Wooyun's eyes sparkled at the sight of the fan being pulled out of thin air. This was his first time seeing the accessory being used as a weapon, and he couldn't help feeling excited to see how this young master would use it against Eun-woo.
Eun-woo, on the other hand, dodged the attack smoothly and summoned his whip as it cracked with flames all along its length. The crowd gasped as those who had never seen Eun-woo fight before were often surprised by the dangerous-looking weapon whenever he pulled it out.
Kyung-min, who was watching the fight from the pavilion, widened his eyes. He had always heard that Heo Eun-woo fought with an unconventional weapon, but it was his first time seeing it in action. His infamous whip-like weapon, known as The Judicator's Coil, unique in every sense of the word, was a highly dynamic and unpredictable weapon in combat. Unlike a sword, which relied on direct strikes and parries, a whip required precise control, agility, and mastery of fluid movements. The whip's long reach allowed Eun-woo to attack from a distance, sweeping it in wide arcs to control the battlefield and keep opponents at bay.
Not only that, it allowed him to wrap the whip around an opponent's weapon, wrist, or even limbs, yanking them off balance or rendering them defenseless. But what made it so impressive was the flames emanating from its cords. Infused with inner fire qi, the whip could sear through armor, ignite on impact, or even release bursts of flame with each strike.
With a simple flick of his wrist, Eun-woo lashed out, sending a wave of fire towards Baerin. He countered the attack flawlessly, spinning his fan in order to generate a powerful updraft that dispersed the flames.
Even though it wasn't his first time seeing the fire whip, it still shocked him every time he saw it. "What an unusual weapon for such an unusual man." He muttered to himself.
Baerin didn't have time to be in awe as the longer this dragged on, the more at a disadvantage he'd be. He dashed forward with surprising speed. Unlike what most people thought, Song Baerin wasn't just a long ranged fighter—his fan, reinforced with wind qi, acted like a razor-edged weapon. It's what made him such a tricky opponent to face against. He was versatile and capable of adapting quickly.
Yet his versatility wasn't what worried Eun-woo, it was his relentlessness. As he snapped his whip toward Baerin's wrist, he fought back without slowing down. Each time Eun-woo moved to attack, the wind redirected his flames, diffused them, or twisted them into unpredictable currents. Slowly, the battle was shifting in Baerin's favor.
"It looks like this fight is going in young master Song's favour," a young man muttered to his friend, who nodded in agreement.
The others seemed to be in agreement, but Wooyun wasn't so sure. Even though it looked like Song Baerin was overpowering Eun-woo, there was something in his face and his stance that indicated otherwise, but he couldn't pinpoint what.
"Not necessarily," a young woman said, interrupting his thoughts.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, look at young master Heo's face. It's so eerily calm. It's not the face someone would make when they are being overpowered or on the verge of losing." She remarked.
The others took a closer look at Eun-woo's face and realized she was right. In fact, he looked like a man who was on the cusp of doing something great.
Wooyun smiled.
He knew there was no way Eun-woo would lose. Wooyun wasn't sure why he thought that. He just did.
Eun-woo stared at Song Baerin and decided to start taking this fight more seriously. Even if it was a simple match to inspire and entertain the spectators and participants, if he didn't act now, he would risk getting caught in Baerin's wind.
Though many thought water was fire's greatest enemy, wind was a close second. It could quickly spiral his flames out of control or diffuse them if he didn't get a better hold of himself. And so, closing his eyes, he summoned his signature technique: "Infernal Serpent Strike"
He then spun the whip in loose, flowing circles, gathering momentum and forming a spiraling aura of flames around him.
To those spectating, his movements mimicked a serpent, coiling and uncoiling, confusing his opponent with unpredictable footwork and feints. With a lightning-fast flick, the whip lashes forward like a striking snake, aiming for a vital point—Eun-woo aimed for Baerin's throat.
Luckily for Song Baerin, his eyes were sharp, and he was able to dodge the attack narrowingly, yet Eun-woo's whip didn't stop its trajectory. He whirled the weapon around Song Baerin in an attempt to latch the weapon on his fan so he would become unarmed. His opponent, however, wasn't going to let that happen.
Baerin, with a fierce swing of his fan, summoned a massive storm gale that enveloped the entire arena. The sheer force of the wind nearly knocked Eun-woo off his feet. His flames sputtered, struggling to breathe in the suffocating current.
And for the first time in years, Eun-woo felt it—doubt.
His fire isn't enough.
His mastery of flames, one he had honed for a long time, was starting to wither. His embers he had been so proud of no longer burned as bright as they used to. This was something Eun-woo had realized for some time and something he had brought up to his master.
