The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 339: Chapter 330: Hidden Dragon Ranking

The atmosphere in the room suddenly went quiet.

Bai Yuan blinked.

’Two Grandmasters are having a falling out over me?’

’What an honor!’

’If word of this got out, I could brag about it for at least ten years. In all of Xuan Yang, you could probably count the number of people with such luck on one hand. In the Northern Territory, I’m probably the first.’

The old Daoist sighed, his eyes full of regret. He knew he should have just abducted Bai Yuan directly, but Yan Shao’an probably wouldn’t have given him the chance. Snatching someone away from the Court wasn’t so easy.

That was precisely why he had chosen to play the part of Jiang Taigong, waiting for the willing fish to take the bait.

Yan Shao’an slapped his thigh repeatedly, his behavior somewhat unrestrained.

"Elder Pei, fortunes turn. This time, it’s finally my turn."

The martial arts prodigy that the Dragon Tiger Sect had snatched away before had now grown into a Quasi-Celestial Master. With just one more step, the Dragon Tiger Sect would recreate the grand spectacle of having three Celestial Masters in the same generation.

The crucial part was, he had been the one to discover that prodigy first.

But back then, he had not yet become a Profound Sun Grand Protector. By the time he reported it, the Sect Leader of the Dragon Tiger Sect, a Celestial Master, had already taken that person as a direct disciple.

The Xuan Yang Court recruited talents from all over, but when it came to competing for top-tier geniuses, it couldn’t quite compare to a major sect like the Dragon Tiger Sect.

Even Yan Shao’an, who held the prestigious title of Grand General of the South at the time, had to go through layers of bureaucracy to report to the Court.

But the Dragon Tiger Sect had no such hassles.

In the words of Bai Yuan’s past life, their corporate hierarchy was much flatter.

Perhaps it was this incident that spurred His Majesty the Emperor to establish the Hidden Dragon List.

Officials everywhere were given the authority to make recommendations. Once recommended, a candidate was considered to have one foot in the Court’s door. All sects were forbidden from recruiting any genius currently under review until the Court confirmed that the person would not be placed on the Hidden Dragon List.

As a result, the appearance of the Hidden Dragon List had caused a large number of highly respected sect leaders to curse up a storm.

The Xuan Yang Court was truly shameless when it came to snatching up people!

But there was nothing they could do.

After all, the Court’s fist was the strongest.

Only after the Hidden Dragon List was created did the Court’s disadvantage in recruiting talent ease. Over the past century, they had managed to find three decent prospects.

That’s right. In the one hundred years since the Hidden Dragon List was established, only a mere three people had made it onto the list.

This just went to show how prestigious the Hidden Dragon List truly was.

Yan Shao’an pointed his right index finger at Bai Yuan. "You brat, from now on, you should consider yourself half a student of mine when you’re out and about."

"..."

Bai Yuan’s mouth fell slightly open.

’This situation is a mess...’

’My master is Dong Wanjun, and Dong Wanjun is one of Xu Dingchun’s men. So, I’ve always been seen as an official belonging to Xu Dingchun’s faction.’

’Everyone knows that Yan Shao’an and Xu Dingchun are the leaders of the two major factions in the Court.’

HISS—

’Am I playing both sides?’

’How dangerous!’

’In factional strife, the ones who suffer the most aren’t those who lose power, but the fence-sitters who sway between sides.’

’Being neutral just means you get hit by both sides.’

’Didn’t some great poet of the Confucian Family in a previous dynasty offend both sides with a single poem, only to end up exiled to the South Sea?’

Yan Shao’an drained his tea in one gulp, then threw his head back, laughed heartily, and walked out.

He felt that his move this time was simply divine.

Not only did he poach from the Dragon Tiger Sect, but he also poached from Xu Dingchun—a single shovel for a double dig!

...

Yan Shao’an’s laughter faded into the distance.

Only the old Daoist and Bai Yuan were left in the room.

Bai Yuan cleared his throat. "Daoist, if you plan to stay in Ling Province, your room will be free of charge."

The old Daoist didn’t answer.

"My name is Pei Buliao. I began my path to understanding the Dao at the Dragon Tiger Sect as a child, and three hundred years have now passed."

Bai Yuan’s pupils contracted.

’Whoa.’

’Three hundred years... In the animal kingdom, that’s long enough to become a spirit.’

’Given the old Daoist’s seniority, even if Bai Yuan called him ’Ancestor,’ he’d be flattering himself.’

