The Mighty Mage-Chapter 431: Elemental Control

With that, the alchemists rushed forward, dashing into the forest, their robes billowing behind them.

Some worked in teams, strategizing their approach, while others chose to go solo, relying on their knowledge and instincts.

Gu Jin remained composed as she strode into the forest, her eyes scanning her list swiftly.

Her mind worked quickly, mapping out the terrain and calculating the most efficient route to gather the herbs she needed.

Above her, the drone whirred softly, keeping track of her movements.

She ignored it, her focus solely on the task ahead.

The list contained 10 herbs, and Gu Jin could guess the type of pill the judge was going to ask them to make.

She didn’t rush to find the herbs, instead, she closed her eyes, and vines started to shoot out from the ground.

At the arena.

The screen displayed Gu Jin’s move, a nd no one could understand what she was trying to do.

"Did she stop due to nervousness?"

"I don’t know. Maybe she is doing some pray or something?"

"Shut up! Our God Gu must be preparing for some one-shot move!"

"Correct! Maybe she is going mark the place and then send her undead to fetch the herbs." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Heh! You are just exaggerating. What can a woman even do? I think she is standing there because she is scared of the forest and the type of beast she might encounter."

The murmurs and speculations filled the arena, ranging from admiration to blatant doubt. Some spectators leaned forward in anticipation, while others scoffed, dismissing Gu Jin’s actions as hesitation.

But the judges remained silent, watching the screen closely.

Long Yifan’s eyes flickered with intrigue. He could tell Gu Jin wasn’t standing still out of fear—there was precision in her stillness, a calculated patience.

"My god! Contestant no. 1 has already found 2 herbs!"

"Contestant no. 30 is even smarter! He has found 3 herbs!"

"You all should look at Contestant no. 6, she has found 5 herbs! She is going to win for sure!"

Back in the forest, the vines surged outward, weaving through the underbrush with practiced control.

Gu Jin’s spiritual energy pulsed through them, her senses extending along the vines as if they were an extension of herself.

Rather than running aimlessly through the forest, searching for each herb one by one, she let the vines do the work for her.

They slithered over the damp soil, twisting around tree trunks, reaching into crevices where rare herbs often grew.

Within moments, she sensed something—a patch of Moonlit Ginseng nestled between the roots of an ancient tree.

The vines coiled around the stalks and carefully plucked them from the ground before retreating to her hands. She examined the herbs swiftly before placing them into her satchel.

The audience fell into silence as realization dawned.

"Wait... is she searching for the herbs without even moving?"

"That’s insane! She’s using the vines to locate the herbs remotely!"

"That kind of control over element—just how powerful is she?"

Even the judges were surprised.

"That level of elemental control is rare among alchemists," one of them murmured.

"She’s not wasting energy running around like the others. She’s conserving her strength while maximizing efficiency."

Shen Yue, who had just located his second herb, happened to glance up at one of the floating illusion screens and frowned when he saw Gu Jin standing still.

"What is she doing...?"

His confusion quickly turned to shock as he realized she wasn’t motionless—she was actively harvesting from a distance.

"Tch." His expression darkened. "Always full of tricks."

Then he too stood and closed his eyes.

He, too, had a plant element and tried to use Gu Jin’s trick. But he soon realized how foolish he was! Not only that, he couldn’t sense anything at all.

Was she scamming everyone?

With a dark face, he opened his eyes and continued to search the herbs.

Other contestants had also seen Gu Jin’s tricks.

Some had tried her method only to give up halfway, while some didn’t even try. They knew their limitations.

Meanwhile, Gu Jin continued her process without distraction.

With each passing moment, her vines brought back herb after herb, plucking them with delicate precision.

She avoided the venomous plants, sidestepped areas where beasts lurked, and only moved when absolutely necessary.

Even when she did move, it was only to relocate to a different vantage point, optimizing her search radius.

By the time half the competitors had found barely two or three herbs, Gu Jin had already gathered seven.

And she had done so without breaking a sweat.

As she reached for the eighth herb, a rustling noise came from behind her.

