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

Chapter 240: Transaction between the Two Countries
Everyone present was looking over here. When Shen Bai walked towards Mo Xuan's position under the leadership of Lei Long, they all had complicated expressions.

They are considered geniuses, but in Mo Xuan's eyes, that is not the case.

After all, Mo Xuan is the creator of the Tianjiao List and has supreme power on the Tianjiao List.

The list of geniuses had been revised several times in previous years, but there had never been a case where a genius was invited by Mo Xuan.

Shen Bai was the first one, so naturally many people saw it and kept it in mind.

Mo Xuan was dressed in white, standing in an inconspicuous corner of the cave, gently waving the feather fan in his hand.

Even in such an inconspicuous place, people do not feel that he is unimportant. On the contrary, everyone is extremely in awe of Mo Xuan.

Shen Bai followed behind Lei Long and soon came close.

Mo Xuan looked Shen Bai up and down and said, "Yes, young and promising. Although he is only at the Huaxu realm, he has five heads at the Juefeng realm. This alone is enough to make him stand proudly above the world."

The first words he spoke were praises. If it were said by someone else, it might seem a little fake, but when Mo Xuan's voice, as gentle as jade, came out, it made people feel that it was sincere praise.

Shen Bai bowed and said, "Mr. Mo Xuan, you are too kind. I am just a small Taoist priest of the Great Zhou Kingdom. I don't deserve such a great reputation."

He felt that there must be something wrong with Mo Xuan calling him over, but he had no idea what it was.

However, Shen Bai already had a guess in his mind at this time.

This time, the emperor of the Great Zhou Kingdom called him over. He originally thought that Emperor Shengwu was about to collapse and had some important transaction with the Great Southern Kingdom.

Now that Mo Xuan suddenly found him, Shen Bai's suspicion deepened.

Even though there were so many people around, he still had no idea what Mo Xuan wanted to say to him.

Thinking of this, Mo Xuan turned his gaze to Lei Long and said.

"Master Lei, please go check on the order at the scene. I have a few words to say to Master Shen in detail."

Lei Long was a member of the Demon Suppression Division, and his mind was as clear as a mirror, so he naturally understood the meaning of Mo Xuan's words.

This means that he has something to talk to Shen Bai about alone, and what they talk about cannot be known to others, so he needs to avoid suspicion.

Lei Long was a straightforward person. He cupped his hands and said, "You two can talk first. I'll go check on the order at the scene. After all, Lord Shen's behavior just now caused quite a commotion."

Shen Bai smiled and said, "Thanks to Lord Lei for finishing it."

Lei Long waved his hand, said nothing more, and turned to leave this inconspicuous corner.

Soon, only Shen Bai and Mo Xuan were left in this corner.

Mo Xuan pointed to the stone table and stone bench in the corner and said, "Master Shen, please come over and sit down with me so we can discuss this in detail."

Shen Bai was not polite either. He held the hilt of the Hanyue sword at his waist and strode to a stone bench and sat down.

Mo Xuan gently waved his feather fan and sat down opposite Shen Bai.

There was only a pot of tea on the stone table, and other than that, it was empty.

Mo Xuan picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup for Shen Bai, and pushed it across the table in front of Shen Bai.

Shen Bai took it in his hand and took a sip lightly.

Mo Xuan spun the teacup in his hand and asked, "How is this tea?"

Shen Bai shook his head: "I am a vulgar person and cannot handle these elegant things. To me, this tea is just like plain water, just with a little more flavor."

Mo Xuan placed the feather fan on the stone table and said, "Although Lord Shen calls himself a crude man, he is actually quite active. After today's battle, I'm afraid all the geniuses present will give you a second look. Lord Shen just said that tea is no different from plain water. Isn't life the same? Even if one lives a life of riches and riches, in the end, one still enters death. All one seeks is a small piece of land."

Shen Bai listened to what Mo Xuan said and smiled slightly: "Mr. Mo Xuan's metaphor is quite interesting. Then, Mr. Mo Xuan, why don't we talk frankly? As I said just now, I am not an elegant person, and I don't like to beat around the bush or make things up."

The initial greetings were almost over, and Shen Bai was now more curious about what Mo Xuan wanted to do.

