The Mighty Mage-Chapter 539: Rise In Cultivation

"That’s great!"

The shopkeeper, who had been watching her carefully, nodded to herself. That expression looked real.

"Yep," the woman said, flipping the skewers, "She made the princess really mad. When someone angers the royal family, their life’s over. And if we’re lucky, we might get to watch the execution."

Gu Jin’s eyes sparkled. She acted even more excited. "Really? I want to see it!"

The shopkeeper narrowed her eyes. "Why are you so eager to watch someone die?"

Gu Jin paused. Then she looked down, sadness filling her voice. "Because... my parents were killed by outsiders. If they’re dying now... then I feel justice is being done."

The shopkeeper blinked. Her face softened.

"Oh... child, I didn’t know..."

She reached out and gently patted Gu Jin’s arm. "You’ve suffered too much at such a young age."

Gu Jin nodded and put on a sad face. "That’s why I want to catch more of them. I want to see them punished, just like the one who hurt my family."

The woman was touched. "You poor thing. You’re brave. Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the execution ground myself."

Then, with a smile, she added two extra skewers to the plate.

Gu Jin stared at them and her mouth twitched.

Wait a second... I don’t even have any money...

She glanced at the food and then at the shopkeeper.

The woman noticed and frowned. "What’s wrong?"

Gu Jin looked a bit embarrassed. "I... I don’t have any mutes."

The shopkeeper went silent for a moment.

Gu Jin braced herself, expecting to be scolded or kicked out.

But suddenly...

The woman’s eyes filled with tears.

She sniffled and wiped her nose. "You don’t even have money to eat... and you’ve been through so much..."

Before Gu Jin could say anything, the woman stepped out from behind the stall and wrapped her in a big, soft hug.

"You poor child!" she cried. "Don’t worry. From now on, if you’re hungry, come to me. I’ll feed you for free!"

Gu Jin stood still, awkwardly stuck in the hug.

...What just happened?

The woman patted her back and handed over the plate of hot skewers.

"Eat. And after that, we’ll go watch that execution together."

Gu Jin took the food with a stiff smile.

Well... at least I got lunch

Gu Jin took the skewers and gave a polite nod. "Thank you... auntie."

The shopkeeper beamed. "Good girl. Eat up! I made these extra spicy, just how the soldiers like them."

Gu Jin smiled and took a bite. The flavor hit her tongue—spicy, salty, and smoky. Not bad at all.

She chewed slowly, thinking.

So the execution is happening soon. If they believe Jiang Wei’s daughter is already captured, then I still have time. But I need to act fast...

The shopkeeper sat beside her, watching like a proud grandmother. "You remind me of my niece. She also lost her parents to the outsiders. Strong girl. But not as clever as you."

Gu Jin swallowed and gave a small smile. "Thanks, auntie. Can I ask something?"

"Of course."

"That outsider woman... the one who’s going to be executed. Do you know her name?"

The shopkeeper nodded.

"Mhm. Everyone’s talking about her. Poor thing’s name is Jiang Xuelan. The guards say she kept shouting she was innocent."

"Where is she being kept?" Gu Jin asked, trying to keep her tone curious.

"Oh, the Sky Prison," the shopkeeper replied without thinking. "They always take the important criminals there before big public punishments."

Gu Jin nodded slowly.

That name sounded dangerous.

"Can normal people go there?"

The woman gave her a look. "No, of course not. It’s guarded by gold-ranked officials. But the execution will be held in the Central Plaza in two days. You can see it there."

Two days.

Gu Jin’s mind began spinning with plans.

She took another bite of the skewer and forced herself to smile.

The shopkeeper leaned close and whispered,

"But don’t say this to others, okay? The princess herself will attend the execution. They say she’s going to deliver the final blow."

She stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you for telling me so much."

The woman patted her shoulder again. "Of course. And remember—if you ever need food, come to me. I’ll keep you fed."

