The Mighty Mage-Chapter 405: Qilin Beast Core

Si Kai sucked in a breath.

"God-Tier artifacts? You’re telling me there are people walking around with weapons that could wipe out a city?"

Long Yifan nodded.

"Exactly. And those kinds of people... they don’t play fair. If they see something they want, they’ll take it, no matter what."

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. "Let them try."

Si Kai shook his head,

"Sister it’s good that you have confidence, but think about it twice."

As the heir of the Si Family, he knew about all the dangerous places and things.

Long Yifan smirked.

"She’s not wrong to be confident. With her abilities, she could hold her own. But..."

He glanced at Gu Jin seriously.

"You’ll still have to be careful. Strength isn’t the only thing that matters. Sometimes, schemes are deadlier than power."

Gu Jin didn’t flinch. "I know."

She had dealt with cunning enemies before. Power was important, but so was strategy.

If she wanted the Thunder Mystic Stone, she had to be ready for anything.

Long Yifan crossed his arms.

"Alright. If you’re determined, then there’s something else you should know. Lightning Mountain isn’t just dangerous because of the storms or the mages—it’s also unstable."

Si Kai frowned. "Unstable? How?"

Long Yifan’s expression darkened.

"There are rumors that Lightning Mountain isn’t naturally formed. Some believe it’s actually the remains of a fallen divine beast."

Gu Jin’s eyes sharpened. "A divine beast?"

(Slave --> Radical --> Sou --> Solider --> Master --> Kryptic --> Saint --> Emperor --> Ruler --> Supreme --> Divine)

Long Yifan nodded.

"After Supreme rank comes Divine rank. The divine beast whom I am talking about is a Thunder Qilin. An ancient creature said to control lightning itself."

Si Kai nearly choked.

"Wait, wait, wait. So, you’re saying the whole mountain is basically the grave of a legendary beast?"

"Possibly," Long Yifan said. "If that’s true, then the Thunder Mystic Stone might not just be a treasure—it could be a piece of the Qilin’s core."

Gu Jin’s heart pounded.

A divine beast’s core... if she could absorb even a fraction of its power, it would strengthen her thunder element beyond normal limits.

Si Kai waved his hands frantically.

"Hold on! That sounds great and all, but if the mountain really is a divine beast’s remains, then wouldn’t there be... I don’t know... crazy strong guardians?"

Long Yifan smirked.

"Now you’re thinking. Yes, it’s likely there are powerful creatures protecting the stone. And if the rumors are true, there might even be remnants of the Qilin’s will left behind."

Si Kai looked horrified. "You mean like... a ghost Qilin?"

Gu Jin’s eyes glowed with determination. "Then I’ll just have to defeat it."

Si Kai chuckled.

His sister loves treasures a lot...

"So I will accompany you." Long Yifan said with ease.

Gu Jin thought for a while, before shaking her head,

"No need. I will go on my own."

Long Yifan shook his head with a serious expression,

"What if you face a life-threatening situation? It would be better if you take with me and use me as a shield."

Si Kai: "..." Did I hear a human asking to be used as a meat shield?

Gu Jin narrowed her eyes before she shook her head,

"No need, I have my own to escape life-threatening situations.

Si Kai: "..." So you considered the option?

Si Kai blinked rapidly as if trying to process whether he was insane or the duo in front of him.

Long Yifan could only leave with a disappointed expression.

Gu Jin asked Si Kai to enter the space and then returned to her dorm.

.........

The military training was soon over.

During the entire time, Luo Meng stayed away from Gu Jin. It was as if Gu Jin was some kind of monster.

He made some different friends and eventually distanced himself from Gu Jin.

Gu Jin ignored him.

His existence to her was nothing more than trash now.

From the moment he uttered all those words, Gu Jin decided to never talk or have any kind of relationship with him.

After the military training, Gu Jin left Beijing University.

She could finally live with her parents, once more!

Just as she reached the gate, Gu Jin sensed an incoming attack and dodged.

A small fireball had grazed her.

"Oopsie! Sorry, I didn’t mean to harm you." An unfamiliar but familiar sweet voice said.

Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed and turned around.

She saw Nan Bei standing outside the Beijing University gate with a smirk.

Gu Jin smiled,

"Really?"

Nan Bei nodded with an innocent look, but her eyes were filled with smugness.

