The Mighty Mage-Chapter 436: Interested

As she scanned the crowd, she spotted another familiar face.

Ah...

"Master Zhou from the Northern Star Sect," she said smoothly, her smile widening as she noticed a middle-aged man with a serious expression watching her closely.

Master Zhou blinked, surprised that she had noticed him, but quickly stepped forward, adjusting his robes.

"Miss Gu," he said with a respectful nod.

"Interested?" Gu Jin asked, her tone teasing but respectful.

Master Zhou’s expression was unreadable, but his eyes betrayed a deep interest.

"My sect has always been interested in ancient recipes," Master Zhou said carefully. "We are willing to offer... twelve billion."

Gu Jin’s lips twitched.

"Master Zhou," she said gently, "I’m sure a sect as powerful as yours can do better than that."

Master Zhou’s eyes flickered with amusement.

"Thirteen billion," he said, his voice steady.

Gu Jin tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Fifteen billion," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper.

Master Zhou chuckled softly. "Miss Gu, you are truly a shrewd negotiator."

"Only when the product is worth it," Gu Jin replied smoothly.

"Fifteen billion it is," Master Zhou said with a smile.

Gu Jin handed over another copy of the recipe, her fingers brushing lightly against the parchment.

Another deal sealed.

The audience was speechless.

"She’s unstoppable!"

"How many copies does she have?!"

"Does she even need to participate in the competition anymore? She’s already made a fortune!"

But Gu Jin wasn’t done yet.

As the crowd began murmuring again, another figure stepped forward.

"Miss Gu," a quiet but determined voice spoke.

This time, it was a young woman dressed in the robes of the Moonlight Sect.

Her eyes were calm, but there was a desperate gleam in them.

"I... would like to purchase a copy as well," she said softly, her voice steady but filled with urgency.

Gu Jin’s eyes softened for a moment.

The Moonlight Sect wasn’t as wealthy as the others.

Their resources were limited, and Gu Jin could see that the young woman’s request wasn’t driven by greed but by a genuine need to help her sect grow.

"Seven billion," Gu Jin said softly, lowering the price just this once.

The young woman’s eyes widened in surprise. "Seven...?"

"Consider it a special offer," Gu Jin said with a wink.

The young woman bowed deeply, her voice trembling. "Thank you, Miss Gu."

Gu Jin handed over the final copy, her smile gentle but satisfied.

That should be enough.

As the young woman left, Gu Jin finally let out a quiet sigh of contentment.

Not bad.

In less than an hour, she had earned over sixty billion yuan.

More than enough to pay off her debt to Pei Ke and have a lot left for her own!

Gu Jin ignored Elder Han’s dark face and the other judges’ constipated looks and made her way back to the hotel room.

Soon she returned to her room.

Just as she lay on the bed, her phone rang.

Without looking at the number, she picked up and heard Master Qiao’s voice,

"Congratulations on ranking first in the second round."

"Thank you." Gu Jin said then she paused before asking,

"Why was a reward given out in the second round but not the first? This question has been bugging me for a long time."

Master Qiao chuckled,

"You are asking it now. Hehe! It’s like this, the first round was theory in which a good memory person could easily rank first but they might not be a real alchemist."

"Oh..."

"By the way Gu Jin, I saw the livestream I wanted to ask why did you charge all the people differently?" Master Qiao asked.

Gu Jin’s lips curled into a knowing smile as she adjusted her position on the bed, resting one arm behind her head.

"Master Qiao," she said lazily, "surely you know the answer to that."

A chuckle echoed through the phone. "Heh, I had my suspicions... but I’d rather hear it from you."

Gu Jin’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she traced an invisible pattern on the bedsheet.

"Simple," she said smoothly. "I wasn’t just selling a recipe... I was selling opportunity."

Master Qiao went silent for a moment.

"Opportunity?" he echoed, clearly intrigued.

"Mm," Gu Jin hummed softly, her tone confident.

"The recipe I sold isn’t just a formula—it’s a key to power, prestige, and growth. But not everyone values it the same way."

Master Qiao let out a low hum of appreciation. "Ah... I see. You judged their desperation."

