The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 343: Chapter 337: Fellow Travelers

The Martial Arts Arena fell deathly silent.

Instructor Qian Yu of Yingshan Academy lay flat on his back on the ground.

A single move...

To be precise, it was a single kick. He was defeated without even the slightest chance to fight back.

Qian Yu gave a bitter smile. He pressed a hand to his back, taking a long while to get to his feet.

"Lord Bai, your reputation as a hidden dragon is well-deserved. I am thoroughly impressed."

He conceded defeat decisively, not even lingering in the Martial Arts Arena as he walked straight out of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

’So humiliating...’

The crowd watched Qian Yu’s retreating figure and glanced at each other. For a long while, no one else stepped forward to issue a challenge.

Qian Yu had dared to be the first one out, naturally, because his strength was considerable.

Bai Yuan had defeated Qian Yu in a single move. If any of the others went up, it would be nothing more than asking for humiliation.

In the end, out of the dozen or so people, only one more stepped forward. The result was as expected—he too was defeated in a single move.

’A master on the Hidden Dragon Roll is truly terrifying!’

The crowd was momentarily disheartened.

They had thought they were picking on a soft target, but they had run into a formidable powerhouse instead.

A group of Central Plains People walked out of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, dejected.

The officials from Ling Province, however, watched with great satisfaction.

Their Lord General had taken down a man from the Central Plains with a single kick. This was a rare moment of pride for the Lingzhou People.

Bai Yuan glanced over. "Disperse."

Hearing the order, the spectating officials finally began to leave, though still wanting more.

Bai Yuan clasped his hands behind his back and walked back to his room.

Yang Fangyu, who had quietly left the Martial Arts Arena at some point, was already waiting in the room.

"Ah Yuan, it’s been taken care of."

"Thank you."

Bai Yuan smiled faintly.

...

「In a courtyard in Huanglong Prefecture.」

The dozen or so Central Plains People who had appeared at the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office earlier were all gathered in the courtyard.

They had not traveled together. The only reason they were all here was because of the man standing before them.

"Everyone, please wait a moment longer."

The young man spoke eloquently and carried himself with grace; he was clearly not the scion of an ordinary family.

In fact, his background was indeed illustrious—he was the Heir of Qingzhou.

If not for this status, gathering so many masters from the Central Plains would have been no easy task.

Just as everyone was wondering why the Heir of Qingzhou had gathered them in this courtyard, the gate was pushed open once more.

This time, two other young men walked into the small courtyard.

One of them was none other than Bai Yuan, the man they had wanted to challenge earlier.

Seeing Bai Yuan appear again, Qian Yu and the others all wore puzzled expressions.

They couldn’t understand why Bai Yuan had wanted them to stay.

Bai Yuan smiled faintly. "Instructor Qian, Brother Luo, I’m afraid my hand was a bit heavy earlier."

"..."

The two men who had challenged Bai Yuan fell silent. He’d sent them flying with a single kick, and he calls that just ’a bit heavy’?!

But then they recalled Bai Yuan’s fearsome reputation—that he drew blood whenever he struck.

’Thinking about it that way, he was actually being quite courteous.’

Qian Yu cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute and asked the question on everyone’s mind.

"Lord Bai, for what purpose have you gathered us here?"

All eyes fell upon Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan felt no pressure at all, smiling faintly. "I have invited you all here today to discuss matters of great importance to the state."

As soon as he said this, Qian Yu and the others raised their eyebrows.

’Matters of great importance to the state...’ Those words carried significant weight.

Although Bai Yuan was a high-ranking regional official, he only governed Ling Province. His authority was far from reaching that level.

’Trying to trick us with patriotic sentiment won’t be that easy.’

Qian Yu said, "Lord Bai, those are strong words."

As an Instructor at Yingshan Academy, he was a stickler for words, often pondering over a single character for days or even months.

Unless it was a matter that could shake the very foundations of the nation, it couldn’t be called a "matter of great importance to the state."

Bai Yuan’s smile remained. "Instructor Qian, if this concerns the demon seed, would you say it qualifies as a matter of great importance to the state?"

