After a few moments of silence, a voice of a man sounded nearby.
"Esteemed guests... is the food to your liking?" a noble-looking man in expensive clothing asked nervously, it was obvious that this man was of high standing. Yet, in front of these two women, he had no choice but to bow his head and act humbly.
Matriarch Zareena, who was amusingly observing the situation below, glanced towards the nervous-looking man.
"Oh, it's really bad! Don't you think, Ziye?" she said with an innocent smile.
"It's horrible."
Ziye didn't even glance at the nervous-looking man before replying.
"T-thank you for your feedback, esteemed guests. I'm sorry to hear that, this is truly the best food our clan can offer, however, I'll have the chefs try to make something better."
The noble-looking man said with a polite smile, even with their rude remarks, he couldn't do anything to them.
The two girls were both powerful cultivators, and despite his clan being relatively strong around their area, it wasn't strong enough to be impolite with guests of this level.
"No need, leave us alone for now, we'll call for you once we need anything." Matriarch Zareena said nonchalantly with a smile, obviously not caring about the man.
The noble-looking man looked as if he was given a pardon as he left hurriedly. He was afraid of being scolded or even killed by these two.
Although he didn't know their backgrounds, the aura and amount of Spiritual Energy they exuded when they first appeared in front of him was enough to suffocate him to death.
It was stronger than anything he'd experienced before, he knew that it would just take a single thought from them to erase his very existence.
…
(maybe have Gray remove the mask?)
Arent you Meno and Cena's grandson?
As Gray left the Martial Techniques Area, he realized that he had underestimated his fame in the clan.
He had thought that since the clan was so big, not a lot of people would bother with him.
The Anarkin Clan had over 3,000 members, which was a huge number considering that about 80% of them were all blood-related.
He had also thought that since this wasn't Earth, looks didn't matter here as much as personal strength.
Although it was quite accurate… his looks were just a bit too outstanding.
He decided to hide his face with a mask for now in order to avoid tricky situations like earlier, especially since he currently could not use Spiritual Energy.
Although the clan rules stated that killing isn't allowed in the clan, there was no rule against spars, and any random clan member could beat him up in his current state.
As he walked around the clan grounds, he noticed the disparity between the outer members, adopted members, and inner clan members of the Anarkin Clan.
Direct descendants of the main family walked around in fine robes, their expressions full of confidence.
They held Spirit Stones in their hands like they were nothing, spending them without care.
Outer members and adopted members, however, walked with lowered heads, their clothes plain, their pouches nearly empty.
Gray's frown deepened.
The main family gave their own children dozens of Spirit Stones every month, far more than the outer members could ever hope to see.
Those same direct descendants were granted long hours in high-end training grounds like the Affinity Pavilion, where they could sharpen their elemental powers.
Outer members rarely got a turn, and even then, their time was cut short.
And the elders? Golden Core realm experts from the inner family held teachings about the Dao, but only the chosen few from the inner members were allowed to listen.
Gray shook his head. "If this was based on talent or hard work, I'd find it easier to accept. But it's just due to background and connections."
He looked around. Some of the clan members seemed numb to it, carrying on as if everything was normal. Their faces showed no resistance, just acceptance.
Others, however, held hidden anger in their eyes.
Gray could guess who they were, the ones who trained harder than anyone else, the ones whose talents deserved more than scraps.
"They bury their true geniuses," Gray thought coldly. "All for the sake of protecting their own bloodline."
Ahead, a group of young clan members laughed as they walked out of the Elemental Affinity Pavilion.
Their robes were embroidered with golden threads, marking them as inner members. In their hands were bags bulging with fresh Spirit Stones.
An outer member sitting by the training field looked at them quietly, then turned away, gripping a cracked sword with calloused hands.
Gray felt a tightness in his chest. But he knew that without enough power or authority, he couldn't change anything.
He shook his head and walked on, observing the clan environment.
…
"We currently live at the Swaying Moon Continent, it is a middle-sized continent amongst the tens of thousands of continents in our world.
There are currently 60 Famed Clans in the Swaying Moon Continent, and our Anarkin Clan is currently ranked at 25th in terms of overall strength, which is above average." an outer elder said proudly in the distance.
