The Mighty Mage

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "We use this time. The energy here is strong. Let's cultivate."

Mimi blinked, then smiled. "Oh! That's a good idea."

They walked a little further and found a thick tree with wide roots, surrounded by mist. The air around it was heavy with dark energy, soft but strong.

Gu Jin sat down under the tree, legs crossed. "This place is perfect."

For the next one month, Gu Jin and Mimi stayed under the same large tree with thick roots and swirling mist.

The necromancy energy in the air was rich and heavy, perfect for cultivation. Gu Jin sat quietly every day, letting the dark energy flow through her body like a slow-moving river.

Bit by bit, she could feel her power growing.

At first, her necromancy element rose steadily to the advanced rank. But it didn't stop there. Just two weeks later, she pushed through another level and reached Super Rank, Tier 3.

She opened her eyes with a soft glow in them. Mimi, who had been watching her, clapped her hands. "Gu Jin, you're amazing! You reached Tier 3 Super Rank already!"

Gu Jin only shook her head with a calm smile. "It's because the energy here is strong."

But in truth, she was a little surprised too. Her progress had never been this fast before.

They kept staying there, and for the next one and a half months, Gu Jin continued her training. Slowly, with patience and focus, she reached Emperor Rank, Tier 3.

At Advanced Rank, her power had let her change the appearance of her skeleton warriors.

They no longer looked like dry bones. She could now make them appear like armored ghosts, something between a skeleton and a real undead. This wasn't too useful for her, though, because she already had a better disguise method for them.

At Super Rank, she unlocked something very useful. She could now control which element her skeleton warriors awakened with. Before, they only shared the same element as her. Now, she could make one have thunder, another fire, and another poison, all by her own choice.

But it was at Emperor Rank that she gained her strongest power yet.

A skill that lets her switch places with her skeleton warriors.

That meant if Gu Jin was in Country A, and her skeleton warrior was in Country B, she could trade places with it instantly. She would be in Country B, and her skeleton warrior would appear in her place in Country A.

It was like having a secret teleportation gate.

By now, the energy in the air had thinned a bit. Gu Jin could feel it. Her body was filled with power, but something felt off. It was like her energy was growing too big for her body to handle.

A strange pulse moved inside her, like thunder rolling under her skin.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

A bottleneck.

She had reached the edge of Heaven Rank, but she couldn't break through yet. And the more she tried to absorb energy from the mountain, the more she felt the land itself reacting.

Cracks formed in the rocks nearby. The mist was weaker. The tree behind her lost a few dark leaves.

If she kept going… she had a strong feeling the mountain might collapse.

Just then, Mimi walked over with a pink flare gun in her hand. "Why did you stop cultivating? You were doing so well!"

Gu Jin looked up at her. "Because… something feels wrong. If I keep going, this place might fall apart."

Mimi blinked and waved her hand. "You're overthinking. That's just your feeling."

But Gu Jin shook her head. "No. My instincts are never wrong. This mountain… it's connected to necromancy energy. If I absorb all of it, the mountain will break."

Mimi pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine. I won't argue with you."

Gu Jin studied her for a moment and noticed something. "Your aura… it's stronger than before."

Mimi giggled proudly. "Of course! While you were busy cultivating, I fought off all the plant monsters in the area. I took all their red soul crystals. I must be at Transcendental Stage 1 now!"

She raised her chin proudly. "Let's see if that annoying Long guy still dares to act smug around me!"

Gu Jin chuckled softly. "You really don't like him, huh?"

"I hate him!" Mimi said with fire in her eyes. "He's my lifelong enemy!"

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Why do you hate Long Yifan so much?"

But Mimi quickly changed the subject. "Forget that. What I don't get is why you like him."

Gu Jin blinked. "I don't like him."

Mimi didn't reply. She just gave her a look and stayed silent.

Gu Jin frowned and repeated more firmly, "I don't like Long Yifan."

Mimi just kept quiet.

Gu Jin sighed, knowing that if they kept talking, they'd probably end up arguing for the next month. So she stood up and said, "Let's go."

Mimi followed without saying another word.

As Gu Jin and Mimi slowly made their way down the mountain, the thick mist slowly cleared near the entrance. The sky was still gloomy, and the wind was colder here. Just as they reached the narrow stone path that led outside the mountain, Gu Jin suddenly stopped.

Two skeletons lay on the ground.

One was leaning against a rock, and the other was half-buried in dried grass. Their bones were clean, but there were deep cracks on some of them. Whatever had happened to them… it was deadly.

Mimi frowned and stepped forward, sniffing the air gently.

Her eyes widened. "It's them," she said sharply. "Those two bastards we saw at the entrance!"

Gu Jin looked at her, confused. "Who?"

"You don't remember?" Mimi asked, surprised. "Those couple who said they wanted to go in first, but you ignored them."

Gu Jin paused, then tried to recall the moment. After a few seconds, she nodded slowly. "Ah… I remember now. They were loud, weren't they?"

Mimi crossed her arms. "And rude. Looks like they triggered one of the traps."

Gu Jin walked closer to the skeletons and looked at the ground. There were faint signs of burnt soil and cracked stones. Some pieces of bone were slightly blackened.

She nodded calmly. "Yes. They were probably caught by one of the traps or something worse."

Mimi scrunched her nose. "Good for them. That's what they get for being jerks."

Gu Jin didn't respond. Instead, she used her plant vines to hold both the skeletons.

Mimi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you… Taking them with us?"

Gu Jin nodded. "Yes."

Mimi stepped in front of her. "Why? Don't tell me you're going to make them your summons?"

Gu Jin's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. "No. I'm not that low."

There was a faint expression of disgust in her gaze as she shook her head.

"I'm taking them so I can bury them properly," she said simply.

Mimi looked surprised. "Really?"

Gu Jin nodded again. "They may have been rude, but they were still cultivators. They didn't deserve to be left here like this. Besides, someone may be waiting for them outside the mountain. At least this way, they can rest in peace."

Mimi didn't say anything for a while. She just stared at the two skeletons being gently lifted by Gu Jin's plant vines. The vines moved slowly, carefully, like they were carrying something precious.

Then Mimi let out a sigh. "You're way too kind sometimes, Gu Jin."

Gu Jin didn't reply. She just kept walking down the path, her face calm.

Soon they crossed over the portal and left the Void Gate.

They reached a small clearing near the bottom of the mountain. There was soft grass, a few rocks, and a tall tree that stood all alone. Gu Jin walked over and gently laid the skeletons down.

She took a small shovel from her space ring and began to dig.

Mimi watched quietly. She didn't joke or complain. Instead, she helped move the rocks aside and even used her own wind magic to clear the dirt faster.

Soon, two simple graves were made side by side.

Gu Jin placed the skeletons inside with respect. Then she used her vines to cover them with dirt again. She didn't say any long words or do any rituals. She just stood there silently for a few moments, her eyes steady.

"Rest well," she said softly.

Mimi crossed her arms and looked at the graves. "They better be thankful. I wouldn't have done this."

Gu Jin turned to her with a faint smile. "That's okay. I didn't do it for them. I did it for myself."

Mimi blinked, then nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense."

They stayed there for a little longer, letting the wind brush past them. Then Gu Jin turned around.

"Let's go. We still have a long way to go."

Mimi followed her, and the two of them left the mountain behind. What they didn't notice was that two souls who had lingered in the void gate finally left the place with a grateful expression.