If you were asked to identify an item, would you choose to extract magical powers?

The noise started out softly, but then gradually grew louder.

Shen Bai listened for a moment and discovered that the noise was coming from the city wall.

Then, upon closer listening, he realized that the noisy sounds were actually bursts of cheers.

Shen Bai and Qin Shuang exchanged a glance, and then walked towards the city wall without prior arrangement.

At this moment, the soldiers on the city wall are dancing and gesturing wildly.

Every now and then, bursts of sound would travel through the air.

"Victory! Victory! They've retreated! They've finally retreated!"

"Haha, I knew they wouldn't last long."

They've left?

Shen Bai and Qin Shuang exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

Then, they went up the stairs from the city gate to the top of the city wall.

At this moment, Marshal Yang and Marshal Li were both standing on the city wall.

As they looked ahead, a hint of joy appeared in their eyes.

Both of them were top experts at the peak of the realm, so they naturally knew that Shen Bai and Qin Shuang had arrived, and they both turned their attention to them.

Marshal Yang stepped forward quickly and said, "Prince Shen, the Great Qi Kingdom and the Great Yue Kingdom have temporarily withdrawn their troops."

retreat?
Shen Bai followed their gaze and saw that the enemy soldiers in front were packing up their belongings and gradually retreating from the front camp.

Shen Bai frowned and said, "At such a critical moment, they immediately withdrew their troops?"

Marshal Yang nodded and said, "I don't know why, but while they are plagued by natural and man-made disasters, we are unusually peaceful here. It is because of these natural and man-made disasters that they cannot continue to stay here and have to retreat temporarily."

When the words "natural disasters and man-made calamities" were mentioned, Shen Bai understood what they meant.

My purpose in going there was to eliminate the other party's luck, and now it seems that the luck has been completely eliminated.

That is why the other side withdrew its troops.

After figuring out the reason, Shen Bai asked.

"This withdrawal of troops has given both countries a chance to recuperate. The two marshals must seize this opportunity."

The meaning is simple: the time gained is extremely short. If we don't seize the time, and the enemy regroups and launches another attack, then we will truly have no way to deal with it.

They could not afford to disrupt the enemy's fortunes again; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Marshal Yang nodded hurriedly and said, "Your Highness is right. Rest assured, Marshal Li and I will definitely train our troops rigorously to prepare for their next attack."

Although the enemy has retreated, the lost territory is gone forever. We can only temporarily defend this city and train our soldiers to be even stronger in order to deal with the enemy's next attack.

Although the results may be minimal in the short term, they should seize every moment they can.

Time is now more precious to them than the most valuable thing in the world.

Shen Bai nodded, said nothing more, and left the city wall with Qin Shuang.

The two continued walking down the street, chatting occasionally, until they returned to Qin Shuang's residence and then stopped.

Qin Shuang raised her head, her bright eyes fixed on Shen Bai, and said, "Today I will communicate with my teacher and send the most powerful scholar to accompany me into the forbidden area for scholars."

Shen Bai hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you know how to get in?"

Qin Shuang replied, "I don't know when it started, but a trace of spirituality appeared in my mind. That spirituality told me that I could open a door. I knew in my heart that this thing was very dangerous, and the current situation was extremely unstable, so I never tried to activate that trace of spirituality, for fear of danger."

“Now that you’ve told me all this, I understand that this spirituality is very likely related to the forbidden area for scholars. I will talk to my teacher carefully to ensure that we can minimize the danger this time.”

Shen Bai nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Since Qin Shuang possesses the talent to enter the forbidden area for scholars, he must also have a way to do so; these things are none of his concern.

Moreover, it only has an effect when a scholar enters the forbidden area for intellectuals; if he enters it, it has no effect at all.

Thinking of this, Shen Bai said seriously.

"We must be careful in everything we do, and try our best to get out alive."

He respected Qin Shuang's choice this time.

After all, we've come this far. Everyone has their own destiny and their own path to walk.

