The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 325: Chapter 317: The True Master Appears

The once-clamorous forest suddenly fell silent.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!

Three muffled thuds were all that could be heard.

Several bulges erupted on Hu Sanyang’s bare torso, and his bones let out a series of pained groans.

A hidden energy technique!

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

During his bout with Hu Sanyang, Qiu Yang had been quietly embedding hidden energy into his opponent’s body with every sword strike.

Only to detonate it all after more than a thousand exchanges.

’Truly treacherous!’

Blood trickled from the corner of Hu Sanyang’s mouth, and his ferocious assault came to an abrupt halt.

"I have lost,"

he finally conceded.

Qiu Yang hadn’t used his full strength, so his injuries weren’t severe. He still had some trump cards left to play, but there was no doubt he had been bested in this duel.

"My thanks."

Qiu Yang had no intention of pressing his advantage. He sheathed his Soft Sword and gave a cupped-fist salute.

In truth, Hu Sanyang hadn’t been unfairly defeated. Qiu Yang himself had only recently mastered this hidden energy technique on the battlefields of Dingzhou.

This was his first time ever using it.

The results were quite impressive.

The reason he hadn’t struck a fatal blow was simple: he would need Yan Province’s people for the upcoming treasure hunt, and Hu Sanyang was a formidable combatant.

Hu Sanyang returned to Wei Yang and Qiao Ding’s side, his expression grave.

Losing the first bout was a huge blow to their morale. Hu Sanyang’s match had been pivotal; had he won, the outcome would have been certain.

But now, everything was uncertain.

Wei Yang, however, displayed the composure befitting a Prefect. He smiled calmly and said, "Alliance Leader Hu, a valiant effort."

Hu Sanyang gave a wry smile. "I am ashamed."

Qiu Yang was a renowned figure and one of the top three fighters in the Cao Bang. Losing to him was no great shame.

But his loss put all the pressure on Wei Yang and Qiao Ding.

Qiu Yang walked back to the Cao Bang’s ranks and gestured with his chin toward a trusted subordinate.

"You’re up."

"Yes, sir!"

A sharp, capable-looking man strode briskly to the center of the clearing.

From the Yan Province side, Qiao Ding, the Gang Leader of the Aries Gang, stepped forward.

This match had no such twists. Qiao Ding defeated Qiu Yang’s subordinate in a mere ten moves, the outcome never in doubt.

The subordinate returned to Qiu Yang’s side.

Qiu Yang clapped him on the shoulder encouragingly. "You did well."

He hadn’t expected his man to win. Lasting ten exchanges against an expert like Qiao Ding had already exceeded his expectations.

Qiu Yang turned his head toward Bai Yuan. "Care for a round?"

"Alright."

Without hesitation, Bai Yuan strode to the center of the clearing.

At the same time, Wei Yang, the Prefect of Yanzhou, stepped forward to face him, his expression grim.

Qiao Ding’s victory had brought him no joy. His own match was the one that would decide the final outcome.

"May I ask your name?"

Wei Yang hadn’t given up. He hoped to uncover his opponent’s background from his name.

Bai Yuan returned the salute. "A Ghostwriter. Yuan Hei."

"..."

Wei Yang fell silent.

He mentally scanned through all the experts of the Northern Territory but had never heard the name Yuan Hei.

However, the man claimed to be a Ghostwriter, which would explain it.

Powerful Ghostwriters were rarely confined to a single region. Perhaps this man was an expert from Jiangnan or the Central Plains; it would be normal not to recognize him.

’In that case, I’ll have to use my full strength!’

Wei Yang’s gaze sharpened, a flicker of Sword Intent in his eyes.

He wouldn’t have become the Prefect of Yanzhou if he wasn’t confident in his own strength.

Even against Qiu Yang, he didn’t believe he would necessarily lose.

’Could the Ghostwriter Qiu Yang hired possibly be stronger than me?’

