The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 318: Chapter 310: Snaring the Iron

Because of the year-round mining, the mountain had far fewer trees than other places.

The mountain wind blew unimpeded against Bai Yuan, his long hair fluttering.

Liu Zhengwen and Ma Hong were both utterly shocked.

’So strong!’

Liu Zhengwen especially so.

He hailed from the Capital City and later trained in the Astronomical Bureau, so he had seen more than his fair share of geniuses.

But this Lingzhou General before him was in no way inferior to those prodigies in the Capital City—he was perhaps even stronger!

’It’s true what they say, there’s always someone better.’

Liu Zhengwen was suddenly curious what would happen if Bai Yuan were to clash with those two geniuses from the Capital City.

’They’d probably lose.’

It wasn’t just that Bai Yuan’s Cultivation Technique and realm were first-rate, but also his terrifying combat skills. It was as if he were born for slaughter.

Ma Hong swallowed hard. "Thank you, My Lord."

He glanced at the pools of blood splattered on the ground.

’Bai Yuan vanished suddenly before, and now it seems he had gone to lay a poison trap.’

’The Ten Thousand Poison Yama truly lives up to his name. Such poisoning skills have reached the peak of perfection.’

According to the original plan, Bai Yuan was supposed to stall the Old Ape while he and Liu Zhengwen dealt with the Leopard Demon. But unexpectedly, Bai Yuan had not only killed the Old Ape but had even managed to help them.

Although Ma Hong’s strength had declined due to his advanced age, and Liu Zhengwen, being from the Astronomical Bureau, was not skilled in combat, the crucial factor was still Bai Yuan’s terrifying killing power.

Not even a Sensory Realm demon could last a single round against him.

If Bai Yuan hadn’t been so strong, they would have undoubtedly faced some serious trouble.

Bai Yuan waved his hand, his gaze fixed with great interest on the Blood Radiance Iron embedded in the massive rock.

Liu Zhengwen and Ma Hong also walked up to the giant rock.

Ma Hong said, "I happen to know the method for mining Blood Radiance Iron. Why not let me give it a try?"

"Oh?"

Bai Yuan was a little surprised.

As far as he knew, Ma Hong was not a local. He had only been the Prefect of Jingyang Prefecture for a few years. It was unexpected that he would know about such things.

Ma Hong gave an awkward smile. "I enjoy reading local gazetteers in my spare time. There happened to be a passage about it."

Mining ore was a technical job, especially when it came to special Divine Irons. One careless move could cause its spiritual essence to be lost.

Of course, it wasn’t difficult for those who knew the trick. As long as one was aware of the precautions, it wasn’t too hard. Otherwise, how could the Chen Family’s miners, most of whom were ordinary people, possibly excavate Divine Iron?

Ma Hong was seen carefully using his Long Sword to shave off the outer layer of the massive rock.

The Long Sword was clearly also forged from Divine Iron, which was why it could cut through stone like mud.

A quarter of an hour later, the speed of Ma Hong’s sword strikes gradually slowed.

He had already whittled the enormous rock down to the size of a human head.

After finishing this, Ma Hong ran into the nearby woods.

Neither Bai Yuan nor Liu Zhengwen knew what he was planning to do.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Ma Hong ran back with a grin, carrying a large bundle of tree bark.

He cut the bark into strips and fashioned them into a rope.

Then, he wrapped the bark rope around the stone containing the Blood Radiance Iron. Using a special knotting technique, he wound it around the stone again and again until the red glow was no longer visible.

Only then did Ma Hong let out a long sigh of relief.

’It’s done!’

Bai Yuan and Liu Zhengwen watched all this with great interest.

Ma Hong explained, "According to the book, all things in creation have natural counters. Within a hundred paces of Blood Radiance Iron, there must be an Iron Pagoda Tree. The bark of the pagoda tree can suppress the Blood Radiance Iron. Otherwise, it will be startled and escape into the ground, becoming impossible to find again."

Bai Yuan stroked his chin.

’Hearing it like that, it seems to work on the same principle as catching old ginseng.’

Ma Hong picked up the tightly wrapped Blood Radiance Iron, his face alight with excitement.

