Bruce felt his airway tighten under Ross' grip. He coughed once, loud and hard, once Ross dropped him back to the ground. He sucked in a gulp of air and briefly assessed Ross' state. A second was at least longer than it had taken for his own sword to recover from a hit from Bruce's blade. Not by long, though.
Still, the fact that Ross had requested any length of time as a time out in the middle of a test meant he'd achieved something. He opened his mouth to apologize for the wound, but thought better of it- he had a feeling it might offend Ross somehow. Instead, Bruce sheathed his blade, keeping one hand on the hilt, and closed his eyes, expanding his presence through the floor. Ross might have superior control over the material, certainly when Bruce wasn't using his sage powers, but Bruce's sense of the earth couldn't be cut off. He waited, keen on sensing when Ross chose to 'un-pause' the test rather than watch for it.