His mother, astonished by his growth, eagerly urged him to share everything about his experiences. Caleb began recounting his journey, and his mother listened attentively, expressing joy and remarking how good it was to be young.
For the next two days, Caleb dedicated himself to accompanying his mother, adhering to her request to prioritise rest alongside cultivation. It was a slow and refreshing period for Caleb, who had cultivated relentlessly for two years.
A knock on the door interrupted their tranquillity. "Caleb, the clan leader wants to see you," someone called out. Caleb and his mother made their way to the clan hall, where he met up with Tobias and Asher, who waited at the door until they arrived.
"Aunty, you can go in first," Tobias said politely. Caleb's mother only nodded her head as she smiled; she had already heard about the brotherhood between the three boys and was no longer surprised by it all. It was still strange witnessing it in person, she quickly made her way into the hall.
"Faith, I am glad that you can join us for this meeting this time. I know it is only because your son is back that you decided to join us, but it is a good thing. You should leave your house once in a while," Caleb and the others could hear the clan leader welcome Caleb's mother.
A maid approached the boys, saying it was time for them to enter. Tobias insisted that Caleb lead the way as he walked behind Caleb. This little gesture might mean nothing to others, but to the elders, it was a sign of who was leading this little group.
"Children, can you share with us what you experienced over the two years." Not every child in the clan was fortunate to attend the training camp; the clan had changed how it treated the branch family, pouring resources into those that were left in the clan.
Tobias gave a quick glance at Caleb; Caleb didn't say anything, he only nodded his head. This little interaction was also noticed by the elders who had no idea what was going on but were eager to find out.
Tobias started the tale of grand adventure from the time they left the clan, the journey to Silvermoon City, the Moonfire Palace. His excited retelling of the tales was so captivating that people could imagine what they experienced as if they were there themselves. Tobias talked about the competitive environment, the training, the rankings, the other clans, the instructors, and the battles. He spent a lot of time on the killing array as that was still fresh on his mind; he described the scenes in the first to the fifth level, making some elders feel a little chilly as goosebumps covered their arms. He talked about Asher's progress from his low rank to rank 10 as his final leaving rank; he spoke about his climb from 11th to 5th. Tobias spoke without pause until it came to speaking about Caleb; he let the previous information sink in before he talked excitedly about Caleb's journey from 3rd to 1st to the very first Rank 0 the camp had all the way to breaking the record of the killing array.
All the elders and the leader were amazed at what a member of the clan had achieved, they could not help but take another look at Caleb. Faith, who had heard the summary from Caleb previously, could not help but look at her son with a smile on her face but tears streaming down her eyes. Her son had made her so proud!
"Congratulations, Sister Faith," another elder from the branch family said with a smile on his face. Although Caleb was not from his immediate family, he was also proud of Caleb's achievement and was also speaking for the branch families. Everyone was shocked but still congratulated Caleb's mother, seeing Caleb's success as a blessing for the clan.
"Caleb! The clan in the past has greatly offended you, I hope you will be able to find it in your heart to forgive the treatment you received. The clan has changed a lot since you left; I am sure you have seen, everyone is happier, and the general atmosphere has changed. But this does not take away the past sins," the clan leader said solemnly, the other elders nodded in agreement. "From now on, there will be no more main family, secondary family, or branch family! Everyone under the Levi Clan will be one family. This way, we can all advance and retreat together!" the clan leader said.
"I am happy with the way things are in the clan now, although the past was as you mentioned, it was not all bad. It allowed me to be where I am today. It allowed me to push myself to achieve more," Caleb replied politely. He was grateful for the acknowledgement.
Everyone nodded.
"You three, I have a small task for you. I want you to spend some time teaching the children in the clan some of what you experienced in the training camp," the clan leader requested. "Caleb, since you excelled in body cultivation, this topic will be given to you. Asher, you take the faith cultivation lessons, while Tobias will lead the battle awareness lessons. To show our sincerity, the clan has purchased various beast materials used for making the elixir soup. From now on, the three of you will be given the best elixir soup the clan has to offer every day at noon," the clan leader added.
"Thank you," the three boys replied.
"Caleb, didn't you have a question you wanted to ask?" Faith asked aloud.
"Yes, thank you, Mother. Clan leader, did the Grand Elder go somewhere?" Caleb asked.
"I knew you would ask this question sooner or later. Sam is currently in closed-door cultivation; he is ready to break through in his faith cultivation rank. You probably won't see him for the next few years."
"Alright, the children are gathered in the square; you can start your first lessons today," Elder Rock announced.
Caleb slowly raised his hand to ask a question.
"Caleb, you can speak freely. You are not a stranger to the clan. You are considered a Levi Clan disciple, and you share a brotherhood with Tobias, so speak freely as he does," Elder Rock assured him.
"Thank you, Elder Rock. Can the body cultivation lesson include children without faith blessings who were assigned workforce or the army? I met some people who trained in body cultivation only during the camp; they needed a lot of resources but they could still become cultivators powerful enough to defend themselves. It is my aim to find some hidden gems; we might be able to discover some geniuses. Also, can I get an extra bowl of elixir soup? I will need it for teaching the lesson," Caleb requested.