Wei Yang refused to believe the Cao Bang would be willing to spend that much.

A Ghostwriter stronger than Qiu Yang... The fee would be astronomical.

"Please, show me your skill."

Wei Yang took a deep breath.

"Please!"

In the next instant, the two became blurs as saber and sword clashed.

’He really is skilled!’

A surge of fighting spirit ignited within Wei Yang.

After that first clash, he knew this burly man was an expert on his own level.

Since their strengths were evenly matched, there was no room for cowardice.

"Again!"

Wei Yang bellowed, raising his sword to attack once more.

Bai Yuan glanced at the long saber in his hand.

This saber wasn’t his own; he’d borrowed it from one of Qiu Yang’s men. It felt clumsy compared to his own blade.

His reputation as the Ten Thousand Poison Yama was too well-known; he was a famous and feared figure even in Yan Province.

To avoid being recognized, he couldn’t use his poison arts. He even had to conceal most of his true saber techniques.

By holding himself back like this, he was only able to fight Wei Yang to a standstill.

The longer Wei Yang fought, the more exhilarated he became. Since becoming Prefect, he’d had fewer and fewer chances to fight. The opportunity to go all out today was incredibly satisfying.

His swordsmanship grew faster and faster.

"Still hiding your true strength? You underestimate me!"

Wei Yang snorted.

Both were masters of the Martial Dao; how could he fail to see that Bai Yuan was deliberately holding back? He even suspected his opponent’s true specialty wasn’t the saber at all.

Such a thing was rare among other Martial Artists, but for a Ghostwriter, it was perfectly normal.

Many Ghostwriters practiced multiple weapons to conceal their true identities.

Relying on only fifty percent of his Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber, Bai Yuan was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He twisted his right foot on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

An upward kick!

Bai Yuan’s right leg lashed out at Wei Yang like a whip.

Wei Yang’s pupils contracted. The kick hadn’t even landed, but the ferocious killing intent was suffocating.

’What a powerful kick!’

Not daring to be careless, Wei Yang raised his sword to block.

CLANG!

A loud crash rang out.

Wei Yang stumbled back several steps, having barely managed to block Bai Yuan’s terrifying strike.

But before he could catch his breath, Bai Yuan used his *Walking on Sand and Treading on Snow* movement technique to instantly appear before him.

Legs, feet, knees... Bai Yuan’s entire body had become a lethal weapon. In a single breath, he inflicted more than ten wounds on Wei Yang. The torrential assault left Wei Yang in agony.

The devastating power of the *White Ape* style was on full display!

Wei Yang lasted a mere ten breaths.

"I have lost."

The instant the words left his lips, Bai Yuan ceased his assault and returned to his original position.

"My thanks."

Wei Yang stared at Bai Yuan with trepidation. Only he, who had been on the receiving end of that ferocious assault, truly understood how terrifying his opponent was.

Watching from the sidelines, both Hu Sanyang and Qiao Ning couldn’t help but gulp.

Hu Sanyang couldn’t help but wonder: ’If my body-hardening techniques were pitted against that man’s leg arts, could I hold up?’

After a long moment, he concluded that he could not.

Qiu Yang was also dumbfounded by the sight.

His Brother Bai was truly a monster.

He distinctly remembered Bai Yuan’s specialties being saber techniques and poison arts. Since when were his leg techniques this terrifying?

The word "genius" was no longer sufficient to describe Bai Yuan.

The man was a monster!

Qiu Yang secretly made a resolution: no matter what, he had to stay on good terms with Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan had chosen the most difficult path of a pure Martial Artist, and it was highly likely he would never break through the Mingxin Pass in his lifetime. But so what? The combat prowess Bai Yuan was displaying right now was enough for the Cao Bang to spare no effort in winning him over.

’And what if he did manage to break through?’

The last person to walk this path and succeed had become the Sect Leader of one of the five great sects in the Central Plains!

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