Chapter 7: New Regimen And Conditions

Ignoring the gazes of veneration of the adult Krikitories and basically giving a show to the little ones, Kartius took a step forward, toward the pavilion.

"Big brother, you said that next time you will come visit me, would be after the pending breakthrough to the next realm of bodily cultivation". Laivien said amusingly. Her neck stretched upward and her doe head and Kartius's stag head fondly caressed each other.

"Martial son, greet my little sister". Kartius looked down to Zax.

Seeing for the first time the true form of his Master, Zax was momentarily stunned. Then again, compared to Raroen he was barely over one tenth of the green scales purple mane dragon's size.

"Greetings, Laivien, nice to meet you face to face". Zax was less reserved than he was when he first met Grandmaster or his apprentices. Laivien was no stranger to him and the two already had a friendly relationship.

"Little Zax, how do you like my small valley?" Laivien inquired. The valley was her home and for Zax it was a first visit, therefore she hoped that as her guest he will enjoy the sheltered vista.

"It is extremely pleasant". Zax said after thinking quickly for a reply with his inner mind.

Upon hearing his compliment, Laivien's eyes turned crescent. "I'm happy that it is to your liking". She averted her attention to the adult Krikitories. "Meet little Zax, these are my caretakers and good friends, along with the young ones who accompanied you and big brother. We are all living here together". Laivien said.

The group of adult Krikitories bowed slightly before Zax and the young Krikitories did the copied their elders.

"Hello". Zax smiled. The adults Krikitories still possessed the cuddly appearance of their days as cubs, and so gave the impression of easy to get along with folks.

"Martial son, little sister, let us talk in private". Kartius said.

Laivien nodded. She lowered her chin to the meter tall egg shaped violet stone and a moment later all of the Krikitories left to either the huts, close by lake or fields of green-blue soft grass.

"Martial son", Kartius turned to Zax as they sat together. His big black stag body was outside of the pavilion, Laivien sat at her place under the wooden pavilion's thatch and Zax between the two, sitting on the one stair of the pavilion. "Meeting my little sister and big brother's spouse today was for you to know all three of us who founded this household. However, it wasn't the main reason I brought you here. Today you are here to start the next step of your training according to what we discussed in the past".

"Am I to stay here and try to break through the six bottlenecks of insight of the second realm of the soul?" Zax asked. He had this thought circling in his head since he and his Master left Grandmaster's tower. He was not sure how his Master expects him to approach these trials, which generally would only reveal themselves when a cultivator broke through the second realm, but whatever he will say, Zax was willing to try.

"Indeed". Kartius confirmed. "Formerly I tasked you with gaining insight into the kinetic energy or reaching the Mist Lord level with your soul. Now, you completed one task as well as got close to complete the other. As such, I want you to realize the bottleneck to the next level of your soul and attain a breakthrough. Seeing if you can perceive and comprehend the six bottlenecks of insight while in the first realm would be afterwards".

"Is that all, Master? If so, then can't I cultivate the soul anywhere..." Zax said hesitantly.

If it was three years ago, Zax would not have said anything. Regardless of where or with whom, he only had in mind the desire to get stronger. Three years later, Zax's temperament changed. He was no longer a child, but a teenager. Far more content with himself than he was in the past, he now found another thing he wanted, in addition to getting stronger.

Zax wanted to reconcile with his old friends, all of them. And with Grandmaster's evaluation behind him, he did not want to wait months, even weeks, before seeing Anet again and have the resolve to ask her out. Though, he was still unsure with how to proceed if she would agree.

Zax mentioning the ability to cultivate anywhere was in hope that his Master would then approve of him training in his home, in Kingdom Earth. Besides his friends and Anet, he also had a baby sister that he did want to grow without him. Lastly, and from the first place, his big sister said that he would not have to stay for long in Valgarel this time around, but he had yet got to talk about it with his Master.

"Little Zax, are you, perhaps, unsatisfied with staying to train in my place?" Laivien probed.

"That's not it. It's just that I stayed in Valgarel for so long and when I came back home with big sis, so much had happened that meeting my friends was ... complicated. And there is also my little sister, Liz. I can't possibly bring her here..."

"And the girl that you like ... is it that you can't wait to see her again?" Kartius said, mildly amused.

Zax face was directed to Laivien and his cheeks reddened soon after hearing his Master.

Zax assumed that Grandmaster probably heard from Zetsa, as an explanation, why he could not come at the appointed time. He then figured that if Grandmaster knows, then his Master also heard about what happened with the Derneldar family, after all, he did not question his deferral when he got to and left the blue tower.

"Oh! Did little Zax get himself a girl he likes?" Laivien asked, intrigued. In contrast to Kartius and Grandmaster, she was not aware of Zax's last activities in Kingdom Earth.

Zax was a bit shy from the two's interest in his sprouting affection for the opposite sex. Nonetheless, since his Master asked and Laivien asked he could not keep it to himself anymore.

"Yes..." He answered them both in one word.

"Huhuhu!" Laivien laughed. "Big brother, isn't your Martial son a fast bloomer? Huhuhu! Couple of days back to his home and already had himself a girlfriend, huhuhu!" She was happy for the boy she watched growing for the most part of the past three years, and taunted only because his swollen red face was so cute.

"That's enough, that's enough, little sister". Seeing his Martial son getting uncomfortable, Kartius decided to stop joking and deal with his hidden request earnestly.

"Zax, it is true that if I task you to cultivate the soul until the next breakthrough, it won't matter whether you'll meditate in little sister's valley or at your first home". Kartius said.

Zax attentively listened, hearing him indicate what he suspected, which could lead to receiving his approval, caused him to be even tempered.

"Master need not worry. I'm currently at the Peak phase of the Mist Master level with my soul. When traveling with big sis and big brother Tularg I had a profound insight. Although it was not related to the matter of the soul, with this insight, the one I comprehended from big brother Raroen's lesson and the discovery of the dark attribute I can feel that my soul became a lot more perceptive. Breaking through to the Beginner phase of the Mist Lord level ... I believe that I can do it within two months at the earliest, five months at the latest!" Zax spoke confidently, among other intentions, to convince his Master. As if remembering something, Zax opened his mouth to add. "And with regard to the same troubles we had on our way, I'll let Master test me and decide if I'm qualified to travel on my own!" He did not think that after prevailing against the Derneldar founder he could now take on his Master. This suggestion was purely for his Master to assess his survivability.

Kartius did not answer right away. Meeting his Martial son's determined eyes, he mulled over his decoction. "I can agree to your request, Martial son, but there will be a few conditions".

"Please tell, Master". Zax said eagerly.