"My Lord, what should be done with this Blood Radiance Iron?"

’If Bai Yuan hadn’t been present, he would have lined his own pockets without a second thought. But now that Bai Yuan had seen it, it naturally belonged to whoever had the higher rank.’

Bai Yuan said, "Let’s put it in the State Treasury for now."

Ma Hong nodded.

He quickly understood Bai Yuan’s meaning.

’Though he said the State Treasury, it really meant Bai Yuan’s own pocket.’ As a Prefect, Ma Hong was well aware of this, but in his eyes, it was only natural.

Bai Yuan glanced at Liu Zhengwen at his side and felt a headache coming on.

’If it were just me and Ma Hong here, I wouldn’t have thought twice about taking the Blood Radiance Iron for myself.’

But the current situation was a bit complicated. Liu Zhengwen was from the Capital City, and from a department like the Astronomical Bureau, which was closest to the Emperor.

If he were accused of privately seizing a divine object, the consequences would be unpleasant.

The matter at the mine was now resolved.

The three of them immediately headed down the mountain.

On the way down, Liu Zhengwen deliberately walked up beside Bai Yuan. "Lord Bai, you can rest assured. I will not mention this matter to His Majesty."

Bai Yuan chuckled. "Lord Liu will certainly be receiving a share of this Blood Radiance Iron."

Since Liu Zhengwen had already shown goodwill, he naturally wouldn’t be stingy.

As long as Liu Zhengwen accepted the Blood Radiance Iron, they would all be in the same boat. If Liu Zhengwen exposed him, he himself would not get away unscathed.

"In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse."

The two men looked at each other and smiled.

’They say people from the Astronomical Bureau are rigid and rule-abiding, but it seems that isn’t entirely true.’

After Bai Yuan’s group of three returned to the Chen Family camp at the foot of the mountain,

Fang Yong, Zhou Lin, and the Chen Family Patriarch were still waiting at the camp entrance.

"My Lord."

Zhou Lin was the first to step forward and greet him.

Ma Hong, holding the Blood Radiance Iron, was in high spirits. "The demon infestation has been quelled by Lord Bai. Mining can resume tomorrow."

Hearing this, the Chen Family Patriarch was overjoyed.

He had already been preparing to launch an assault on the mine tonight, but he never expected the problem to be solved before he even had a chance to act.

He looked at Bai Yuan with reverence.

The people of Ling Province all said that their Lord General never relied on others for something he could do himself, and it was certainly true.

"This humble one thanks Lord Bai on behalf of the entire Chen Family."

The Chen Family Patriarch immediately dropped to one knee, about to kowtow.

Bai Yuan waved his hand. "This is merely my duty. There’s no need for such formalities."

As he spoke, he gave Zhou Lin a meaningful look.

Zhou Lin had been an official for decades, so his perception was naturally sharp. He immediately took the Blood Radiance Iron from Ma Hong’s hands.

Although he didn’t know what the object in his arms was, he figured it must be the treasure that caused the demon infestation. ’A fine item like this naturally belongs to Lord Bai!’

The matter of the demon infestation was concluded.

It was now the middle of the night, so Bai Yuan decided to stay in the Chen Family’s camp and return to Huanglong Prefecture after sunrise.

It was true that Martial Artists needed less sleep than ordinary people, but that didn’t mean they enjoyed traveling at night.

’What’s the point of being a high-ranking official if you can’t enjoy yourself a little?’

Bai Yuan naturally moved into the tent that had originally belonged to the Chen Family Patriarch.

The tent was enormous, and its interior was fully furnished with every amenity one could ask for.

"He certainly knows how to live."

Bai Yuan let out a soft chuckle.

He sat cross-legged on the soft couch.

The virtual panel slowly materialized before his eyes.

This time, by exterminating the demons, he had gained over thirty thousand enhancement points.

’Poisoning really is the fastest way to grind mobs.’

The lesser demons under the Old Ape and the Leopard Demon were almost all killed by the poison in the same instant. Not a single one survived, so all of their enhancement points were collected as well.

Bai Yuan looked at "White Ape Mountain Breaker" on the panel.

"Allocate the points!"

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