With this, the first year was fully uneventful, if it wasn't because Ludwig showed faster progress, he would have been taught the basics for another year on top of the already wasted one. He still learned some things, especially about the technological advancements and the artistic value, details he couldn't fully understand from memory fragments.
Still, this knowledge had its limits and Ludwig wasn't interested in going past these limits and becoming a scholar in this regard. To overcome the time, he would train his soul sense and he even learned an instrument, something he had done in his past life.
It was the violin – as he had started late in his last life, he had never reached the peak of it, but he memorised all the violin plays and techniques, learning all to be at least somewhat proficient in the violin. This world didn't have a violin, but they had similar instruments they were given to choose from, Ludwig had taken something akin to a violin and practiced on that.
It didn't fully sound like the violin, and it wasn't popular, which Ludwig could understand – even the violin wasn't everyone's favourite, much less something of lesser quality. So, he decided to create or at least order his own violin once he was able to do so.
Most of the time it wasn't because Violins didn't sound well. No, Vivaldi, Kreisler, Tchaikovsky, Paganini and so many more violinists have shown the world the beauty of the violin. Unfortunately it is a very difficult instrument to learn and unrewarding at the beginning, not everyone can be a genius, nonetheless it is only short of the Piano and the Guitar, latter only because of modern influence.
As for his soul sense, he was now able to fully sense any sentient being (which was the evidence of a soul) in a certain range. He planned to train this soul sense till it reached the hundred-meter mark, from then on, he would train it in other directions. At least for now, he could keep up the soul sense without becoming tired, at most a deep sleep was required.
If you said people could perceive this, then it wasn't wrong. But unlike one might think, his soul sense has fully replaced his eyes even though they far surpass that, it might be difficult to understand but higher-stage people would only have the perception that he could 'see' them, yet not how. In a cultivation world, it was a taboo to ask such in depth secrets, even if they are your servants. If anyone knew, your face would likely be ruined.
With just this though, he had already surpassed the expectations of the Steward Hall's instructors by far, they understood that he was much farther in comparison to the other trainee stewards and proposed a different teaching plan towards the higher ups.
He had been learning the normal education of every steward till now, and he would also have to continue doing that – but additionally to that, they added one course, a very large one: Martial Arts Teachings. He would first train only his body and gain the first stage of the cultivation: The Qi-Gathering stage. At this stage, he could gather the Qi of the surroundings and absorb it into his body, strengthening it in the process and preparing it for the later stages.
The previous Body Strengthening stage was never included in the realm of cultivation, since even mortals could reach it. No, for cultivators it was like puberty, something they would get through, and it would bring much change, but it was only the start.
Today, Ludwig was specially taken to the Cultivation Library of the Steward Palace, it included nearly all cultivation arts of the family, excluding private ones owned by specific lines.
He entered the building as he followed a teacher of the steward hall and the first thing he saw was a table in the middle that blocked the view on the books behind.
An old man sat there looking directly at his empty eye sockets hidden behind the cloth strap, it was as if he could perceive his ability, but he didn't say anything and dismissed the teacher before once again looking at him.
"What do you wish to practice?"
Ludwig bowed and asked innocently "What does his lordship mean?"
"Don't go around calling stewards 'Lordship', such a title is reserved for the clan members."
Without missing a beat, Ludwig replied "A clan that positions those with strength lower because of their origin does not deserve to exist."
The old man released a pressure unbearable for Ludwig, but he refused to kneel, bowing was his limit. A second later the pressure was reduced but it was still there as the old man asked, "Then how come the clan persists until now?"
With a confused look, Ludwig replied "The clan is middle ranked with two at the highest position and ancestors sitting in the back, at least half of them sharing not even a drop of blood with the members of the clan, I assume. The positions have always been backed by strength."
A satisfied smile crossed the old mans face, but he still asked, "Then what do you think of the faction fights in the clan?"
"Simple fight for resources that strengthen the winners and neglects the losers. It is not a good system, but it works at least with the background of the clan."
"How so?"
"The stagnation that should have come was pushed away with constant expansion in the form of branches, but one day that won't be enough, and it will endanger the clan from the inside out." Ludwig wasn't sure why, but he felt like he had to answer with all his heart and soul, or he would either regret it greatly or suffer greatly.
The old man had a solemn look on his face before he asked, "What would a better solution be?"
"A perfect clan system doesn't work. Such a solution doesn't exist. We have to accept this to look at 'lesser' solutions which cure the current problem and look for other solutions when we have other problems. From what I have learned in the clan school, volunteers for branches have been in decline, which is why so few stewards were tested in the first place.
This is a warning for the incoming stagnation of the clan, in this world, stagnation is loss. A loss is not a bad thing, at least it wakes people up, but only if they wake up early enough to fix the loss. In any case, the current solution can only be temporarily functional. My solution would be making living in the clan less attractive and opening branches more so."
The man signalled for Ludwig to continue, he hesitated for a moment before he said "The elder council is supervised by the grand elder, but in essence only a small faction is on his side, while all other elders are either part of the family major faction or single individuals. A solution would be to split up the major faction."
"How so?" A curious but understanding expression flashed on the old man's face.
"Representatives of branches has never been given official position in the family. They would stay behind elders who work in their fashion, this is wrong. All elders have their own faction and representatives have always been treated as less important.
The best way to split them up properly is to give the high branches the position they deserve in the family. The top-figures don't need to do so, resources in the family for them are scarce in the first place and they can manage looking for them outside or in their own branch, but the lower population in the branches are often neglected.
Give them the same treatment as all other members in the ancestral home, heighten the base-funding as well as rewards and punishment based on their cultivation and strength, but at the same time make the outside world more interesting for them instead of sending them against each other.
Branches are important and should be given official positions, but cultivators of the family should begin to leave the ancestral and branch home and learn to survive as rogue cultivators in the world, make them treat the family as a resource exchange hub and profit off of them as they profit off of the family.
The time for familial love in the whole clan has long passed, in the single families it still exists, but on a whole basis it's gone. Interests and benefits rule, so cutting the interests of some and heightening the ones of others is the simple way of keeping the clan active. Anyways, it's also best if the lower people are split as much as possible, power centres among them don't do anything besides poisoning the clan, if resources alone could produce experts, then the clan would have long achieved great success. A failing system should be changed, always."
Ludwig said so much, and it was from the bottom of his heart, yet it was also a bit fake. He didn't care much about the clan, various reasons exist, what he really wants while saying this is generating an environment where he, as a 'lower person with limited possibilities' can shine stronger.
The lesser politics truly poison the clan and resources aren't enough to create an expert, but which expert reached his goals without them? Naturally the old man knew this but just ignored that part, anyways he only did what he was told to, technically he was in his retirement and only supervised the Cultivation Library because he enjoyed it as a hobby.