Hours passed like this, the sky outside turning from gold to blue, and then to the velvet black of night.
Sweat pulled over his forehead when he finally opened his eyes. He knew that he hadn't successfully managed to make the fire qi his, but he was able to make some progress.
After the third day, the old innkeeper came up to his room telling him there was someone who was there to see him. Wooyun knew who she was talking about without having to be told. He went downstairs to greet him.
Eun-woo stood there, his calm yet imposing presence brought a smile to his face. Without thinking, he ran towards him and slammed into his chest. Eun-woo would've stumbled back if it weren't for his quick reflexes. He looked down at the young man in his arms, holding him tightly. His body went rigid and his breath hitched. For a long moment, Eun-woo didn't move.
His arms hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure of where to go. Physical affection wasn't something he was used to, nor expected—especially not from someone like Seo-yoon, who was once known for being meek, quiet, and distant.
But this wasn't the same Seo-yoon.
Slowly, his arms came down, resting lightly on Wooyun's back. His fingers twitched as if startled by their gentleness, then finally settled into something firmer, more reassuring.
"This is…rather unexpected. Did something happen?" Eun-woo asked, his voice a little softer than usual. He tilted his head, trying to catch Wooyun's expression.
"No," Wooyun muttered, his face still pressed against his chest. "I just… It's been a long time since I last saw you." He admitted.
Eun-woo furrowed his brows, confused. "It's only been four days?"
"Four days is a long time. We used to see each other every day."
Eun-woo gave a low hum, neither pushing him away nor refuting his words. He simply stood there, holding him. "I can tell," he said eventually. "Your qi is in shambles."
Wooyun let out a strangled laugh as he finally pulled away. "Of course, that's the first thing you say." Can't even let a guy catch a break.
"I'm not here to coddle you." Eun-woo's tone was dry, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of concern. " I see you've been practicing."
"Every day," Wooyun said, stepping back and straightening his robes. It's not like there's much to do besides train. "I can get the fire qi to move, but it won't form. It keeps scattering."
Eun-woo nodded slowly. He could see with his own eyes that he had already reached the first stage of the five-elemental technique in only a few days. Just as I thought, he'll be able to master it soon.
"We can talk more upstairs." He said as he saw the innkeeper walk in with a bucket of water and cloth, mostly likely to clean the place up. Wooyun nodded and once he'd gotten permission from the old lady, they headed upstairs.
The first thing Eun-woo did when they entered the room was bombard him with questions about what happened after returning home. And Wooyun grudgingly recounted the series of unfortunate events that led to him staying here.
Eunwoo looked at him as if he had lost his mind once he was done. "How could you even think of engaging in a fight with him? Yu-jun is at a higher level than you! You're lucky martial cultivators have to take an oath of honour or else you could've been severely injured!"
The oath of honour. A sacred vow all martial cultivators took when entering the path of cultivation. It was typically performed in front of their master, sect elders, or at a ceremonial altar.
It was a vow commonly practiced amongst righteous cultivators as a way of distinguishing themselves from other cultivators but neutral and a few rogue cultivators implemented it as well. Martial arts was after all a sacred art and with it came great responsibility.
Wooyun hadn't forgotten about it. It was the reason why he was so confident. He knew Yu-jun wouldn't be able to fight him seriously because if he were to inflict actual harm on him, he could receive heaven's band. If a cultivator harmed or killed a civilian without formal cause or outside of an official spar—a band would appear on their skin.
The band would glow and can't be hidden or removed through conventional means. This served as a mark—kind of like a scarlet letter and would cause the offender to have their cultivation base weaken over time which could lead to their qi rotting or becoming unstable. This of course was a fate worse than death to a martial artist.
The punishment could sometimes escalate to receiving a qi deviation curse and getting excommunicated from their sect. Of course, Kang Yu-jun wouldn't risk ruining his life and the Kang Clan's reputation over him. So he made a bet and was glad he had bet correctly.
Eun-woo shook his head. "Incredibly reckless." He muttered.
Wooyun rolled his eyes. "Did you come here to scold me or did you come here to help me with training one last time?"
The young man let out a sigh before reaching into the inner pocket of his robes and pulling out a small wooden box. Wooyun watched with great interest as the box was handed to him. "A gift?" He asked with raised eyebrows.
"Open it."
Wooyun stared at him for a few seconds before opening the box. Inside the box lay three pills, each different in colour. There was an orange one, a green one, and a blue one. The pills were in the shape of a ball, about the size of those chewing gums that would come out of those candy dispensers. You had to pay a couple of coins for something that didn't taste very good, but as a curious and greedy child, you would always feel the need to buy them it. Except, they were two sizes smaller.
Not only that, they emanated a faint smell. The orange one smelled like a fireplace after the fire had gone down, the green one smelled like wet grass after the rain, and the blue one smelled like the ocean back home.
Wooyun looked up at Eun-woo with a mix of awe and confusion. Why was he giving him this?
"They're elemental tempering pills," Eun-woo explained, his voice calm but purposeful. "They help attune your body and qi to the natural elements. Fire, wood, and water." He pointed to each one as he spoke. "They're low-grade but pure. Hard to find unless you know the right alchemist."
