Gu Jin rolled her eyes. "I don’t need your protection."
She turned and walked away before he could say anything more. Her steps were calm, but inside, her heart was still a little warm from his words.
Once inside her room, she closed the door behind her with a soft click.
She sat down and took a deep breath, then opened her space and pulled out the plant element stone.
There were hundreds of them in total, glowing with a soft green light.
She placed them carefully on the ground in a circle around her, then sat cross-legged in the middle. The room was silent, peaceful.
Gu Jin picked up the first spirit stone and closed her eyes.
At once, she felt the mana in the air shift.
It became thicker, more alive.
The energy from the plant stone flowed into her body like warm sunlight, slow but strong. Her breathing deepened, and her skin began to glow faintly with a soft green light.
Inside her, the green mana ball.
It had been stuck at Emperor Rank, Tier 3, for a long time.
Now, the energy from the stones was slowly helping her push forward.
One by one, she used the stones.
She took her time, absorbing every bit of energy from each one, feeling the flow of nature wrap around her like vines and roots growing from deep soil.
By the time she reached the fiftieth stone, her body was glowing brighter. The pressure in her chest felt like it was about to break through.
But just as she tried to cross that final step...
It was invisible but strong, like a barrier inside her body.
Gu Jin’s brows furrowed.
She opened her eyes and sighed softly. The glow around her faded a little.
She looked at the last plant stone in her hand and cast a faint glance at the other fifty plant stones.
"I guess... It’s not enough yet," she whispered. "The stones... might raise my cultivation, but I need to make an array to maximize the result."
Her heart was calm, though. She didn’t feel discouraged.
"I’ll wait," she said to herself. "The breakthrough will come soon."
She stored the stones and then paused. Though she wanted to absorb the thunder element stones, the problem was... she won’t be able to break through till she gets the Mystic Seed.
"After this trip, I need to go to the Lightning Mountain... sigh."
After Gu Jin finished her quiet cultivation, Long Yifan gently knocked on her door and called out, "Dinner’s ready."
Gu Jin stood up, dusted off her clothes, and walked out. The two of them ate together at the small dining table. It was a simple meal, but warm and peaceful. They didn’t talk much, but it wasn’t awkward. It actually felt... nice.
After dinner, they were about to go back to their rooms when the doorbell rang again.
Long Yifan frowned and walked toward the door. When he opened it, he saw Feng Lian standing outside, holding a new agreement.
Long Yifan didn’t even move aside to let him in. He just crossed his arms and asked coldly, "Do you have another one of those fake agreements?"
Feng Lian nodded, trying to stay calm. "Yes, I’ve brought a new one. There are some changes. I promise..."
But before he could finish, Long Yifan took the document, read just the first few lines, and then calmly tore it to pieces again, right in front of Feng Lian.
"There’s no need to bring any more agreements," Long Yifan said. "Gu Jin is not working with you. Not now. Not ever."
Feng Lian’s face changed. "Wait... you don’t understand. If she gets the key and doesn’t hand it over, the higher-ups might try to kill her."
Long Yifan’s eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening her?"
"No," Feng Lian quickly said, raising his hands. "I’m not! I’m warning you. I heard them talking. They said if she refuses to give the key, they’ll use force."
Long Yifan’s expression didn’t change, but his voice was full of power.
"Even if your entire country uses every bit of its power, they still won’t be able to touch a single hair on her head."
Feng Lian stared at him, shocked. Then he asked slowly, "Who are you, really?"
Long Yifan didn’t answer. He simply said, "You can leave now."
Feng Lian hesitated, then picked up the torn paper from the ground. Before he turned to leave, he asked, "If I want to convince the higher-ups... can I at least know what you want?"
Long Yifan gave a cold smile. "There’s no need to convince them. I’ll take care of the entire country myself."
Hearing those words, a chill ran down Feng Lian’s spine. He left quickly, not daring to look back.
.........................
When Feng Lian returned to the office, the ministers were still laughing, drinking, and celebrating like children who had won a prize.
Feng Lian’s face darkened. He had warned them. He had begged them to give Gu Jin a fair contract. But they had only laughed and ignored him.
He thought of Long Yifan’s words again, and for a moment, he actually hoped something would happen. Maybe then, they’d finally wake up.
The next morning, when Feng Lian walked into the hall, one of the ministers asked lazily, "So? Did that little girl sign the agreement?"
Feng Lian shook his head. "No. She’s going on her own. She’s going to the mountain without your support. And the man with her said he’ll take care of all of you."
The room burst into laughter.
"That brat is too arrogant!" one minister laughed.
"Does he think his words matter?" another added.
"They can go! Let them find the key. We’ll just take it from them later!" a third one sneered.
Feng Lian watched them quietly, his heart growing colder.
"Do you have another candidate?" someone asked him.
"No," Feng Lian replied, his voice tired. "I’m done."
Without waiting for permission, he turned and left.
Behind him, the ministers mocked him.
"He doesn’t understand politics."
"No wonder he’s stuck at his post forever."
"What a useless fool."
Feng Lian didn’t answer. He walked out without looking back.
.....................
The next morning, he woke up to a ringing phone.
He checked the screen. All the ministers were calling him. One after another.
Just as he was deciding whether to answer, one of them called again.
When he picked up, the minister’s voice was shaking with anger. "Where are you?!"
"I’m at home," Feng Lian said calmly.
"Who is that man with Gu Jin?! Tell us!"
Feng Lian blinked. "I... don’t know. He never said."
"Do you have his number?"
"No. He never gave me any contact."
The minister was quiet for a moment. Then asked, "Can you arrange a meeting with him?"
Feng Lian paused, then said softly, "I don’t have the resources to do that."
And with that, he hung up the phone.
Then he opened the news.
All over the internet, reports were popping up, exposing the ministers’ corruption, fake contracts, illegal fund transfers, and secret deals.
Even the magic council and top police officials were now investigating them. Their positions were at risk. Some were already removed.
Feng Lian stared at the screen and whispered, "He actually did it..."
A chill ran through his body.
He couldn’t help but say softly, "He... just who he was?"
But one thing was certain: thank the heavens he hadn’t offended that man.
Gu Jin was sitting on the couch in their quiet little living room, watching the news on the TV.
The news anchor’s voice was sharp and serious.
"In a shocking turn of events, several top ministers from Country J have been removed from their positions.
Reports say they were involved in corruption, money laundering, and abuse of power. Investigations are currently ongoing, and the Magic Council has also stepped in."
Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to look at Long Yifan, who was calmly sipping tea beside her like he didn’t have a care in the world.
She finally spoke, "So... those ministers were kicked out."
Long Yifan nodded. "They don’t deserve to serve the country. They were greedy, selfish, and dangerous."
Gu Jin stared at him for a second, then continued slowly,
"But... I still don’t get one thing. You used all your connections and power to throw them out of their positions. But why didn’t you just let me go solo? You knew I could handle myself."
He placed his cup down gently and looked at her with calm eyes.
"I could stop the ministers," he said. "I could use my influence to push them out and even destroy their power. But assassins... that’s different."
Gu Jin blinked. "Assassins?"
"Yes." He leaned forward, his voice serious now.
"Even though I’m strong, there are others in the world who are just as strong, or stronger. Some of them are my enemies. If they team up with Country J, they might try to kill you. I can’t take that risk."