yuan's gaze fell on Fang Wan.

'With a Divination Master like Fang Wan by his side, it'd be difficult to lack for opportunities. Experts from the divination lineage are weak in direct combat, but they provide the highest level of support. Sometimes, they're even more useful to a sect than a Grandmaster of Martial Arts.'

"I was keeping track of the date and realized my nephew was turning one. As his uncle, how could I not come to see him?"

Bai Yuan grinned and gave Lu Xiaoyu a friendly punch on the chest. "Spoken like a true brother."

Lu Yu rubbed his chest, a cheeky grin on his face. "Seems a Mingxin Grandmaster's punch isn't so heavy. Now I can go around bragging that I took a punch from a Mingxin Grandmaster and survived. That's quite the heroic feat."

"Want me to give you another one?"

"That won't be necessary."

The two of them bickered just like they did in the old days. Bai Yuan then turned to Fang Wan. "Fang Wan, thank you for all your hard work these past few years."

Fang Wan smiled gently. "It was fate that brought Xiao'e and me together. She's a talented and hardworking child. Finding such a wonderful disciple is my good fortune."

Recruiting disciples has always been a major problem for the divination lineage.

For several generations, they sometimes couldn't find a single disciple, and had to ask the major sects to safeguard their teachings while they awaited someone with the right destiny.

Perhaps heaven could not bear to see this lineage disappear from the world entirely. Despite constant hardships, it has miraculously survived to this day and has not been lost to time.

Back in the day, Fang Wan's master had to move heaven and earth to find her. In comparison, her own search for a disciple in Fang E was much smoother, largely thanks to Bai Yuan.

The young lass, Fang E, had always been a budding beauty, and she had now blossomed into an even more refined and captivating young woman.

She looked at her master with a wide grin. "Master, did you miss me?"

Bai Yuan didn't hesitate to give Fang E a light rap on the head. "Show some respect."

Fang E pouted and rubbed her forehead.

'Sigh. I guess I'll never get a chance to pay him back for that.'

'A disciple doesn't have to be inferior to their master, as the saying goes, but her master was improving at an absolutely terrifying rate. Fang E felt she wouldn't even get the chance to bully him in his old age.'

Bai Yuan glanced at the young lass and suddenly felt he had gone too easy on her.

Just as he was pondering whether to give her another rap, his two other disciples, Murong Fu and Huyan Shan, came over.

Murong Fu had spent some time with Fang E in the past. Their relationship hadn't been entirely harmonious—of course, it was usually the mischievous Fang E playing pranks on the simple, good-natured Murong Fu—but seeing her again, Murong Fu was still genuinely happy.

His other disciple, Huyan Shan, was curiously sizing up Fang E.

Both had rushed over as soon as they heard she had arrived.

Bai Yuan gestured to Fang E. "Shan, this is your Second Senior Sister, Fang E."

"This is your Junior Brother, Huyan Shan."

Ever since coming to Xuan Yang, Huyan Shan had started to look even more formidable, but he had also become more versed in etiquette. He cupped his fist and bowed. "Junior Brother greets Senior Sister."

The young lass Fang E glanced at the burly Murong Fu, then at her junior brother who was built like a wild beast, and her heart filled with dismay.

'Looks like I'll be the one getting bullied from now on.'

She was learning divination from her second master, Fang Wan. Although she knew some basic martial arts for self-defense, she was leagues behind her senior and junior brothers in that regard.

All three were still just teenagers at heart.

Murong Fu, in particular, was so good-natured that he had long since forgotten the hurt of being bullied to the point of secretly wiping away tears. He naturally led Fang E into the courtyard on Shenfu Mountain.

Fang E had been feeling a little anxious, but with Murong Fu looking out for her, her worries completely vanished.

Watching the three of them cheerfully jog away, Bai Yuan broke into a knowing smile.

'Choosing Murong Fu as his eldest disciple back then was truly a wise decision.'

'Frankly, Murong Fu's own aptitude was already excellent. The problem was that his junior brother and sister were just monstrously talented. Never mind Huyan Shan—to be valued so highly by Big Beard meant his future was at the Mingxin realm at a minimum.'

'And while Fang E wasn't skilled in combat, she was very likely to one day become a master of divination without peer in the world.'

'If a narrow-minded person had been made the Eldest Senior Brother, he would have likely thrown the entire school into turmoil by now.'