Rumor had it that the Dragon Tiger Sect had two Celestial Masters. Apart from the famous Grand Celestial Master who was also the Sect Leader, the other Celestial Master was not well-known.

As the orthodox lineage of the Zhengyi school, the Dragon Tiger Sect took it upon themselves to slay demons, eliminate evil, and uphold the Heavenly Dao.

Although they involved themselves in worldly affairs, unlike the Quanzhen school, there were almost no instances of their members becoming court officials. However, their reputation among the common people was immense.

Their lightning techniques, in particular, had become a staple of every storyteller’s grand finale.

The old Daoist said, "I won’t stand on ceremony, then. I do indeed need to stay in Ling Province for a while longer. Just keep charging me for the room."

Bai Yuan was about to speak again but swallowed his words.

Yan Shao’an had already proposed him for the Hidden Dragon List. His fated connection with the old Daoist was now mostly severed.

The old Daoist fumbled around inside his robes.

Finally, he pulled out an ancient book, yellowed with age.

"Consider this payment for the room."

Bai Yuan stared at the ancient book in the old Daoist’s hands, his eyebrows shooting up uncontrollably.

’Is this old Daoist the Lingbao Celestial Venerable himself?’

’If this was calculated as room payment, the value of his guest room could probably only be compared to that world-famous ’First Tower’ in the Capital City.’

He’d heard that some high-ranking officials and nobles had once spent a lavish one hundred thousand gold coins just for a single night of pleasure there.

The old Daoist said, "The ’Walking on Sand, Treading on Snow’ technique from before was just a partial volume. This scroll is called the Cloud Ladder Leap. It is a supreme Lightweight Technique."

Bai Yuan swallowed hard.

’Cloud Ladder Leap!’

’That name was far too famous.’

’The number one Lightweight Technique of the Daoist Sects. Its fame was so great that everyone had heard of it, even in the Northern Plains Martial World.’

’But he distinctly remembered that the Cloud Ladder Leap was a Cultivation Technique from the Quanzhen Lineage. As a major sect of the Zhengyi school, how could the Dragon Tiger Sect have learned a Quanzhen technique?’

The old Daoist seemed to read Bai Yuan’s mind and said nonchalantly, "I once discussed the Dao with the Sect Leader of the Xuanwu Sect. He lost to me by half a move and gave this technique to me as his forfeit."

"..."

Bai Yuan was speechless.

’The Xuanwu Sect was on par with the Dragon Tiger Sect, and the Quanzhen Lineage was currently the most powerful school of Daoism.’

’That Sect Leader was a great figure on par with a Celestial Master.’

’Lost by half a move...’

’Just how terrifying was this old Daoist?!’

Bai Yuan was already numb with shock from the old Daoist’s revelations.

However, his hands didn’t slow in the slightest. The Cloud Ladder Leap Cultivation Technique had somehow already appeared in his grasp.

The old Daoist said, "The transaction is complete. Don’t come asking me for money again."

Bai Yuan bowed respectfully to the old Daoist, then slowly backed out of the room.

Watching Bai Yuan leave, the old Daoist revealed a meaningful smile.

’He naturally couldn’t stop Yan Shao’an from snatching the man away. But what if he secretly taught Bai Yuan a Daoist Sect Cultivation Technique?’

’Then, even if Bai Yuan entered the Hidden Dragon List, the inheritance of the technique couldn’t be erased. Bai Yuan might not have the title of a Daoist Sect disciple, but he would be a true successor of the Daoist Sect in practice.’

’Who said you couldn’t be a Dragon Tiger Sect disciple without formally joining the sect?’

’At the very least, Celestial Master Zhang had never made such a rule.’

’And even if such a rule existed, as a fellow Celestial Master, Elder Pei could just change it if he had to.’

"Old Yan, you’re still a step behind me."

The more the old Daoist thought about it, the more pleased he became.

...

Bai Yuan carefully closed the door.

’There was an Old Immortal living in the Peach Fragrance Inn now.’

’A Purple Gold Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Sect. In Jiangnan, there was practically no difference between that and an actual immortal.’

Bai Yuan returned to his own room.

He gazed at the Cloud Ladder Leap in his hands, his eyes burning with fervor.

’He had always felt that ’Walking on Sand, Treading on Snow’ was incomplete, and now his guess was finally confirmed.’

’If the partial volume alone was so powerful, just how incredible would the complete Cloud Ladder Leap be?’

’Time to fly!’

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