Art of Creation [Eco-Cultivation Prototype]

With his newly awakened spiritual eye ability, Devor had begun to see his garden in an entirely different light.

Literally.

Each Spiritual Plant now shimmered with complex arrays of color visible only to his heightened perception—strands of qi interwoven with essence, pulsing in hues he couldn't yet fully comprehend.

Some burned with deep crimson, others pulsed in steady silver. A few carried hues so layered and irregular they resembled chaotic paintings formed by the Dao itself.

But what did these colors mean?

Devor had spent two weeks in relentless experimentation to answer that question.

He tested everything:

— Planting the same species in varying elemental soils

— Exposing them to different cultivation techniques

— Fluctuating energy inputs

— Even artificially disrupting their resonance using his own Venom Power in measured doses.

Nothing changed dramatically.

Eventually, he furrowed his brow, frowning at the glowing blue-petaled Windroot Lotus before him.

"Out of all the experiments I ran, only about 20% triggered even minor changes in the plant's aura color," he muttered, scribbling notes into a thick, qi-imbued journal. "That means… the colors aren't reactive. At least not in the way I thought."

He stood, brushing dirt from his hands, and surveyed the sea of cultivation beds before him—each one meticulously arranged by element, resonance frequency, and spiritual phase.

"So, the colors must reflect something deeper… the nature of the plant itself. Not its current state."

It wasn't a disappointment.

It was a clue.

The system—his mysterious, cultivation-guiding interface—had never granted him abilities without intention. And ever since he'd entered the Foundation Building Realm, his path had revolved around identifying innate spiritual traits in plants, not just forcing mutations.

"So if this new perception lets me see a plant's nature… then maybe… I can learn how to influence that nature without changing its structure entirely."

A gust of wind passed through the garden, rustling leaves and stirring petals as Devor's thoughts deepened.

The technique forming in his mind wasn't quite like the Spiritual Plant Synthesis Technique, which altered a plant's spiritual DNA at the root.

What he envisioned was something more subtle, more refined—something temporary.

"A technique that nudges a plant's nature, rather than rewrites it. Not permanent mutation. A soft shift—like guiding a river's flow rather than changing the course of the riverbed."

Such a technique could allow him to temporarily emphasize certain plant traits—boosting their healing potential, increasing defensive structure, or even enhancing spiritual toxicity—all while keeping the plant whole.

It would be a perfect complement to the Venom Domain, allowing him to weaponize or cultivate plant mutations in real-time with minimal degradation.

Unlike DNA alteration, which required exotic materials and external catalysts, nature-shifting could—in theory—work entirely with the plant's own qi signature and environment.

"Theoretically…"

He looked down at his hand, spiritual energy gathering at his fingertips as faint color lines flickered over a young Rootshade Vine.

His thoughts were cut off as one of his Communication Tokens vibrated against his chest.

With a flick of his sleeve, he pulled the disk-shaped token free and channeled a golden of spiritual energy into it.

The voice that responded was unmistakably familiar—refined, composed, and laced with subtle amusement.

"The Inter-Sect Gathering has been scheduled," came the voice of Sect Master Zinqi. "It will be held in the Central Continent this year. Azure Sky Sect received an invitation."

Devor's expression shifted subtly—his brow furrowed.

"I think it's time you saw what cultivation outside of spiritual soil looks like," Zinqi continued. "Combat cultivators. Array experts. Alchemists. Maybe even a few like you—oddities with wild Dao paths."

A brief pause.

"Watching them might give you insights for refining your next domain breakthrough. Or at the very least... inspiration for your martial applications."

The message ended.

Devor stared at the silent token in his hand, then slowly looked to the sky—toward the Central Continent, far beyond the distant mountain range.

Devor had never been particularly fond of leaving the sect.

He liked the predictability of the soil beneath his feet, the steady rhythm of cultivation, and the sense of control he'd worked so hard to build. Out there, beyond the sect walls, the world grew too large, too unstable—filled with unknowns he couldn't root into or balance.

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And lately… he couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him.

Not openly. Not obviously. But from the edge of awareness, like a shadow just outside his perception.

That presence had lingered for years now.

And yet, despite that unease, the invitation to the Inter-Sect Gathering in the Central Continent still stirred something inside him.

Curiosity.

A quiet hunger.

How strong are the other cultivation prodigies of this generation?

How would they respond to someone like him—someone who cultivates through roots and resonance, not swords and slaughter?

And beneath that curiosity, a flicker of something sharper.

He wanted to test the combat style he'd developed.

An unorthodox blend of Harmony Manipulation, Domain Resonance, and Plant-Based Martial Flow—an experimental technique that converted terrain manipulation into reactive combat momentum. He hadn't named it yet, but it was unlike anything the sect had seen.

He frowned slightly.

"The sect must know the risks of sending me," he murmured, voice low. "If they weren't confident… they wouldn't have invited me in the first place."

