The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 345: Chapter 339: Civil Duel

In the room.

Bai Yuan and Yue Xiaobai’s breathing grew ragged.

They had exchanged thirty-seven moves in one go. Each move was executed with their full strength, so the exertion was naturally immense. Although it wasn’t a true life-or-death battle, it was still extremely physically demanding.

Yue Xiaobai suddenly retracted his Bamboo Sword.

"Enough!"

Bai Yuan, not yet satisfied, said, "I haven’t had my fill."

"..."

The corner of Yang Fangyu’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong with this conversation, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

Yue Xiaobai said, "I admit, you really do have what it takes to challenge those three."

"Thank you for the compliment. I know."

The "three" Yue Xiaobai mentioned were, of course, the three prodigies already on the Young Dragon Leaderboard.

Anyone else would have thought Bai Yuan arrogant and cursed him for his shamelessness, but Yue Xiaobai found it perfectly reasonable.

He had exchanged thirty-seven moves with Bai Yuan, and they were evenly matched.

To say Bai Yuan was inferior to those three would be to say he was also inferior to them. Therefore, it was only natural. Bai Yuan was right. He suddenly realized that this person before him was very much to his liking.

Yue Xiaobai’s gaze was sharp, like a drawn sword. Just meeting his eyes made one feel a piercing sensation.

After this "civilized duel" with Bai Yuan, he felt that his Sword Intent had grown considerably.

’The feeling of growing stronger is always so intoxicating...’

Indeed, the reason he frantically sought out duels was precisely to nurture the Sword Intent within his heart.

Elder Pei had once said that after cultivating "perceptive force," the ways a Martial Artist could utilize this power were incredibly diverse.

The Xiyue Sect, for instance, had created something as unique as the Xiyue Sword Intent.

The unique properties of the Xiyue Sword Intent were precisely why Yue Xiaobai could use Sword Control to fight his opponents.

The same was true for Bai Yuan.

This battle had benefited him greatly. In particular, Yue Xiaobai’s insights into speed, through a process of analogous understanding, might save him a great deal of time in mastering the Cloud Ladder Leap.

"Let me ask you something."

"Speak."

"Are there any others in Xiyue with the surname Yue?"

"I’m the only one."

"Oh."

Bai Yuan felt a tinge of regret. He swallowed back the name on the tip of his tongue: Yue Buqun.

’Seems it’s just a coincidence.’

Yue Xiaobai, however, didn’t mind Bai Yuan’s random question. "Don’t worry. This fight wasn’t for nothing. I’ll help you block anyone else who comes to challenge you."

With that, he turned to leave.

Bai Yuan quickly stopped him.

"Are you really going to repay me?"

"Of course."

Yue Xiaobai nodded. He dueled to accumulate Sword Intent, which meant Bai Yuan had essentially wasted his own time to help him.

He wasn’t the type of person who liked to owe favors.

Bai Yuan cleared his throat. "In that case, why don’t you stay in Ling Province and help me find the Demon Seed?"

Hearing the two words "Demon Seed," Yue Xiaobai froze mid-step.

"Wasn’t the Demon Seed already destroyed...?"

He trailed off, having already guessed Bai Yuan’s intentions before he could finish his sentence.

Clearly, the Demon Seed wasn’t dead. The Court had simply suppressed the news. He wasn’t concerned with why they would do such a thing, but he was, in fact, very interested in this Demon Seed.

"Fine!"

Bai Yuan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Yue Xiaobai to agree so readily.

’Dealing with a martial fanatic is so easy!’

He had originally prepared to feed Yue Xiaobai a dose of "every man has a duty to his country" inspirational soup, but it seemed that was no longer necessary.

He was still counting on the experts from Ershui and Sanshui to help him find the Demon Seed, so how could he let Yue Xiaobai drive them out of Ling Province?

With Yue Xiaobai’s help, the chances of finding the Demon Seed would increase dramatically.

...

「Lingzhou City.」

The place that had originally been the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office was now Yan Shao’an’s Provisional Government.

