Chapter 5: A Sitting

"Grandmaster, what I meant to say is, although many experts came after us, big sis simply saw it as an opportunity to get rid of a nuisance for Grandmaster". Zax almost jokingly continued, all to not arouse the flames of fury if this third realm expert in front of him.

A gleam of contentment shone Grandmaster Kartion's eyes and a light growl escaped his mouth, as if complementing Zetsa's way of thinking by saying "as expected".

"At first we easily escaped from their encirclement and then, big sis sent me to find big brother Raroen while she and big brother Tularg lured the pursuers to continue following them". Zax also saved up on words and did not dare to mention Tularg's weak state.

"After getting to the adjoining cave, big brother Raroen found me before I could find him. It was the first time that I met big brother Raroen. He gave me some pointers and then took me on his back, in his animalistic form, to further demonstrate the things I need to work at and to defeat all fifty two pursuers (he let big sis kill one of them) without allowing any of them to leave alive". He concluded and respectfully waited for Grandmaster Kartion's verdict.

Grandmaster Kartion lowered his head and shut his eyes. Beside Zax, Kartius had a huge grin across his stag face.

"Good! Good!" Grandmaster Kartion said twice in his pondering state. He opened his eyes and looked straight at Zax. "Zetsa is undeniably quick witted. You and Tularg did well listening to her. Moreover, Raroen gave you a personal lesson ... that's quite rare of him. There are only two of his juniors that he is willing to advise while I'm in close doors training". Grandmaster Kartion pointed it out as something which Zax should not take for granted regardless of how much gathered from it. "Have you learned something from him or are you still contemplating?" He asked.

From Zax's ardent behavior when mentioning Raroen, Grandmaster Kartion saw it clearly that the boy did not disregard the personal lesson he received.

"I have". Seeing the chance to discuss and maybe attain a constructive advice, Zax answered promptly and in earnest. "Big brother Raroen instructed in regards to the bodily maneuvers. As he fought our pursuers he showed the Martial art he developed. From watching him I caught a glimpse of how I should practice the bodily maneuvers Master taught me. When I demonstrated it before, I followed the grain of insight I gained from big brother Raroen's teachings and for the first time made it past the third sequence. Regrettably, the bottleneck to the fifth sequence was too difficult to surpass by relaying only on the grain of insight. Later I hope to mediate over what I learned in order to reach the Advanced phase of the Intermediate phase of the bodily maneuvers".

"Mm..." Grandmaster Kartion mused over Zax's reply. "Don't". He said firmly. "That won't help you to break though the bottleneck to the next phase. Everything has to be done gradually on the path of Martial cultivation. Enriching yourself over the profound way of the bodily maneuvers will only provide you the knowledge of how you should proceed, but not entirely enable you to make a breakthrough. Alongside the matter of the dark attribute, forget for now about seeking further insights in the bodily maneuvers". Grandmaster Kartion said with no intention to elaborate into his reasoning.

"Then, Grandmaster, what else is there for me to do to reach the fifth sequence?" Though Zax sensed that Grandmaster Kartion purposely answered with only half the information with respect to the bodily maneuvers and the dark attribute, he still pushed for a more defined answer. He did not want to practice on his own, make irreparable mistakes and reach the same wall Raroen faced.

"Make a decision". Grandmaster Kartion said and his expression grew solemn. "Junior apprentice Zax, you have been inspected by I, Kartion, and your accomplishments in the teachings your Master imparted to you have been noted". Grandmaster Kartion nodded to Zax as sign of approval. To that, Zax's reaction, as well as Kartius's, was to all tensed up. Those were the words both of them waited to hear for three years.

"You earned the right to practice my methods and techniques and be part of my Martial household". Grandmaster Kartion, in his own official way, finally accepted Zax. However, the follow of his words did not stop there. "But, will you accept it?" Before this bizarre question could sink in Zax's mind, Grandmaster Kartion said. "You have seen them on your journey here, and Kartius informed me that you even fought with several of them. I, Kartion, have plenty of enemies that confine me and mine to this corner cave in Valgarel".

'Able to confine a third realm expert?!' Zax was shocked and afraid to ask out loud. Reserve as he tried to be, his reaction, though was no so discreet for Grandmaster Kartion to miss it.

"The humans and beasts that seek to destroy me and mine certainly have the power to do so, at a great price, but capable nonetheless. That is because the prime adversaries of mine who lead the hunt for me and the household I've built are two third realm experts". As he mentioned the two, as if recalling a painful memory, Grandmaster Kartion's eyes seemed to grow foggy by bottomless hatred and his stag mien convulsed. This was only a matter of a fraction of a second before he returned to himself, he also did not let it radiate from him like his rage from minutes ago, but Zax managed to detect it.

'Big sis and Master and big brother Tularg, big brother Raroen and the rest ... by associating themselves with Grandmaster they have to deal with such a threat?' His relations with some of them were more intimate than the rest, but overall, were they not those who welcomed and accepted him when he was in his lowest?

'Does Grandmaster provide me a way out? Telling me to abandon them?!' Zax's body began to shake. "I ACCEPT!" He bellowed. 'Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Unacceptable!' The only thing he could not accept was turning his back to those close to him.

"You..." Zax's outburst took Grandmaster Kartion aback. He did not expect for a first realm, tiny junior apprentice to be so overbearing when confronting his superior. Even his own apprentices, those eight children of his, are very careful with their responses when raising the issue of his enemies.

Kartius, who silently sat in the same manner as his big brother, had his eyes blazing and his right hand hiding the smile on his face. Initially, he, too, exuded the flames in his heart through his eyes when his big brother mentioned the two third realm experts, the core of their anxieties. But his Martial son's response stimulated a stronger feeling in his heart with purer, grander flames. He thought: 'Accept? Accept what, you little brat? Care to tell which Martial father will let his one and only Martial son lose his life that you have to answer with so much vigor?'

"Then I won't speak further". Grandmaster Kartion said. He leaned forward, his large physique dwarfed Zax's even more. One hand he raised and lay on Zax's shoulder, the other on Kartius's. "Both of you did well".

"Hahaha!" Kartius received his big brother's gesture with immense delight. "It has been three years and for the first time in a long time big brother disperses his reticence, hahaha!"

"Enough, Kartius!" Grandmaster Kartion pulled his hands back and scolded. Despite what Kartius said, it did not look like a lot of change, if any, occurred to Grandmaster Kartion when he praised the two.

"Junior apprentice Zax, there are more to say in the matter of those who want to eliminate our household. In time you, like your Martial brothers and sisters, will learn the full story. Now, however, it's too early. You are young, the youngest in our household, yet the one who shows the greatest promise in cultivation the bodily refinement technique I developed. Therefore, concentrating on your cultivation is all that I want you to be doing for the time being". Grandmaster Kartion was truly straightforward. When deciding on a matter he did not give a second thought to anything that could be a distraction.

"Big brother, are we getting to it?" Kartius removed his smile and his tone grew stiff.