Hearing the words "demon seed," everyone’s expression grew tense.

Qian Yu frowned. "Lord Bai, wasn’t the demon seed already eradicated?"

He stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing deeply.

If the military reports were correct, Bai Yuan himself had participated in the operation to destroy the demon seed. For him to act like this today likely meant the matter of the demon seed was not yet truly over.

Some of the others also sensed that something was amiss and began to think about leaving.

But Bai Yuan had no intention of giving them the chance to bolt.

"That’s right. The demon seed was not destroyed. It still exists in this world."

Qian Yu’s expression was graver than ever. "Lord Bai, the matter of the demon seed is no laughing matter."

Bai Yuan: "This comes from Grand Protector Yan himself. It is the absolute truth."

Hearing the name "Grand Protector Yan," no one argued further.

Everyone in the Capital City knew that Bai Yuan had only managed to get on the Hidden Dragon Roll thanks to Yan Shao’an’s promotion.

A smile played on Bai Yuan’s lips. "Therefore, I would like to ask you all to stay in Ling Province and search for the whereabouts of the demon seed. On behalf of the Lord Grand Protector, I thank you in advance."

Silence.

A full fifteen minutes of silence.

Qian Yu finally let out a soft sigh. "Every man has a duty to his nation. As an Instructor of the academy who teaches the ways of governing a peaceful world, I have an undeniable responsibility to eradicate the demon seed."

Bai Yuan: "Your righteousness is admirable, Teacher."

With Qian Yu taking the lead, three more people successively voiced their agreement.

Some of them were already Court officials, so they were in no position to refuse.

Bai Yuan swept his gaze over the remaining men. "I will be sure to report your righteous deeds to Grand Protector Yan."

The last few men finally wavered.

They had traveled thousands of miles to Ling Province for the sole purpose of gaining promotions and wealth.

Now that they had failed to defeat Bai Yuan, replacing him on the Hidden Dragon Roll was clearly impossible. However, they could use Bai Yuan to connect with the Lord Grand Protector.

Bai Yuan had been recommended for the Hidden Dragon Roll by Yan Shao’an, and the world already considered him half a disciple of Yan Shao’an.

As for why not a full one... that was because the other half belonged to the Minister of War, Xu Dingchun.

Bai Yuan’s martial arts might not be the absolute best, but his ability to curry favor on all sides was truly unmatched.

To be held in high regard by Xu Dingchun, Du Qinghui, and Yan Shao’an simultaneously... he was the first of his kind.

A good word from Bai Yuan was far more useful than some cold military report.

"Alright, I’m in!"

Spurred on by Bai Yuan’s words, ten more men decided to join the team searching for the demon seed.

In the end, only three men were left.

Bai Yuan: "Every man has his own ambitions, and I will not force you. However, the matter of the demon seed is of great importance, so I must ask the three of you to reside here for the time being."

"Brother Wu, Brother Lu, Brother Wei, please don’t make things difficult for the Lord Grand Protector."

The threat in his words was palpable.

When the three men heard Bai Yuan call out their surnames one by one, their expressions changed.

Clearly, Bai Yuan had already investigated their backgrounds.

If they dared to escape this courtyard, Yan Shao’an would surely request an imperial decree to exterminate their ten generations of kin.

Bai Yuan looked at the three now-compliant men and nodded in satisfaction.

Very few people in Xuan Yang knew about the demon seed, so he naturally couldn’t let these three return to their respective sects.

The Soul-Chasing Tower’s infiltration of Xuan Yang ran too deep. There was no telling if this matter would be exposed, so it was best to be cautious.

Ever since learning about the demon seed, he had been vexed by the lack of reliable Martial Dao masters in Ling Province.

Who would have thought that thanks to the Hidden Dragon Roll, a large batch of Perception Gate masters would conveniently show up in Ling Province? Of course, he had no reason not to use them.

「After Bai Yuan left.」

Qian Yu and the others finally realized what had happened.

It turned out they had fallen into Bai Yuan’s scheme the moment they stepped into the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office!

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