If he intervened, it would not only disrupt Qin Shuang's destiny, but would also make Qin Shuang feel a sense of guilt.

This is something he cannot do.

Qin Shuang nodded slightly.

Shen Bai stopped talking, then bid farewell to Qin Shuang and left the street.

Qin Shuang watched Shen Bai's figure disappear at the end of the street, then silently turned back and returned to her room.

……

The Great Zhou Kingdom and the Great Southern Kingdom were able to recuperate temporarily because of this withdrawal of troops.

The people in the street all looked ecstatic.

Although they knew this was only a temporary respite, the relaxation of their long-strained nerves brought a rare sense of pleasure.

Feeling the intense atmosphere around him, Shen Bai silently walked towards the house where the commander-in-chief was located.

At this moment, Souji was standing by the window, looking at the lively scene outside, with a look of emotion in his eyes.

He knew that the effect of the disruption of his luck had taken place.

Shen Bai's move will at least keep the border quiet for a while.

A series of footsteps sounded, and the commander's gaze fell on the courtyard, where he saw Shen Bai hurrying over.

The commander was slightly startled.

He didn't know what the significance of Shen Bai's visit was, but he didn't say anything and got up to return to his seat.

Soon, the door was pushed open, and Shen Bai strode in and sat down opposite the chief.

Before the commander could speak, Shen Bai said.

"I may have to leave for a while this time."

The commander paused for a moment, then asked, "Why do we need to leave this place first?"

Although the crisis at the border has been temporarily resolved, it is unknown when the next crisis will arrive. Since Shen Bai has arrived at the border, why did he suddenly leave?

He didn't understand this.

Of course, he didn't mean to restrict Shen Bai's freedom; he just had a slight doubt in his heart.

After a moment's hesitation, Shen Bai explained, "I want to go to the refuge." Refuge?
The commander suddenly realized: "I see. This refuge has helped us a lot and provided us with a lot of assistance."

A long, long time ago, Shen Bai visited the largest refuge and interacted with the people there, asking them to provide various forms of assistance.

The people in the refuge all possessed various abilities related to assistance, and it was through their provision of auxiliary tools, along with the resistance of the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Great Southern Kingdom, that they were able to hold out at the border for so long.

The commander-in-chief understood perfectly what Shen Bai meant by going to the refuge.

Perhaps the current situation has reached an extremely terrifying point of crisis.

Shen Bai needs to reach a deeper cooperation with the refuge.

Shen Bai said, "I don't know how long this trip to the refuge will take, but I hope it will solve the problem."

His trip to the refuge site did indeed involve deeper cooperation.

Besides that, he wanted all the people in the refuge to come out.

The reason is simple: transporting various supplies to the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Great Southern Kingdom through the refuge actually requires a lot of procedures.

If they were allowed to come out directly, it might simplify the process and provide stronger support for the relationship between the two countries.

Of course, Shen Bai was also aware that going to the refuge was not a simple matter, after all, it was about getting a group of people who had fled from the refuge during the Wancheng era out of fear of death to come out of the refuge. This was a very difficult task.

The commander nodded and said, "Go ahead. We can hold out here for a while longer. My injuries have healed a lot, and I will probably be able to lead my own men on my mission again soon."

Shen Bai drank the tea on the table, said nothing more, stood up, clasped his hands in farewell, and said, "Farewell."

The commander also stood up and solemnly returned Shen Bai's greeting: "This journey will likely be quite difficult; please be careful along the way."

Whether they were from the forbidden land of death or members of a chaotic organization, they all regarded Shen Bai as a thorn in their side.

This time, Shen Bai went to the refuge, and it was unknown whether the outcome would be good or bad.

Shen Bai didn't say anything more to the chief, turned around and left the room, walking into the courtyard.

At this moment, the sky was a clear, bright blue, and the entire border city was filled with long-awaited joy amidst cheers and jubilation.

Feeling the joyful atmosphere, Shen Bai used his Divine Speed ​​Technique, transforming into a blur and disappearing into the distance.

