"The core is very crucial ,of utmost importance to a spirit master. Without it, there can be no dwelling place for a spirit, no essence to nourish it. This is one of the fundamental differences between a normal person, a mortal, and a spirit master. Now what mak—"
Shen Mo turned his gaze away from the spirit instructor and looked across the open plain. There, members of the Xuanji Clan sat upon perfectly constructed pillars, receiving their lessons from knowledgeable and certified clan elders—far different from what they received here, the young mortal servants.
He withdrew his attention from the instructor entirely and glanced around at the other youths his age. They sat cross-legged beside him, listening with rapt attention, as though they had been granted a pleasant gift from the heavens.
Shen Mo was already sixteen. He had begun or rather, had been permitted to attend the teachings of the older servants, spirit masters themselves, since the age of twelve. Yet he could swear that every single one of them taught the same thing over and over again, the only difference being the words they used.
He had grown tired of it ,that was why he looked around, expecting to see the same boredom reflected on the faces of his fellow servants. Instead, he found excitement shining in their eyes. He slowly shook his head, his black, shoulder-length hair trembling with the motion.
It was not disappointment at their excitement that troubled him, but rather his own overly conscious mind one that seemed to look deeper into things. It did not carry the dull thinking of servants, but something closer to that of a philosopher, as his grandmother would often say.
His brownish-black eyes swept across the field, wishing he could hear even a fraction of what the precious Clan members were being taught.
The spirit instructor, noticing the gazes of admiration directed at him by the young mortal servants, could not help but feel proud. Proud that he had a role in shaping the younger generation—those who would one day take their place in servitude. Proud, too, that he had been chosen as the servants' instructor for the past two years. It had preserved what little dignity he possessed and spared him the humiliation of being treated as a slave or worse ,by the young clan members.
As he finished the day's lesson, his eyes scanned the small crowd of fortunate mortal servants destined to become spirit servants of the Great Xuanji Clan. Eventually, his gaze settled on a lean boy clad in sackcloth and patched garments, shoulder-length black hair framing an eternally expressionless face. The boy stared off into the distance, clearly not listening.
Instructor Tou Feng's squinty face twisted into a frown, This servant ,always the same one either slept or fiddled with his clothes during lessons, perpetually distracted. It stung at Tou Feng's pride every single time.
"Shen Mo!" he barked.
The call drew the attention of the entire gathering and of course, Shen Mo himself, who calmly turned his gaze toward Tou Feng, with not an ounce of fear visible.
This was one of the three things that angered Tou Feng most about the boy. Even when scolded or punished, Shen Mo never showed emotion of any kind. It sickened him.
"Were you even listening," Tou Feng demanded, "or was I wasting my time while your thoughts wandered off again?"
"I was listening, sir," Shen Mo replied gently.
That tone calm, respectful was another thing Tou Feng despised.
"Really? Then why were your eyes fixed away from this very podium I stand upon?"
"I listen more with my ears than my eyes, sir," Shen Mo answered in the same low voice.
Tou Feng's eye twitched as he restrained his anger. The boy was just a child a child rumored to suffer from facial paralysis. Arguing with him would only invite ridicule from the other spirit servants and might even cost Tou Feng his instructor status.
"Very well," he snapped. "Then tell us Shen Mo, what were the last lines of my teachings? Since you were listening, say it in your own words. Tell the class. And speak loudly."
Feeling the many different gazes upon him, Shen Mo sighed and stood, courtesy and respect demanding it. Seated as he was in the center front, he turned to face the young gathered mortal servants.
"A spirit master can only progress and grow alongside their spirit by consuming the resources required for that said spirit," he said evenly. "And we, as servants, can only rely on the grace of the clan for our growth. That is why we must be diligent and hardworking to satisfy the needs of the clan."
Tou Feng's frown deepened, making him look even uglier than before. This was the final reason he despised the boy ,Shen Mo always listened every word whether awake or seemingly asleep.
Gritting his teeth, Tou Feng chose not to pursue the matter further. After all, who knew what kind of Strength type spirit the boy might bind tomorrow?
"Sit down," he shouted. "Listen properly, and pay more attention!"
He did not bother to acknowledge whether Shen Mo had been correct or not.
"It has been announced by our Great lord, the patriarch of our gracious clan, that tomorrow shall be a special day." He gazed around, seeing the brimming faces of the young servants, deliberately avoiding the still, expressionless face of Shen Mo.
"Can any of you guess what makes it special?" he asked, tossing out the question.
A servant girl with blue bright eyes quickly rose to her feet, her hands raised high among many others.
Tou Feng turned to her.
"Tell me, Luo Yan."
"It's the Core Awakening Day," she said excitedly.
""Yes, it is," Tou Feng smiled"And for that, you have all been granted an off day for the rest of today. Calm your minds and rest your bodies in preparation for the awakening of your spirit cores tomorrow."
This made all the young servants brim with smiles, as they would be free of their chores for the rest of the day.
Seeing their smiling faces, Tou Feng tried to feel pity for them but he couldn't help but gloat inwardly. He knew that, like himself, many of those happy faces would soon be crushed by reality after the awakening and binding of spirits.
Like them, he had once thought it was the perfect opportunity to rise above the status of a mere mortal servant. Instead, he had been destined to awaken one of the lowest cores possible, all thanks to the unfortunate family he came from. That fate had led to his unlucky binding with a particularly useless strength spirit—one that barely even qualified for battle.
Looking at the gathered young servants, most were no different from him slave family lines, through and through. Well… except for a few, like the Luo Yan girl and two other boys. Then there was that annoying brat, Shen Mo. Though their parents were slaves, they had contributed to the clan in some way. Tou Feng envied them, for it was certain they would surpass him soon enough.
That was exactly why he had chosen not to antagonize that Shen brat. If it were anyone else, killing them wouldn't even raise much trouble. After all, they were still mortals, he wasn't anymore. At most, a few punishments, and he'd be let off.
"All right, class dismissed. Remember rest well and calm your minds for tomorrow. Goodbye for now.".
With that, the gathered young servants rose to their feet, excitement bubbling as they rushed back to their servant quarters either to spread the news to their relatives, if they had any, or to prepare for the day ahead.
As for Shen Mo, he remained seated, eyes still fixed across the plain field.