Shen Mo, seated cross-legged, easily caught the glint in the overseer's eyes, and honestly, he didn't like it one bit.
"I haven't crossed anyone's nerves, have I?" he murmured to himself as he shifted his gaze to the middle-aged overseer stepping onto the platform, a circular, transparent ball clutched in both hands.
The man walked to the center, right to the middle of the platform, then nodded toward the old spirit servant. The latter immediately turned to the others, and two spirit servants stepped forward, bringing a black wooden box. They stopped directly in front of Overseer Fei.
Without wasting any time, she opened the lid.
A burst of blue light spilled out from the box's center, flooding the area as tiny, crystal-like balls—no larger than a baby's fist—were revealed.
Seeing the small, precious balls of pure spiritual essence, Overseer Fei licked her lips in greed, but she knew that if even one were to go missing, her head would be chopped off and served on a platter. With that in mind, she began handing one to each of the mortal servants.
When it was finally Shen Mo's turn, she paused for a brief moment, looking down at him with a cold gaze, as he stared back with an unreadable expression.
"We'll all see if she was worth it," she whispered in a low voice that only Shen Mo could hear, before placing the spirit marble in his hand and moving on to the next servant.
Leaving Shen Mo confused.
'What did she mean by that?' he thought as he lowered his head, staring at his hands clasped around the tiny, shimmering ball of blue light, as if it were an egg.
But the beauty of the spirit marble wasn't enough to tear his thoughts away from the fact that he might now have an enemy—one he had in no way offended. He groaned silently to himself before his attention, like that of every other young mortal servant, was drawn to the oldest overseer stepping onto the platform, his hands crossed behind his back, his eyes still gazing into the distant fog wall as if waiting for something.
He turned to Overseer Fei, who now stood at his side, then nodded his head. And with that, she uttered the words that would change the destiny of every single mortal servant present.
"Swallow it"
With hesitation, they all swallowed it whole.
Shen Mo watched closely as he slowly brought the marble to his mouth, planning to hold out a bit and observe what would happen to those who consumed it first. But the instant the marble touched his tongue, it dissolved, causing his eyes to widen as a stream of hot liquid rushed down his throat, burning him like raw gin on an injured mouth.
He groaned, quickly adjusting to the sudden heat building at the center of his solar plexus. Bearing through the burning pain, he clenched his fists and teeth when a shout erupted beside him.
Snapping his eyes to the side, he saw a girl writhing in pain, clawing at her stomach as if trying to peel away an itch that wasn't even there. And not just her—several young mortal servants couldn't bear it, crying out in pain.
Seeing those who couldn't endure it, Overseer Fei frowned and spat at the other spirit servants who stood by with no concern at all.
"What are you all standing there for? Get this wastes out of here. They're simply useless."
Hearing her harsh, uncaring words—and knowing full well what would happen to those who reached this stage and were kicked out—the spirit servants acted without hesitation.
Shen Mo watched as the crying girl beside him was dragged away, his eyes locking with hers, her red gaze filled with tears and despair.
He breathed heavily, shifting his attention to the cooling sensation now spreading from his solar plexus, washing through his body and up toward his mind. A sudden wave of sleep crashed over him, as his eyes grew heavy.
He snapped them open, seeing that he wasn't the only one struggling. Some had already collapsed headfirst onto the ground, asleep and certain never to wake again.
As drowsiness threatened to take him, he bit his tongue, a sharp pain exploding in his skull and forcing his senses awake. His hazy vision cleared just enough for him to see all the spirit servants—including the overseers themselves—kneeling toward a particular direction.
'What ' he thought in surprise, but his question was quickly answered.
As an entourage entered the valley, led by middle-aged men all clad in full black luxurious clothing, adorned with shining jewelries. Behind them walked youths his age or even younger, all dressed in luxurious fabrics he had never seen, their faces all radiant.
Shen Mo knew who they were.
The clan members of the Xuanji Clan.
He watched as they passed the platform without sparing the servants platform a single glance, moving straight toward the fog wall. Getting there even they bowed as the middle-aged man at the front stepped forward.
"Grand Elder, may we be permitted to enter?" he asked directly to the fog wall.
Then from within, an old voice replied, "Yes,but better make sure those brats don't waste my time."
"Yes, Grand Elder," the man replied with a smile.
Then Shen Mo witnessed a scene that would stay with him for a very long time.
The fog wall split down the middle, revealing an entirely new world hidden behind the fog with lush greenery and towering mountains stretching endlessly within.
As it fully opened, a burst of yellow essence spilled outwards, spreading in all directions.
Not letting the moment slip away, the old overseer shouted to Overseer Yan, "Now!"
Overseer Yan tossed the circular transparent ball into the air. There It hovered, creating a powerful suction force that drew in vast amounts of the yellow essence until the ball appeared filled up with glowing yellow liquid.
But Shen Mo's eyes remained fixed on the clan members entering that grand world beyond, so much so that he didn't even notice when the hovering ball stopped absorbing essence and redirected it toward the platform,triggering a reaction in the cooling sensation at the solar plexus of every remaining young mortal servant.