The Mighty Mage
Chapter 329: Calm Before The Strom

Chapter 329: Chapter 329: Calm Before The Strom

Principal Lan let out a long breath, leaning back in his chair.

"Jihu, your timing is impeccable as always. I was briefing my team about the situation."

"And what situation is that?" Gu Jihu asked, walking over to the sofa and sitting down as though the room were his. He gestured for Gu Jichun to join him.

Principal Lan gestured to the reports on his desk.

"A bus carrying students for military training was sent to the Green Planet. However, midway through the journey, it veered into the portal of the Forgotten Elemental World due to an accident."

At these words, the room grew deathly silent.

Even Gu Jichun, who had been scrutinizing her second brother’s behavior, turned pale.

"The Forgotten Elemental World?" she whispered.

"But... isn’t that place incredibly dangerous?"

Principal Lan nodded grimly.

"Indeed. It’s a world that even seasoned mages struggle to survive in. Elemental storms, rogue creatures, and unstable mana flows make it one of the most perilous dimensions."

Gu Jihu, however, remained calm.

"I see. But why the long faces? This isn’t the first time students have faced challenges in their training."

His nonchalant attitude made Gu Jichun bristle, and she couldn’t hold back.

"Second Brother, are you even listening? Wait! Frist time? So it means they are first-year students?"

Principal Lan’s gaze flicked between the siblings, his expression thoughtful.

"Miss Gu is correct. The bus primarily carried first-year, second-year as well as third-year students. They’re inexperienced, and their survival skills are rudimentary at best."

For a moment, Gu Jihu’s indifferent façade slipped.

His fingers paused mid-tap on his knee, and his sharp gaze fixed on the principal.

"First-years, you say?"

"Yes," Principal Lan confirmed. "And..." He hesitated, his expression becoming more complicated. "Gu Aihan was among them."

The shift in Gu Jihu’s demeanor was instantaneous.

His relaxed posture vanished, replaced by rigid tension. The room seemed to grow colder as his aura turned dark and foreboding.

"What did you just say?" His voice was low, dangerous.

"Gu Aihan is on the bus," Principal Lan repeated. "She was part of the group headed to Green Planet for training."

For a moment, silence reigned.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Then, as if on cue, several of the staff members began murmuring reassurances.

"Second Young Master, please don’t worry—"

"We’ve already started preparations to dispatch a rescue team—"

"Miss Gu Aihan is resourceful; she will surely be fine."

Their attempts to console him only seemed to fuel his anger.

He cut them off with a sharp wave of his hand. "Enough."

The room fell silent once more as all eyes turned to him.

Gu Jihu’s expression was unreadable, but his dark eyes burned with an intensity that made everyone uneasy.

"Has a rescue team been dispatched?" he asked coldly, his gaze locked on Principal Lan.

Principal Lan sighed, folding his hands on the desk.

"A team is being prepared, but due to the complexity of accessing the Forgotten Elemental World, it will take approximately one and a half days to deploy."

"One and a half days?" Gu Jihu repeated, his voice laced with incredulity and barely contained fury.

"Do you have any idea what that means in the Forgotten Elemental World?"

The principal didn’t answer immediately, but his silence was his answer.

Everyone in the room knew the stark reality: one and a half days in their world translated to 15 days in the Forgotten Elemental World.

"That’s unacceptable," Gu Jihu declared, rising to his feet. His aura radiated authority and determination. "Fifteen days in that hellhole is a death sentence for first-years. I will not allow it."

Principal Lan frowned. "Jihu, this isn’t something we can rush. The portal stabilization requires—"

"I don’t care about your technicalities," Gu Jihu interrupted, his tone ice-cold.

"I’ll contact the Magic Council myself and have the process expedited. In the meantime, I expect you to find the culprit behind this incident. Someone tampered with that bus, and I want their head."

The principal’s expression turned grave, but he nodded. "Understood."

Gu Jichun, who had been silent until now, found her voice.

"Second Brother, I’m worried about Gu Jin. She was on that bus too, wasn’t she?"

Gu Jihu’s expression flickered for the briefest moment, but he masked it quickly.

"Yes," he said simply. "She was."

Though his tone was calm, the storm brewing in his eyes betrayed the turmoil within him.