Mo Xuan nodded when he heard this, then took out a feather from the feather fan beside him and twisted it gently.

With the twist of his fingers, the feather turned into a puff of green smoke and disappeared.

A barrier suddenly appeared around.

The barrier is invisible and no one can see it.

The moment the barrier appeared, everything around it was separated by the barrier, making it extremely difficult to explore the information inside.

"It seems quite important." Shen Bai thought to himself.

If it wasn't important, Mo Xuan wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to shield his surroundings.

There must be something now that Mo Xuan needs to do.

As expected, after Shen Bai said this, he immediately received a reply from Mo Xuan.

"Since Lord Shen doesn't like to play around with these things, I'll just be more direct."

Mo Xuan smiled.

He had already blocked out the surroundings, so he didn't care about what he said next.

"Master Shen, do you think that this time we are participating in the revision of the Tianjiao Ranking just for the sake of revising it?"

When he said this, there was a hint of curiosity in Mo Xuan's eyes when he looked at Shen Bai.

Any young genius would be as respectful as a tiger when seeing him. Even if there was no fear in their eyes, they would at least behave with respect.

After all, he is the one who compiled the list of geniuses, and he holds the ranking of every genius in his hands.

Coupled with his mysterious strength, those geniuses have to behave well in front of him.

But Shen Bai is different.

When facing him, Shen Bai spoke calmly, neither humble nor arrogant, as if he was treating him as a peer.

But the necessary etiquette is still there.

This feeling made Mo Xuan feel very strange, and it was also the first time he felt it from a young man.

He originally thought that the Great Zhou Kingdom seemed to attach too much importance to Shen Bai.

But when I saw it today, my previous thoughts were completely overturned.

It’s definitely not that I take it too seriously, on the contrary, I don’t take it seriously enough.

In terms of strength, the heads of the five peak-level masters have proved everything.

As for his inner qualities, Shen Baiguang's ruthless character and his cheerful and talkative appearance made Mo Xuan feel that he deserved such a reputation.

Shen Bai touched his chin and said, "If my guess is correct, it should be related to the Great Zhou Kingdom. Emperor Shengwu should have had some negotiations, or transactions, with the Emperor of the Great Southern Kingdom."

Since the other party was straightforward, Shen Bai didn't bother with anything.

He said it directly.

Mo Xuan nodded and smiled when he heard this, "Master Shen's guess is correct. In fact, you and I both know that now that you are being targeted by evil forces, even if the leaders of the Great Zhou Kingdom are foolish, they will not let you take the risk and travel thousands of miles to the Great Southern Kingdom."

"Since you are asked to come here, you must be playing an irreplaceable role."

"You were right when you said there was communication between Emperor Shengwu and the Emperor of the Great Southern Kingdom, and I was the one communicating this time."

He continued to look at Shen Bai, trying to see a hint of surprise in Shen Bai's eyes.

After all, this is a big secret. Even the masters of the older generation would probably be shocked when they heard it.

But unfortunately, this so-called shock was not revealed in front of Shen Bai.

Shen Bai seemed to have known everything for a long time and acted very calmly.

Mo Xuan asked, "It seems that Lord Shen has already guessed it."

"more or less."

Shen Bai put down the teacup, looked at the empty bottom, and said, "But I don't know what kind of deal the Emperor Shengwu had with the Emperor of the Great Southern Kingdom."

Now it was time to talk about the main point, Shen Bai didn't hesitate and asked directly.

Mo Xuan fell silent, as if he was organizing his words, tapping the table lightly with his hands.

After a few breaths, he stopped tapping the table, picked up the feather fan beside him, and gently waved it, creating a breeze.

Although one feather fan is missing, it does not affect the overall elegant feeling.

Especially when Mo Xuan fanned the fan, it exuded an even more elegant aura.

"It's actually very simple. This story starts with the Holy Martial Emperor of the Great Zhou Kingdom."

Shen Bai raised his eyebrows and said with interest.

"How do you put it?"

"Lord Shen should also know that Emperor Shengwu's health has been declining day by day. I don't know how much longer he can hold on."

Shen Bai nodded and said, "I know about this. His Majesty is seriously ill right now. Even I and the doctors of the Great Zhou Kingdom cannot completely cure him. We can only watch him get sicker and sicker."

