Chapter Nine Part Two
Elder Mo nodded slowly.
"That much is obvious."
Then—
"What I do not understand…"
Elder Mo's eyes sharpened.
"…is why the beast bowed."
Zheng's heart stopped.
The orb.
He remembered the heat.
The pulse.
The vision.
The whisper: Seal One… loosening.
Zheng forced his face into blank confusion.
"I… I don't know what you mean."
Elder Mo watched him for a long time.
Silence stretched.
Then he spoke again, softer.
"When you collapsed…"
Elder Mo lifted two fingers.
"…the spiritual qi in that entire area surged."
Zheng's breath caught.
Elder Mo continued.
"Outer servants cannot draw qi."
His voice was matter-of-fact.
"Even if you sat for ten years, the energy would reject you."
He tilted his head.
"And yet, qi rushed toward you as if drawn by a vortex."
Zheng's lips parted.
He did not know what to say.
Because Elder Mo was right.
Zheng did not understand either.
Elder Mo leaned back.
"Do you know what spirit roots are?"
Zheng hesitated.
"…No."
Elder Mo's expression remained calm.
"Spirit roots are the bridge between mortal flesh and heaven's energy."
He tapped the table once.
"No root. No cultivation."
Then his eyes narrowed again.
"So why does your body behave as if…"
He paused.
"…something inside you is not mortal."
A chill crawled down Zheng's spine.
Before he could answer—
The curtain rustled.
A young attendant entered quickly, bowing.
"Elder Mo. Outer disciple Li Shan requests an audience."
Zheng's stomach dropped.
Li Shan.
Elder Mo's gaze flickered toward the entrance.
"…Let him in."
Li Shan stepped through with exaggerated respect.
He wore clean robes, hair tied neatly, the picture of a promising disciple.
But his eyes—
his eyes were sharp with calculation.
He bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Elder Mo."
Elder Mo nodded.
"Speak."
Li Shan's voice was smooth.
"This disciple is only concerned for the sect."
Elder Mo's eyes remained unreadable.
"Concern is common. Truth is rare."
Li Shan smiled awkwardly.
"…Yes, Elder."
He turned slightly, glancing at Zheng as if he were something unpleasant.
"About the servant Zheng Wen Te…"
Zheng's fists clenched.
Li Shan continued.
"He appeared suddenly. No background. No family record."
Elder Mo's gaze sharpened.
"And?"
Li Shan lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret.
"This disciple witnessed something strange before he collapsed."
Zheng's heart pounded.
Li Shan said carefully:
"The spirit beast… submitted."