The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 448: Chapter 415: Different Paths, Same Destination (Part 2)

Big Beard said, "Alright, you’ve caused enough of a ruckus. Come back with me."

"If you keep this up, even I won’t be able to protect you."

As soon as Big Beard said it, he realized something was off.

’This kid Bai Yuan has caught Mr. Yuan’s eye. In this part of the Northern Plains, it’d be hard for him to die even if he wanted to.’

No one in the Northern Plains, human or demon, had ever doubted Mr. Yuan’s power.

Anything Mr. Yuan set his mind to was guaranteed to succeed.

Hearing this, Bai Yuan obediently followed Big Beard toward the forest.

Of course, slaying the Golden Crow wasn’t without its consequences; it was just that the great demons and powerful barbarians hadn’t found him yet.

The wisest course of action right now was, of course, to hide behind Big Beard.

’Hiding under the shade of a big tree like Big Beard shouldn’t be a problem.’

Bai Yuan felt a slight sense of regret.

During this time, he had also tried to find the chimera, but unfortunately, after a long search, there was still no sign of the creature.

Making a move later would be much more troublesome.

The chimera wasn’t a fool. Having seen the fate of the Golden Crow, it would definitely choose to hide far, far away.

The Northern Plains were truly vast.

Once it chose to hide, even a Grand Martial Artist who had passed the Divinity Communication Barrier would be helpless to find it.

...

「The next day.」

Traces of life returned to the wooden cabin on the Cang Lake Shore.

Big Beard’s life was the same as ever.

Except now, two new things were added to his routine: sparring with Bai Yuan, and eating Bai Yuan’s cooking.

Both happened to be related to Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan was more than happy with this arrangement.

Trading a single cooking session for a chance to spar with an expert like Big Beard... there was no better deal in the world.

The two figures flickered and shifted by the lake.

Unlike their previous spars, Bai Yuan could finally fight back now.

Although he was still largely suppressed by Big Beard, he wasn’t completely powerless. He pushed his master-level Barbarian Body Technique to its absolute limit.

He used his hands as blades, chopping toward Big Beard with a force comparable to a Divine Weapon.

Big Beard’s fighting style was inherently fierce and direct. He met all of Bai Yuan’s attacks head-on, trading blow for blow.

Their two incredibly powerful bodies crashed against each other again and again.

Bai Yuan felt an exhilarating rush.

Though he often sparred with Big Beard’s simulation in the Divine Palace Immortal Realm, it couldn’t compare to fighting the real thing.

Bai Yuan felt this way, and so did Big Beard.

He had been stuck at the Peak of Mingxin for too long. He could tear apart nearly all his enemies with ease, and finding a worthy opponent had become a fantasy.

Of course, it wasn’t that the Northern Plains lacked experts who could match him.

It was just that those people had all chosen a different path in the end, breaking through the Divinity Communication Barrier.

On one hand, Big Beard was no longer a match for them. On the other, he believed they had betrayed the ancestral teachings of the barbarians, and he disdained fighting them.

Thus, in all these years, this was the first time Big Beard had enjoyed such a satisfying, all-out fight.

Even if Bai Yuan didn’t cook for him, he would still have wanted to fight him.

The two fought from day to night, ending only when Big Beard sent Bai Yuan flying to the bottom of Cang Lake with a single punch.

Big Beard was just too powerful.

...

「An hour later.」

By the Cang Lake Shore, a bonfire blazed in front of the wooden cabin. Soon, a rich, meaty aroma drifted through the air.

Bai Yuan was grilling meat today.

Grilling was actually the simplest of all cooking methods, with the quality of the ingredients being the ultimate test. This time, Bai Yuan was roasting the meat of a seventh-tier Brocade Divine Chicken. It was hard to imagine it tasting bad. Combined with his specially prepared barbecue rub, it was a world-class delicacy.

Squatting to the side, Big Beard swallowed hard.

He had long been impatient. The aroma of the roast chicken tickled his nose, making him fidget with anticipation.

"It’s not ready yet."

Bai Yuan glanced at the hand Big Beard could no longer stop from reaching for the chicken and barked at him.

When it came to body techniques, Big Beard was his teacher. But in the art of cooking, he was Big Beard’s teacher. There was almost no one in the world who could surpass him in culinary skill.

It wasn’t that his culinary talent was truly unrivaled.

