After Damian discarded his bow, he stood in a fighting stance that was optimal for him to use his skills and techniques that were useful in close combat as Milo charged towards him.
Damian was impressed by the durability of Milo's body and could see that he had cultivated externally for a while, just like he had done without realising, which made him realise something, but he suppressed the thought until after their spar.
If an ordinary rank 4 cultivator was struck by 3 of Damian's Explosive Fire Arrows, they would have suffered much more damage, but because of Milo's unique ability that allowed him to integrate with different beast bloodlines, he suffered minimal damage.
It still damaged him enough to weaken him slightly and rattled his internal organs, but compared to the damage that Damian had expected them to be able to do, it was hardly anything.
Flame Reinforcement
Spreading the scorching red fire energy around his body, which also had wisps of golden fire from the Golden Flame Method that he was cultivating, Damian reinforced his physical power to that of a rank 4 external cultivator and in the process gained great explosive power.
Just as they were about to clash and attack each other, Milo jumped upwards into the air and from the way he closed his fist and the metallic sheen that was around it, Damian recognised the skill.
It was the Iron Hammer Fist Skill that was F:1 graded and he had seen Milo practising it, but he had managed to gain high-level mastery over the skill, which was amazing considering he hadn't been training the skill for long.
If Damian was struck by the powerful skill it would be an instant loss for him as with his body that wasn't cultivated much externally, wouldn't be able to handle that kind of impact.
He had an instant to act and it wasn't enough time to move and if he tried to block with his arms, the power of the strike would shatter his arms, and to heal his arms, it would take a long time.
Despite the situation he was in, Damian smiled and suddenly bolted away using his Flame Burst Skill, and if he wanted to, he could have entered his Shadow Form if he had no other choice.
"You managed to dodge it, good job" praised Milo who was quite sure that he would have won with that sudden powerful strike.
However the explosive power and speed of the Flame Burst Skill were enough to dodge the attack and although the skill seemed easy from an outside perceptive and was very simple, it was a skill that was hard to use.
It required perfect timing and control over the Fire Energy in one's body, and if one's feet were in the wrong angle or if the amount of energy that was used wasn't enough, the skill would fail.
"I am also impressed with you, especially the durability of your body" replied Damian.
Both of them were enjoying battling against each other as they both clashed in midair and engaged in hand to hand combat. Although neither of them had received any training in hand to hand combat, with their instincts, reflexes and combat experience, they were quite skilled in fighting.
They would most likely lose to a skilled martial artist when it came to hand to hand combat, but they made up for it with their skill in other methods of combat and raw power.
Fire Fist
Launching a powerful and fast fist that had large explosive power at Milo's stomach, Damian was able to launch him backwards, but immediately afterwards, Milo rammed his shoulder into Damian's chest and dealt him a blow with similar power.
"Was that the Rhino Charge Skill? It's not bad" said Damian as he swallowed back down the blood that was rising up.
"Yes, your Fire Fist Skill is not bad as well" reciprocated Milo.
Their battle was quite even and lasted for nearly 5 minutes, which was very long for a battle between fast and capable cultivators. Damian relied on his nimble body and speed to evade most of Milo's attacks, then would attack with his explosive power.
Overall Damian had struck him more times, but they had both been damaged the same amount since Milo's body was much more durable and his attacks dealt more damage to Damian's body.
They had both exhausted most of their energy and had sustained quite a lot of damage, and both of them could see that they were both in similar states.
"Should we call this one a draw as well?" offered Damian, who didn't want to continue their battle any longer as one of them could sustain severe injuries that would take very long to heal from.
"Nah, I lost this one. You know you could have beaten me with your bow and you also didn't use that Fire Spear Skill that I saw you use in the arena, so you must have been holding back" stated Milo.
Milo was by no means a sore loser especially since he had merely lost to his closest friend, not an enemy, but it did make him want to work harder and become more powerful.
"It wasn't a real fight and was only a friendly spar, so I didn't hold back. I am sure there were some things that you didn't use either" said Damian, who didn't want to accept the win until the win was one that was clear and one that he could be proud of.
"Then I will accept the draw and will work harder to defeat you next time" accepted Milo.
"And I will do the same," said Damian as he walked over to Milo and fist-bumped him.
Both of them were satisfied with their spar and helped each other make it back to their residence since they were both injured and fatigued.
While staggering back towards their residence, Damian finally put together everything that he was coming to realise and as he did so, he felt something be unlocked in the Golden Flame Inheritance that was within his mind.