"So, Emperor Shengwu needs to find a backer, and the Great Southern Kingdom is his backer."

Great Southern Country is the backing?
Shen Bai was a little surprised when he heard this.

Although the two countries do not have constant friction like other countries, this is not a personal matter but a national matter.

Personal relationships may be able to accomplish a lot of things in many cases, but there are many things to consider when it comes to communication between countries.

One tiny factor can change everything.

"Since it is a transaction, there must be a transaction object. What did Emperor Shengwu use to exchange for the agreement of the Great Southern Kingdom?" Shen Bai thought to himself.

Mo Xuan seemed to understand what Shen Bai meant. He continued waving his feather fan and said slowly, "The most important transaction here is with you."

Shen Bai was slightly surprised: "Why me?"

Mo Xuan said slowly, "If the Great Southern Kingdom could see your potential, perhaps the Great Zhou Kingdom would be able to ensure safety for a long time."

"Let's put it this way. Emperor Shengwu is about to fall, and after his death, the entire Great Zhou Kingdom will be plunged into a bloody storm."

"They want to find a guarantee, at least to ensure that the Great Zhou Kingdom can be stable for a period of time after the fall of Emperor Shengwu, and the Great Southern Kingdom is the source of this guarantee."

"But as I said just now, this is actually a deal. The Great Zhou Kingdom can make demands, and the Great Southern Kingdom must also make its own demands. Their demands are very simple. They just want to see your potential, Shen Bai."

Shen Bai was thoughtful when he heard this.

He seemed to have heard some clues, but the specific situation still needed to be carefully speculated.

When Mo Xuan saw Shen Bai's pensive expression, there was more and more admiration in his eyes.

What he just talked about was very complicated. It was about the game and transaction between the two countries. These things sound simple, but the inner meaning is as profound as the sea.

But Mo Xuan could tell from Shen Bai's expression that Shen Bai seemed to have guessed something.

Just by looking at these few sentences, one can guess that Shen Bai not only has amazing talent in martial arts, but is also outstanding in intelligence.

Mo Xuan didn't want Shen Bai to continue guessing. Just like Shen Bai said, Shen Bai didn't like people who were roundabout, and he didn't like them either.

Both of them are direct people, so direct people naturally have direct ways of chatting.

Thinking of this, Mo Xuan said the most important point this time.

"The fall of Emperor Shengwu may be suppressed by the current leadership of the Great Zhou, but it won't last long. The forces of the other two countries will surely start to stir."

"If you want to deal with the Great Zhou Kingdom, you will inevitably pass through the Great South Kingdom, so the Great South Kingdom is the most important place for protection. The conditions given by the Great South Kingdom's emperor are also very simple. As long as you, Shen Bai, have enough potential, and they can see the rising star of the Great Zhou Kingdom, then they can get rewards. They are also willing to block the other two countries for three years for the Great Zhou Kingdom."

"Three years, is that so long?"

Shen Bai frowned.

For those who practice cultivation, three years may seem extremely short and may pass by in the blink of an eye.

But for the Great Southern Country, it has to withstand the pressure from the other two countries during these three years.

Shen Bai felt that this transaction seemed full of uncertainty.

If it were him, he would never agree to this deal.

After all, no matter how high Shen Bai's potential is, that is only a matter of the future. Who can guarantee an absolute future?

Another uncertain thing is why the Great Southern Kingdom should help the Great Zhou Kingdom.

No matter how great Shen Bai's potential is, he is still a citizen of the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Why doesn't the Great Southern Kingdom take this opportunity to completely destroy the Great Zhou Kingdom, create a three-way balance of power, and divide up the land of the Great Zhou Kingdom at the same time?

After all, it is adjacent to the Great Zhou Kingdom, and it can even get a little more.

This is not appropriate both morally and logically.

Thinking of this, Shen Bai asked the doubts in his mind.

He didn't hide his doubts because there was no need.

Now that we've talked face to face, hiding it any further will only delay time.

After hearing Shen Bai's question, Mo Xuan nodded and said, "Yes, what you have considered are all very insightful."

"It's actually very simple. The Great Zhou Kingdom added a very important thing to this transaction. The Emperor of the Great Zhou Kingdom can do that."

"Emperor of the Great Southern Kingdom cannot refuse."

