The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Ever since Xu Dingchun was recalled to the Capital City, Ma Bing had hardly heard any news of the old general.

Bai Yuan laughed heartily. "Excellent."

Ma Bing grinned. "That's good to hear."

Seeing Ma Bing building a rapport with Bai Yuan, the Old Prefect at their side had a bad feeling.

Unfortunately, having never served in the Northern Garrison Army or held a position in the Ministry of War, he couldn't find a way to join the conversation.

He finally managed to chime in, "I, too, have long admired Lord Xu."

After the pleasantries were exchanged, Bai Yuan's expression turned serious.

Seeing Bai Yuan's expression, Ma Bing and Lei Ting also grew solemn and stood ready. They had already heard some rumors.

Bai Yuan took an ornate jade sword from a soldier.

"My lords," Bai Yuan began, "His Majesty sent me to the Northern Territory not only to defend Shuofang but also for another matter: to register all the Northern Sects. After some deliberation, I've decided to start with a trial run in Yu State. What do you two think?"

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, both Ma Bing and Lei Ting were stunned.

They stared in shock at the jade sword in Bai Yuan's hand.

An Imperial Sword!

The two men swallowed hard. It seemed they had no power to refuse...

With an Imperial Sword in hand, Bai Yuan could kill them right now, and the Emperor would not punish him.

"Your subordinate obeys!"

The two took a deep breath and declared their stance in unison.

Bai Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, let's start with the Broken Blade Sect."

Ma Bing and Lei Ting exchanged complicated looks. They understood that the skies over Yu State were about to change.

...

In the main hall of the Broken Blade Sect.

"General Ma, my eldest brother is unwell and confined to his bed. My brother and I truly cannot make a decision on this matter."

Zhou Hu said with a face wreathed in smiles.

As the saying goes, the common folk don't fight with officials. Although the Broken Blade Sect was the largest sect in Yu State, they didn't dare to casually offend the Government Office.

Ma Bing sneered. "This is Lord Bai's order. Did you think I was here to negotiate with you?"

Zhou Hu nodded repeatedly. "General Ma speaks sense."

'Things are bad,' he muttered to himself.

The Broken Blade Sect had had plenty of dealings with this General of Yu State before.

Ma Bing, while not as smooth as Prefect Lei Ting, had never been this difficult to talk to.

Today, Ma Bing had come to their door and directly demanded that the Broken Blade Sect hand over its register, stating that all disciples had to be registered with the Court.

This was tantamount to handing half their lives over to the Government Office.

Naturally, Zhou Hu and Li Ying wouldn't agree.

But Ma Bing seemed to have made up his mind, showing no intention of backing down.

Seeing this, Li Ying, who was standing to the side, grit his teeth and discreetly took a small, exquisite wooden box from his sleeve. "General Ma, a small pill, just a token of our respect."

Ma Bing glanced at the small wooden box.

'What a grand gesture!'

The box alone was made from the extremely rare Divine Dragon Wood; one didn't even need to see the pill inside to know it was extraordinary.

Li Ying saw the change in Ma Bing's expression and sneered internally.

'These officials are just trying to make the Broken Blade Sect bleed a little.'

'Good thing our eldest brother, Wang Lang, was prepared this time, or this would be hard to resolve.'

But to his surprise, Ma Bing only glanced at it before saying, "Did I not make myself clear? This is Lord Bai's order. No exceptions!"

As soon as he said this, the smiles on Zhou Hu and Li Ying's faces froze, and a flash of killing intent appeared in their eyes.

Ma Bing was just an Entering Martial Artist. They usually showed him respect because of his official position, but now he was refusing to accept their goodwill. Their own vicious natures were stirred.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"General Ma's visit to our Broken Blade Sect truly brings us great honor."

The speaker was none other than the true power of the Broken Blade Sect, Wang Lang.

Ma Bing looked at the old man, Wang Lang, with a smirk. "Weren't you sick, Sect Leader Wang? All better now?"

Wang Lang gave a light cough. "I was indeed feeling unwell, which is why I am a bit late."

Ma Bing didn't press the issue; he had more important matters to attend to. "Alright, since Sect Leader Wang is here, hurry up and bring out the register."

Wang Lang replied, "General Ma, it is not that this humble one is unwilling, but I would like to know why."

Ma Bing slowly drew the saber from his waist. "When the Court conducts its business, what need is there to give you a reason?"

In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall grew incredibly tense.