Unlike everyone else in the room, who assumed his concern was for Gu Aihan, Gu Jichun knew better.

She could see it in the way his hands clenched into fists and the barely concealed desperation in his voice.

As Gu Jihu turned to leave, his parting words echoed through the room like a commandment.

"I’ll handle the rescue. You focus on uncovering the truth."

............

In the Forgotten Elemental World.

7 days flew by.

Just like the normal days, the hunting team left the campsite, while others got into their role.

None of the students dared to leave the safe zone, so the casualties were less. Though they were desperate, they knew they had to hold on till the rescue team arrived.

On the night of the 7 days, a problem occurred. Gu Jin’s body started to emit a strange green light.

A green light was touching the sky in a straight line was getting emitted by Gu Jin. The beast nearby was attracted by the light and started to flock toward the safety point.

Yu Jin fought with frustration.

His sharp features were marred with exhaustion and fury, his clenched fists evidence of his frayed patience.

Around him, Professor Meng and several students worked tirelessly to defeat the beasts.

Having enough, Yu Jin took out his trump card a circle-like object, and dropped it on the ground. In an instant, the campsite was covered by an invisible barrier.

After dealing with the beast inside the circle, everyone sat on the ground.

Yu Jin barked,

"Damn it! Where is this light coming from? We’re already hanging by a thread, and now this?!"

Gu Aihan pointed a trembling finger toward a tent on the far side of the camp.

"It’s Gu Jin! She’s the one causing this! Look at her tent—it’s practically glowing! If we don’t throw her out, we’re all going to die!"

Her voice, shrill and panicked, cut through the tense air.

The surrounding students exchanged uncertain glances, but Yu Jin’s jaw tightened as his glare bore into the glowing tent.

"Irritating as ever," he muttered under his breath before striding toward the tent.

Inside, Long Yifan knelt by Gu Jin’s unconscious form, his expression calm yet focused.

He had already draped layers of fabric and magical cloaks over her, but the green light pierced through them as if mocking his attempts.

He looked up when the tent flap flew open to reveal Yu Jin’s stormy figure.

"What the hell is going on here, Long Yifan?" Yu Jin demanded, his voice a low growl.

"Do you realize what kind of danger this puts us in? That light is practically a beacon for every beast out there!"

Long Yifan didn’t flinch under Yu Jin’s rage.

Instead, he adjusted the blanket over Gu Jin and said evenly,

"She’s about to break through. The light is part of the process."

Yu Jin scoffed loudly.

"A breakthrough? Don’t joke with me. I’ve never seen a breakthrough cause this kind of commotion! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Long Yifan didn’t react to the mockery, his tone steady.

"The intensity of this light suggests it’s no ordinary breakthrough. It’s possible Gu Jin is about to ascend to Emperor Rank."

The tent went silent for a moment, save for the muffled roars of the beasts outside.

Yu Jin’s eyebrows shot up, and then he laughed—a bitter, disbelieving sound.

"Emperor Rank? Do you think I’m a fool? She’s barely at Advanced Rank! Are you seriously suggesting she’s skipping Super Rank entirely? That’s impossible!"

Long Yifan met Yu Jin’s incredulous gaze with calm certainty.

"It’s rare, but not impossible. Certain circumstances, extreme talent, and unique lineage can cause such leaps."

Yu Jin groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"You sound insane. Do you even hear yourself? The only thing that matters now is that your ’Emperor Rank prodigy’ is going to get us all killed!

My protective artifact has 30 minutes left, Yifan. Thirty. If that light doesn’t stop by then, I’ll have no choice but to throw her out. Do you understand?"

Long Yifan’s eyes darkened, though his tone remained composed.

"The light may fade for now, but it will return periodically until her breakthrough is complete. Throwing her out will only delay the inevitable."

"Then what do you suggest?" Yu Jin snapped, exasperated.

"Are you going to hold off the beasts yourself? You’re barely Advanced Rank. Even if you were Emperor Rank, no one could face that many beasts alone!"

Long Yifan stood, his imposing height forcing Yu Jin to look up. His calm demeanor remained unshaken.

"Give me a chance, Yu Jin. I will protect the base. But if I fail, you can do whatever you see fit."