Silver Beard and the Doanh Th??ng Hi?n (Prince Hien), along with Aeris and an elite Pegasus squad of nearly 200 members, had just endured a great battle against the flock of Thunderbirds summoned by the Archmage of the Northern Enemy. Every member of this Pegasus unit was a military elite, possessing strength equivalent to the Foundation Establishment (B) stage. Individually, their power rivaled that of a minor general capable of leading a thousand troops; they were the right hand and the most elite force of the Northern Pacification Army.

  Yet, when facing the Grand Archmage, they had no means of resistance. The entire unit could only focus on escaping until their spiritual energy was utterly depleted. They remained unconscious for an entire month afterward; had their winged steeds not carried them back, every single one of them would have been captured. Aeris, wielding the Golden Trident of the Sea God and mounted upon a Black Pegasus—which possessed the ability to breathe fire in addition to flight—constantly dove in first and retreated last to ensure every member returned safely.

  This survival was only possible because Silver Beard, with his Core Formation (A) cultivation, risked his life to resist and carve out a path for the group. While the Grand Archmage and Silver Beard were roughly equal in cultivation level, the Archmage ’s Lightning Magic and Thunderbirds were a "hard counter" to Silver Beard ’s Earth Magic. Even his specialty, the Stone Golem technique (capable of creating up to 1,000 Earth Elements and using stone to encase his body), was rapidly destroyed by the Thunderbirds. Despite his high cultivation, he could do nothing but flee headlong. Though outmatched in magic, his physical stamina and health were exceptional due to a blood contract with a Golden Dragon, supplemented by the Prince Hien’s White Fire (specializing in physical healing), which continuously restored him and allowed him to fight to the bitter end.

  The Grand Archmage was a powerful figure, but seeing his opponents constantly fleeing, he was forced to transform into a giant four-winged Thunderbird to give chase. He pursued them for a full day and night without rest. Because he had departed without prior notice, his army was in a state of confusion, and no one followed to support him. Fearing a sudden ambush, he was eventually forced to retreat. Upon his return, he found A-Li-Khat sitting atop a Unicorneal Red Leopard—a spiritual beast surrounded by three orbs of Crimson Fire—clutching the Scarlet Axe.

  The youth shouted angrily, "Master! Did you catch that pale-faced brat (the Prince Hien)?"

  The Grand Archmage shook his head. "I didn't. He and his master vanished into the ground and escaped."

  Immediately behind A-Li-Khat stood a beautiful female general with black feathered wings on her back and one hand resembling a dragon's claw. She was Mong Nuong (Dream Mage), another disciple of the Grand Archmage. She said, "Greetings, Master. This time, let me take the field. I shall avenge our army."

  The Grand Archmage sighed, thinking to himself, 'These disciples are so hot-headed, always thinking of nothing but fighting and killing. I let that pale-faced boy go on purpose.' He spoke aloud, "No need. All of you return. We must discuss our plans first; we must be wary of ambushes."

  Because they were fleeing, the Prince Hien took a very long detour, taking five days to return. Vuong Khac Dich had been waiting; as soon as the Prince Hien arrived, an event was organized to officially appoint him as the Northern Pacification General, leading the entire army against the Northern Enemy.

  A few days later, the Northern forces began their move. Many small towns were besieged and attacked simultaneously. These towns sent constant pleas for help to the Northern Pacification Army, leaving the Prince Hien as tangled as a ball of silk. Within the army, two schools of thought emerged: offense versus defense. The two groups of generals argued incessantly, turning every meeting into a verbal battlefield where no one would yield. The final decision fell to the Prince Hien.

  The Prince Hien sided with the defensive faction. After his previous skirmish, he knew how terrifying the enemy's strength truly was. They were brave, choosing death over retreat. To face them seriously on an open battlefield, his numbers would need to be double theirs just to have a chance at victory. He needed to wait for reinforcements from the imperial court. Furthermore, the enemy was unfamiliar with the local weather and terrain, and their supplies were slow to arrive. They were forced to win quickly to plunder food; a prolonged war would be to their disadvantage.

  However, the offensive faction had their reasons. If they remained hidden in the camp and refused to engage, the soldiers in the besieged towns would lose their will to fight. They would think no one was coming to save them and choose to surrender for a chance at life. If they held out stubbornly, the Northern Enemy would slaughter everyone—young and old alike—once the gates were breached. This had always been the Northern Enemy's tactic: force small towns to surrender by promising not to kill civilians, then drive those refugees toward medium and large cities. This caused the population of major cities to explode, rapidly depleting their food stores and making them easy targets. The North also embedded spies among these civilians to assist from within during later sieges.

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  Hearing of these tactics gave the Prince Hien a headache. He consulted the System, but it offered no absolute solution, only situational advice. He stayed up for many nights, listening to the System’s battlefield analysis and weighing his options. While he was struggling to process the System's data, Luu Chuong, a general, spoke up: "Northern Pacification General, please give me 5,000 troops to rescue Luu City. It is my hometown; my family is there."

  Seeing the Prince Hien remain silent, Luu Chuong spoke again, "2,000 troops would be enough." The Prince Hien remained silent. Luu Chuong pleaded, "Fine then... even 1,000 troops."