"Exactly." Gu Jin’s eyes sparkled. "Elder Yuan from the Qinghua Alchemy Guild is known for nurturing young talents. His guild needed that recipe to give their rising stars a competitive edge. For him, nine billion was a small price to pay for securing his guild’s future."

"And Elder Fang?" Master Qiao prompted, clearly enjoying her analysis.

"The Violet Flame Pavilion values reputation and dominance in the market," Gu Jin said smoothly.

"For them, having an exclusive recipe that could create a stir would increase their influence tenfold. They were more than willing to shell out fifteen billion to maintain that advantage."

"And Master Zhou?"

Gu Jin’s eyes darkened slightly, her smile growing more cunning.

"Master Zhou from the Northern Star Sect... he’s a cautious man," Gu Jin murmured.

"But his sect is ambitious. They want to expand their influence, and a powerful, unique recipe would give them the leverage they need.

Thirteen billion wasn’t a high price for that kind of potential growth."

Master Qiao laughed softly. "Clever... very clever."

"But," Gu Jin added, her tone softening, "not everyone is driven by greed or ambition."

"The girl from the Moonlight Sect," Master Qiao murmured, his voice quieter.

"Yes," Gu Jin said softly, a rare warmth in her tone.

"She wasn’t trying to gain power... she was trying to save her sect. I could see it in her eyes. That kind of sincerity... deserves a little kindness."

"You charged her only seven billion," Master Qiao said, his voice filled with admiration. "That’s still a hefty sum, but far lower than the others."

Gu Jin smiled, a hint of satisfaction in her expression.

"I’m not heartless," she murmured.

"Besides... the goodwill I earned today might be worth more than any amount of money."

Master Qiao was silent for a moment before he let out a soft sigh.

"You’re not just an alchemist, Gu Jin," he said with quiet reverence.

"You’re a strategist... a tactician. You don’t just play the game—you control it."

Then he paused and asked,

"But how did you know all of it?"

The smile on Gu Jin’s face froze.

How did she know?

Well it was thanks to a certain judge named Long Yifan who used some telepathic artifact to communicate with her.

"Long Yifan." Gu Jin said coldly.

"Eh? That stinky boy? Well, he doomed." Master Qiao laughed.

"What do you mean?" Gu Jin was confused.

"The principal had endured Long Yifan’s arrogance only because he had promised to participate in the National Championship, it just happened that the National Championship would begin in 2 hours and Long Yifan was still in Fu Jio City.

Even if he has wings, he won’t reach the competition within the next 2 hours. Haha!"

Gu Jin didn’t feel any joy.

Gu Jin’s brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Two hours..." she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Master Qiao was still laughing on the other end, but Gu Jin wasn’t amused.

"Master Qiao," she said, her tone serious. "Are you sure he won’t make it in time?" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Master Qiao stopped laughing, his tone turning thoughtful.

"Well..." he said slowly. "Even if he had a flying beast ready, it would still take at least three hours to get to the capital."

’But he missed the championship because of me...’ Gu Jin thought.

"Master Qiao," Gu Jin said softly, her tone calm but firm.

"Yes?"

"Is there... any way to get him there in time?"

Master Qiao went silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Jin," he said carefully, "are you... worried about him?"

Gu Jin blinked, her expression unreadable.

"Worried?" she echoed softly. "Not exactly."

"Master Qiao," Gu Jin said, her tone more serious. "I owe him."

Master Qiao let out a small sigh.

"Well..." he said slowly, "there might be one way."

Gu Jin’s ears perked up.

"What is it?" she asked quickly.

"There’s a teleportation array near the southern edge of Fu Jio City," Master Qiao said. "It’s ancient... unstable... and incredibly dangerous."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. She felt as if she had heard the same line before...

Ah!

Gu Jin remembered that she had indeed used a teleportation array near Beijing City which teleported her to the Fu Jio city.

Was Master Qiao talking about that array?

In order to confirm, she asked,

"Master Qiao are you talking about the array which has almost turned into a pile of stones?"

"Eh? You know it? I had seen it with the intention of researching, but the array is truly in the worst condition."