Shen Bai asked with great interest: "What is that?"

Shen Bai felt that the things here should not be underestimated, as the emperor of the Great Southern Kingdom agreed without hesitation.

Mo Xuan narrowed his eyes and stopped waving the feather fan, looking extremely serious.

He opened his mouth slowly and uttered four words.

"Desolate forbidden land." Desolate forbidden land?

After hearing these four words, Shen Bai felt a little surprised even though he was calm and collected.

This forbidden area has appeared several times, and Shen Bai has heard of it at least four times.

He had even seen the performance of the Drunken Taoist when he stepped into the Desolate Forbidden Land with his own eyes, and felt the weakened version of the desolate atmosphere in the last lava forbidden land.

To be honest, it is really mysterious, so mysterious that even Shen Bai can't figure out the secret.

Now they were talking about the desolate forbidden land, and Shen Bai immediately thought of something.

"The desolate forbidden land Mr. Mo Xuan just mentioned, could it be that someone from the Great Zhou Kingdom wants to enter it?"

He could only come to this conclusion. As for who it was, Shen Bai already had a vague guess in his mind. He was just waiting for Mo Xuan to tell the real answer.

Mo Xuan nodded and said, "You are right. Before his death, the Holy Martial Emperor personally brought his immense power into the Desolate Forbidden Land. There was hope for his survival, but also despair of his immediate destruction. No one could predict."

"But there is an important message involved here."

"The Holy Martial Emperor will convey everything he experienced in the desolate forbidden land through special means."

"He is much stronger than the Drunken Taoist. After entering, he will definitely be able to explore more things, and the information he conveys will be hidden in the most secret place of the Great Zhou Kingdom."

"The information will not be handed over to the Emperor of Great Southern Kingdom until three years later, when the transaction between Great Southern Kingdom and Great Zhou Kingdom is completed."

Shen Bai pondered for a moment and asked, "I've already understood the general situation, but I still have a question. Are the Desolate Forbidden Land and the other forbidden areas among the ten forbidden areas so important to you?"

He had already understood the deal. The first was the information about the desolate forbidden land, and the second was his own potential.

Shen Bai knew what the Great Southern Kingdom was thinking. The aura of the desolate forbidden land was very important. It was the most important bargaining chip.

Shen Bai's potential made the Great Southern Country consider whether it would be worthwhile to help him in the future.

Obviously, the Great Southern Country thought it was worth it, so it did this.

But the only thing Shen Bai couldn’t figure out was, are there really such important things in those forbidden areas?
Even before his death, Emperor Shengwu would explore the country, and he could even get the emperor of the Great Southern Kingdom to agree to the deal despite the pressure from the two countries.

After Mo Xuan heard Shen Bai ask this core question, he fell into silence.

When Shen Bai saw Mo Xuan's expression at the moment, he already had a guess in his mind.

There is definitely a very important secret here, and not many people know this secret, otherwise Mo Xuan in front of him would not have made such an expression.

Sure enough, after Shen Bai waited patiently for a long time, Mo Xuan waved the feather fan in his hand again.

This time when he waved the feather fan, there was a hint of helplessness in Mo Xuan's eyes.

"Since you asked, I would definitely feel uncomfortable if I didn't answer."

"But if I reveal this secret, very few people know it. Once you know it, many complications will arise in your mind, which will be detrimental to your cultivation."

Shen Bai smiled and said, "I know a lot of secrets, so I don't mind this one more. As for whether the shadow affects my cultivation, that's my own business. Mr. Mo Xuan doesn't need to mind it."

The other person pretended to be conflicted, but actually he already had the answer in his mind.

If you don't want to say it, just say it directly.

His current conflicted look showed that he was willing to speak out.

Sure enough, after Shen Bai said there was no problem, Mo Xuan finally spoke again.

"Actually, this thing is also related to the chaotic organizations in the Wancheng era."

"Master Shen should know what the chaotic organization is made of, so I don't need to explain it."

Shen Bai nodded, indicating that he knew about the chaotic organization.

Not only did he know about it, he had even fought against the chaotic organization many times.

Mo Xuan continued, "It is said that the person behind this was doing some kind of experiment, and this experiment has been going on repeatedly."

"As for what the results of the experiment will be, no one knows."