"Attendant, see to it that all the children between the ages of 10 and 12 currently in the clan or in the surrounding areas are present in the square in the next two hours. Also, get a bucket of soup over to Caleb," the clan elder ordered.
"Yes, sir," the attendant responded promptly.
"Asher, you take the first session. Remember to talk about the basics and emphasise building a solid foundation," Tobias instructed with a smile.
"Okay, got it," Asher replied, making his way to the door.
"You mentioned Alex and Osmos, who were Rank 0, how were they?" an elder asked.
"Elder, you should have seen them. At one point, both children almost fought just to invite Caleb to their clans. It took a lot to fight them off, Caleb; someone even tried to propose to Caleb right there," Tobias said with a laugh.
"Grand Elder was right. We need to relook into the treatment of branch families. If we had been tougher on Caleb, he might have been tempted to move with his mother and join the Silverthorn or Ironhide clan," the clan leader reflected.
Soon, Asher walked in. "I'm done with the faith lecture. Caleb, they are ready for you," he said with a smile. "Don't worry, I already warned those from the main family that if they give you any trouble, they will be expelled from the clan."
The clan leader had high expectations for Caleb's class, so he summoned all the elders in the clan, including Elder Rock and Ironback.
Soon, Caleb stood in front of all the children aged 10 to 12. Behind the children stood the elders of the clan, who had come to supervise the training and learn as well.
"Before you start, Caleb, let me make the announcement again," the clan leader already foreshadowed some of the troubles that Caleb might have to face with this lesson. "Listen, everyone, from now on, the clan is no longer divided into the main family, second family, and branch family. From now on, every one of you is a member of the Levi clan. Each one of you will be treated equally. If you want to get more, you will have to show your worth to the clan," the clan leader's voice boomed as he announced. He quickly retreated to the side to not affect the lecture.
"I am Caleb of the Levi Clan! It doesn't matter what type of cultivation you practice; you will need a level of body cultivation. Faith cultivators must have heard that at the Deacon Rank, you will have the opportunity to improve your body constitution. But think about it: 0 can be improved to 1, and 1 can also be improved to 2. So having some achievement in body cultivation is important if you want to stand above people of the same cultivation rank."
The elders were shocked by Caleb's perspective, realizing they had never thought of it in such a way before. They started paying more attention to the class.
"My teaching will not be solely based on physical exercises, although we will do some of them, we will focus on stretching to increase our flexibility. I will pass on to you the body cultivation art we learned during the two years we spent at Moonfire Palace. It is called the 'Six Stances.' Don't try to understand it all at once; just memorize it for now," Caleb explained.
He proceeded to demonstrate the stances, the Serpentine Stance to train the skin, Bear Stance to train the muscles, Tiger Blood to improve blood viscosity, Eagle Bones to harden the bones, and Dragon Marrow to nourish the bone marrow. Caleb repeated the stances several times before stopping.
After an hour had passed, he called each child up one by one and placed a drop of elixir soup on their forehead. Some elders also approached, and Caleb had to give them more than a drop due to their larger size.
"The air around you is filled with world energy, and the drop on your head should increase your sensitivity to it. The more you practice, the more it will interact with your body, improving your constitution," Caleb explained.
"Before we start practising the stances, we will work on your flexibility. For the next three months, we will engage in light jogging, stretches, weighted runs, more stretches, and comprehending the stances. After that, we can begin practising the stances," Caleb announced.
After the first session, many more adults joined Caleb's class, and even members of the army were ordered to attend. The clan leader had been right to gather all the children in one place. Caleb's class became a sensation in the clan, with children and adults alike eager to learn body cultivation.
As the days went by, Caleb's reputation grew within the clan. He became known as the prodigy who had achieved Rank 0 and broken the record of the killing array at the training camp. People admired his humility, dedication, and willingness to share his knowledge.
Caleb's class progressed steadily. The children and adults who attended diligently followed his instructions and experienced improvements in their body constitution. The elixir soup provided by the clan boosted their progress, and many started seeing significant results.
Word of Caleb's class reached other clans as well, and they became curious about the teachings of the Levi Clan. Representatives from neighbouring clans requested to observe Caleb's lessons, and the clan leader agreed, hoping to foster goodwill and exchange knowledge.
Caleb's class soon became a gathering of cultivators from various clans, all eager to learn the body cultivation techniques passed down by the Moonfire Palace. Caleb took this opportunity to interact with other cultivators and learn from their experiences as well.
Months passed, and Caleb's teachings continued to flourish. The children and adults under his guidance made remarkable progress in their body cultivation. Some individuals, who had previously been assigned to the workforce or the army due to their lack of faith blessings, discovered their hidden potential and started climbing the ranks of cultivation.
Caleb's mother, Faith, watched with pride as her son's influence spread throughout the clan. She saw how he had not only changed himself but also impacted the lives of others. The branch families, in particular, experienced a significant shift in their status within the clan, with more resources and attention being directed towards them.
The Levi Clan, once divided, now stood united under the shared goal of advancing together. The bond between the main family, secondary family, and branch family grew stronger, and the divisions of the past slowly faded away.