Li focused his senses, seeing the pinky flying towards the old man's ear in slow motion. He was ready to bat down the pinky if he felt that it would potentially cause a lethal wound. It was legitimately very impressive that Azhar had even pushed Li to the point that he even worried about the old man's safety.
In the end, this situation could only arise due to Old Thane's training. Azhar was willing to do whatever it took to get stronger, and the old man had seen that and decided that the most efficient way to mold that indomitable and reckless will into something that would make the ranger stronger would be to channel it into a brutally savage drive to win at all costs. A mindset that the old man was himself deeply familiar with.