  The Prince Hien finally replied, "Fine. Go."

  Once Luu Chuong left, his friend Chuong Ham spoke up, "Why did you let him go? Do you not realize there will be an ambush?"

  The Prince Hien pulled out a command token for 1,000 troops and handed it to Chuong Ham. "Depart one hour after Luu Chuong. Follow him and save him."

  Chuong Ham said happily, "By your command!"

  Vuong Khac Dich felt the Prince Hien’s decision was too emotional. He said, "What are you doing? Military matters are not a joke; you can't just send troops out on a whim. Do you not value the lives of your soldiers? Every order you give is a decision for the survival of 1,000 souls."

  The Prince Hien replied, "I didn't decide randomly. There is a reason for everything."

  "Then why let Luu Chuong go when you knew it was a trap?"

  "There are two reasons," the Prince Hien explained. "First, Luu Chuong is worried about his family. If I didn't let him go, he would have deserted anyway. That would leave him with only death: surrounded by enemies ahead or executed for desertion behind. Second, Luu Chuong going to save a besieged city sends a message to all our territories—that I care about them, that I will try to help. It encourages them to persist in their defense and wait for rescue rather than surrendering."

  Vuong Khac Dich countered, "I don't see any message. A rescue is a rescue; if it fails, what meaning does it have?"

  The Prince Hien asked, "Do you know what the ultimate despair is?" Vuong Khac Dich shook his head.

  "The ultimate despair is when there is no more hope, no more chance, no one who needs you, and no one who wants to help you. I will give them hope. I will save them, one way or another."

  Without thinking, Vuong Khac Dich asked, "Then why send Chuong Ham to save Luu Chuong? What is the reason for that?"

  "That is the message I want to send to all the generals here," the Prince Hien said. "I will not let any general be sacrificed. I will always find a way to preserve your lives, because every general here is vital to me."

  Vuong Khac Dich fell silent, unable to argue further.

  Listening to the System’s calculations, the Prince Hien added, "Vuong Khac Dich, take 3,000 Tiger-Leopard cavalry and follow Chuong Ham. If he fails, save him. Do whatever it takes to bring both generals back. If he succeeds, do not reveal yourself; just follow them silently."

  Vuong Khac Dich began to respect the Prince Hien more, his language shifting to show deference. "Understood, Great General."

  The Tiger-Leopard cavalry was the second most elite force, surpassed only by the Pegasus squad. Each member rode a lion, tiger, or leopard. All were trained in basic magic and possessed superhuman strength, capable of taking on ten men alone. Vuong Khac Dich rode a winged lion, wielding the Mysterious Ice Greatsword. He constantly radiated an aura of terror that made his opponents' hands tremble and their movements sluggish when facing him directly.

  Vuong Khac Dich observed from the sky. As Luu Chuong passed through a narrow mountain pass, he was ambushed. The entrance and exit were blocked, while rocks and arrows rained down from the cliffs. Had Chuong Ham not arrived to support him and clear an escape route, Luu Chuong would surely have died. After retreating some distance, they hit a second ambush, forcing Vuong Khac Dich to reveal himself. With the power of the Tiger-Leopard unit, he successfully rescued both generals. From that day on, no general complained about the Prince Hien’s orders, whether they understood them or not. They followed him with one heart.

  The 400,000-strong army of the Northern Enemy began to fall into disarray. they had arrived in haste, hoping for an easy battle and a quick victory to bring home spoils. They never expected the people of the Jade Kingdom to be so stubborn, refusing to surrender or engage in a decisive battle. Capturing empty cities yielded no profit, and many soldiers began to desert to return home. As time dragged on, the people of the North grew uneasy. Last year, they were gifted grain to survive a famine; this year, with a good harvest and plenty of food, they were attacking their benefactors. Such rumors of ingratitude reached the ears of the tribal leaders, who began calling their troops back.

  Hearing of the Prince Hien's reputation, Mong Nuong disguised herself as a commoner of the Jade Kingdom. She could change her appearance, and she eventually transformed into a supply soldier, slowly infiltrating the Prince Hien’s camp with the secret mission of assassinating A-Li-Khat's brother. However, her master, the Grand Archmage, did not want the Prince Hien dead and instructed her only to monitor him.

  After several identity shifts, Mong Nuong finally became a guard protecting the Prince Hien’s sleeping quarters. She couldn't find an opening to strike because Silver Beard guarded him constantly, never leaving his side. But her patience paid off. After months of infiltration, she finally approached his bed while he slept and used Dream Magic—a spell to enter another's dreams where she could kill or torture them at will.

  But as she witnessed fragments of his painful memories—being cast out by his father, being used and spat upon by others, being betrayed and plotted against by his wife—she found herself falling for him without realizing it.

  She approached the Prince Hien’s dream-self, which was filled with the desire to protect and love others. But as she moved to touch the current dream, she was suddenly pulled into a vast space—an immense sea. She swam in terror, for swimming alongside her were giant fish that could swallow her whole in a single bite. She knew that if she died in the Dream Realm, she would be imprisoned there forever; if her soul did not return, her physical body outside would eventually rot and die.