The four of them journeyed together to the Training Ground located on the east side of town. As a key border town situated where the Human Kingdom met the Night Elf territories, Windbreath Town possessed a robust and martial spirit. To counter potential threats emerging from the Solon Mountains, almost every young person of age received some degree of training in swordplay and basic physical conditioning. The most promising among them were inducted into the ranks of the Town Guard Reserves. A vigorous martial atmosphere permeated the entire town, making the Training Ground particularly lively.
The grounds occupied an open field on the town's outskirts, enclosed by a simple wooden fence, containing several flattened training areas, a rudimentary archery range, and a shed for storing weapons. Here, the town's young Reserves, along with a few adults who harbored deeper aspirations for the path of knighthood or a mercenary career, received fundamental instruction from the Town Guard Knights. Beyond physical conditioning and learning sword stances, this training importantly included initial methods for guiding Perception and gathering inner strength—what was known as Combat Aura.
For most young people just starting out, sensing the faint Combat Aura within their bodies and being able to utilize it even minimally was a threshold requiring considerable time and effort. Yet, Corbin and his three companions, being among the best of their age group, had already successfully crossed this threshold, possessing the ability to initially stir and apply Combat Aura, putting them roughly at the level of a novice knight. Seasoned knights like Lianna's father, Knight Boone, would occasionally provide personal guidance, but today the main instructor was Windbreath Town's notoriously charming "Heartbreaker," Knight Owen. He was a fellow known for spreading his affections far and wide, but his skill was undeniable, and he would occasionally boast of having been a High Knight.
Upon their arrival, a considerable number of people were already present on the Training Ground. Young Reserves, clad in leather armor or simple training gear, swung wooden practice swords under the instructor's booming commands, repeating basic cleaving and blocking movements. The sharp clang of weapons and the young people's breathless grunts echoed in the air. Corbin's keen Perception could even detect the faint ripples of Combat Aura with each collision.
As soon as Matthew arrived, he instinctively headed for the weapon rack, expertly lifting the two-handed wooden sword that was nearly as tall as himself. Its heavy blade felt effortless in his hands, not merely due to his natural physical strength, but because he had learned to channel the nascent Combat Aura within him to augment his power. He tightened his grip on the hilt, feeling the sense of fullness as Combat Aura flowed through his body.
Rhodes, meanwhile, moved his body with agility, his eyes darting around, seemingly searching for new moves to try. He used Combat Aura to make his body lighter and swifter, preparing to showcase newly learned techniques in the upcoming sparring sessions.
Lianna, as Knight Boone's daughter, was beautiful but trained with exceptional seriousness. The nascent Combat Aura within her imbued each sword swing with a noticeable force. She followed the group practicing basic sword forms with meticulous precision, her movements standard and powerful.
Corbin wasn't in a hurry to join the group. He walked to the side and picked up a suitable one-handed wooden sword. The blade was light, feeling weightless in his hand. He didn't immediately begin practicing, but instead closed his eyes, extending his Perception outwards again.
The chaotic sounds of the camp were dissected in his ears: the instructor's booming commands, the frequency of wooden swords colliding, the rhythm of different people's breathing, the whistle of wind through the fence in the distance, even the faint chirping of insects in the grass… All the information flowed in, processed rapidly by his consciousness.
He could clearly perceive the unique, power-infused aura emanating from the senior knights who could already skillfully employ Combat Aura—the fluctuations of Combat Aura in motion, far more stable and powerful than those of the younger trainees. He could also "see" how the not-yet-fully-developed Combat Aura within Matthew, Rhodes, and Lianna drove their bodies and imbued their sword moves. He could also "hear" the subtle disturbances in the air caused by the swords' movements, "predicting" the trajectory of Matthew's every swing, the direction of Rhodes' every step, and the angle of Lianna's every block.
As for himself, perhaps due to the soul fusion, the Combat Aura within him was far deeper and more abundant than that of his peers, though he deliberately suppressed it, preventing it from becoming outwardly apparent.
"Corbin! What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and get over here!" Rhodes called out, swinging his sword, a hint of teasing in his voice.
Corbin opened his eyes, the deep light in his blue pupils now hidden, leaving only the clear gaze expected of a young man. He smiled in response, picked up his sword, and joined their group.
The training began – basic sword forms, repetitive and tedious. However, for Corbin, who possessed extraordinary Perception and could "see" the flow of Combat Aura, it all took on a completely different meaning. He could "see" the way his deep Combat Aura flowed with his physical strength, sensing how Combat Aura coordinated with muscles and bones to generate force, understanding how to use it to improve efficiency and stabilize his stance.
He had to deliberately restrain his strength, keeping the deep Combat Aura within him dormant, activating only a faint amount comparable to his peers to match their movements. He slowed his speed, used seemingly reasonable force, and occasionally "made mistakes," making himself appear merely as one of the gifted individuals who had mastered basic Combat Aura among his peers, rather than someone unfathomable. This was far more mentally taxing than going all out. Each time he suppressed his instinctual reactions, each time he deliberately slowed his speed, it was a different kind of discipline for his Mental Energy.
