Tobias had been enraged for the last three days, but he had been powerless to let out his rage. His Rank 3 Blessing celebration had to be postponed because the advent of the alleged lightning genius took front stage. He overheard the discussion between Caleb and the clan experts in the conference room and was overcome with envy and frustration.
Tobias was astounded by the offers made to Caleb as a branch family child and was left wondering why it wasn't him. Why was a member of the branch family in the spotlight? Tobias believed that this was his only chance to teach a lesson to Caleb after learning that he hadn't accepted the clan's offer of protection.
"Caleb, Pay close attention when you are hearing. I don't want to run into you again in this town. Since you are a part of the branch family, you should understand your place, therefore don't even consider accepting any of the offers you received today. Tobias demanded, his jealousy and rage boiling out. "You'll remain in this isolated nook with no resources. Let the clan realise how stupid it was to choose you over me. They'll regret it when I ascend to the heavens.
With those last remarks, Tobias quickly walked away, leaving Caleb at the mercy of the clan members who were looking to curry favour with Tobias. They alternated in kicking and punching him till he was on the ground. Caleb made every effort to keep quiet throughout the incident. The tormentors ran away to avoid getting into trouble with the clan.
Blood dribbled down the side of Caleb's face from his nose as he lay on the ground with his eyes unwavering. He turned to gaze at the ground that the goons' haphazard attack had unearthed. One can only image how much pain he was in as he slowly rose to his feet. To remove any sand or stone, he brushed his brown shirt and fluffed his hair. He discovered a leaf and used it to wipe the blood off his nose. He shook his head as he realised how naïve it had been to think he could jump over the dragon gate and not end up in worse jeopardy.
When Caleb first entered the house, he saw his mother and a man in a long, flowing dark blue robe sitting in the hallway. Under furrowed brows, the man's deep-set, wise eyes with piercing blue pupils looked out with a sense of profound wisdom and unyielding resolve. His short, trimmed hair has some grey streaks running through it. His well-trimmed beard emphasised his prominent jawline and gave him a more mature look.
He attempted to cover up the fact that he had just been bullied by going to his room and washing his face. His dwelling was extremely neglected and far from the other houses in the clan, in contrast to the luxurious chamber he woke up in today. It had mud walls that served as insulation from the cold and a straw-roofed roof. There were three main rooms in the house. A room for Caleb and a room for his mother. The last room was where the Grand Elder and his mother were conversing.
His mother joyfully said, "Caleb, come here and greet the Grand Elder!"
Caleb quickly put on an additional layer of his winter-only fur jacket after realising he wouldn't have time to cover up the bruises, then hurried to the elder's side to meet him.
"Good day, Grand Elder." Caleb gave a courteous greeting.
"Caleb, what happened?" his mother said with concern.
"Don't worry, mom. On the way home, I tripped. Caleb said, "I'm fine, no injuries," moving his body in various stances that made his injury worse but he persisted in pretending in order to convince his mother that he was unharmed.
Caleb was likely ambushed by envious clan members on his way home, the Grand Elder realised as he turned to gaze at him. He could see that the young lad had some injuries thanks to his high level of cultivation. He said nothing to dispute Caleb's claims of falling. Instead, despite the abuses Caleb had endured, he was moved by his care for his mother's sentiments.
"I can tell that you put in a lot of work to cultivate your Mortal Body to the Skin Toughness level. It's not an easy task, especially without any help from the clan in terms of resources," the Grand Elder said. "I've long complained about the way branch family members are treated in clan meetings, but I can't expect my voice to change the way things are now on their own. They put aside their pride when they encounter a genius and will do anything, including endanger their family, to win them over." The Grand Elder remarked, "I'm sure all the offers you had today sounded very good to you.
Caleb confirmed by nodding his head.
"You are a frog in the well, which is why you think that way. Your vision needs to be bigger than the clan, think more of the world we live in. In any other place, a lightning genius would be treated like royalty. What might sound like a good offer today, might only become your shackle tomorrow. you won't lose your status as a branch family genius, and you won't ever have a truly significant accomplishment. I'm here to present you with a different choice from what the clan has to offer." The Grand Elder paused as he finished his cup's contents.
He continued "As you are aware, I rarely appear in the clan; I maintain a hermit's existence hidden from the clan. This is due to the fact that I have travelled outside the clan. I served in the military and participated in battles that are beyond your imagination. I just need a bit of quiet, I want to enjoy my retirement as I wait to break through. I want to make you my disciple, Caleb. I'll put you through skilled training."
"Caleb! Why are you not addressing your master? What are you waiting for?"
"This disciple greets master," Caleb remarked as he knelt and made a bow in response to his mother.
The Grand Elder grinned and motioned for Caleb to sit down next to him. The Grand Elder suggested, "Let's start by filling up the holes in your knowledge of the cultivating world. He described the two ways to cultivate: through the body and through the practise of faith.
Body Cultivation is the process of enhancing and bolstering one's physical structure. It entails enhancing one's entire constitution, physical stamina, and strength. Mortal Rank, Human Rank, and the other ranks are separated in Body Cultivation; for the time being, you only need to know of the first two ranks. The Grand Elder paused for a moment to allow the information to fully register. "You will acquire the relevant knowledge at the appropriate time. His blue eyes were fixed on Caleb at all times.
Caleb came to realise how foolish he had been to believe that his unique blessing would be enough to transform their lives. He paid close attention, taking in everything the Grand Elder said.
Being so thoughtful at the age of eight is unusual, the Grand Elder was amazed. He said, "Faith cultivation is the process of absorbing and channelling faith energy to strengthen spiritual force. The two ranks in faith cultivation are believer and disciple; you don't need to worry about the other tiers just yet. You will also acquire the required expertise when it is needed.
"Master, I appreciate you enlightening me. Please teach me, Master. Caleb once more knelt down and bowed his head in reverence.
The Grand Elder said with a smile, "Of course I will, you are now my disciple. "Now that you are my disciple, what gift would you like?"
"Master, all I can hope for while I'm in your care is that my mother has a good life," he said.
Caleb's selflessness was evident to his mother, who was inconsolable as she saw him merely ask the elder to take care of her.
The grand elder was speechless in amazement. Okay, I'll take care of it, he promised. "Caleb, pay close attention. I have just seven years left to teach you. You must work hard to train throughout this time and advance to at least the Disciple rank. That is the fundamental prerequisite for enrolling in a Faith Academy. We can overcome your disadvantageous starting place with perseverance and hard work. Come to my home early tomorrow morning. You don't need to bring anything, since I will supply all of your training materials. After giving the directions, the Grand Elder strolled to the house's entrance and vanished with a rush of wind, leaving Caleb surprised and intrigued.
Caleb thought to himself, "One day, I will have powers like this," and he went back to the house.