Many people in the industry shouted out when they saw Shen Bai.

"Look, everyone, it's Prince Shen. We don't know where Prince Shen has gone."

Upon hearing this, many more people in the martial arts world watched Shen Bai's figure gradually disappear into the distance, their eyes filled with longing.

……

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Bai has now arrived at the place where he first entered the refuge.

After falling from the sky, there was nothing unusual around them; the area remained peaceful and filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers.

We encountered no danger on the way here.

Ever since Shen Bai disrupted the military fortunes of the Great Qi Kingdom and the Great Yue Kingdom, the other party seems to have disappeared without a trace, as if they are preparing to make a big move.

Therefore, Shen Bai's trip was actually extremely safe.

Ahead, space distorted.

Without saying a word, Shen Bai stepped into it.

……

Inside the refuge.

Many residents in the refugee camps are working frantically.

Since Shen Bai made contact with the refuge last time, many refuges have united and formed a giant refuge.

They provided various kinds of supplies to the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Great Southern Kingdom.

Currently, the giant refuge is being managed by a village chief surnamed Ouyang.

As soon as Shen Bai stepped into the refuge, he immediately attracted the attention of many people.

One of the refugees paused for a moment, then quickly stepped forward, a hint of trepidation in his eyes: "Are you Prince Shen?"

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow and said, "That's right, it's me. You all know me, right?"

Since cooperating with the refuge, he has entrusted the subsequent matters to the Great Zhou Kingdom and has never set foot in the refuge again.

But to his surprise, the people in the refuge all recognized him.

The refugee members nodded slightly, their eyes filled with respect, and said, "Nowadays, Prince Shen's portrait is constantly circulating in this giant refuge, so we all know who Prince Shen is."

"I wonder what brings Prince Shen back this time?"

Shen Bai nodded and said, "Where is your manager? Have him come to see me; I have something to discuss with him."

The shelter members knew Shen Bai's identity and that he must have something important to say, so they didn't waste any time. After bowing to Shen Bai again, they quietly left.

At this moment, Shen Bai stood there, looking around at the scenery.

He discovered that this group of people were indeed the best candidates to play support roles.

Putting aside everything else, this continuous stream of logistical resources would occupy a pivotal position in any country.

As I was thinking this, about half an incense stick's time passed, and an old man dressed in white, leaning on a cane, slowly walked over.

The old man moved with surprising agility for his age.

When the old man walked up to Shen Bai, he immediately put his cane aside, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Ouyang Yuan greets Prince Shen."

Shen Bai glanced at Village Chief Ouyang up and down, nodded and said, "Very good. You will manage the refuge very well. It will not have been in vain that I cooperated with you in the first place."

Village Chief Ouyang quickly waved his hand and said, "I dare not accept such praise. If it weren't for Prince Shen giving us this opportunity to cooperate, we would have had no way out and would have been cowards for the rest of our lives."

Shen Bai smiled slightly: "How does it feel to not be a coward anymore?"

Village Chief Ouyang immediately straightened his chest and said, "Of course it's wonderful. We are incredibly excited to see the supplies flowing from our hands transformed into a sharp sword to slay the chaotic organization."

As he spoke, the village chief's eyes filled with increasing emotion.

However, he also knew that Shen Bai must have something important to do to come here despite his busy schedule, so he didn't waste any time and asked directly.

"I wonder what business Prince Shen has with me?"

After a moment's thought, Shen Bai put his mind to it and said, "I hope you will all move out of the refuge. This will simplify the process and allow you to transport your work to the border more quickly to resist enemy attacks."

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Ouyang's face showed a complicated expression, and then he sighed silently.

Seeing this, Shen Bai knew there must be a problem, so he asked, "Judging from your expression, you seem to be having some difficulties. Why don't you just say it and we can solve it together?"

Village Chief Ouyang gritted his teeth, a complex look flashing across his eyes, and said, "To be honest, if we are to get everyone out of this giant refuge, we will probably face a major hurdle." (End of Chapter)