Upon hearing the voice, Gray arrived at a nearby platform where an outer elder was currently conducting a lecture for the younger clan members around the age of 8-9, when human beings first start to cultivate.
When Gray arrived, everyone noticed him, however due to his mask, no one recognized him. Although the elder was curious as to who this newcomer was, he continued his preaching.
"It is the goal of the Anarkin Clan to aim to be at least top 20 within the next 100 years, and all your seniors are currently doing everything they can to make this dream a reality. For those of you here, it's also your responsibility as the younger generation to grow and become stronger for the sake of our clan." the elder continued, with a serious look.
"Within the Swaying Moon Continent, there are also several dozens more clans aside from the 60 Famed Clans, but since they're quite weak, the Famed Clans do not even consider them to be mentioned in their rankings. However, it doesn't mean that we can underestimate or take them lightly, as some of these clans and other forces have the potential to eventually become a Famed Clan." the elder explained.
"However, the greatest forces in the Swaying Moon Continent aren't the Famed Clans. It's the 4 Great Sects. These 4 sects are so strong that the combined strength of the 60 Famed Clans would not even be enough to rival a single sect. They are the strongest forces in our continent." The elder said in awe, he had a look that said that these 4 sects were the peak of everything.
One kid raised his hand to ask a question "What are the names of the 4 sects?"
"Good question. The first is the Nine Divine Pagodas, they are currently considered the weakest. Next is the Sleeping Lotus Sect, third is the Sacred Willow Temple, these 2 have roughly the same amount of strength, and lastly, the undisputed strongest of them all is the Celestial Valley." said the outer elder.
"The sects have the most talented and gifted cultivators, they also have a lot of resources, and their foundation is a lot more solid than the other forces in our Swaying Moon Continent. Their leaders are all very strong, at the peak of cultivation, and have lived for thousands of years."
"How do we join a sect?" a slightly more mature voice sounded, it was Gray, who had shining eyes behind his mask
The elder looked at him weirdly for a moment as this was common knowledge for clan members his age but still decided to answer as it would also benefits the kids to know about this.
"The 4 Great Sects conduct a Disciple Selection Test for new disciples every three years. However, there are extremely strict requirements in order to even participate in the test."
"For clan members, we are only given ten slots every three years, which means that only the ten best candidates get to even try for the tests. The tests themselves are relatively simple, as long as you have enough talent and potential, you may join the sects."
"As for rogue cultivators, or cultivators who were unaffiliated with any clan, they would have to join as a servant unless one was already at the Foundation Establishment stage."
"How exactly does the clan select the ten candidates who will join the Disciple Selection Test?" a little girl asked.
The elder hesitated for a brief moment before continuing, "I'm not exactly sure as to how they select the 10 best disciples, the council of inner elders along with the sect leader are the ones who decide on that. But rest assured, they are absolutely partial when it comes to selecting the disciples and it will truly be based on your abilities." he reassured.
In the back, Gray sneered at the elder's blatant brainwashing of these kids. He shook his head and continued listening.
'So, joining a sect is the big leagues, huh?' Gray thought to himself, a flicker of interest in his eyes. 'More resources, more power, more action... it's definitely more entertaining than staying in this small-time clan.'
He wasn't particularly desperate to join one, but the idea had some merit.
His mind then drifted to his unique situation.
'Besides...' he mused. 'The Immortal Delinquent System is basically a trouble magnet. Its whole purpose is to get me to pick fights and take over turf. Sooner or later, I'm going to provoke someone or some group that's way out of my league.'
He considered the inevitable consequences.
'When that happens, and the trouble gets too big to handle, it would be really convenient to have a huge, powerful sect to hide behind. The perfect shield while I cause chaos outside.'
The idea of using a powerful sect for protection was deeply appealing.
'But from what the elder says, it's quite difficult for me to join sects, or for anyone without a decent background and talent for that matter.'
The kids asked multiple questions before the outer elder wrapped up the lesson.
"Alright everyone, that's all for today. Come back next week and we will talk in depth about cultivation levels. I will also be putting the Imagery Crystal recording for today's lesson later in the Martial Lessons Area if any of you wants to rewatch the lesson. Alright, that's really all for today, I have to get back and cultivate. See you all next week."
The outer elder hurriedly left, obviously not wanting to waste any more time.