During the following week, Leon continued visiting the training grounds, and sparred with different trainees, gradually making him more comfortable handling different styles and opponents.
He could use Flowing Step, one of styles under the basic movement techniques. It was a basic movement technique which covered most of the areas like changing position, closing distances and avoiding attacks while maintaining the circulation of essence through his body.
Rather than interrupting his movements to perform a technique, he had begun to apply it naturally into his exchanges. He also found more opportunities to combine it with his hand to hand techniques.
Marcus continued observing his matches whenever he was present, occasionally correcting his mistakes. Rovan arranged different partners, while Garret sometimes watched the sessions between his duties.
On one of those days, Roland came to oversee Leon’s practice while Marcus was occupied elsewhere. He watched his younger brother complete two matches and offered a few corrections before leaving him with the instructors.
On the seventh morning, Vera also tagged along with Marcus and Leon. They stood near the edge of the training area, watching Leon finish his warm up.
"He’s becoming more comfortable with the sparring," Vera said, smiling and giving his a small wave.
Marcus followed her gaze. "He is. He’s beginning to adjust more quickly to different opponents."
Rovan approached them shortly afterward. "Good morning, my lord. Lady Vera."
Marcus and Vera acknowledged him before looking toward the training area.
"Who’s sparring with him today?" Marcus asked.
"One of our quicker trainees. He prefers movement over direct exchanges," Rovan said, looking forward for the match.
Marcus nodded. "That should be useful."
Shortly after, the trainee was called over. She was leaner than Leon’s previous opponent, built for light stance and quicker movement. After performing a greeting towards Marcus and Vera, she turned toward Leon.
They also exchanged a brief greetings and took their positions.
"Begin," Rovan said.
The trainee moved almost immediately.
She approached from his right, making a quick strike toward Leon’s shoulder before changing direction.
Leon shifted aside, but the trainee had already moved past him, and a second attack came from the opposite side, forcing Leon to turn.
Leon raised his arm to deflect it, then used Flowing Step to move away before she could follow through her strike.
She continued to move around him, and occasionally stepped forward with short attacks before withdrawing.
Her movements were quick and light, and made it difficult to predict when she intended to strike next.
Leon adjusted his position, keeping the trainee within his sight. Using flowing steps, he rushed forward, trying to close the distance, and extended his palm towards the trainee’s shoulder.
Seeing this, she twisted away. Leon’s palm caught the edge of her arm, but the twisting impact disturbed Leon’s grappling, and the trainee was forced to take two steps back, before adjusting herself.
She glanced at Leon before changing her approach, and tried to move in with a fast and mixed combination.
She directed two strikes towards Leon, first toward Leon’s chest, and another aimed at his side. Leon turned, and lowered his body to avoid the first and stopped the second one with his forearm.
Neither had gained a clear advantage, but the trainee’s expression had become more serious. At the edge of the practice area, Garret, who had came a bit earlier, was watching the exchange.
"She’s considerably quicker than the previous ones," Garret said, looking towards the trainee.
"Yes," Rovan replied. "She has spent more time developing her movement. Her strength isn’t exceptional, but she knows how to make use of her speed."
At the side, Vera was following Leon’s movement across the ring. "He’s handling the changes in direction much better," she said, impressed by his growth.
"He has been getting used to different opponents," Marcus replied. "He’s beginning to recognize their movements with instinct rather than thinking through every response."
Back at the arena, the trainee launched another attack, approaching from a lower angle. Seeing this, Leon shifted aside, but she changed direction midway and came back with a quick strike toward his ribs.
Leon caught the movement and stepped into the attack rather than retreating. He turned his shoulder, allowing the strike to pass from his side. At the same time, he brought his palm forward.
Seeing the incoming strike, she crossed her arm, trying to block the strike. The impact pushed her backward, but she managed to maintain her balance, and before Leon could advance, she moved sideways, trying to control the distance.
Leon followed, using his footwork to close the gap.
The trainee attempted another feint, but Leon didn’t react immediately. He watched the movement of his opponent’s feet and waited until she was fully committed to a direction.
She tried to change direction, but Leon was already in front of her. Before she could withdraw, Leon attacked with a controlled palm strike into her chest.
The impact lifted her feet for a moment, and sent her stumbling several steps backward.
She managed to regain her balance, but Leon had already closed the distance and placed his palm against her ribs.
For a brief moment, neither moved.
"Enough!" Rovan’s voice ended the match.
Leon withdrew his hand and stepped back. The trainee also relaxed, looking at Leon with surprise, and straightened herself.
She gave a respectful bow. "Well fought, young master," she said, acknowledging his strength.
Leon nodded towards her, then both gazed towards Rovan who was approaching towards them.
"Your movement was good, but you relied too much on changing direction without thinking about your opponent movements," Rovan said, advising the trainee.
The trainee accepted the correction, and bowed towards Leon, Rovan and the edge of the arena once again, before returning to her group.
Then, Rovan and Leon walked back towards the edge of the arena as other trainees were waiting for their spars.
"Your movements were natural today, and blended with rest of your techniques today," Marcus said, nodding towards Leon.
Vera approached Leon, brushing a little dust from his hair. "You’ve improved quite a bit since you started coming here," she said, happily.
Leon looked at her, smiling. "There are still many people I haven’t fought," he said, clearly eager for more spars.
"Then you’ll have plenty of opportunities," Marcus said. "But don’t let the wins make you careless."
Rovan had already returned to supervising the other groups. Marcus exchanged a few words with Garret before turning toward Vera and Leon.
"Come along. We’ll leave the grounds for today."
Leon followed his parents out of the training grounds, still thinking about the match earlier.
As they passed the training area, he heard the next pair being called, and glanced back briefly before continuing with his parents.