The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 379: Chapter 373: Xuanjiang Aquatic Race

The Buddhist Family reveres the lion.

There is a Supreme Dharma Gate called the Vajra Lion’s Roar, though it is known by a more resonant name among the common people.

The Lion’s Roar.

Countless legends surround this Divine Power. A thousand years ago, a Venerable from the Buddhist Family cultivated this art to its absolute peak, rendering him undefeated throughout the world.

It would be a grave mistake to think of the Lion’s Roar as nothing more than a loud shout.

The Vajra Lion’s Roar is one of the few attacks in the world that specifically targets the soul.

Bai Yuan gazed at the panel.

In one go, he upgraded the Vajra Lion Technique to the Proficient level, bringing him very close to Mastery.

This was the grand gift the Six-tailed Fox had given him.

Elder Pei had once said that one could not affect the soul without reaching the Divinity realm. And yet, the great masters of the Buddhist Family used sound waves as their path into martial arts, forging a unique trail to create the Lion’s Roar technique.

This allowed a Martial Artist to master attacks on the soul before reaching the Divinity realm.

Bai Yuan had chosen the Vajra Lion Technique precisely because it was exceptionally compatible with his neck’s Divine Mansion.

Once mastered, a single roar could make an army of thousands retreat. It was an incredibly domineering ability and a superb skill for fighting large groups.

As a profound martial art of the Buddhist Family, very few people could master the Vajra Lion Technique, even within the great Buddhist temples.

Bai Yuan, however, had no such worries.

Still, the Palm Thunder that Elder Pei had demonstrated earlier had truly made his heart burn with desire.

Unfortunately, he had asked Elder Pei about it, only to learn that only the Grand Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Sect was qualified to cultivate Palm Thunder. Not even the sect’s Core Disciples were allowed.

He could only give up on the idea.

...

「Bai Mansion, Martial Arts Arena.」

CLANG!

Yue Xiaobai’s footwork was a blur as he circled Bai Yuan, his sword a flash of light with every swing.

Unlike the other Sword Dao masters Bai Yuan had seen, Yue Xiaobai’s sword style had no flourish. One might even call it rigid, yet every single move was astonishingly powerful.

’Perhaps this is what they call solid fundamentals.’

Bai Yuan withstood Yue Xiaobai’s sword with his physical body while ferociously striking at Yue Xiaobai with the Curved Blade Blood Fiend. He was like a god of slaughter, his killing intent so potent it seemed to materialize, forming a faint red mist around him.

If a commoner were to see him, they would think he was Yama, come to reap their souls.

Yue Xiaobai fought on the retreat, growing more and more frustrated.

And frustrated he was!

Bai Yuan was like an infinitely strong monster protected by an impenetrable shell.

His swordsmanship couldn’t harm Bai Yuan at the moment, yet Bai Yuan could unleash a relentless barrage of his most powerful killing moves without a care in the world.

’How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!’

Yue Xiaobai abruptly retreated ten meters. "I’m done!"

Bai Yuan stopped as well, a hint of disappointment on his face.

’He had only just warmed up, and Xiaobai was already calling it quits.’

Yue Xiaobai stared at Bai Yuan as if he were looking at a monster.

He and Bai Yuan had sparred many times, but they had always focused on practicing a single skill at a time.

Therefore, whether it was bladework, poison arts, leg techniques, or even the body hardening he showed later, Yue Xiaobai had been confident he could handle them.

But after today’s battle, he realized just how wrong he had been.

Bai Yuan had integrated all his cultivation techniques near-perfectly. When his martial arts were layered on top of each other, they created a multiplier effect.

He felt as if he were being ganged up on by five Bai Yuans at once.

’How was he supposed to fight that?’

Yue Xiaobai felt dejected.

He had thought that his Sword Intent had grown immensely from sparring with Bai Yuan, but he never expected the gap between them to be so vast.

For the first time since he’d started practicing the sword, he began to question his own talent.

’Could this be the true aptitude of a Martial Saint?’

From the day he first held a sword, his goal had never been to simply become a Divinity Grandmaster. He aimed to become a Martial Saint, one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Grand Ancestor Emperor and the Demon Sect Ancestor Master.

