Corvus could easily see the eagerness in the eyes of the two seniors at the idea of sparring in front of the Chief Servant. He didn't blame them; after all, Cyprus was a role model to every young spirit servant.
He also noted the excited expressions on the faces of Luna, Blake, and Aaron. Even Leon, who had been downcast since Cyprus's announcement about their duties, looked up. And Corvus himself felt intrigued and curious to see how spirit masters were truly meant to fight.
So he paid closer attention as Jordan stepped forward, with Brandon taking a few steps to stand opposite him. It seemed they had agreed to be the participants in the spar, while Theresa stood off to the side.
Jordan bowed toward Brandon, who reciprocated ,a gesture Corvus felt was mostly a display to please Cyprus. Then, Jordan turned toward Corvus and the other four.
"My spirit specifically strengthens my skin, while Brandon's strengthens his core muscles," he explained.
"So I practice a martial art that leans toward defense while utilizing my skin, and Brandon here practices the same style," he said, making Corvus wonder why they both had decided to spar since they were both defense-based fighters.
However, Jordan's next words revealed his perspective, though Corvus internally disagreed.
"I believe our spirit type should be focused more on defense rather than offense, as you'll see here,"
He finished, before taking a battle pose with his arms outstretched and his legs slightly crouched.
He inhaled, stimulating his Qi and causing his skin to take on a harder texture, with a nearly invisible yellow Qi wrapping around his figure like a coat.
This display was reciprocated by Brandon, though Brandon's skin remained the same while his muscles seemed to swell.
Corvus easily felt the heaviness of their Qi, as did the other four. He could even sense through the vague psychic link he shared with Red Ball that both seniors seemed to be a stage or two above him.
This made him even more focused on their sparring as Brandon darted forward, kicking off with his legs and leaving a shallow pit in the sand.
Brandon quickly reached Jordan and threw a straight jab with his right fist toward Jordan's chest. Jordan was already moving, however, lifting both hands in a cross-block to intercept the fist, though the force caused him to take a step back.
Jordan quickly raised his shoulder while tilting his head to the side to block another of Brandon's strikes before sliding to the flank. He slammed his palm into Brandon's broad belly, pushing him back, and followed up with another palm strike to the same spot. But Brandon flexed his abs, allowing the strike to land while resisting the sting on his skin.
Using that momentum as a catalyst, Brandon brought his fist down in a sweeping arc toward Jordan's broad back. Jordan pivoted slightly, letting the fist graze his skin, before darting backward to reset.
He bowed toward Brandon again with a smile. Brandon, though clearly reluctant, reciprocated with a pout.
"You won that round; your mastery must have surpassed mine," Brandon admitted. Since they both practiced the same martial art, he could easily tell that Jordan had the upper hand.
"Yes, it has," Jordan said, before turning once more to his juniors. Some looked excited, while others seemed confused, and he knew exactly why.
"While I said I believe in defense, that doesn't mean one shouldn't go on the offensive. After all, the best defense can be an offense. My martial arts enables me to use my defensive stance as a means to land an attack on my foe."
Corvus noted that as well, but he sensed a glaring flaw in such a fighting style.
'What if the foe is simply too powerful?' he wondered.
Brandon stepped aside while Theresa took his place opposite Jordan, adopting a battle stance with her palms facing forward in an upward position. Jordan smiled at her silent display before glancing at Cyprus and then back at his juniors.
"Theresa practices the Pummeling Palm Strike because her spirit strengthens her palms," he explained, before facing Theresa once more. He bowed, though she did not reciprocate which wasn't surprising, given her nature.
"Let us find harmony," he said.
Corvus could tell he was subtly asking her to go easy on him, which made Corvus scrutinize her even more closely. She shared his expressionless demeanor, but he couldn't help his eyes widening slightly as she stimulated her qi. Her palms glowed with a yellow light that was not only glaringly brighter than that of Jordan's but also carried a much heavier aura.
The weight of her qi suggested she was at least a stage above Jordan and Brandon. This led Corvus to a conclusion about their respective stages: he was certain Jordan and Brandon were in the mid-stage, while Theresa appeared to have reached the peak stage.
This led Corvus to scrutinize her further; after all, she was of a similar age to Jordan and Brandon about eighteen or nineteen which made her stage odd for a solid core's pace, unless she had received external aid. Regardless, he focused on the sparring; Theresa didn't seem like a defensive fighter, and he was right.
With a swoosh, she dashed forward, easily matching the uncontrollable speed Corvus had achieved with Red Ball the day before. Jordan, seeing her advance, immediately raised his arms in a cross-block to intercept her palm. However, she suddenly leapt over him, causing him to panic.
He quickly turned to defend his flank, only for her to attack mid-air, slamming her palm against his shoulder. The strike sent a tremor through his body, bypassing his skin's defenses entirely.
'Shit!' He slid backward, trying to stabilize himself, but she followed up with another palm strike directly to his chest. The blow sent him flying five feet back, and she was already poised to press the attack.
"Enough," Cyprus interjected with a proud smile and a warm gaze, which gave the ever-observant Corvus a clue as to who Theresa might be.