[+3 Vitality, +4 Strength, +3 Stamina, +3 Agility]
I started my cultivation around 5 PM give or take, and it was already the next morning. So, I was cultivating and grasping elemental laws for more than 12 hours.
I was focusing more on my physical attributes because I'd be carrying the others when we depart, and I was not entirely confident in my ability to do so. The increase in Stats was not much compared to my new understanding of how my Wind and Darkness worked, but still a huge increase nonetheless just like gaining two levels.
My understanding of elemental laws grows day by day, and with it, my priorities also change accordingly, If I keep focusing on them it won't be long until my skills get an overall transformation.
I could see with absolute clarity that just increasing my Stats was not enough, there was a whole other elusive realm of untapped strength that once understood could help me unleash unimaginable might compared to just raw Stats.
I could not help but wonder if there was such a thing when it came to my physical prowess or even spiritual?!
Sort of like the holy trinity: Mind, Body, and Spirit.
As far as I could tell, elemental laws are only related to my mana and intelligence.
'Status Window'
[~Status Window~
Host: Zed - Umbra Storm Eagle.
Titles: {Blazing Heart}, {Truth Seeker}, {Dauntless Spirit}
Level: 31
Experience Points(Exp): 54650/65400
Rank: Body Refinement(High)
Health Points(HP): 351/351
Magic Power(MP/Mana): 381/381
Spiritual Power(SP): 391/391
Magical Resistance: 41(28)
Physical Resistance: 42(29)
Spiritual Resistance: 31(37)
Vitality: 69(102)
Strength: 71(106)
Stamina: 54(81)
Intelligence: 75(112)
Agility: 64(96), Dark: +19, Nearby Enemy: +16, Sky Dash: +19.
Spirit: 71(142)
Available Stat Points: 0
Available Skill Points: 2
Karma Points: 50
[Skills]
[Quests]
[Shop]
[Map]
[Inventory]
[Party(Locked)]
]
I checked my Status Window whilst nodding my head, everything looked great!
I quickly deactivated my Dao Field, then I got out of the watchtower and landed above it to observe the situation below.
The "Carriage" was done and it looked perfect, I just needed to test its durability and whether it'd be able to hold all of that weight.
The women were enthusiastic when building the project, I didn't know if it was because they were bored and finally had something to do or it was because they wanted to leave the forest as quickly as possible.
Maybe a combination of both.
Either way, it was great seeing life coming back to them, albeit just a little.
I flew towards the western gate and waited for Jia to approach, after she did we talked for a while just asking her whether they needed anything and they just needed some food which I would hunt for them later.
We talked a bit more and she told me about the other women, their stories, and what each of them was like.
Every one of them had a different story, a mixture of joy and tragedy, as with every life. It also seemed like they had nurtured a very close friendship amongst themselves, they had more or less similar experiences even before the bandits and as some of them took the first step and talked openly with the others, more and more women were opening up which was exactly what they needed.
I also noticed that Cai Yi was laying down by herself beside the southern wall, her back was against the camp and her face looked in the direction of the wall.
Looking at her not moving like that others might think she was asleep, but I thought otherwise.
I noticed that when people are sleeping they usually breathe in the same pattern unless they move to change their position. Thanks to my high Spirit, my senses were very sharp and I could tell by the way she was breathing that she was awake.
I flew towards the southern wall and landed directly above the place she was sleeping on. She twitched a little and sensing the shadow above her, she could not help by open her eyes.
When I looked into her eyes, I was pleasantly surprised!
Even though she still had her whole face covered due to my position I could see them.
Her eyes actually seemed different than yesterday, her face did not have the same energy it had yesterday, she looked a bit resolute and calm. It was not a very big noticeable change, but definitely in the right direction.
Seeing her like this I was glad, not just because I was happy that she seemed to be moving on, though that was the main reason.
I could not deny the fact that there was a selfish element involved in my interaction with her, I just had some expectations of my own. Whether she lived up to them or not it did not matter to me.
*Swoosh*
I jumped down and landed beside her saying, "Come with me, I need your help with something."
Frankly, I did not need her help, I just wanted an excuse to get her out of there, give her something to do, and show her how much I valued her.