Gu Jin nodded gratefully. "I will, auntie."

Once Gu Jin walked away from the shop, the auntie wiped her hands on her apron and looked in the direction Gu Jin had gone. Her eyes were soft.

"Poor child," she muttered, shaking her head. "She’s been through so much... and still has that fire in her. May the heavens protect her."

Meanwhile, Gu Jin hurried back to the hidden cave.

She didn’t run, but her steps were quick and careful. She made sure no one followed her and took a few hidden paths through the trees and rocks. It took her nearly an hour to return, and by the time she reached the cave, the green sky was already starting to dim a little.

As she stepped inside, she looked around—and froze.

The cave was empty.

The sleeping pouches were there. The fire pit was cold. But Jiang Wei, Ming Rou, and Qin Ye were nowhere to be seen.

Gu Jin blinked.

"Did they leave...?"

Her heart beat a little faster. Were they trying to search for their loved ones on their own? Did something happen to them?

Just then, she noticed a small folded paper near one of the backpacks.

She walked over and picked it up.

It was a letter.

Opening it, she quickly read the neat handwriting inside. It was from Jiang Wei.

Gu Jin,Don’t worry. The three of us went to collect resources around the mountain.We remember the promise we made to help you.We’ll be careful and hide our presence.We’ll return before nightfall.– Jiang

Gu Jin let out a quiet sigh of relief.

So they hadn’t left her. They were just doing their part.

She smiled slightly and folded the letter back. "Good," she whispered. "Then I’ll do my part, too." freewebnσvel.cøm

For a moment, she thought about something else—something her heart had been pulling her toward since the moment she arrived here.

Long Yifan...

Now that she knew he was somewhere near Zhenmu Mountain, only a hundred kilometers away, a big part of her wanted to go find him immediately. To see with her own eyes that he was okay.

Maybe I could reach him and come back before they return...

But then she frowned.

That place was dangerous. Guards, traps, strange rules—and this wasn’t her world. Anything could go wrong. If she left now and got delayed even a little, she might not be able to return in time. And worse... if someone followed her, she might put Long in danger, too.

"No," she said softly to herself. "Not yet."

She clenched her fists and looked toward the back of the cave.

There was still one thing she could do.

She sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes.

She took a deep breath.

And started to cultivate.

Right away, she noticed something strange—something good.

The mana in the air... was thick. It was richer and denser than the mana in her own world. It clung to her skin, like mist, and flowed easily into her body when she opened her channels.

Her eyes widened slightly.

This world... its mana is strong. No wonder people here are so powerful.

Without wasting another second, she focused all her energy on absorbing it.

Time passed slowly.

She didn’t notice the wind outside. She didn’t hear the birds. Her body sat still like a statue, but inside, there was a storm.

Her veins glowed faint green, and her body soaked in the mana like a dry sponge soaking water.

Her plant element, the one that had been stuck for so long at Emperor Rank Tier 2, began to move.

She felt the familiar wall inside her core start to shake.

Crack...

A small line formed on the barrier that had blocked her progress for months.

She gritted her teeth and absorbed more mana.

Crack... crack...

It broke.

Mana flooded her core, and her whole body trembled slightly.

A soft green glow surrounded her.

Then—

Boom.

Her cultivation rose.

Emperor Rank Tier 3 – Plant Element.

Gu Jin’s eyes snapped open.

She was breathing hard, but she felt stronger. Faster. Sharper.

Her energy was smoother now. Her connection to the plants and nature around her felt deeper.

Even the roots under the cave floor whispered to her.

A smile slowly formed on her lips.

"Good," she whispered. "Very good."

She clenched her fists.

Finally, something good happened after such a long time.

She decided to focus on the thunder element and closed her eyes. Out of all the elements, after chaos, the most powerful element was thunder.

However, her cultivation of the thunder element was very low because of the missing thunder seed.

’It would be great if I could get a mystic seed here.’

This chapt𝙚r is updated by fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com