Here is the English translation for Chapter 127, formatted with clean syntax, polished grammar, and an engaging narrative style tailored for Western fantasy readers, maintaining proper character consistency (including Barsha as a female squad leader):

127. Assimilating the Heart Dragon

Over two full months of comprehensive conditioning had been completed by the Sky Squad and Aaman. For the final week, they had engaged in continuous live sparring—clashing among themselves and even testing their steel against Warrior Jiro directly.

Jiro observed their progress with profound satisfaction, confident they were fully prepared for the great battles ahead. The day they would deploy to secure the Moon Flower was drawing near. They stood thoroughly prepared, ready to confront any adversary, no matter how powerful.

Under Jiro’s uncompromising guidance, their martial foundations had been forged anew.

Warrior Jiro offered high praise to several operatives who had managed to adapt to his pacing and parry his strikes. A select few had even demonstrated the ability to match his kinetic output, even if Jiro was refraining from utilizing his full power.

Still, he recognized that every member of the Sky Squad had developed rapid combat reflexes through their training. They had learned to systematically cover their vulnerabilities during offensive advances while instinctively executing swift counter-strikes while maintaining a defensive guard.

High-level concentration and kinetic balance had been seamlessly integrated into their practical combat applications.

"Today, I will bestow upon you a reward for the extraordinary dedication you have displayed," Jiro announced, addressing the assembled warriors. "You have endured relentless discipline and proved your unyielding resolve to stand together against Lord Demon Shura's dark army!"

A reward for the Sky Squad and Aaman? Is this the special gift Jiro hinted at previously? Curiosity rippled through the ranks as the operatives wondered what kind of reward awaited them.

"Gayatri!" Jiro called out.

"Yes, Master Jiro?"

"Erect a high-tier barrier around this entire clearing—isolate us completely from the outside world!"

Though uncertain of Jiro's exact intention, Gayatri nodded without hesitation. Erecting a complete isolation barrier meant cutting off all energetic resonance with the surrounding region. It implied that whatever was about to occur would generate a massive shockwave if left unshielded.

Warrior Jiro was clearly preparing something monumental.

Extending both arms outward, Gayatri spread her slender fingers, channeling dense internal energy from her palms. As she raised her hands toward the sky, the released energy curved in a sweeping arc, tracing the motion of her fingers.

A translucent dome materialized, encapsulating the entire group and severing their connection to the outer world. Gayatri extended the barrier deep into the earth below, ensuring the perimeter was completely impenetrable from both inside and outside.

The twenty-one warriors—tempered by two months of hellish conditioning under Warrior Jiro—were instructed to sit in a wide circle around him. Following his command, they took their places at equal intervals, crossing their legs in a meditative posture. Jiro directed them to enter deep focus, absorbing atmospheric mana as they usually did, concentrating strictly on drawing in environmental energy according to their individual capacities.

No distractions were permitted. The environment inside Gayatri's barrier was perfectly sterile.

"Begin!" Jiro commanded. "Focus entirely on absorbing the surrounding atmospheric mana and sensing the natural flow of the world!"

The Sky Squad members and Aaman closed their eyes, plunging the dome into absolute silence. Moments later, Warrior Jiro reached beneath his heavy tunic and withdrew a shimmering, half-encased jewel. The brilliant gem was nestled within an intricate metallic framework that covered its lower half.

Settling into a cross-legged position at the center of the ring, Jiro hovered the fist-sized jewel into the air, bringing it to eye level.

Positioning his palms on either side of the hovering gem, Jiro channeled a thin, concentrated stream of aura from his hands. He began methodically unraveling the ancient sealing array inscribed across the jewel's metallic frame.

In his heart, Jiro offered a silent word of gratitude to Aji. This was the raw essence of the Heart Dragon—a celestial artifact Aji had spent over a month refining and purifying to purge its volatile, corrupting side effects. Thanks to Aji's efforts, its boundless energy could now be safely transplanted and assimilated into a cultivator's internal core without destroying their physical cells.

Exercising absolute caution, Jiro drew back his palms, severing the energy threads that bound the seal around the Heart Dragon, and spread his hands wide.

SPLASH!

A blinding radiance erupted as the gem shattered. A torrent of celestial energy expanded instantly, filling the entire isolated dome. Anyone trapped within Gayatri's barrier could feel the sheer, staggering volume of power flooding the air.

Without losing a second, Warrior Jiro closed his eyes and entered deep meditation, actively guiding the released essence of the celestial artifact. The Heart Dragon—a legendary treasure fought over by the entire martial world—was laid open before them. There would never be a better opportunity. Every operative present could now absorb the Heart Dragon's essence, expanding their internal cores according to their vessel's maximum capacity.

Weeks earlier, during Aji's private isolation inside Dompai...

"HAAAAAA!"

Aji's breathing was ragged and heavy as he wrestled against the chaotic, unbridled energy of the fractured Heart Dragon. Every muscle and internal pathway in his body felt as though it were being carved apart by razor-sharp blades.

An ordinary cultivator would have been instantly vaporized attempting to purify a celestial artifact of this caliber. The Heart Dragon was a legendary diamond believed to have condensed millions of years ago during a primitive era, long before modern human civilization took root.

As humanity evolved over millennia, the ancient, primeval energy of the world had coalesced into a singular, miraculous point: the Heart Dragon.

It was a primeval power coveted by martial masters across generations. Yet, even in the hands of the most powerful grandmasters of the righteous sects—who had guarded the artifact for centuries—no individual had ever managed to command more than ten percent of its total capacity.

Centuries ago, a supreme martial master had attempted to absorb the Heart Dragon's power directly. Upon absorbing merely five percent of its total capacity, the master's physical vessel suffered total internal collapse, vaporizing his body into nothingness.

Furthermore, the Heart Dragon was protected by an ancient illusory field that projected terrifying mental traps into the minds of those who tried to claim its strength, binding them within their deepest fears.

Only those possessing absolute spiritual purity could withstand the mental trial and harness the artifact's power—not to absorb it directly, but to deploy its illusory fields against enemies by briefly unsealing its core.

Throughout history, no dark cultivator had ever succeeded in seizing the Heart Dragon, allowing the celestial artifact to remain safeguarded within the sanctums of the righteous alliance. Dark cultivators were inherently characterized by greed, malice, and corrupt intent—traits fundamentally incompatible with the artifact's nature.

When dark forces sought the Heart Dragon, their objective was never assimilation or mastery. They sought only to destroy it, ensuring the righteous alliance could never use its divine power against the dark army.

The vast reservoir of energy sealed within the Heart Dragon transcended the conventional limits of the physical world. It was an ancient, sanctified power of absolute purity.

To allow the Sky Squad to assimilate its power safely, Aji had taken it upon himself to systematically purge the artifact's explosive volatility and eliminate its lethal recoil. To achieve this, however, Aji had to endure unimaginable physical and spiritual agony.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"