The core is crucial,it is 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 mere 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 lessons from knowledgeable, certified clan elders. It was a far difference from what the young mortal servants received here.
He withdrew his attention from the instructor entirely and glanced at the other youths his age. They all sat cross-legged beside him, listening with rapt attention as though they had been granted a gift from the heavens itself.
Shen Mo was already sixteen and he had been permitted to attend the teachings of the older servants who were 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.
And honestly he had grown tired of it. That was why he looked around, expecting to see his own 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 swaying with the motion.
It was not mere disappointment at their excitement that troubled him, but rather his own overly conscious mind one that seemed to look deeper into things. He did not carry the dull thoughts of a servant, 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 admiration directed at him by the young servants, could not help but feel proud. He felt proud to have a role in shaping the younger generation ,those who would soon take their place in servitude.
He was proud, too, that he had been chosen as the servants' instructor for the past two years. It preserved what little dignity he possessed and spared him the humiliation of being treated like a slave 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, with shoulder-length black hair framing an eternally expressionless face. The boy stared off into the distance, clearly not listening.
Instructor Tou Feng's scrawny face twisted into a frown. This servant boy , was always the same one either slept or fiddled with his clothes, always perpetually distracted that It stung 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 without a change in his stoic expression
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 and 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 and respectful was another thing Tou Feng despised.
"Really? Then why were your eyes fixed away from the very podium I stand upon huh?"
"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 status.
"Very well," he snapped. "Then tell us, Shen Mo, what were the last lines of my teaching? Since you were listening, say it in your own words. Tell the class. And speak loudly."
Feeling the weight of many gazes, Shen Mo sighed and stood, as courtesy and respect demanded. Seated in the center-front, he turned to face the gathered mortal servants.
"A spirit master can only progress and grow alongside their spirit by consuming the resources required for said spirit," he said evenly. "And we, as servants, can only rely on the grace of the clan for our growth and the nessacary resources. That is why we must be diligent and hardworking to satisfy the needs of the clan."
Tou Feng's frown deepened even more, making him look even uglier than before. This was the final reason he despised the boy, Shen Mo always listened to every single 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.
"It has been announced by our Great Lord, the Patriarch of our great clan, that tomorrow shall be a special day." He gazed around, seeing the beaming faces of the young servants, deliberately avoiding the expressionless face of Shen Mo. "Can any of you guess what makes it special?
A servant girl with bright blue eyes quickly rose to her feet, her hand 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 a day off for the rest of today. Calm your minds and rest your bodies in preparation for the awakening of your spirit cores tomorrow."
This made the young servants brim with smiles for they would be free of their chores for the rest of the day.
Watching them, Tou Feng tried to feel pity, but he couldn't help gloating inwardly. He knew that, like himself, many of those happy faces would soon be crushed by reality after the awakening.
Because just like them, he had once thought it was the perfect opportunity to rise above the status of a mortal servant. Instead, he had been destined to awaken one of the lowest cores possible due to the unfortunate family line he came from. That fate had led to his binding with a particularly useless strength spirit ,one that barely even qualified for battle.
Looking at the gathered 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 eventually surpass him soon enough.
That was exactly why he chose not to truly antagonize the Shen brat. If it were anyone else, killing them wouldn't raise much trouble since they were still mortals, and he wasn't, he'll probably get punished but that was it.
"All right, class dismissed. Remember rest well and calm your minds for tomorrow. Goodbye for now."
With that, the young servants rose to their feet, excitement bubbling as they rushed back to their quarters to spread the news or prepare.
As for Shen Mo, he remained seated, his eyes still fixed across the open field