Wooyun blinked. "Wait, are you serious? These are worth—"
"More than a room in a shabby inn, yes," Eun-woo interrupted. "But not more than someone who's risking their neck trying to ignite their cultivation." He crossed his arms, expression unreadable. "Take the orange one before your next session. It'll help your body resonate with the fire qi instead of rejecting it."
Wooyun's throat tightened. It was true that medicine provided a huge benefit to cultivators. It could boost their inner energy, fix their ailments, and help with advancements. In murim novels, successors or disciples of large sects were said to take medicinal products often from a young age.
They were precious items that cost quite some money but were nothing to sects that were flowing with them. Still, Wooyun was touched by the gesture. "You didn't have to…"
"I know." Eun-woo looked away for a moment, eyes settling on the window. "But I wanted to."
Wooyun carefully closed the box, as if afraid it would vanish if he blinked too fast. He placed it beside him, hand lingering on the lid for a beat too long. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. You still haven't shown me what you've managed on your own." Eun-woo stepped back and lowered himself to the floor in a fluid motion. "Sit. And make sure to ingest the infernal ember pill."
Wooyun pursed his lips as he eyed the orange pill. He picked up the spherical pill. Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth and was instantly met with a burnt taste in his mouth. The thing was bitter and left a horrible aftertaste. His face scrunched up with disgust, and Eun-Soo's brown eyes flashed with amusement at the sight.
But within minutes, he felt a burning sensation in the middle of his chest, and Eun-woo who had been watching him smiled. Wooyun moved to sit across from him, legs crossed, spine straight. He took a deep breath, centering himself as Eun-woo watched with a discerning gaze.
Slowly, he reached inward, feeling that familiar flicker of heat in his core. It was faint—like the lingering warmth of embers—but it was there. He focused, willing it to stir. The fire qi responded sluggishly at first, but it moved. Inside his body, the qi looked like wisps of glowing smoke—orange and red strands that danced just beneath the surface of his flesh. They spiraled from the dantian, each thread thin but alive, snaking out in different directions like wild fireflies.
He tried to guide them, remembering Eun-woo's instructions—draw it inward, gather it, control it. The strands resisted, flickering erratically. Some tried to converge, but others would lash out, too volatile, too scattered.
The qi flickered again—almost forming a circle. Just for a breath, it started to bend inward, forming a broken loop glowing with dull, flickering heat. But this time, something was different. The Infernal Ember Pill had begun to dissolve completely within him, and the bitterness on his tongue was replaced by a heat that spread through his chest like wildfire. It wasn't painful—no, it was exhilarating, like a rush of life igniting in his veins.
The strands of fire qi that had once been unruly now seemed to react to the pill's influence. They shimmered brighter, the reds deepening into molten gold, the oranges glowing like the heart of a flame. The once-scattered wisps began to sway—not violently, but rhythmically, like flames dancing in the wind.
Wooyun took another deep breath, and the energy responded. It surged—not wildly, but as though drawn by a magnetic force within him. The fiery tendrils curved inward, spiraling tighter and tighter around his dantian.
For the first time, they weren't fighting each other. They moved with intention, like rivers of light carving a path through his meridians.
Slowly, the broken loop began to stitch itself together—wisp by wisp, strand by strand. Each thread connected seamlessly pulled into place like a diagram unfolding in his core.
And then—it clicked.
The qi snapped into formation, locking into a perfect circle. A burning ring of fire now floated around his dantian, its edges fluid yet precise, glowing brighter with each passing second. The heat didn't hurt anymore. It was a part of him now. Warmth coursed through his limbs, spreading to every corner of his body. He could feel the fire strengthening him, reinforcing his veins, seeping into his bones.
Eun-woo leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing in approval. "You did it," he said quietly. "The fire qi has successfully been formed." His eyes shined with awe.
Wooyun had accomplished a feat very few had. It took even him—a well-known genius at least two weeks to reach the second stage. Wooyun opened his eyes. They glowed faintly, a soft ember-like hue flickering in his irises before fading. He exhaled, and with it came a faint curl of steam from his lips.
"Uhh, what the hell was that? It was as if the fire was trying to consume me at first, but suddenly it was like I became the fire?" He muttered in a daze.
"You've passed the second stage." He said, his tone gentler now. Wooyun gave a small, tired smile.
"Then I guess I'm finally ready for the third." He said, feeling proud of himself.
"Not quite," Eun-woo replied with a teasing glint in his eyes. "The next stage is staying conscious long enough to recover." Only then did Wooyun realize the toll it had taken on his body—his limbs ached, sweat clung to his brow, and his breathing was shallow.
"You're telling me I'm going to have to do this for all five elements?" He asked, his voice laced with exasperation.
"It gets easier after the third element. Your body will have become more accustomed to the changes and circulation will be easier…Keep up the good work."
Wooyun raised a brow when he heard this.
"Oh? Looks like I'm finally getting a compliment from you, young master Heo." He teased.
Eun-woo said nothing in response, but a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.