The following morning, two guests arrived at the Sky Squad headquarters. One was Warrior Jiro, and the other was Aaman, escorted personally by Commander Yarko. Yarko formally requested permission from both Warrior Jiro and Squad Leader Barsha to include Aaman—an operative hailing from military intelligence—in the upcoming joint training program.Barsha knew Aaman well; he was her cousin. She immediately realized that Aji had orchestrated Aaman's inclusion, arranging for him to train directly alongside the Sky Squad under Warrior Jiro's tutelage.Barsha had suspected Aji’s involvement, remembering their deployment to the Golden Crane Academy. Aaman had been assigned to work alongside her in hunting down the high-tier Mondu targets, Drakos and Nasura, whom the Sky Squad had been tracking.After handing Aaman over to the squad, Commander Yarko took his leave, burdened by a packed schedule. He simply confirmed that Aaman had been granted official clearance to train with the Sky Squad, ser

The conditioning program for the Sky Squad and Aaman proceeded without interruption. Following every grueling physical trial, they entered immediate meditative focus—a technique taught by Warrior Jiro to harmonize with exhaustion rather than fight it.Through this method, their capacity to assimilate physical gains accelerated exponentially. After every intense session, they absorbed atmospheric mana to heal fatigue, consolidating the rewards of their labor in a fraction of the time typically required.This high-speed recovery process became their secret weapon. Even Aaman marveled at the extraordinary nature of the regimen. Aji... it all stems from him, Aaman thought. Aji was the legendary master who had vanished two decades prior—the Thunder Striker himself. Aaman still hadn't dared to ask how the legendary grandmaster had regained a youthful vessel while maintaining flawless, absolute power.Twenty years ago, as an aging master, the Thunder Striker had vanished. Now, he had returne

"Your trial in energy control is about to begin," Warrior Jiro announced to the assembled group. "You will be matched against your fellow squadmates in live sparring sessions, and I will personally evaluate every contest. You have completed two months of physical and spiritual conditioning, but your newly refined energy must now be stabilized through actual combat."It's still not over?!The young operatives realized that the two grueling months of conditioning had merely been preparation—building their physical vessels and expanding their internal circles to resonate with atmospheric mana. Actual combat application was only just beginning. Official sparring matches would commence the following morning, with Warrior Jiro presiding as judge and referee.As late afternoon approached, Alicia was asked to conjure a spatial portal back to the Sky Squad headquarters. Returning to their quarters, the operatives spent the evening practicing meditative focus—learning to compress their internal

Aji's physical frame was torn apart. The violent recoil generated by neutralizing the volatile, dark attributes of the Heart Dragon left horrific lacerations across his entire body. Crimson sprays burst from his pores; had it not been for the combined protection of the Soul Deep artifact embedded within his core and the legendary Water of Life, his physical vessel would have disintegrated under the sheer pressure.The Water of Life—a divine elixir he had secured at the ends of the earth during his twenty-year solitude—alongside the Soul Deep artifact transplanted into him by Saint Yonan, formed an impenetrable shield that preserved his physical structure against total internal collapse.By channeling his absolute aura, Aji systematically drove out the volatile side effects of the Heart Dragon, purifying the celestial artifact directly with his own life force. Such a feat had never been attempted in recorded history. It required not only monumental martial capacity, but the willingness

Absorbing the boundless celestial aura, Barsha experienced a profound breakthrough, her cultivation reaching an unprecedented peak. Though curious about the origin of the divine energy flooding her surroundings, she did not hesitate, assimilating every drop into her vessel.The immense power saturated her entire physical frame, causing radiant runic marks to ignite across her skin—a visual phenomenon resulting from the sheer density of her newly acquired aura. Exercising absolute focus, Barsha stabilized and integrated the surge into her internal pathways.Razor-sharp wind blades materialized around her frame—a manifestation of her heightened command over atmospheric elements. As an assassin, her combat style prioritized extreme speed and lethal, undetectable strikes; wind-attribute magic was the ultimate discipline for her archetype.Enveloped by the overflowing energy, the surrounding air currents coalesced into hovering, blade-like constructs of condensed mana. They circled her fra