The thick fog engulfed BaiYun completely, robbing him of his vision and forcing him to endure the slow burn of its corrosive effects. He couldn't see Evelyn at all, yet she seemed to have no trouble “seeing” him. Water Jets and Ice Shards streaked toward him from different angles, forcing him into constant movement.

"Of course, it's either water or ice," BaiYun muttered under his breath. "In a fog this dense, those attacks are nearly invisible—much harder to dodge. And fire or wind would just disperse the mist entirely."

Even though he understood the reasoning behind her choice of spells, it didn't change the fact that he was struggling to evade them. His quick reflexes kept him from taking serious damage, but a few glancing hits still managed to land, sending sharp jolts of pain through his limbs. Fortunately, Evelyn had controlled the power of her strikes, leaving him with only minor injuries.

"At least all that rogue training is paying off," he thought wryly, zigzagging through the battlefield to make himself a harder target. But it wasn't just the attacks that concerned him—the mist itself was starting to take its toll. His skin burned, his throat felt raw, and each breath he took was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He needed to figure out a way to turn the situation around.

Technically, since this was only a sparring match, Evelyn had weakened the corrosive effects of the fog. But even at a reduced level, it was still an effective tool for control—one that BaiYun had no immediate counter for.

His first idea was to track Evelyn's position by following the trajectory of her Water Jets and Ice Shards, closing the distance so he could launch a counterattack. But that plan fell apart almost immediately. The spells were coming from different angles each time, meaning Evelyn was staying mobile while continuing to keep him locked down.

His second option was to use the elemental transformation technique he had learned—Water generates Wood. The mist around him was thick with moisture, meaning he had no shortage of raw material to work with. But even if he successfully converted water into wood, how exactly would that help him escape?

"I can't stay in this mist. But it seems no matter how much I run, I can’t get out."

Of course, there was no edge to it. If BaiYun tried to run out of its range, Evelyn would simply expand the mist to keep him trapped. She could “see” him perfectly fine within the fog, so there was nowhere for him to hide.

He clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, sprinting forward. "Good lord of heaven, can’t you just make things a bit easier for me just once?"

Heaven.

Wait.

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. Without hesitation, he activated Water-to-Wood conversion.

A massive vine surged from the ground beneath his feet, propelling him upward in an instant. With the conversion going, the moisture in the air turned to the vine, causing a large section of the mist to dissipate.

"Basic physics, my friend. The higher you go, the thinner the fog gets."

For the first time since the battle started, BaiYun had finally escaped the poisonous haze.

There was a brief moment of silence—Evelyn’s attacks stopped entirely. She could no longer sense BaiYun within the mist’s boundaries. But that moment lasted only about five seconds before she pieced together what had happened.

BaiYun may have escaped, but his vine was still rooted inside the mist. If he thought he could simply rise above the fog and be safe, all she had to do was cut him down.

A massive Ice Blade materialized in Evelyn’s hand. With a single sweeping motion, she sliced through the vine’s thick base.

The vine snapped.

BaiYun plummeted.

The fall itself wouldn’t kill him, but hitting the ground at this speed would certainly leave him battered and bruised. Worse, if he crashed back into the mist, he would be completely trapped, again.

“Just because Queen Evelyn got serious for a bit, and I am already done for?”

No.

The last thing he wanted was to look incompetent in front of Evelyn. He had to turn this around.

The mist had to go.

He needed wind.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

But Wind wasn't one of the Five Elements in the system he had studied. He had once asked Qilin about this, and the old beast had explained that while Wind could be produced through elemental transformation, it was an advanced technique—one that required delicate mana control.

"Fire Generates Earth. If the transformation is incomplete, it produces lava. Similarly, Wood Generates Fire, and if the transformation is incomplete… It produces Wind. But, kiddo, I wouldn’t recommend trying this now. That level of control is way beyond you. You can’t handle the instability of it."

But BaiYun had no choice. He had to try. If he failed, the worst that could happen was losing the sparring match.

As he fell, he reached toward the remnants of his vine and activated Wood-to-Fire conversion. But he didn’t let the transformation complete—he stopped it midway, aiming for instability.

A sudden spiral of air erupted around him. The partially-formed fire burning the vine, released a violent updraft, dispersing Evelyn’s mist entirely.

BaiYun was elevated by the draft, and he finally got to see Evelyn clearly since the fog—her violet hair catching the light, her Amethyst eyes wide with surprise. And… appreciation.

"Well, well," she murmured, watching as he hovered momentarily in the air.

But then BaiYun realized his new problem.

If falling from that height before wouldn’t kill him, falling from this new height absolutely would.