Zhou Hu and Li Ying glared at Ma Bing with malicious expressions, ready to strike at any moment.

They were all men of the Jianghu. Who among them didn't have a bit of a temper?

Wang Lang shot a glare at Zhou Hu and Li Ying. "General Ma, the Household Register is of utmost importance. I must at least confirm that this is truly Lord Bai's intention."

Of course, he knew this was the intention of the new Jiedu Envoy.

He was only saying this to stall for time.

The Broken Blade Sect had dominated Yu State for eight hundred years; naturally, they had connections. He needed time to work those channels.

Just as Ma Bing was about to speak, a clear voice rang out, "Since Sect Leader Wang was looking for me, I have come."

Wang Lang's eyes narrowed slightly.

A man with an ordinary face but a noble air walked into the main hall of the Broken Blade Sect.

The two Broken Blade Sect guards outside the door wore looks of terror.

They had no idea when Bai Yuan had entered the hall.

Wang Lang stared at Bai Yuan for a long moment before slowly bowing. "This commoner greets Lord Bai."

Bai Yuan merely glanced at Wang Lang. "The Court wishes to register all the sects in the world. This is an undertaking that will benefit generations to come. Sect Leader Wang should understand the stakes."

A deeper chill settled in Wang Lang's heart.

The Xuan Yang Court's intention to rein in the Jianghu had long been an open secret, but he never expected them to start with Yu State.

This caught Wang Lang completely off guard.

Once they handed over the Household Register, they would essentially be at the mercy of the Prefecture Magistrate's Office.

From then on, their hands would be tied in everything they did.

But if they didn't hand it over...

Wang Lang was weighing the odds of a fight. He had never seen Bai Yuan in action. Although Bai Yuan was a famous expert in the Northern Territory, even if he couldn't win, he should be confident he could at least escape.

A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Bai Yuan's mouth.

He slowly raised his right hand, and then a horrifying scene unfolded before everyone.

Zhou Hu, who stood at the side, suddenly turned beet red, his limbs flailing weakly.

Seeing this, Wang Lang and Li Ying's eyes widened in disbelief.

Just as Wang Lang was about to speak up and intervene, Zhou Hu's entire body went limp and collapsed to the floor. He was no longer breathing.

Everyone in the hall, including Ma Bing, gasped in cold horror.

'What kind of terrifying technique is this?!'

Although Zhou Hu was the weakest of the three from the Broken Blade Sect, he was still an accomplished Entering Martial Artist. Yet Bai Yuan had killed him from a distance!

It was simply unheard of.

With a THUD, Wang Lang fell to his knees, all the strength seeming to drain from his body. "The Broken Blade Sect will deliver the Household Register tomorrow."

He suddenly felt his earlier thoughts had been too naive.

'Escape?'

'Bai Yuan could kill everyone in this hall in an instant.'

This absolute crush of power left him with no will to resist.

If he didn't hand over the Household Register today, the Broken Blade Sect would cease to exist.

This Bai Jiedu Envoy had already slaughtered the Longevity Palace; he wouldn't care about adding the Broken Blade Sect to the list.

Bai Yuan was very satisfied with Wang Lang's attitude, but he also felt a slight tinge of regret.

'He had thought Wang Lang might say one more word, which would have given him an excuse to kill Li Ying as well.'

'A pity...'

Getting these sects to obediently hand over their Household Registers and go to the Government Office to register was a near-impossible task.

As the first one, he had to make an example of the Broken Blade Sect, and it had to be decisive.

Only then could he intimidate the other Northern Sects. Otherwise, there would be endless trouble.

Killing was also a necessity.

Ma Bing swallowed, following obediently behind Bai Yuan. This Bai Jiedu Envoy was just as the rumors said: cold-blooded and merciless. The name Ren Tu was well-earned.

Bai Yuan returned to the Prefecture Magistrate's Office.

The next day, Wang Lang delivered the Broken Blade Sect's register.

With the Broken Blade Sect setting an example, things became much easier.

Ma Bing and Lei Ting each took a team and went to all the other sects in Yu State.

When those sects heard that even the Broken Blade Sect had obediently handed over their register, they naturally didn't dare to resist.

Even if some tried to resist, they were easily dealt with by the two Chief Officials.

Bai Yuan had only been in Yu State for seven days, yet the entire Jianghu there had lost the courage to resist.

The Jianghu of Yu State was pacified.

And he, along with his men, quietly departed from Yu State.

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