"I only know that the current Four Nations era is also an experiment planned by the chaotic organization."

"The Four Kingdoms Era may seem like a small number of countries, but its true combat power is already comparable to that of the Ten Thousand Cities Era. It's time for destruction. Now, chaos is breaking out, and it's the rebellious organizations that are taking action."

Shen Bai continued to nod.

He also knew about this thing, having gotten a clue about it not long ago.

Mo Xuan was surprised that Shen Bai knew these things, but when he thought of Shen Bai's identity and potential, he suddenly felt that everything that happened to Shen Bai was extremely normal.

He didn't pause and started talking again.

"It is said that during the Wancheng era, a secret was kept. That secret lasted until the Four Kingdoms era, and only the most senior people in the four major countries knew about it."

"In the forbidden area, there is information about the chaotic organization hidden. As for what this information is, no one knows."

"Many people have entered the Ten Forbidden Areas during the Wancheng Era, but they have all disappeared."

"Now, a sword hangs over everyone's head. This sword is the Ten Thousand Cities Era. Emperor Shengwu is willing to enter the Desolate Forbidden Land before his death to explore everything there. This means that perhaps information about the chaotic organization can be found there."

"Once we find it, we might be able to unravel the root cause of this chaotic organization and change the sword hanging over our heads."

Mo Xuan has already explained the general situation.

As for the follow-up, it is not important. The most important thing now is to focus on the revision of the Tianjiao List.

Mo Xuan picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then waved his feather fan again.

He really wanted to see a hint of shock in Shen Bai's eyes, or at least a hint of surprise.

After all, whoever hears this big secret will be terrified.

Unfortunately, Shen Bai's face remained calm as usual.

Mo Xuan was very curious and asked, "Aren't you surprised at all?"

It was the first time that he couldn't tell a person's true thoughts from their expression.

Shen Bai nodded and said expressionlessly, "Very surprised."

The corner of Mo Xuan's mouth twitched slightly: "Why do I feel like you are just perfunctory?"

This is no longer a perfunctory answer, it is a blatant and casual answer.

It's as if he's just dealing with his own problems.

Shen Bai smiled and shook his head, saying, "I am indeed surprised, but the degree of surprise is still not enough. I have obtained a lot of information about chaotic organizations before this, and even participated in the Tianjiao Salvation Society. So I am surprised by the information I have now, but it is not enough."

If Shen Bai received such big news in an instant, he would of course be shocked.

But he slowly collected clues over a long period of time, and what he got was a result, not a secret that shocked him beyond words.

Of course, Shen Bai also gained a lot.

He learned that the information about the chaotic organization was kept in the ten forbidden areas.

Maybe one day, Shen Bai will also step into it, who knows.

At this point, Shen Bai and Mo Xuan had already talked about everything they needed to talk about.

Mo Xuan waved his hand, and the invisible barrier around him disappeared completely.

Seeing this, the geniuses who were watching Shen Bai and Mo Xuan all turned their gazes over curiously.

From the inside to the outside, there is an invisible barrier, but from the outside to the inside, many geniuses can only see a layer of chaotic fog that covers the two of them.

No one knew what happened inside or what was discussed.

Now that the fog had cleared, they too were curious.

Unfortunately, Shen Bai and Mo Xuan seemed to have finished their conversation and did not continue to talk about important matters.

Many geniuses noticed Mo Xuan's gaze and immediately looked away, pretending to be indifferent.

Shen Bai brewed himself another cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and then said, "Mr. Mo Xuan, the revision of the Tianjiao Ranking is about to begin. This is my first time participating, and I don't know what the process is."

Now that we have discussed what needs to be discussed, it is time to get down to business.

This time, let’s first resolve the re-ordering of the Tianjiao Ranking.

As for the secrets mentioned later, if your strength has not reached the corresponding level, knowing them is just knowing, and it will not solve the problem at all.

Mo Xuan nodded and said, "Originally, everyone understood this, but this time, there are also many new geniuses joining us. I will send you a memorial with the specific operation procedures later. But now that Lord Shen has asked about it himself, I will also tell you about it, so as to avoid the tedious procedures later."

