Chapter 14: Connecting The Pieces

"Hahaha!" Carl laughed. "What are you saying, friend of the Zuzubare tribe? No need to yield in a friendly exchange, but oh my, who knew that you are just a Mist Lord. You ended up in such a poor state because of my impotent perception. Rest easy, to make up for my wrongdoings me and my little brother will settle in this grove until you will recuperate".

The beak of the Zuzubare tribe member paled as he heard Carl imposing himself so nicely and with fake consideration. "Se ... Senior! Don't bother! Don't bother!" He shrieked.

"Hahaha!" Carl laughed aloud shamelessly. "Of course it won't be a bother". His aura flickered and his body appeared next to the parrot head. "Let me give you a hand, friend. Little brother Zax, go fetch us couple of ripe grapes. We should celebrate this blessed encounter with such a welcoming friend!"

"Sure..." Zax replied. 'I'll ask him later'. This ordeal was way off compared the usual "come and go" from all the groves they have been to and Zax wondered what was it that made Carl act differently now rather than in previous encounters.

...

"So many..." Zax's eyes lingered on the amount of ripe Blood Red Grapes that were on the trees. Less than a hundred meters into the grove he already saw plenty of them, tens followed by hundreds! "We struck it rich!" He could not contain his excitement.

At first, when Carl told him to look for ripe grape for a celebratory reason, Zax wanted to know where the thrifty Carl has gone to. Now he did not care.

...

"Oh ... you return so fast". Carl was impressed, or maybe acted impress.

'Acting'. Zax guessed, basing his assumption over the time they traveled together and got to know each other.

Despite the many ripe grapes, Zax decided to bring only three, one for each. Until his and Carl's souls will reach a hundred percent adaption to the savagery, no matter what, it was better to conserve. "There are hundreds more, Carl". An ear to ear smile adorned Zax's face.

Hearing this, Carl pupils constricted. Even though he exchanged some words with the Zuzubare tribe member when Zax was way and had some sort of an idea as to how many ripe grapes they would find in this grove, Zax's discovery was beyond his expatiations.

"And you brought just three?" Carl maintained his gleeful demeanor. Next to him the parrot head looked like the cave's ceiling fell on him and there was nothing that he could do but get used to the weight or do something wrong and let it crush him.

"Never mind", Carl said. "Little brother Zax, say hello, this Zuzubare tribe member's name is Zri. Zri, my little brother, Zax". He introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Zri". Zax said.

"Za..." Zri said in return. He could not read Zax mist cultivation level so he either was not much, maybe like him, or too formidable.

"Zax, Zri is a bird type beast, so it's hard for him to speak. Only because he is a Zuzubare he can utter some words that he took the time to learn". Carl explained.

"Oh", Zax abruptly remembered Shulip, and how she could also just whistle because of her vocal cords. "Then don't force yourself". He told Zri.

"Good, now that we all know each other, let's drink". Carl raised his grape, punctured it and was the first to drink.

Zax was happy to do the same and Zri had no choice but to comply.

"Back to train! Back to train!" Zri shrieked. Although he was still hurt from the exchange with Carl, the grove was big, nearly two thousand square meters, and since he did not trust the two and had nothing within his powers to do to retaliate or argue, he chose to leave them be, while staying as far away from them as possible.

"If you insist", Carl said. "We will stay over here for the time being". Since he did not know the size of the grove, Carl had yet determined where will be most comfortable to accommodate him and Zax.

Zri left upset but quietly.

"How did you know that he was not a Core Master?!" Zax hurriedly asked after Zri left.

"Hahah ... Zax, little brother Zax, you are nothing but inexperienced!" Carl taunted. He then shocked Zax. "I didn't. It was only a speculation".

"Explain". Zax more demanded than asked. Since when did the cautious Carl act according to speculations? And would not it also put him in danger?

"Don't frown. I had more than eighty percent chance of being right and I was!" Carl tapped on his shoulder to reassure him. "Zri is from the Zuzubare tribe, one of the sovereign tribes in the inner territory of Valgarel. Among the bird type beasts, the Zuzubare tribe members have a unique trait which allows them to change the color of their aura and its oppressiveness to either that of a level below or above their level of cultivation. Unlike true experts, Zri was also quick to try to intimidate us. Because of it, I figured that he merely used his tribe's trait and most likely his soul is not even in the Core Master level. He probably carries treasures given from an elder of his tribe that enable him to change the color of his eyes and deal with the savagery until his soul will adapt to it. This grove was also probably left for him by a tribe elder".

