After that day, Jacob started living his life with a newfound motivation. He was already working hard but after learning about the exciting world of cultivation, he increased his efforts in order to become a cultivator. According to his mother, he just had to work hard to become a cultivator.

He decreased his playtime with his friends and gave much more time to the various chores in the manor.

He was well over the normal arc of learning by the standards of normal servant kids but with his increased efforts, he had an idea that he will finish learning everything the manor had to offer except the smithing.

Smithing required a strong adult body. He was not even allowed to come near the smith when he was doing his work. He was only allowed to observe from afar and learn as much as he can.

He had tried asking the smith about his line of work to learn something directly from him. But every time he did so, the smith shooed him away with the same reply,

"How am I supposed to teach you without any practical work? Grow up a bit kiddo and come back. You can always help to bring the ingots here from the warehouse."

He also brought the ingots from the warehouse for a couple of days in hopes of learning something from him but all he got was a simple thank you.

In addition to learning about various works in the clan, he also started gathering information about his goal of becoming a cultivator by pestering the guards about their cultivation.

Those were the guards that he was acquainted with. Those included the fathers of his friends, a few instructors and the guards at the gates.

Occasionally, he had to go outside of the manor on errands. He did not travel far but visited the nearby shops to bring things asked by his mother and some other servants.

He acted a bit smartly considering his tender age. He asked single questions from the guards without bothering a single guard twice. When he had asked the questions from all the guards he knew, he restarted from the first guard again.

There were many things he came to know in the following days. First and maybe the most important of them was that, in order to become a cultivator, he needed something known as a cultivation manual first.

He also learned that he needed to be learned in order to correctly read and act according to the instructions written there. There were also diagrams in it but they were just to help the cultivator understand the written text more clearly.

Jacob came to know why they were being taught how to read and write by their parents. This seemed to be the purpose. He did not know whether being learned had other perks other than being able to cultivate using the cultivation manuals.

The second thing that he came to know was that the cultivation manuals were not that rare usually. They could easily be found in bookstores.

Only adults were able to buy them after spending some money. Those who were under fifteen years old could not buy them because cultivation before becoming an adult was very dangerous. Nobody would give a cultivation manual to an underage.

He could also get one free of charge by becoming the clan's guard when he turned fifteen. The third thing he came to know was about sects.

He could not learn much about them. But the little things he came to know regarding them were very important.

Sects were the organisations that were created for cultivation only. Cultivation was their bread and butter. They did nothing else but cultivate. Their purpose was to speed up the progress of cultivators.

They didn't have to worry about their food and clothing. They were rich beyond measure. And they were leading humanity's charge against the beasts on the front lines.

Jacob knew about the beasts. In simple terms, they were big ferocious animals who could cultivate and think. But he did not know that there were some "front lines" against them.

On further investigation, he came to know that there was an eternal battle happening between humans and beasts somewhere in the far east. They were fighting for supremacy on the planet.

They were fighting for what limited space and resources the world had to offer. Every inch gained or lost on the front lines was significant in importance.

That was the most he could gather from them. One day, he was sitting in his room and thinking about all those things when an errant thought came to his mind.

(I was not able to get any tips about cultivation from them at all. All of this is just information. I am certain that my mother also knew about it. Damn. What a waste. Well, whatever. I tried at least.)

On asking his mother, his guesses were proved correct. She also knew as much as the guards themselves but she told him an additional thing that shocked him to the core.

His mother told him that one of the sons of clan lord Rokas also belonged to a sect and was a great cultivator. His name was Hammond. He used to visit home after every few years.

Jacob had a deep impression of that person. Two years ago, there was great fanfare in the manor about the return of a young master. All of the clan was present at the clan gates to welcome him. It was a warm welcome.

He could only catch some glimpses of him due to his short stature and the large crowd present near the gates. Even some citizens had come to welcome him.

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The warm welcome that the clan lord's son got was the first thing that impressed him. The second thing that impressed him was the son himself. He was a massive man, easily above 6 feet tall. And his muscles looked like small boulders.

He was wearing a sleeveless tight shirt whose buttons were barely holding the shirt together. His arm was thicker than Jacob's waist. He was walking at a steady pace and it was very graceful to look at.

What shocked Jacob the most was the great hammer that he was carrying on his shoulder with a single arm. That great hammer was larger than Jacob of that time.

That time, Jacob mused that a causal swing of that hammer may as well spell the end of him and his little legs started shaking in horror. He was terrified of that massive weapon.

Celebrations were held in the clan for an entire night. The entire manor was decorated and it welcomed many guests during that time. The manor contained a lot of buildings and covered a wide area. The buildings were not that tall. They were three floors at most, except the warehouse. It was five floors tall.

The buildings in the manor were arranged symmetrically. The central building contained the clan hall and clan lord's quarters. It also had a spare room planned for the ancestor's hall.

It was surrounded by the living quarters of the direct progeny of the current clan lord. Those were further surrounded by various other buildings that were important to the clan. For example, the clan's library, the clan's guest quarters, the clan's warehouse etc.

