Having finished his short lecture Vareus Zanord decided to move on to the next part of his address.

"Well, you may now ask your questions. I think we'll start with the older generation, if no one minds."

Vareus looked first at the young men sitting on the floor in front of him, but as expected none of them dared to say a word, only a few of them nodded respectfully in agreement. So without wasting any time he turned to the heads of the honored clansmen.

"Remember I am prepared to answer three questions. So decide what you want to ask and who will do it."

For a few moments there was a tense pause among the clan leaders. While it had been a long time since the honored clans had engaged in open conflict with each other, they had found many other ways to mess with their rivals. Because of which, the relationship between some families was quite bad.

Every time the honored clans tried to work together to solve an issue, the result was either very mediocre or no result at all. And now, when they had to decide within a couple minutes who should ask what questions, they were stumped.

No one wanted to give up the right to ask a question. Without a shadow of a doubt, the right to ask a question in this situation equaled the right to represent the entire elite of the town of Heartglen and the Glen Plain. Especially considering the presence of Bishop Ardul and Elder Zanord.

On the other hand, they were to ask a question directly related to cultivation. Of course they weren't complete ignorant on the subject. But still, among the 11 honored families, 4 families specialized in farming and owned vast lands. 3 families were engaged in trade using the many caravans and fleets of merchant ships that traveled the River Orn. The 3 largest and wealthiest families did everything at once, with extensive plantations, large trade caravans and fleets. And only one clan in the entire town specialized in crafts, primarily blacksmithing.

As a result, they were all quite far removed from the world of martial arts, each of them having long been mired in managing their family's affairs, and years, if not decades, of not using the power of the seals.

For people like them: living mundane lives and having no talent in martial arts, the only reason to cultivate was the gift of longevity. A person who formed two seals could live 20 years longer than someone who never cultivated.

"Ahem, I hope no one will mind if I pick the ones who ask questions?" Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Bishop Ardul decided to take matters into his own hands. Primarily because he wanted to get to the informal part of the evening as soon as possible.

Naturally none of the clan heads objected.

"Then let's do it this way, the first question will be asked to the one who was able to form the 3 seals as the most worthy, Juver is older than Velin, so let him ask the question. But you two should decide together what the question will be. Any objections?"

There were no objections. Everyone nodded obediently in agreement.

"Let the clans of the town ask the next question. As I recall the most elder of you is Zivor. But which question will be asked you must decide together. And finally the third question will be asked by the valley clans. Mrs. Hyprita, I hope you will be kind enough to ask the question. Naturally, what that question will be you must decide together."

"I would be honored, Bishop." - Mrs. Hyprita, graciously responded to Bishop Ardul's offer.

A few minutes later, all three groups had come to an agreement on what question they wanted to ask. As agreed the first to take the floor was Juver Tesal.

" Greetings respected Elder Zanord, My name is Juver Tesal. We are all grateful to you for sharing such valuable knowledge with us. The idea that some sigils may conflict with each other while others complement and enhance each other may completely change our approach to teaching future generations. But to my shame, I'm not quite sure how we can determine which sigils combine and which ones conflict. Can you dispel our ignorance."

Stolen novel; please report.

Said Juver and bowed slightly to the elder.

"That is a good question, Mr. Tesal. I gave some examples earlier, but obviously that was not enough. I won't go into detail about each of the 27 common sigils, it would be too tedious. But I will give you a hint. If the sigils belong to the same aspect, they will combine, if they belong to different aspects, they will most likely conflict."

An amiable smile froze on Juver's face. The elder's answer didn't get him one bit closer to the heart of the problem.

"Forgive my ignorance esteemed Elder Zanord, but what aspects are you referring to?"

Vareus Zanord was a little saddened that he couldn't get away with a short answer and would have to unpack even the simplest of things.

"An aspect is a property that enhances a sigil. You all know that such sigils as bear, bull, and ant make you stronger when used. Accordingly, they belong to the aspect of strength and strengthen each other.

On the other hand, let's take the Tree and Tiger sigils. The Tree increases your defense but decreases your mobility. Tiger makes you faster and your attacks more fierce. Their aspects are opposite of each other. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you on the subject. Perhaps the Temple will agree to provide you with information on the aspects in exchange for a modest donation."

Vareus said with a smile.

"Thank you Elder Zanord, that is more than enough."

Juver Tesal bowed respectfully and took his seat at the table.

While Vareus gave a doomed sigh. Of course he hadn't expected the deep knowledge of the martial arts from these rural hillbillies. But the prospect of answering their dumb questions was boring him.

After waiting his turn a short thin old man rose from the table and addressed Elder Zanord in a barely audible voice.

"Greetings to you Mr. Zanord. My name is Zivor Kinov, as a representative of the honored clans of Heartglen I will ask my question. We are all deeply impressed with the knowledge you have shared with us. But I'm afraid it's too late for us to correct the mistakes of our youth. Unless you know of a way to change the seals..."

Vareus had expected such a question. Apparently the old men wanted to replace the conflicting sigils in the seals. And thus open themselves up to the third rank.

With a gloomy smile, Vareus shook his head and gestured for the old man to stop.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Kinov, you cannot alter or destroy seals. When a seal is created, it merges with your dantian. Therefore, any changes to the seal can cause serious injuries and destroy your cultivation, leaving you crippled, and in the worst case scenario will lead to death.

"How sad, I was thinking that I still had hope of forming a third seal in this life."

The old man grinned bitterly as he took his seat at the table. It was rude of him not to thank the elder for his answer, but considering the old man's age it was obvious that he could easily forget to do so, thus the people surrounding him decided not to emphasize it.

"Let's not waste any time, third question."

Vareus was beginning to show impatience. He was annoyed at having to answer such trivial questions.

The only female among the clan heads rose from her seat. She was a tall and slender woman of about 30 years old, with long brown hair, her features were neat and quite attractive.

"Greetings Elder. My name is Hyprita Ladoc. I and the other clan heads of the valley have come across the fact that meditation is no longer effective. No matter how often we practice the qi gathering technique, the result is almost none."

Elder Zanord stopped Mrs. Hyprita with a hand gesture.

"Are you practicing the qi gathering technique the Temple provides?"

Hyprita looked at the other clan heads of the valley. They nodded amicably, confirming Elder Zanord's guess.

"Yes, we all use this technique."

Vareus grinned. Thinking about how greedy these villagers were.

"The solution to your problem is quite simple, you need a higher ranked technique. Unfortunately, the basic technique is not suitable for those who have no talent in martial arts. But even with an iron rank technique, you'll be able to continue cultivating without much trouble."

The elder's answer was so simple, but at the same time, it was also so complicated. It was as if finding an Iron ranked technique was so easy. Hyprita was discouraged by Elder Zanord's flippant answer, which otherwise didn't solve her problem in any way.

"Thank you for your reply Elder."

With those words, she sat down at the table, and the elders around her sympathetically shrugged their shoulders.

Meanwhile, Vareus gestured to the glass standing on the pulpit, signaling to the servant that it was empty. The young man immediately filled the glass with wine, and without waiting for the servant to go to his seat, the elder immediately drank the contents of the glass and demanded that it be filled again.

"Well, now it's your turn. I hope you've had time to think of at least one interesting question."