Her gaze sharpened.

A moment later, the ground trembled as something massive barreled through the undergrowth.

A beast. And it was coming straight for her.

With a wave of her hand, an undead with greenish skin wearing a clock came out.

Gu Jin ordered

Gu Jin’s expression didn’t change. She calmly gave her command.

"Stop it."

The undead moved instantly, dashing toward the approaching beast.

The creature burst through the bushes—a huge, bear-like beast with dark red fur and glowing yellow eyes.

It let out a deep growl, its sharp claws tearing into the ground as it charged straight at Gu Jin.

But before it could get too close, the undead blocked its path.

The audience in the arena gasped.

"A beast attack? That’s bad luck!"

"Wait... she summoned an undead? That’s against the rules, isn’t it?"

"No, summoning isn’t banned. They only said no outside help, but if it’s her own power, it’s fine."

"Still... can she really fight that thing?"

"Wow! Her undead are finally out! Mr. Undead, please look in my direction!"

"Mr. Undead, please wave a hi to me!"

One by one the request started to echo in the arena, stunning the people who didn’t know what the undead meant for the people of the Fujio city.

However neither the undead nor Gu Jin could hear the request.

Back in the forest, the undead didn’t hesitate. With unnatural speed, it dodged the beast’s swipe and countered with a heavy punch to its side.

The beast roared in pain and staggered backward.

Gu Jin didn’t waste time watching. She turned away, letting the undead handle the fight. Her vines continued searching for herbs.

She spotted another one—Silver Spirit Grass, hidden between a pile of fallen logs.

The vines slithered toward it, gently plucking the herb and bringing it back to her hand.

Meanwhile, the undead kept the beast busy. The creature tried to attack again, but the undead dodged with ease.

The battle wasn’t long. With a final strike of dark energy, the undead sent the beast crashing into a tree, knocking it unconscious.

The forest went silent.

Gu Jin glanced at the fallen beast, then at the undead. "Done?"

The undead bowed slightly before disappearing into the shadows.

She adjusted her satchel. "Good."

With that, she continued her search.

In the arena, the crowd was stunned.

"She didn’t even flinch when the beast attacked..."

"That was too easy for her. Who even is she?"

Even the judges were impressed.

Long Yifan chuckled softly. "Interesting."

As Gu Jin stepped out of the forest and onto the grand stage of the competition venue, she was met with an unexpected sight.

The moment the audience caught sight of her, a deafening cheer erupted through the arena.

"Gu Jin! Gu Jin!"

"Mr. Undead! Look this way!"

"God Gu! You’re amazing!"

At first, Gu Jin was caught off guard.

She had expected polite applause, perhaps even some murmured acknowledgment of her efficiency.

But this? This was pure excitement.

The people of Fujio City weren’t just impressed; they were celebrating her and her undead companion as if they were beloved heroes.

She blinked, her usual composed expression faltering just slightly.

The corners of her lips twitched, and for the first time that day, a small smile graced her face.

Meanwhile, her undead, who had remained by her side, was visibly flustered.

Unlike her, it had no experience handling the adoration of a crowd.

The once-intimidating figure, shrouded in dark robes, looked utterly lost as dozens of voices called out to it.

"Mr. Undead, wave at us!"

"Mr. Undead, we love you!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, the undead awkwardly raised its hand and gave a stiff wave.

The crowd erupted into cheers once more.

"HE WAVED! HE ACTUALLY WAVED!"

"Kyaa! So cute!"

Gu Jin, watching this unfold, let out a quiet chuckle.

It was a rare moment of amusement for her. Who would have thought her undead, a creature usually feared, would become a crowd favorite?

However, the moment of lightheartedness was soon replaced by the formal proceedings of the competition.

The judges stepped forward, their faces a mixture of astonishment and scrutiny as they examined the herbs she had collected.

One of the senior judges, Elder Han, carefully lifted a stalk of Moonlit Ginseng from her satchel.

He turned it in his hands, inspecting its roots, then exchanged glances with the other judges.

"This is... pristine," he murmured.