"Corbin, you're in great form today!" Matthew wiped his sweat, genuinely impressed. In their sparring just now, Corbin had always managed to neutralize his attacks just right, leaving him feeling like he had strength but nowhere to apply it, without finding any obvious openings either. He just felt that Corbin's fundamentals seemed more solid than before.
"Yeah, feels like since you came back after your few days off, your swordsmanship and Combat Aura control have gotten even better!" Rhodes also chimed in, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Did you get some kind of power blessing when you visited your father's grave? Or maybe you've been secretly practicing some hidden technique?" he joked.
Corbin just smiled, offering no explanation. He knew it wasn't a blessing or a hidden technique, but the extraordinary Perception brought by the soul fusion, deepening its roots within his body and Combat Aura, allowing him to understand and apply power with maximum efficiency, including the Combat Aura within him that far surpassed ordinary people.
Knight Owen also began providing one-on-one guidance. When it was Corbin's turn, a hint of scrutiny entered Knight Owen's eyes. Corbin knew that no matter how well he hid it, an experienced knight would inevitably sense something unusual.
"Alright, Thorne's lad, your fundamentals are solid, and your Combat Aura application is more refined than the average Reserve. As one of the best among the young ones, that's quite good." Knight Owen said, a hint of a playful smile on his face, not at all like a serious teacher: "But you lack a certain genuine edge! If you buy me a drink, I'll teach you a few new tricks!"
Before he finished speaking, he swung his sword – a clean, decisive movement carrying the steadiness of long experience and a powerful Combat Aura fluctuation that only a Mid-level Knight could display.
Corbin focused intently to respond. Combat Aura condensed in his left foot; he pushed off hard, using the rebound force to step sideways and evade Owen's lightning-fast strike. His wooden sword swung back in a counter-attack, aiming directly for Owen's face.
His entire Perception was engaged to the maximum – not just sight and hearing, but even the subtle energy flows in the surrounding air, the intensity and nature of Knight Owen's Combat Aura fluctuations, were all within his sensory range. He could feel that the opponent's Combat Aura held a power as heavy and unyielding as the earth, each swing carrying a steady momentum. He knew this was the manifestation of the power of higher-tier knights. But with his extraordinary Perception, he could already clearly "see" the existence of this power, its mode of operation, and the intricacies within it. He could even see how Knight Owen's Combat Aura flowed within his body, how it gathered at the sword tip, how it erupted through specific force application methods.
After consecutively neutralizing several of Knight Owen's attacks, which seemed simple but contained hidden force and Combat Aura impact, Corbin's mind reached peak concentration, his brain analyzing all information at an unprecedented speed. He felt as if he had entered a strange state; everything in the world around him became clearer, slower. He could "see" Knight Owen's next move half a beat, even a full beat, in advance, even clearly predicting the flow of his Combat Aura and his attack intent, as if everything was within his grasp.
Just as his Mental Energy reached a certain limit, his extraordinary Perception pushed to the extreme, Corbin felt an indescribable power, different from physical strength, and even more distinct from Combat Aura or Magic, surge suddenly from deep within his brow. This was a pure "Stream of Consciousness," intimately connected to his extraordinary Perception. This power formed an extremely faint, almost invisible ripple around him, spreading out like water waves, momentarily seeming to freeze the surrounding air. In that instant, his Perception of Knight Owen became unprecedentedly clear, as if he could directly "read" the opponent's intentions and flaws in the very next moment. That feeling was far deeper than merely judging by Combat Aura flow; it went straight to the essence.
This feeling was very brief, like a fleeting bloom. As Corbin completed a textbook-perfect block, neutralizing Knight Owen's strike just right, that invisible power instantly receded, vanishing without a trace.
But he knew it wasn't a mistake. This was the Perception ability brought by his soul fusion, showing its first glimpse from the mental level under high concentration—a pure power, acting upon mind and perception, independent of the existing Combat Aura and Magic systems.
Knight Owen stopped and stood still, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, quickly hidden. In that brief moment, he seemed to sense a peculiar, elusive aura emanating from the boy, entirely different from Combat Aura, yet his attack had felt as if it hit an invisible barrier. The boy's response was too precise for a Reserve of this age.
He didn't explicitly mention Corbin's "abnormality" in that instant, merely nodded, and brushed it off with a vague, smiling remark:
"Barely passable. Remember, combat isn't just a contest of body and strength." Then he sobered, saying earnestly: "It's a contest of spirit as well. Think more, observe more. Sense your opponent, sense yourself."
Corbin knew that Knight Owen might have sensed something, but he wasn't sure what, and certainly couldn't understand the nature of that power. He likely just assumed it was some kind of special mental talent or reaction speed. This made Corbin even more vigilant.