As the first rays of sunlight lit the foggy edges of the Servants' District, one could already see several servants up and moving.
The older servants rushed toward their various areas of service, while some of the younger ones hurried across the wooden bridge, receiving murmured wishes of good luck from a minority of the older ones. The majority, however, showed little interest if any at all.
Shen Mo had awakened a few hours before dawn. Having hardly slept, He rose, checked on Granny Shen and found her sound asleep, then washed himself and prepared for this special day.
When he was finally ready, his gaze fell on a red-and-black scarf resting on a stool near where he slept. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but now, looking at it, he knew it was his grandmother's way of wishing him good luck ,her own small charm.
He picked up the scarf and wrapped it around his neck before turning toward the still-sleeping Granny Shen. He bowed, feeling a renewed conviction to obtain her medicine. Then, without another pause, he turned and headed straight for the training fields the gathering spot for the servants.
Crossing the bridge and climbing the long slope he finally reached
the open plain field of the training field
On getting there, Shen Mo could already see the gathered crowd of servants. He paused for a few moments, his dark brown eyes sweeping across the entire field. It didn't take long for him to notice that some of the notable spirit servants had gathered as well.
He moved to join the crowd, his gaze briefly locking with a boy dressed in rough clothing, black neck-length rough hair framing a face marked by faint bruises.
Ji Yuan.
Shen Mo looked away almost immediately, his eyes drifting across the training field. He half expected to see clan members seated atop the stone pillars, but they were empty today.
He narrowed his eyes in thought.
'It seems they've probably started theirs already. Not like they'd wait for us.'
Before he could dwell on it further, a slight commotion rippled through the crowd. Murmurs spread, then quickly died down as silence fell over the field.
Three figures dressed in much finer clothing stepped through the massive gates of the training grounds.
Shen Mo's gaze instinctively shifted to the other notable spirit servants. They stiffened at once, some bowing immediately silently urging all the young servants to do the same. Shen Mo followed suit, lowering his head without hesitation.
After all, these were not ordinary figures.
They were the only three senior spirit servants of the clan, notably all at the second rank answerable only to clan members and the Head of Spirit Servants.
A middle-aged man with a rough beard and short hair, dressed in a black and grey tunic, stepped out from the trio. He walked onto the podium and gazed down and scanned through the younger servants before turning his attention to the spirit servants gathered behind the trio.
"Is this all of them?" he asked, seemingly to no one in particular.
A much older, grey-haired spirit servant stepped forward at once. He bowed deeply, careful not to draw too much attention to his already slim frame.
"No, Overseer Yan. Most of them should still be on their way ,they'll be here soon,"
"So" A cold feminine voice called from one of the Three senior spirit servants
"Dismiss any other servant that comes in after us. They are simply not worthy of the clan's grace."
An older, wrinkled woman dressed in the same black and grey clothing stepped out from the trio of senior spirit servants.
The old spirit servant remained bowed, his body trembling slightly before he responded quickly,
"Yes, Overseer."
With that, he stepped back and cast a glance at a muscular, middle-aged servant beside him.
Already understanding what was required of him, the man turned and headed toward the gates, accompanied by three other bulky servants who moved to take control of the entrance.
Shen Mo squinted as he took in the brief yet telling display of authority and disregard.
For a moment, he almost pitied those who would arrive too late and lose their chance at awakening a core not because they would spend the rest of their lives as mortal servants, but because they would be forever hunted by a single, crushing thought a what if.
With that, the last of the senior spirit servants finally stepped onto the podium. He was the oldest of the three, his eyes sunken and his long beard coated in grey-white hair, yet he wore the same black-and-grey attire ,so uniform in appearance now that it felt less like clothing and more like a symbol of rank.
He coughed once before speaking, his voice surprisingly thick and loud for someone of his age.
"Today is the day that decides who becomes favored by the clan,our great clan, the Xuanji Clan and who shall remain as they were."
With his hands clasped behind his back, he continued evenly,
"Prepare yourselves. For Just like those before you, the majority of you will fail… and woefully so, you will fail and failure can mean death."
A heavy silence settled over the field.
"And for those of you who succeed in forming your spirit core," he went on, "you will be granted another lifelong grace by the clan. You will be given the chance to tame a spirit of your own and become a valuable instrument of the clan, you shall become spirit masters in servitude to the Clan."
As his words ended, he extended his hands forward. His fingers began to glow with a pulsing yellowish light.
The sight alone caused the eyes of the young servants to shine with a fervent light including Shen Mo's. He stared deeply at the senior spirit servant's glowing fingers as he clenched it causing his fist to make loud crackling sounds causing longing and anticipation flickering unmistakably within his dark brown eyes.