Rather, those with a higher Martial Arts Realm than him didn’t cook, and those who did cook didn’t have as high a Martial Arts Realm as him.

The Martial Dao had many applications, and it was even greatly beneficial for cooking. For example, it helped with knife skills and heat control. The Imperial Chefs in the Imperial Palace were certainly talented, but Bai Yuan’s superior Martial Dao allowed his culinary skills to surpass theirs.

Hearing Bai Yuan’s words, Big Beard reluctantly pulled his hand back. ’I’ll definitely teach this kid a lesson during our fight tomorrow,’ he thought resentfully.

Just as Big Beard’s patience was about to wear out, Bai Yuan, satisfied, presented the roasted chicken to him.

"You can eat now."

He hadn’t expected the guy to be so protective of his food. Big Beard didn’t even leave him a single drumstick.

Bai Yuan gave a helpless smile.

’No wonder Big Beard and Old Dong could be friends. They’re exactly the same when it comes to hoarding food.’

Since there was nothing left to eat, Bai Yuan simply took off his boots and walked barefoot to the lakeshore. The cool lake water relaxed his body and mind.

After reaching the Mingxin realm, eating one meal every seven days was enough.

But don’t be fooled by how little a Mingxin Grandmaster ate. That one meal packed a punch. It had to be prepared with Spirit Vegetables and demon beast meat to sustain a Mingxin Martial Artist’s energy consumption. If they ate ordinary food, they’d have to consume a mountain of it to satisfy their needs.

That was why in Xuan Yang, demon beast meat had become a hard currency.

A Martial Artist without demon beast meat was like a laborer who didn’t eat—their punches would surely be weak.

Bai Yuan sat by the lake, his thoughts drifting.

With his current strength, he was seventy percent confident he could kill Linghu Yang.

As for why only seventy percent, it was because he had to consider the heritage of the Celestial Profound Sect.

The Celestial Profound Sect might be suffering at his hands now, but their ancestors had been formidable.

Just like Xia Han before, they could always pull out some unexpected tricks that even Bai Yuan found difficult to defend against.

If a Vice Sect Leader was like that, then Linghu Yang, the Sect Leader, would only be more heavily armed.

Techniques from the Divinity Communication Barrier level still posed a significant threat to Bai Yuan.

Just then, a burly figure appeared beside Bai Yuan. A large foot plunged into the lake like an iron pillar, sending out ripples.

The thought that Big Beard might not have washed his feet in years crossed Bai Yuan’s mind, and he discreetly shuffled aside.

Big Beard was picking his teeth with a bone shard.

He looked at Bai Yuan with satisfaction. "Your fighting is so-so, kid, but your cooking is unbeatable."

Bai Yuan: "Thank you for the praise, Senior."

’In truth, it’s not that my cooking has reached a realm never seen before or since. It’s just that we’re on different tracks.’

’Everyone in the world is scrambling to advance on the Martial Dao, so the competition is naturally fierce.’

’Cooking is ultimately seen as a minor path. There are too few geniuses willing to spend their energy studying it, which is what allowed me to stand out.’

Big Beard looked at Bai Yuan. "Which do you think is stronger, the Barbarian Body Technique or the Xuan Yang Martial Dao?"

Bai Yuan was silent for a long time before he spoke. "The body technique is like a difficult, narrow path. It can lead to the mountaintop, but it is inevitably rugged, with the constant danger of falling, and progress is slow."

"The Xuan Yang Martial Dao is like a grand highway. It’s an easier walk, but you miss out on some of the scenery along the way."

Big Beard listened in silence.

"Are you saying our barbarian body technique is inferior to that of the Central Plains?"

Bai Yuan shook his head. "The paths are different, but they lead to the same destination."

This time, it was Big Beard’s turn to be silent.

The two of them fell into a still tableau by the lake. After about half an hour, Big Beard shook his head and laughed. "A good ’different paths lead to the same destination.’"

As one of the few experts in the Northern Plains who insisted on practicing only the body technique, he had watched people once weaker than him break through to the Divinity Communication realm while he remained stagnant.

Bai Yuan said, "Senior, though the path is rugged, the experience is still there. The path itself isn’t important. What’s most important is reaching the summit."

Big Beard grinned. "Alright, I’ll believe you just this once!"

The next second, a terrifying aura, more powerful than ever before, erupted from Big Beard.

Bai Yuan’s pupils contracted sharply.

’Big Beard is about to break through!’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!