Max's improvements were evident for everyone to see with their naked eyes, his whole aura had changed after undergoing training for all the basic elements and his worldview had shifted as a result.
No longer believing that physical attributes like strength and agility mattered as much as one's comprehension and ability to understand the elements on a deeper level, Max knew now better than ever that his whole approach to a battle was wrong before he began his training here.
Once one began to understand the language of wind and earth, one would realise that there were more ways than seeing to just estimate an opponents move and parry them, similarly, to neutralise an opponents move or to prevent them from deploying it perfectly, one only needed to disrupt them slightly before they were able to cast it, which Max was able to do perfectly now.
