The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 408: Chapter 396: Heading North (2)

Hearing this, Bai Yuan couldn’t help but be surprised.

As a genius of the Xiyue Sect, Yue Xiaobai was supremely confident. It was shocking that there was someone he considered his better.

After all, thirty years ago, those two would have been about the same age as Yue Xiaobai was now.

Bai Yuan’s expression turned solemn. "I will be careful."

But Yue Xiaobai changed his tune. "Then again, you don’t have to be. You’re a monster yourself."

"Thanks for the compliment."

A fighting spirit ignited in Bai Yuan’s heart.

After so many years of cultivating the Martial Dao, he was finally qualified to fight the most brilliant geniuses in the world. How could he not be proud of that?

Just when everyone thought Bai Yuan would enter seclusion to prepare for the battle, the man himself acted as if nothing was wrong, still leaving early and returning late each day—even more frequently than before.

This attracted countless Jianghu People in the city to watch.

They wanted to know what Bai Yuan was doing outside the city, but unfortunately, no one could keep up with him. He would disappear as if into thin air the moment he left the city gates, which only made everyone look forward to the duel even more.

The number one talent of the younger generation would perhaps be decided in Binzhou City.

This was the greatest event in the Jianghu in nearly a hundred years.

...

「Three days later.」

Guihai and Divine Dust appeared simultaneously on the outskirts of Yan Province.

The two prodigies had finally arrived in the Northern Territory.

This inevitably made people even more excited.

Three more days passed. Two figures slowly appeared on the Official Road outside Binzhou City, greeted by countless people lining the way.

Prefect Tang Baichuan even went to the city walls himself.

He gazed at the two figures in the distance and couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his heart.

’They really are Xuan Yang’s most outstanding geniuses!’

...

「On the walls of Binzhou City.」

Tang Baichuan secretly swallowed.

The pressure from those two juniors was too great. Although he was decades older than them, he felt he’d be slapped to death in a single blow.

It was that terrifying.

As he stood there in shock, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

"Xiaobai, we should learn from them in the future."

Tang Baichuan turned to look and saw Bai Yuan had already ascended the city wall, accompanied by Yue Xiaobai, the Xiyue Divine Sword.

"Lord Bai."

Tang Baichuan consciously stepped aside, giving Bai Yuan the best viewing spot.

Bai Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony and stood at the head of the wall with Yue Xiaobai.

When the Martial Artists of Binzhou City saw the two appear, their excitement surged.

Many of them recognized the man standing next to Bai Yuan as Yue Xiaobai, renowned as the Xiyue Divine Sword—another rare genius of the younger generation.

Four young dragons gathered in Binzhou. What a magnificent era!

Bai Yuan paid no mind to the gazes from below the wall. He watched the two on the Official Road.

Guihai and Divine Dust were remarkably handsome—far more so than he was, at least. They walked with incredible slowness, each step carrying a unique rhythm.

’Tsk. I’ll have to try walking like that in the future.’

’A lesson learned,’ Bai Yuan thought to himself.

’A new little trick for flexing each day.’

But the auras of those two were indeed very strong. Even from such a great distance, he could feel their power.

’Just as expected of the geniuses who made Xiaobai feel inferior thirty years ago.’

Finally, Guihai and Divine Dust arrived at the gates of Binzhou City.

Both of them looked up in unison at Bai Yuan, high on the city wall.

Bai Yuan looked down on them. His position gave him a natural advantage; no matter how powerful they were, they still had to look up to him.

"Xiaobai, doesn’t it feel great to look down on people like this?"

"..."

Yue Xiaobai didn’t answer. He was long accustomed to Bai Yuan’s wild flights of fancy and knew it was best to just ignore them.

’What a pity,’ Bai Yuan thought.

’Xiaobai is a great guy, but he’s just too quiet.’

’It really is lonely at the top.’

But a glance from the corner of his eye revealed at least several hundred people on the wall, so maybe it wasn’t so lonely after all.

As his thoughts drifted, Guihai, below the gate, slowly spoke, "Guihai of the Zhengyang Sect. I have come to seek your guidance."

Bai Yuan looked toward Guihai.

Guihai was extremely handsome, but he lacked the powdered, effeminate air of a nobleman’s son. Instead, he radiated a pure Jianghu aura—the kind of person who would still fit in perfectly drinking at a cheap tavern even while dressed in fine silks.

Clearly, Guihai was not the kind of genius raised in a greenhouse.

In fact, which of Xuan Yang’s true prodigies hadn’t fought their way out of a sea of blood?

Bai Yuan muttered in a low voice, "Zhengyang Sect..."