She threw away the blankets to the side and stood up, her body was facing my direction but her head was down after a while she said, "Okay."
"Great, get on my back.", I guided her to climb my back and she sat there in a kneeling position while gripping my back feathers with her hands tightly.
This was the first time I carried someone on my back, I moved my mana to create a thin wall made up of wind elements to shield her, then I quickly jumped up and headed north.
I'd be leaving the camp unprotected for a short while, I just needed to go bring the Mama bird and come back.
This time, I flew a bit higher than what I was used to, so I was a bit nervous. I always associated flying higher with being a bigger target, but even now I was still between the tree branches and leaves.
I liked flying like this, it felt like a game of reaction speed. You have to stay focused to dodge every new obstacle, and because I was fast I'd have to control my body a bit every second in order not to hit something.
Ouch!
Cai Yi in the back was holding on for dear life! I was naturally aware of her of what she was going through, but I acted as if it was nothing serious and let her handle it.
She did not say anything and just continued holding on with all of her strength, after all, she was a High Body Refinement and I did not give her more than she couldn't handle so it was all good.
It did not take me a long time and I quickly arrived at the nest.
Fortunately, everything looked great.
The two tigers were sleeping, Kali was either cultivating or sleeping I could not tell, but the Mama bird was awake as she noticed my presence before arriving.
I was not making any effort to hide it either, plus I had Cai Yi on my back so it made sense.
*Screech!*
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I made the same high-pitched sound I did last time for her to follow me, coupled with the fact that I did not land on the nest and was just flying beside it, it was easier for her to understand me this time.
She jumped down and rushed in my direction, Kali and the tigers also opened their eyes and were looking in my direction.
I made another sound, this time while looking at Kali and the others.
Cai Yi in the back was puzzled, to her, it seemed like we were conversing in another language, but I was just making noises. I always wondered whether the Eagles had their language or something, I did notice that sometimes Kali and the Mama bird made different noises and it seemed as if they were conversing, but I could not tell for sure.
It took them a while to understand what I was trying to convey but they also followed.
The Mama bird, Kali, and I were flying, whilst Rajah was running behind us from the ground.
Shere Khan was jumping skillfully from one tree branch to the next without losing to his brother on the ground at all.
So cool!
Their facial features were no longer the same as when I first brought them, I always fed them rich and high-quality food to accelerate their growth, coupled with the fact that I took them to hunt several times, and they had killed and fought with their lives on the line a couple of times.
They no longer looked cute and innocent but large dark monsters.
Because I was flying slower to let the tigers catch up to us, it took me a bit longer to return to the camp.
I stopped two hundred meters before it, I was not planning to let the tigers or Kali into the camp. They were close enough for me or the Mama bird to watch over them with our spiritual sense. There was no need to alert the others, being surrounded by demon beasts as they call them would only make them uneasy.
I threw three bodies that belonged to three Peak Body Refinement humans to the three and I let them eat to their heart's content.
Cai Yi in the back flinched looking at this scene, I did not know what she was thinking, but I could tell that from her point of view it was indeed a bizarre experience.
I landed on the ground beside the three and told Cai Yi, "I have something I need to do and I'd be unavailable for a while. Could you protect them in the meantime?"
She could tell they were only Mid Body Refinement monsters unlike her so she was stronger than them and she immediately agreed.
'Appraise'
[Appraised Target: Cai Yi
Cultivation Realm: Body Refinement(High)
Health Points(HP): 183/183
Magic Power(MP/Mana): 209/209
Spiritual Power(SP): 121/121
Magical Resistance: 21
Physical Resistance: 17
Spiritual Resistance: 15
Vitality: 68
Strength: 65
Stamina: 59
Intelligence: 75
Agility: 71
Spirit: 48
]
I could tell just from looking at her stats that she would not be able to defeat the three of them if they happened to fight. But of course, there would be no fight, they were not dumb, seeing her with me all this time they could understand that she was no enemy.
Now, it was time for the real deal.
I jumped and landed on the tree branch the Mama bird was perching on, I closed my eyes to calm down a bit because I was a bit nervous and I needed a very tranquil mental state to form the mind link.