The officials of Ling Province had no objections to this. In fact, they even felt honored.

Next to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office was a massive residence.

This was the residence of Grand Protector Yan Shao’an.

Yan Shao’an sat bolt upright, lifting his teacup for a sip. Seated across from him was none other than the King of Qingzhou, Li Kangyan.

"That boy certainly has his methods."

Naturally, what Bai Yuan had done in Huanglong Prefecture could not be hidden from the two of them.

However, Bai Yuan’s methods were very subtle. If he hadn’t sent a secret message, they wouldn’t have paid it any attention.

Li Kangyan remarked, "We’ll have to credit him with another achievement."

Yan Shao’an nodded.

He had just been discussing with Li Kangyan the possibility of bringing in personnel from the Capital City to search for the Demon Seed. He hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to come up with a solution beforehand.

That boy had even gone so far as to expand the search area by proclaiming that, thanks to him, the Northern Territory was the true champion of the current Martial Dao.

How could the hot-blooded Martial Artists from the Central Plains and Jiangnan stand for such words? It was said that the challengers seeking out Bai Yuan had already reached Bashui—the highest number since the establishment of the Young Dragon Leaderboard.

Yan Shao’an continued, "His Majesty has already sent the Dark Guard to investigate."

"The Dark Guard!"

The King of Qingzhou, Li Kangyan, was somewhat astonished.

If the Astronomical Bureau was the Court’s most mysterious department, then the Dark Guard was the department known to the fewest people.

This was because the Dark Guard was a department that served Emperor Xuanyang, and him alone.

The Dark Guard was small in number, but every member was the elite of the elite.

Besides protecting the Emperor’s safety, their primary role was to handle difficult and troublesome matters.

Much of the intelligence on the Demon Sect, including information about the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers, was provided by the Dark Guard, a testament to their far-reaching influence.

Wherever the Dark Guard appeared, without exception, it involved matters of national importance.

The Emperor obviously placed immense importance on the Demon Seed.

Yan Shao’an added, "The Astronomical Bureau has recently observed the celestial phenomena. The Demon Seed will inevitably bring chaos to the world, and its rate of growth is accelerating."

The Demon Seed had now become the top priority in Ling Province.

But if even Elder Pei, the Purple Gold Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Sect—from the Daoist Sect most skilled at slaying demons—couldn’t find the Demon Seed, then two members of the Confucian Family like them were utterly helpless.

"You’ve met with this Elder Pei?"

Li Kangyan was, of course, aware of the old Daoist’s existence.

Yan Shao’an nodded.

"That old Daoist has been staying in Huanglong Prefecture for so long... Could he be mourning Du Qinghui?"

Elder Pei and Du Qinghui had been the closest of friends, but their identities were so sensitive that, aside from a select few, no one knew this secret.

Li Kangyan and Yan Shao’an were among those few.

When Du Qinghui was still alive, Bai Yuan had received his patronage on multiple occasions; otherwise, he could never have risen to prominence so quickly.

It was even possible that Bai Yuan’s smooth entry into the Young Dragon Leaderboard was partly due to the Emperor’s sentimental feelings for Du Qinghui.

As long as the state was not involved, His Majesty the Emperor was actually a very sentimental person.

This was a consensus held by nearly all Capital Officials.

Yan Shao’an shook his head. "How would I know?"

A nostalgic look flickered in Li Kangyan’s eyes.

He never thought that trip he took with Du Qinghui would be their last farewell.

The sorrow was fleeting, gone in an instant.

"Elder Pei’s Daoist Sect methods are sublime. I imagine he’ll have a way."

Li Kangyan still had great confidence in the old Daoist.

A Purple Gold Celestial Master was the most capable person in the world at vanquishing demons. Searching for a Demon Seed was, you could say, his exact specialty.

If even the old Daoist couldn’t find the Demon Seed, then they could only rely on luck.

Fortunately, Bai Yuan had mobilized a great number of people this time. Perhaps they would be able to find a clue to the Demon Seed’s whereabouts.

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