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 returned in a young body with unbridled combat parameters—a master who had eliminated Drapuda with a single strike and leveled the entire Black Lion Academy in half a day.

Such feats were impossible for an ordinary cultivator. Currently, Aji was undergoing closed-door cultivation inside Dompai. Yet Aaman knew Aji was supervising his own specialized regimen rather than receiving instruction from Warrior Jiro.

Aaman held no doubt about that truth.

The squad's daily drills continued—balancing heavy iron poles laden with four full water buckets while sprinting down rugged mountain paths. Over time, the impossible task became second nature. By the end of the first month, every operative had developed high-tier kinetic balance.

Whenever they lost their footing, instinctive aura bursts adjusted their center of gravity in a fraction of a second.

They moved down the mountain path so smoothly it appeared as if they were gliding over the terrain. If an operative leaned too far to the left, their left foot instinctively discharged a precise pulse of internal energy against the ground to stabilize their frame. If they tipped backward, their back muscles flared with internal aura to arrest the momentum.

Through continuous practice, this energy reflex became second nature. Watching from above, Warrior Jiro nodded in quiet approval. Though a few operatives still struggled occasionally, every member had mastered the art of regulating internal aura under extreme strain.

This reflex was vital: when subjected to a sudden, high-speed ambush on the battlefield, their conditioned bodies would automatically deploy defensive aura barriers without delay. They were evolving into formidable grandmasters—a transformation Jiro witnessed with immense satisfaction.

Reaching the base of the mountain, the operatives entered deep breathing exercises, absorbing the yield of their physical exertion to banish fatigue before taking a brief break for food and water.

Their afternoon regimen was equally unforgiving: high-speed cross-country sprints across harsh terrain. They traversed steep mountain ridges, leaped over deep chasms, and navigated jagged canyons, pushing their velocity to the absolute limit.

To increase the difficulty, each warrior wore heavy metallic weighted bands on their wrists and ankles—five kilograms per limb—alongside weighted shoulder vests, adding thirty kilograms of dead weight to every operative.

Initially, the added weight made every step a monumental struggle. Yet not a single warrior complained or offered excuses. Instead, they cheered one another on, maintaining an unshakeable team bond.

Whenever an operative stumbled from sheer exhaustion, banter and laughter echoed through the ranks. Those who fell immediately crossed their legs to enter meditative recovery, absorbing atmospheric mana according to their respective cultivation ranks to restore their energy reserves before rejoining the run.

Monitoring their progress from mid-air, Warrior Jiro felt a surge of pride. These young warriors were truly the elite chosen from across the five continents. The Sky Squad! They were the vanguard destined to usher in a new era for the martial world, surpassing the elder generation before them.

Jiro eagerly anticipated the future. With only one month remaining in their conditioning program, he knew Aji was preparing a final, monumental step for the Sky Squad and Aaman—a direct inheritance passed down from the Three Legends.

Aji had recognized that their vessels were initially incapable of containing such vast power, prompting him to ask Jiro to build their physical foundations and internal channels to their absolute limits first. Though watching the young operatives push through such punishing drills evoked sympathy, Jiro knew the ultimate reward would far outweigh the trial.

"Keep your spirits high, Sky Squad!" Jiro's voice boomed from the sky, echoing across the mountains. "The entire world awaits your strength! Show the people what your blood and sweat have forged when you shield them from Lord Demon Shura's forces!"

"What a noisy old master!" the operatives groaned among themselves, poking fun at Jiro's boisterous shouts while feeling a fresh surge of adrenaline. Strangely enough, Jiro's loud encouragement had become a familiar catalyst that drove them past their physical limits.

Laughter rippled through the ranks as they pressed forward. The female operatives—including Barsha, Alicia, Yara, and Gayatri—underwent the exact same grueling conditioning without special exemption, forging their physical vessels into instruments of absolute strength.

Such was the price of serving in the Sky Squad—a vanguard unprecedented in history, destined to forge a new legacy.

They held an unshakeable conviction that they would be the ones to eradicate the Demon Lord's dark army—an enemy that had never been defeated in open war. Their fighting spirit burned like an inferno; the hellish training was merely the path they had to walk to reach their goal.

Deep inside the secluded chambers of Dompai...

Aji sat cross-legged in absolute silence within a sealed cultivation room, regulating the volatile energy of the celestial artifact: the Heart Dragon. Such an artifact could not be assimilated carelessly, as its unbridled aura possessed the power to shatter a cultivator's mind.

Though rumors claimed the Heart Dragon had been destroyed during earlier battles, Aji had preserved its fractured core inside a specialized energy container crafted by Gayatri. With Gayatri's full knowledge, Aji now sat before the Heart Dragon, releasing it from its containment sphere.

The fractured core of the Heart Dragon constantly threatened to detonate, but Aji channeled his absolute aura to contain the volatile expansion. Suppressing its explosive fluctuations, he steadily refined its chaotic energy, taming the celestial artifact's raw force.

An ordinary martial artist would instantly suffer total internal destruction if transplanted with the unrefined essence of the Heart Dragon. Aji possessed the capacity to absorb its power for himself, but he saw no reason to do so. Instead, he intended to bestow this celestial essence upon the Sky Squad once their physical vessels reached peak readiness. Aji already commanded more than enough combat capability—especially with the celestial artifact previously embedded into his frame by Saint Yonan.

His personal crusade to carry forward the legacy of his fallen comrades was nearing its final chapter. He refused to allow a repeat of the tragedy twenty years ago; this time, everything would be different. The preparations of the righteous martial artists would fully counter the dark vanguard and the Five Gates.

Aji recalled the battles of the past, remembering how the Five Gates possessed terrifying strength that defied conventional calculation. In truth, a single member of the Five Gates commanded combat parameters comparable to one of the Three Legends in their prime.

During that fateful war twenty years ago, the Three Legends had fought knowing they were marching to their deaths.

Focusing his mind, Aji drove his aura deeper into the artifact, systematically purging the lingering negative corruption from the Heart Dragon. For a full month, he had maintained this continuous refinement, ensuring that when the celestial essence was transplanted into the Sky Squad, no adverse side effects would harm their conditioned vessels.

Just wait, Lord Demon Shura! I am coming for you!