Sure, Evelyn and Ola would probably save him… but that would mean instant defeat.

And now that the mist was gone, he couldn’t just grow another vine to catch himself.

He might have a way out—something he had been secretly practicing for a long time. A card he had wanted to keep for emergencies… or, admittedly, dramatic effect.

But there was another problem.

Suspended in midair, BaiYun had no way to alter his trajectory. He couldn't cast wind magic directly, which meant that if an attack came his way, he had no means of dodging.

Evelyn, of course, wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by. With a casual lift of her hand, a bolt of lightning shot straight toward BaiYun. Seeing the incoming attack, BaiYun knew he had no way to evade. The only option he came up with was to use Reverse Casting for Ignition, cancelling out the fire-based energy within the spell. But the residual wind element carried by the Lightning Bolt still tore straight through his right shoulder.

Pain flared through his body, but at that moment, an idea struck him—a wild, reckless idea. And if he assumed this right… he could turn the tables completely.

"Come on, Evelyn. Hit me with another one!" His voice carried a mad confidence. At this point, he had nothing to lose.

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. Her first Lightning Bolt had strangely vanished midair, yet it still managed to wound him. That must have been Reverse Ignition, just as Ola had once described to her.

"Then how about one Ice Shard and one Lightning Bolt?" Evelyn’s lips curved into an enchanting smile. "What will you do now, advisor?" Her voice was laced with amusement, yet there was an unmistakable confidence behind it. With effortless grace, she lifted both hands—her left weaving a razor-sharp spear of ice, her right summoning a crackling bolt of lightning, the air around her humming with power.

"Even better." Better if BaiYun’s assumption was right.

He moved.

With his left hand, he unleashed Water Generates Wood, channeling the energy of the incoming Ice Shard. A massive vine erupted, twisting along the shard’s trajectory, racing backward toward its origin. For a split second, BaiYun held his breath—was there enough residual energy left to follow?

The answer came in an instant. The vine surged through the air, striking the ground at Evelyn’s feet before coiling upward with unrelenting force. She barely had a moment to react before the vines tightened around her, locking her in place.

He exhaled sharply, a flicker of triumph flashing in his eyes. I was right—the trajectory still held residual elements. And now, with Evelyn trapped, all that remained was to finish this.

At the same time, BaiYun’s right hand intercepted the incoming Lightning Bolt. The moment it made contact with his palm, he activated Fire Generates Earth, forcing a rapid transformation. The volatile energy condensed into a burning-hot earthen staff, searing his skin as he clutched it, ignoring the pain.

It wasn’t as long as he’d intended—not nearly enough to form the earthen prison he had originally planned. But with the Ice Shard coming along, he decided that the viny prison would be the better option. Water simply seemed to leave more residuals than fire.

The vines slowed his descent just enough for him to land safely. The moment his feet touched the ground, he executed the final conversion—Earth Generates Metal.

The rough earthen staff in his grip solidified, its texture shifting as it elongated, gleaming steel replacing crumbling stone. In a heartbeat, it had transformed into a razor-sharp metallic spear.

With the spear at hand, the usual carefree smirk was gone from his face, replaced by a rare expression of steely resolve, his jaw set in a line of unyielding toughness.

Yes, he had taken two more puncture wounds from the unneutralized wind magic, and his hand was scorched from the searing heat.

But without hesitation, he leveled its tip at Evelyn.

"You lose," his voice steady despite the burning pain coursing through his body.

The moment BaiYun thought victory was his, a sudden, unbearable heat flared in his already burned hand. His grip on the spear wavered as he felt the weapon begin to soften—no, it was melting.

The air around them grew blistering hot. The earth beneath their feet cracked as waves of heat distorted the battlefield. The vines binding Evelyn ignited in an instant, curling away into ash. A violent, scorching wind howled through the arena, kicking up spirals of flame and embers.

“Evelyn, stop!”

Ola’s voice cut through the heat, sharp and urgent. For once, he abandoned all decorum—no titles, no pleasantries—just a direct, desperate call to the queen. “He’s not ready for this!”

“I know he’s not ready,” Evelyn answered, her voice calm, almost matter-of-fact. “But he needs to see. He needs to understand just how strong he must become before he can ever truly make ME lose.”

At that moment, a deep, resonant roar split the sky. The very air trembled as a rift tore open in the void above.

Qilin emerged.

The divine beast landed between them, its presence alone enough to still the raging heat. It wasn’t anger that fueled its cry—only a simple, undeniable judgment. This had gone too far.

“Enough.” Qilin’s voice rumbled like distant thunder, neither harsh nor soft, simply absolute. It turned its gaze to BaiYun.

“Back off, kiddo. This is out of your league now.”