All this time, he had held himself to the standards of a Martial Saint, never once slacking off.

Until Bai Yuan showed him that there was always someone better out there...

Bai Yuan patted Yue Xiaobai’s shoulder. "Xiaobai, you’re still young. The future is yours."

Yue Xiaobai felt a little better hearing that.

He had always been the youngest junior martial brother in the Xiyue Sect. In all of Xuan Yang, there were very few experts younger than him.

But then he remembered—that rascal Bai Yuan was actually six years younger than him.

"Screw you."

He flew into a rage and stormed off, dragging his sword behind him.

Bai Yuan shook his head. ’I was just trying to console him out of the goodness of my heart, so why is he so ungrateful?’

’Xiaobai really needs to work on his social graces,’ he thought.

Still, he was quite pleased that he’d gotten to unleash the full power of his Divine Mansion Technique.

Yue Xiaobai wasn’t just a standout among the younger generation; even among the older generation, there were few who could defeat him.

After that exchange, he was at least ninety percent confident he could defeat Yue Xiaobai.

It was a shame that of the other two geniuses on their level, one was in the Southern Border and the other was part of the Li Royal Family. Otherwise, Bai Yuan would have loved to pay them a visit to see just how strong they were.

...

On the surface, the Capital City appeared calm, but beneath it, dark undercurrents were surging.

After Emperor Xuanyang, the Grand Tutor, and Elder Pei met, the Court had already laid an inescapable net to capture Mr. Yuan.

The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War had both dispatched large numbers of personnel to search for any trace of Mr. Yuan.

As a major figure in the Demon Sect, the Court was determined to ensure he never left Xuan Yang.

Bai Yuan continued to report to the Imperial Inspection Office as usual.

He did not need to participate in the search itself, only wait for orders from Elder Pei.

「One day.」

Fanghua, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, paid him another visit.

Upon seeing Bai Yuan, Fanghua curiously glanced around Bai Yuan’s small courtyard.

"Is Celestial Master Pei truly staying at your mansion?"

Ever since Emperor Xuanyang and the Grand Tutor had visited the Bai Mansion, the news had spread like wildfire among the officials.

A Grand Celestial Master from the Dragon Tiger Sect had arrived in the Capital City, yet he didn’t enter the Imperial City or seek out Grand Tutor Liang. Instead, he went straight to Bai Yuan’s mansion. No matter how you looked at it, the situation was preposterous.

Fanghua was now forced to believe that Bai Yuan truly had a knack for getting on his elders’ good side.

Never mind Bai Yuan’s master, Dong Wanjun, the Grand General of the North. With Du Qinghui, Xu Dingchun, Yan Shao’an, and now this Grand Celestial Master, Bai Yuan’s backing was frighteningly powerful.

If he had a background like Bai Yuan’s, he’d feel obligated to walk around with his nose in the air.

Bai Yuan said, "Of course."

He was familiar with Fanghua, and since the news about Elder Pei was already out, there was no need to be secretive.

Hearing Bai Yuan’s confirmation, the envy on Fanghua’s face deepened.

He composed himself and got down to business. "The Ministry of Justice has found a trace of Mr. Yuan. It seems to be related to the Xuanjiang Aquatic Race."

At these words, Bai Yuan’s expression turned grave.

The Xuanjiang was the number one river running east to west across Xuan Yang, spanning over ten thousand li.

It wasn’t too far from the Capital City and could be considered the mother river of the Central Plains.

Xuan Yang had expelled most demons from its lands, but there was one exception.

The Xuanjiang Aquatic Race.

Human Martial Artists already had their combat strength greatly reduced in water; fighting the Aquatic Race’s demons there would surely lead to devastating losses.

Furthermore, when the Grand Ancestor Emperor first conquered the world, he signed a pact with the Xuanjiang Aquatic Race, and the two sides agreed to coexist peacefully.

For a thousand years, the Xuanjiang Aquatic Race had remained exceptionally peaceful, keeping their subordinates in line and never causing any major demon-related disasters.

But for Mr. Yuan to now be connected with the Xuanjiang Aquatic Race... this development inevitably raised some troubling questions.

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