Surrounding them were the professional buildings including smithy, carpentry, laundry etc. Surrounding them were the quarters of the clan's servants. Surrounding the quarters were the walls of the manor.

The manor was located a bit east of the town centre.

The town centre was an old castle which was jointly managed by the representatives of the three clans. It was old but sturdy.

The moats surrounding the castle had been removed a long time ago. And people began building their houses around it when the area had been secured and a new town was permitted to be found around it.

After the celebrations, the man stayed in the manor for a few weeks before heading back. The clan bade him farewell and the mood was sombre. Rokas repeatedly advised him to take care of himself and not do something dangerous and reckless.

Jacob had thought that the man was a soldier or something. He was a five years old child back then. So he did not think much about it and returned to his normal life from the next day on.

But that day had a deep impression on him. Now he knew that the man was not a soldier but a cultivator from a sect who had come to his home on a vacation.

As he was contemplating the sects, he was also thinking about what to do with his future. He had caught the meaning hidden behind the information that he came to know about those sects.

What he realized was that the sects were more suitable for cultivation than being a guard in the clan for the rest of his life.

He thought that he was a man(child) of action. He also wanted to learn everything. So how could the clan and this small city satisfy his curiosity? His goal of becoming strong enough to fly was looking bleak if he chose to become a clan's guard.

(Maybe I should consult with my mother. She knows much more about life than I do. Whatever she says will be best for me.) He thought about asking his mother for the best course of action.

But after thinking about telling his mother that he wanted to join a sect, he could not help but worry about leaving her here for his selfish desires. He also had some friends here. What about them?

Those thoughts almost gave him a headache. (Bah. I am thinking too much again. I will see when the time comes. No need to worry about it now.) After that, he started waiting for his mother to return.

After she entered the room, he got up from his small bed and ran to hug her while welcoming his mother as it was his usual while waiting for her to come back.

"Welcome back mom."

"Thank you for your warm welcome, my little prince."

They stood there hugging for a few seconds. Jacob's head was barely reaching his mother's waist. After a few seconds, they separated and headed toward the bigger bed.

They sat together and Rosa asked his son about his day while brushing his head

"How was your day today??"

"It was fine. Umm.."

Jacob was trying to ask his mother about the sects but could not find the exact words to put them into words due to his nervousness.

Rosa patiently waited for his son to continue with an encouraging expression.

Jacob thought over his words for a few seconds and said,

"I have been thinking about sects for a few days. Which one should I join? The sects or the clan guard?".

Rosa smiled. She knew where this talk was headed. Jacob was unaware that she had thought about it a long time ago when Jacob could not even walk. She asked with a loving voice,

"What do you want to join? Come one. Tell me what you want. Don't be shy in front of your mother."

Jacob hesitated for a few seconds before replying,

"I want to cultivate and explore the world. So I want to join the sects. But if you object, I will remain in the clan."

"Silly child. If you want to join a sect then do it. Who are you worried about? Oh. So you are worried about me. What a cute child. You don't have to worry about me."

"But won't you be sad if I leave?"

"I am an old lady. I have lived my life. You are still a child. You have an entire life ahead of you. You must join the sects. You can still visit me regularly. I am not going anywhere. Look at the sons of lord Rokas. Don't his sons visit him? Don't you know that little birds have to fly away from their parents' nest when they grow up? Didn't I teach you that once? Have you already forgotten? I think you need a little beating."

"But mom.."

"No buts. And why are you thinking about such things now? You are not even ten years old, much less a little adult. Don't think about such things now. I won't hear a single word about this issue until I say so. Case closed." Rosa interrupted his son and forbade him from thinking about it too much.

Jacob's shoulders slumped down in acceptance as he nodded toward his mother. She smiled in return.

Rosa knew that his son would not be able to live in the manor comfortably after becoming an adult. His former father and brothers would make his life difficult if he decided to join the clan.

She had already decided to take her son away from the clan if she would be alive by the time her son grew up, which she had great doubts about.

She could have taken him away in his childhood if she was younger and could work somewhere else. Which unfortunately was not true.

She had no place to go other than the clan. After Jacob turns into an adult, he would be able to take care of himself and his mother.

But after seeing his son's curious nature and his expressions after being told about the cultivation world, she knew that this city would not be able to contain his son.

She wanted him to join the sects. That would be a perfect place for his dreams. There, he would be able to cultivate without any worries and chase after his dreams. Maybe, he would also find a good girl there. As a mother, she could not help but worry about his son's future.

As for leaving her alone, she chucked at that inwardly.

She did not have long to live. She was already sensing her weakening body day by day. It would be a great blessing if she remained alive to see his son becoming an adult.

Most probably, she would not be alive by the time he turned fifteen. So she would not be there for him to worry about. She was a bit worried about his son after passing away.

As a result, she had talked to Rokas about it in great detail and he assured her that his son would remain safe. Jacob was also his grandson. She trusted her clan lord so her worries were assuaged a bit.