"So it was like this..." Zax understood. "But how could you have known that the elder was not here? And won't he come eventually?"

"If the elders was here, he would not have let Zri, a Mist Lord, risk himself by greeting us. And if he'll return here in the future ... well, that simple, we'll just have to escape as fast as we can".

"..."

...

Relying on the plenty ripe Blood Red Grapes in the grove, within half a month the souls of both Zax and Carl had finally attained a hundred percent adaptability to the savagery. On Zax's side, the progress was especially swift thanks to Carl teaching him his nine point star adaption technique. It was two levels above his most advanced bridge structure in effectiveness. And once Zax combined the two to a nine point star bridge, his adaption progress became frightening.

Due to the complete adaption, the bubble that encompassed their sea of consciousness faded and the two could once more use their Soul Sense. Still, because the savagery was a perpetual force that influenced the inhabitants of the Savage Cave regardless of how well they adapted to it, the two could only manifest a tenth of their Soul Sense's range and continued to consume ripe grapes.

That aside, the two's main goal from the start was not to adapt their soul to the savagery, but to cultivate and hone their souls in the best environment for soul training in all of New Earth. Thus, the two finally started to train in their respective soul refining technique.

...

BANG!

Zax's fist landed on the protective layer of mist energy that surrounded Carl and repeals appeared on it like waves.

BANG!

The second fist penetrated through the mantle and sent Carl flying.

Carl gritted his teeth, waved his hand, forming shapes with his fingers and mist energy at the same time, a seal reformed from the remnants of the mantle and rays of azure light shot at Zax.

'A long range attack!' Other than those of his Master, Zax did not see long range attacks of a Mist User and Carl's were also different than his Master's.

Zax jumped and wriggled to avoid the rays attack. He was all too familiar with them from previous spars he had with Carl, and although they could not hurt him badly, they still hurt a lot.

On a side note, from sparing with Carl and battling with the savages, since coming to the first Savage Cave all of Zax's clothes and the fur coat he received from his Master were mutilated. If it was not for Carl showing him how to make a beast skin loincloth, Zax would have been completely naked by now.

The long range attacks missed and Carl was forced to divert those he could to the ground so the grove would not be harmed.

"Remember, easy on the explosions!" Zax halted on the branch of a tree and reminded Carl while smirking. The grove did not possess a repealing force and the savages can be attracted by the noise.

"Inexperienced toddlers should mind their own business". Carl replied. His azure aura shimmered and mist energy shrouded his arms and legs. "Come at me now!" His four limbs quadrupled in size, black azure fur covered them and fearsome claws grew from his fingers. Carl looked as if he fought to restrain a ground shaking growl and pounced to Zax's direction.

"'Assault Of The Leader' Martial technique, close range attack ... when are you going to show me your true beast form!" Zax shouted back.

Yes. Carl was a beast in human form. He revealed it to Zax when their souls adapted to the savagery. Why?

"I won't tell you further than this about myself. If you are a Martial cultivator, venture to the wild yourself and learn on your own". He said back then. At most he was willing to explain that beasts have three forms "Animalistic", "Humanoid" and "Human", but not all beasts are able to transform by simply wanting to. He was not willing to show Zax his humanoid or animalistic forms, but confessed that when a beast dies it changes to its animalistic form.

Carl ignored Zax and the two clashed.

Punches, kicks, slashes, mist attacks, physical attacks...

They clashed in the air, fell back on a tree and launched themselves once more.

"You'll never beat me in this form!" Zax said. After reaching the Intermediate phase of the bodily maneuvers, every move he made generated the pinnacle of his bodily movement. Every fiber of his being moved in harmony no matter what was the command Zax's brain initiated.

He caught Carl's arm and with great force pulled them from protecting his chest. Carl's legs hindered Zax's so kicking was out of the question. Zax released his grip from Carl's right arm and before it could defend his chest, shot a straight punch to Carl's stomach.