While Amrit was having dinner with his grandparents, his father went to the skill pavilion. It was a five-storied tower made of white jade like material. It looked pure and pristine. The first floor stored books about the information of mundane things like legends of the cultivation world, history, geography, and folk tales. There was a mural on one wall depicting the history of the clan and images of some ancestors. Everyone in the clan was allowed on this floor. They could read those books for free but were not allowed to take them outside. The second level contained martial arts and cultivation techniques up to the mortal high grade of cultivation techniques, martial arts, and auxiliary arts. The cultivators of the clan can choose initial cultivation techniques and martial arts for free one time on this floor. After that, every skill here required contribution points. After selecting a skill, they can bring it down to the receptionist hall where an elder or deacons will replicate it into a one-time use blank jade slip. The third floor contained the techniques and arts up to second grade and mid-tier. Here only cultivators from the late stage of the Qi sensing realm can enter. There were arrays on the entrance to identify the cultivation realm.
The fourth floor contained second-grade high-tier techniques and martial arts. This was only for Foundation Building realm cultivators. As for the fifth floor, it contained the legacy cultivation technique of the Rijal clan. Only supreme elders and clan leader was allowed on this floor. The other elders were permitted on this floor when they reached the peak of the Foundation Building realm and have made significant contributions to the clan. Even his mother was not able to enter this floor for now. The fifth floor was enveloped with numerous illusion, attack, defense, destruction, and warning arrays. It was one of the most secure places in the Rijal clan, the only place equal in safety was the Treasure vault. This was the benefit of having an array master in the clan. If you have to invite an array master from outside, the cost of invitation will be really high and there would be a question of trustworthiness. Imagine the array master from outside left a little loophole. Although most of the auxiliary cultivators care about reputation, it would be a great loss for the clan if you found someone greedy. So the arrays placed in important locations were done by Amrit’s grandfather. He would enhance and repair the arrays by himself and examine them for loopholes occasionally.
Punya walked towards the Skill pavilion. As he was walking many clan members he met on the way greeted him. It was evening and many clan members were walking around either to eliminate boredom or returning to their home from work. It was almost like in the Earth. This made clan members active and the economy within the clan stable. Working in different departments of the clan, staying in the clan camp on Bareback mountains, and procuring resources for the clan were a few methods for obtaining clan contribution points. Money like gold and silver coins were only used to deal with mundane things while buying from mortals. Although the clan was almost self-sufficient, food for almost fifteen hundred clan members and a few hundred hired or invited members, it would be easier to just buy from outside. The camp in Bareback mountains usually hunted wild beasts and searched for herbs and minerals but the resources they provided could not fulfill the clan’s needs. For trading with cultivators, spirit stones are usually used but within the clan, some things could only be bought by contribution points. This is so that clan members would not get lazy.
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As Punya reached the Skill pavilion, the fifth elder Bhimeshwor came out from the front door and greeted him. “Oh, what a rare sight it is. It has almost been a year since the clan elder has graced this pavilion.” The fifth elder said in a slightly doting tone. When Punya was young he would spend most of his time in the pavilion either reading about history and legends or different martial arts. After he broke through to the Foundation Building realm and became a Battle cultivator, almost every technique was free for him in the Skill pavilion. This was an investment from the clan. Since he spent most of his time in the pavilion, he became close to the fifth elder. As an elder of the Skill pavilion, he was knowledgeable about many skills and cultivation techniques. He was just a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Battle cultivator, but being even a hair’s breadth away means not reaching in the cultivation world. After all most of the bottlenecks appear when you are just a hair’s breadth away.
Looking at the elder Punya just said “You know more than anyone how busy I am. Even this time it is because I have to. It’s been a while since I had time for myself and it seems like we will be even more busy.” Hearing this the elder just shook his head and replied with a toothy grin “Now you know why I pushed you for the clan elder position.” After Amrit’s grandfather abdicated his clan leader position, he wanted to make the fifth elder his successor. But the fifth elder found managing the clan too much of a bother. Fighting every day with elders for small matters and having to look after every little thing, was against the nature of book-loving elder. So he just pushed Punya for the position and promised he would look after him. At that time Punya had just broken through the Foundation Building realm and due to being of direct lineage, qualified for the position of clan leader, became clan leader despite his objection. He wanted to roam the world but destiny had other plans. He looked at the elder as if he was still holding a grudge and said with a deadpan expression “Alright old man, no need to dig up the past. I came here for some important matters. First, you should empty the place.”
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