Shen Bai nodded and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

Mo Xuan didn't waste any time, pointing to the empty caverns around them. "Two hundred geniuses have gathered here. The revision of the Prodigy Ranking is to re-order the rankings of these two hundred geniuses. The method of re-ordering is very simple: it's just a one-on-one battle."

Fighting against each other?

Shen Bai didn't expect this.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Is it that simple?"

He thought it would require a lot of complicated procedures, but he didn't expect it to be such a simple thing.

All you need to do is fight one-on-one, which means you only need to use force.

Mo Xuan smiled and said, "The reason why the Tianjiao List is called Tianjiao List is because it respects strength. Every time it is revised, in addition to the head-to-head competition, it is also a test of everyone's strength."

"Weak people won't be discouraged, but will use this as an excuse to strive for progress, while strong people will also have a sense of urgency because those behind them can catch up at any time."

"This is also the greatest purpose of the Tianjiao Ranking, to motivate all the Tianjiao to cultivate well."

"It will take a long time."

Shen Bai glanced around.

A total of 200 geniuses need to fight against each other, which involves drawing lots and ranking. Some of them who are not strong enough may be defeated immediately when they meet a strong one.

"Could it be that luck is also involved here?"

Mo Xuan saw what Shen Bai was thinking and shook his head, saying, "Lord Shen, you're overthinking it. The people on the Tianjiao Ranking don't get there by luck. This so-called one-on-one battle is also based on strength and results, making a fair and reasonable ranking. I will announce the ranking list tonight, and we can start tomorrow morning."

"Although we can't achieve absolute fairness and justice, there won't be any element of luck involved."

With these words, Shen Bai felt that it was okay.

Now that everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed, he didn't say anything more and just bowed and spoke.

"In that case, I won't disturb Mr. Mo Xuan from his official duties. I have other things to do and need to rest for a while with my good friend."

Mo Xuan waved his hand and said, "Master Shen, if you have any questions, you can come to me at any time."

He likes to communicate with younger generations, especially young talents.

In his opinion, this world belongs to the young people after all. Although these old guys are very powerful, they are still old.

Especially Shen Bai, after showing his extraordinary strength, Mo Xuan admired Shen Bai even more.

Shen Bai stopped talking, turned around and left the stone table, and walked to Qin Shuang's position.

Qin Shuang had been observing Shen Bai's movements, with a hint of nervousness on her fair face.

As everyone knows, Mr. Mo Xuan's strength is unfathomable, and she is also worried that Shen Bai's stubborn temper will cause a conflict with Mo Xuan.

But now it seems that everything is fine.

"Let's go to the residence and talk." Shen Bai said.

Since the geniuses are being arranged to come and revise the list of geniuses, they naturally have to be provided with accommodation.

Everyone has already carved out their own residence in this cave.

Qin Shuang held two stone tablets in his hand and handed one to Shen Bai: "You and I will live in the adjacent rooms!"

Before Shen Bai came, Qin Shuang had already prepared Shen Bai's residence.

Shen Bai looked at the stone tablet in his hand and prepared to go to the residence with Qin Shuang to rest first.

After all, he has nothing to do now, so he can use the time to improve his proficiency and even have a good communication with Qin Shuang.

Soon, Qin Shuang brought Shen Bai to the edge of the cave.

There is an entrance here, and you can find your residence through the entrance.

After Qin Shuang and Shen Bai disappeared from the cave, the geniuses inside breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure from Shen Bai just now was very great. Even though many geniuses from the peerless and top forces were not convinced, they had to admit that they felt tremendous pressure from Shen Bai.

Now that Shen Bai is gone, this pressure is gone.

Many people cast their rays at a young man dressed in white with a spear on his back, with a complicated look in their eyes.

This man looked young, but he exuded a strong murderous aura, especially the spear behind him, which exuded layers of bloody smell.

But at this moment, a solemn look appeared on the young man's face.

Next to the young man was a woman in green clothes.

The woman has a beautiful appearance and a well-proportioned figure.

She glanced at the young man, her eyes filled with a coldness that ordinary people could not approach: "Beichen, it seems that your first place is no longer secure."

The young man carrying a spear is named Beichen, and he is ranked first on the list of geniuses.

Beichen glanced at the woman and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't waste time."

The woman in green said calmly, "If you want to keep your first place, follow me."

(End of this chapter)