Among Xuan Yang’s many great sects, the Zhengyang Sect was one of the most unique.

It was neither a Daoist Sect nor Buddhist, but a pure Jianghu sect. It was founded by a Divinity Grandmaster from a previous dynasty and was nowhere near its current heights in the beginning. However, that Grandmaster had a keen eye for talent, as two of his five disciples became Divinity Grandmasters.

Every subsequent Sect Leader continued this tradition of having a good eye, producing a Divinity Grandmaster in every generation.

In just a few thousand years, it had grown into a behemoth comparable to ancient sects with ten-thousand-year histories like the Dragon Tiger Sect and Xuanfa Temple.

And Guihai was the Zhengyang Sect’s most outstanding disciple in a century. According to the sect’s traditions, he was extremely likely to become a Divinity Grandmaster in the future.

This was the power of a strong legacy.

At the Lingzhou Divine Mansion Gate, it would be impossible to cultivate someone to the Divinity Communication Barrier.

How could a single generation’s effort possibly overcome thousands of years of accumulated foundation?

Guihai’s appearance here was ostensibly to stop Bai Yuan from cleansing the Northern Border Martial World, but his true purpose was to disrupt the rising national fortune of Xuan Yang.

This was a very esoteric and mysterious concept.

The growth of Xuan Yang’s national fortune would inevitably consume the fortune of the Jianghu. This was an irreconcilable conflict.

Xuan Yang was not like the previous dynasty; it would never allow sects to control the court and coexist with it. Thus, the two sides had always maintained a delicate balance.

Until, with the passage of time, a battle finally became inevitable.

Bai Yuan then looked at the young Monk in tattered robes next to Guihai.

Although his clothes weren’t luxurious, and he looked much like any other wandering Monk begging for alms, his fair and handsome features, paired with eyes as clear as a placid lake, made him unforgettable.

Xuanfa Temple, the strongest branch of the Southern Buddhist Sect.

This branch held immense influence in the south, rivaling the Dragon Tiger Sect. At its peak, it had boasted the magnificent spectacle of five Divinity Grandmasters in a single temple, earning it the reputation of a holy land for the Buddhist Martial Dao.

It was a place of pilgrimage for countless devout men and women.

This Buddha’s Son, Divine Dust, didn’t have many recorded battles. His last known fight was when he slew a great demon that was plaguing the common people. After that, he had been in arduous cultivation at Xuanfa Temple.

Now that he had reappeared, his Buddhist Technique was certain to be even more profound.

Divine Dust put his palms together. "Amitabha Buddha. Donor Bai, this humble Monk has come to invite you to stay at Xuanfa Temple for a short while."

Bai Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’An invitation to stay for a while?’

’It’s clearly just a ploy to trap me in Xuanfa Temple.’

With his current status, not even Xuanfa Temple would dare to make a move on him recklessly. However, they could have Divine Dust fight him first, and after defeating him, take him away to Xuankong Temple.

If his skills were inferior, even the Court could do nothing.

Besides, Xuankong Temple wouldn’t be imprisoning Bai Yuan; they would be "inviting" him to the temple to listen to Buddhist teachings.

For many Xuan Yang officials who were fond of Buddhism, such an opportunity was a heavenly blessing they couldn’t even dream of.

A cold sneer formed on Bai Yuan’s lips. "And what if I’m not willing?"

Divine Dust chanted "Amitabha Buddha" again. "Donor Bai, this humble Monk’s invitation is sincere. You have a predestined connection with the Buddha. It is all a matter of fate."

"..."

Bai Yuan was speechless.

’Why does that sound so familiar?’

He quickly recalled that Elder Pei had said the exact same thing.

It just goes to show how many charlatans there are in Buddhism and the Daoist Sect. Both of their rhetorical tricks were about the same; one spoke of destiny, the other of Buddhist fate.

This time, Bai Yuan had trusted Elder Pei, not because he actually believed in some ethereal destiny, but because Elder Pei was strong enough to back it up. Divine Dust hadn’t earned that right yet. That was all.

Bai Yuan domineeringly drew the Blood Demon Curved Saber from his waist. "Enough pointless talk. Come on!"

At these words, the thousands of people below the city gate were all shaken.

The pre-fight trash talk was over. It was finally time for the real excitement.

The way high-status experts trash-talked was so dull; it left one feeling completely unsatisfied.

The words had barely left his mouth when Guihai’s figure leaped.

The leap covered a full twenty zhang, taking him directly onto the walls of Binzhou City, making the onlookers’ eyelids twitch.

The main event was finally starting!

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