After a while, I successfully formed it, and let it approach her gently. At first, she was surprised but noticing that it was coming from me, she did not resist.
The Mama bird did not have to have the same mental state as I did when forming it, it was already done so it easily connected.
"Can you understand this?" I quickly opened my eyes, looked at her, and sent one thought through the link, this was the first time I used it and I was surprised that it gave one the ability to choose whether to send something or not. This way it was more like an actual conversation and not mind-reading.
The Mama bird was stupefied at first, I could see it her in eyes. After a while of what seemed like she was figuring out how to use it, I heard something, "Yes, I can."
Shit! I was shocked, it was not a sound but there was a voice. It was just a thought that was received through the link so I could tell it coming from her, it felt like she was thinking inside of my mind.
The voice sounded a bit young and feminine.
"Have you understood how to use it?", I sent out this thought quickly just trying to make sure everything was working.
"Oh... yes, yes. A very strange skill...", is what I heard again. This time the voice sounded curious and full of wonder.
"I have found it somewhere and learned it, it is very handy since we can understand each other.", I replied while looking at her. She had her eyes closed after I sent out my first thought but now she opened them and looked at me.
"That is surprising since I've always communicated with you, but you never responded.", Her voice sounded a bit aggrieved.
"How? I've never heard anything!", this time it was my turn to be surprised. Always? I had never noticed any attempt nor understood any form of communication. Sometimes, she'd approach and push me to the side, I thought she just wanted to pass through or it was how eagles played or something.
"Hmm... could it be that you did not understand? Even though our way of communication is crude, we more or less could understand what the other wanted to say through sound, energy, and body.", She seemed to believe what I said and explained.
I could not even hear what she was saying just because I was too shocked by all of this, this was the very first time that I had communicated with any sort of monster. Her intelligence was not at the level I was expecting at all, which caught me off guard.
I was silent for a while till I collected my thoughts and replied, "I could not understand anything previously, sorry."
After that, I was at loss. I somehow just assumed she would not be that intelligent and I'd just ask her to protect this place.
"You have to be careful of humans, they're very cruel.", she said then she fell silent. I did not say anything because I could tell that she was on the verge of saying something else.
After a while, she sighed looked at me, and said, "What are you? You were always strange, since the day you were born I could tell you were different. Initially, it was not something that invited worry, but day after day you grew at an unimaginable speed, you did not talk, and you seemed very intelligent because you defended yourself and always knew what to do. I could not help but worry it seemed like you had countless secrets unlike a child at all."
Hearing what she said, I felt complicated. Previously, I underestimated her intelligence so I acted, however, I wanted without considering anything, yet she was the only person who could tell that there was something very odd about me, because she witnessed my whole journey since I first broke through and came out of that egg.
I did not want to lie to her, though my actions were very natural and normal for me they've resulted in countless worries for her, maybe she'd think that I was not her child and was just using her, or I killed her original child and took its place.
I turned and looked her directly in the eyes.
I also looked a bit different than her, my color was darker due to my cultivation manual. I was a bit larger, and my eyes were completely golden while she had a bit of green in them. I also had pitch-black talons, unlike the light golden ones she had.
There was only a bit of space no more than a meter separating us, and there was a strange atmosphere between the two of us.
One looked to be going through conflicting emotions and the other was bracing themselves as if they were about to hear the worst imaginable news.
"You are right, there are indeed some things that you do not know, and you have every right to worry. But if there is one thing that I can say with absolute certainty, it's that I am your child", I said with full conviction, after all, I knew that was the case, this way I could put her mind at ease.
Hearing what I said, I could tell that she was happy and her facial expression changed a bit forming a smile, "Then that's all I need to know, you can tell me the rest whenever you feel like it." She said with a calm voice, then she approached me and gently rubbed her face against mine.
This was not how I expected this conversation to go, but I was glad it did. Seeing that I had someone who clearly cared about me made my heart soften a bit.
"Thanks...", I said, then I quickly added, "Can you protect the human camp? I have something I need to take care of."
"Sure!", she quickly replied in a happy voice.
I still had a lot of things that I could have asked her, but now was not the time.
I broke the mind link and flew off into the distance.