Severing Time & Space

Knowledge is Power

Training was not the only form of lessons they had. After stowing away the alchemy pills Father had given him, Wu Jian and Wu Meiying split up and traveled to their respective lessons.

Wu Jian's lessons were on etiquette, geography, arithmetic, reading, and writing. Because he was the heir of the Wu Clan, he would eventually succeed his father—of course, that was assuming no one challenged him for the position. This normally meant he would also begin taking lessons on governance and finance. However, because he was still young and members of the clan considered him weak, he only took the basic courses required of him as a member of the clan.

Etiquette classes were particularly grueling. Everyone was required to follow certain rules, based on their strength, social status, and age; sitting, walking, and even eating all had strict criteria and manners you needed to watch depending on these factors.

"I'm sure you know this already, but a person's social status isn't just based on wealth. It is based on strength. The strength of the individual and the strength of the clan. Both are factors in determining one's status."

The person giving him this lecture was Wu Taohua—his father's second wife. Wu Jian didn't know much about her, other than that she had married into the clan. She was a mystery to both him and the others. That said, there was no denying both her strength and her knowledge. Rumor had it that Wu Taohua was on the cusp of breaking through to the Anima Realm. That was excellent considering his father was the strongest person in Zahn City at the Anima Realm's ninth subrealm.

"The strength of a clan is obvious," Wu Taohua continued as she paced back and forth across his vision, her snow white face stern and uncompromising. "The stronger a clan is, the more prestige it has within its country. Powerful clans and families are relied upon by the Emperor to protect the kingdom's interests. If a foreign nation were to ever invade, it would be the responsibility of the kingdom's clans to defend the land."

"What about sects?" asked Wu Yong.

Wu Jian and Wu Yong were the only people present for this lesson. That was because they were both Wu Yōushì's children. One of them would go on to become the clan head, and while Wu Jian had a leg up because he was the son of Father's first wife, that did not mean he was guaranteed the position.

The stronger person would get that honor.

Strength was everything.

That was the lesson Wu Taohua was teaching them right now.

"Sects are even more powerful than clans," Wu Taohua admitted, nose wrinkled in distaste. "That is because they are not made up of a single clan or family, but many families, clans, and individuals who have combined their might in order to gather even more power for themselves. However, because sects are made of so many disparate parties, they are not as cohesive as families like our Wu Clan is. That said, there are sects in this world that have even more power than a country, and it is often considered incredibly prestigious to have a member of your clan join one. The benefits from joining a sect can be very... lucrative for the clan."

Wu Jian had the feeling that Wu Taohua did not like sects very much. He wondered what the reason was, but put that out of his mind. It was none of his business.

"So we should aim to join a sect if we can?" asked Wu Jian.

Wu Taohua shook her head. "It would greatly benefit the clan if any of you could join a sect, but the chances of that happening are slim. No sect would bother coming to Zahn City because it's too small. The most you could hope for would be to join the National Imperial Academy, which is funded by the Shang Kingdom's royal family. They come here once every year to accept and test applicants who wish to join. We have had several members of the clan join the National Imperial Academy, including your father."