Gu Jin chuckled and stepped out of Beijing University.

Just as Nan Bei was waiting for Gu Jin to attack her, she suddenly shouted in pain.

"Ouch!"

Nan Bei stumbled back, clutching her arm where the plant spike had pierced her skin.

Blood dripped from the wound, and her innocent expression twisted into shock and anger.

"You—!" she hissed, glaring at Gu Jin.

Gu Jin simply smiled. "Oopsie! Sorry, I didn’t mean to harm you," she said, mimicking Nan Bei’s earlier tone.

Nan Bei’s face darkened. "You dare—"

Before she could finish, vines shot up from the ground, wrapping around her feet and locking her in place.

Gu Jin stepped closer, her eyes cold.

"I don’t have time for your little games. If you want to fight, at least do it properly. Don’t play pretend with weak sneak attacks."

Nan Bei struggled, but the vines only tightened. She gritted her teeth.

"You think you’re so strong just because you got lucky? Let’s see how long your luck lasts!"

Gu Jin tilted her head. "Luck?"

She chuckled. "Sure, let’s go with that."

Nan Bei gritted her teeth and provoked her,

"Gu Jin do you think you can surpass Gu Aihan? Gu Aihan was a genius..."

Gu Jin smiled widely.

"Was she? But if she was truly a genius, she would be standing right in front of me, not be hiding like a rat in gutters."

Nan Bei struggled and looked as if she was enraged by Gu Jin’s words,

"I challenge you! Have a duel with me!"

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow, her expression amused.

"A duel?" she repeated, crossing her arms. "Are you sure?"

Nan Bei sneered. "What? Scared?"

Gu Jin laughed lightly.

"Not really. I just don’t see the point. Beating you would be too easy."

Nan Bei’s face turned red with anger.

"Stop looking down on me!" She struggled against the vines, but they only tightened more.

Gu Jin sighed.

"Fine. If you want to lose that badly, I’ll humor you. When and where?"

Nan Bei smirked, thinking she had the upper hand.

"Three days from now. The fighting arena."

Gu Jin nodded casually. "Alright."

With a flick of her hand, the vines loosened, and Nan Bei stumbled back, rubbing her wrists.

She shot Gu Jin a glare before turning and walking away, her pride barely holding together.

Gu Jin didn’t take Nan Bei seriously. For her, Nan Bei was nothing more than a joker.

She soon returned to the Gu Family.

With a huge smile on her face, Mrs. Gu welcomed her and hugged her.

Mrs. Gu held Gu Jin tightly as if she never wanted to let go.

"My baby girl is finally home," she whispered.

Gu Jin didn’t say anything.

She just stayed in her mother’s arms, feeling the warmth.

Mr. Gu walked over, smiling gently.

"Come inside. Your mother has been cooking all day. She made all your favorite dishes."

Mrs. Gu wiped her eyes and pulled Gu Jin inside the house.

The dining table was already set, filled with steaming dishes.

Gu Jin looked at the food, her eyes lingering on a bowl of chicken soup.

Mrs. Gu noticed and laughed.

"I remember you liked this the most."

Liked?

In fact, Gu Jin wasn’t very fond of chicken soup, but she ate it with relish because Mrs. Gu had made it.

"Eat, eat!" Mrs. Gu urged, placing a piece of meat in her bowl.

Gu Jin picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.

The warm, rich flavor spread through her mouth.

She didn’t say anything, but she ate slowly, savoring each bite.

Mrs. Gu kept adding food to her plate.

After dinner, Mrs. Gu pulled her to the couch, forcing her to sit down while she brought out a blanket.

"Come let’s chat."

Mrs. Gu and Gu Jin chatted about random things.

Gu Jin’s heart felt relaxed and unknowingly she fell asleep.

Mrs. Gu’s heart softened.

Just then Gu Jihu arrived. Seeing Gu Jin and Mrs. Gu, he couldn’t help but smile.

"When did she return?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Just today. She got special permission from her university. She can stay with us for the next month."

Mrs. Gu explained.

Gu Jihu was confused.

Special permission?

As far as he remembers, Beijing University’s principal will never give the special permission to stay off campus.

So how did Gu Jin get the permission?

Gu Jihu suppressed his doubt and lifted Gu Jin in his arms carefully.