"I believe you've reached a wall, child," he remembered his master saying. "Which isn't surprising given how fast you've been progressing. You've mastered your flames so well that at some point, they stopped being this new marvel to you. You've grown used to their heat and you've become bored. But fear not. That only means you're on the brink of a breakthrough. What you need now is enlightenment. Without it, you will be stuck like this."
"How do I reach enlightenment then, master?"
His master was pensive before he smiled. "That is something you'll need to figure out on your own. How about you get yourself a change of pace? There's an old friend of mine who wishes to have their son learn martial arts. Perhaps teaching him will give you the insight you might need."
But even after entering the Kang household and teaching Kang Yu-jun for two years, nothing had changed. In fact, he felt like he had become more stagnant than before. Frustrated by his lack of advancement, he was preparing to leave when he suddenly set his eyes on Seo-yoon. Weak, fragile, almost lifeless. But just in a span of a couple months, he was able to grow so quickly.
Seeing his growth made Eun-woo feel inspired for the first time in years. He had the sudden urge to grow, but he couldn't find the means to do so. How could he get his flames to burn brighter? To reach bigger heights?
The very thing he was proud of was currently being smothered by someone else's air. His opponent controlled the very air that feeds his fire. The realization clawed at him. If he can't even burn freely, what use was his strength?
And then, at that moment of crisis, something shifts.
He remembered something fundamental.
Fire is not weak. It does not submit. Fire is not just destruction. Fire is transformation. It adapts. It devours.
His flames do not need to fight against the wind. They must become one with it. The realization struck him like lightning. His qi surged as his vision cleared. His body, his mind, his very existence aligned with the essence of fire itself.
The flames that once flickered under Baerin's pressure now twisted and spiraled—no longer struggling under his control, but dancing with the wind. The crowd gasped as a new phenomenon unfolded before them—a blazing inferno that moved with the storm instead of against it.
Baerin's eyes widened in shock.
Eun-woo stepped forward. A single swing of his whip, and the entire battlefield erupted. Flames spiraled into the wind, feeding off the currents instead of being smothered by them.
Baerin attempted to regain control by fanning his qi to push the flames back, but it was too late. The moment his wind touched Eun-woo's fire, it only grew.
"Shit," he cursed.
Things were looking bad for him. Even though this was merely an exhibition match and there were no winners, he didn't want to make the Sect lose face. He was determined to win, especially after he had heard Eun-woo had hit a wall in his martial arts. But that clearly wasn't the case, as Eun-woo had somehow gotten stronger. It was as if—
"No way… did he just reach enlightenment?!"
Eun-woo raised his arm. His whip, now an extension of his will, moved in a single, fluid motion—slicing through Baerin's final defense. A burst of wind and fire exploded in the arena. And when the dust finally settled, Baerin was on one knee, gasping for air.
Eun-woo stood tall as his whips still cackled like a burning flame in a fire escape. His body radiated a new, overwhelming aura. His flames were no longer flickering erratically—they burned with absolute control.
He had advanced.
A chuckle could be heard in the arena as the crowd grew silent. "You bastard. How dare you reach enlightenment after fighting me?"
What an absolute monster, he thought as he looked at the young man who looked like a harbinger of doom at that moment.
Yet, a light smile painted Eun-woo's lips, making his cold princely demeanour even more handsome. Wooyun could've sworn he heard the women in attendance swoon.
"It was all thanks to you, young master Song. You have my sincerest gratitude." He said as he extended a hand for him to help him up.
Song Baerin almost spat blood at those words. Had it been anyone else, he would've thought they were faking sincerity, but looking into his light brown eyes, Baerin didn't detect a single trace of deceit.
"Shove it." He finally muttered, but accepted the hand extended to him.
Wooyun was stuck in a daze as he stared at the man below him blankly. He couldn't believe that was the same Eun-woo who had been scolding him about practicing his qi circulation the other day. The same Eun-woo who made him handle a sword and spar with him, even though he was only a novice. And the same Eun-woo who would rub medicine on his arms and legs at night when he didn't think he was awake.
Wooyun knew how impressive he was, but hearing it and seeing it in action were two different things.
Why wasn't he featured in the novel more often?
His daze was interrupted when he saw Eun-woo look up from the stage, his eyes darting around until they landed on Wooyun. The man's heart almost did a somersault with how sudden it was. He opened his mouth and mouthed, "I hope you were paying attention."
Wooyun rolled his eyes. "Look at this guy." Guess he's back to being a stickler.