The thought lingered in the air, balancing fear and faith.

After a moment, he exhaled—and made his decision. "I'll go."

And not alone.

Devor sent a formal request to Sect Master Zinqi, asking to bring Venom with him.

"Venom is like someone who's lived at the bottom of a well," Devor thought. "And I'm not much different. The only difference is—I know the sky exists. I've just never flown toward it."

Zinqi responded swiftly, his approval brief but firm.

"Two weeks. Be ready."

Later that day, Devor made his way to the Venom Spiritual Tree.

The massive, violet-black trunk loomed over the garden like a living monument, veins of dark energy pulsing gently beneath its bark.

On a thick branch overhead, a small violet bird—Venom's current projected form—slept curled in a perfect spiral, his chest rising and falling with soft rhythm.

The tree pulsed again, its roots glowing faintly.

It was cultivating—drawing in four distinct elemental energies from the surrounding garden: Poison, Dark, Water, and Earth.

Together, they formed the cycle that defined the tree's being. It wasn't just absorbing energy—it was refining it. Slowly, methodically. Almost… consciously.

Devor's eyes narrowed as he watched it.

"It's evolving again. Faster than before."

He knelt beside the trunk and placed a palm gently against the bark. The qi inside the tree stirred—recognizing him, but not waking Venom.

"I'll simulate his body later," Devor mused. "Reconfigure the environment. Tailor a co-cultivation technique just for him."

In fact, the idea had been taking shape for weeks now.

A cultivation method not just for himself, but for Venom. A technique that allowed their cycles to harmonize, even amplify each other.

He had already begun sketching the foundation—a blend of elemental feedback loops and spiritual signatures mapped between symbiotic qi flows.

"If I can experience his nature from the inside… I can refine it. Improve it. Balance what he lacks and redirect his excess."

After years of in-depth discussions with Master Nie, Devor had achieved an advanced understanding of cultivation theory. At this point, he no longer needed the system to guide him through lower-realm techniques. He could craft stable structures through observation and logic alone.

But true power… came not just from structure.

It came from insight.

Not just knowing how a technique worked, but why it resonated with the Dao.

Devor took a deep breath and lowered himself to the base of the tree, sitting cross-legged beneath the canopy.

He leaned back against the bark, his fingers brushing through the living grass that had taken root around the Venom Tree's base.

"Not a bad place to prepare." He closed his eyes.

Activated his cultivation technique.

And let the elements flow into him—Poison, Dark, Water, Earth.

A year ago, absorbing even one of those energies would've poisoned his channels, left him sick or worse. But since entering the Core Formation Realm, his body had begun shifting. Refining. Adapting.

Now, his technique filtered each energy strand, broke it down, restructured it—and absorbed it.

This was a breakthrough unlike any Devor had experienced before.

His Five-Colored Spiritual Root, while versatile and adaptive, naturally imposed limits on how efficiently he could absorb and convert spiritual energy. Each attribute within the root competed subtly with the others—forcing Devor to cultivate with precision, not brute force.

Sure, there were faster ways forward.

Of course, he had access to specially-forged cultivation pills, crafted precisely for his spiritual root. The Azure Sky Sect's alchemists could produce top-grade elixirs capable of bypassing resistance and flooding his meridians with energy.

But that wasn't what Devor wanted.

Instead, he chose to cultivate slowly.

Intentionally.

He refined each trace of energy step by step, forcing his body to adapt and strengthen through constant filtration and control. It was a more complicated and gradual path—but it kept his foundation pure, and his refinement ability sharp.

He wasn't lacking resources—he simply refused to let his body grow complacent.

"If you let shortcuts carry you," Master Nie once told him, "you'll reach the top with hollow bones."

Devor remembered those words often, especially now.

Because the deeper his cultivation progressed, the more complex his Venom Power and Harmony Method became.

And if he was going to step into foreign realms—or even the Immortal World itself—he'd need a body that could adapt to unfamiliar qi systems without breaking down.

Master Nie had theorized that the energy in the Immortal World didn't just carry more power—it operated by entirely different principles. Flow. Density. Phase resonance. A single mismatch could disrupt a Core Cultivator's entire cultivation system.

"Adaptation won't be optional," Devor thought. "It'll be essential."

Fortunately, this world already held subtle echoes of that higher system—regions where spiritual fields twisted unnaturally, where qi compressed under strange laws.

After nearly two hours of focused cultivation, Devor sensed movement.

Through the pulse of his spiritual perception, he felt a subtle shift in the Venom Tree above him. The avian-shaped projection perched on its branch stirred and then fluttered downward, landing gently in front of him.

Its purple feathers shimmered with dark energy, but its eyes gleamed with clarity.

"How did your cultivation go?" Devor asked, still cross-legged beneath the tree.

Venom tilted his head seriously. "Tough, Brother Devor. But after studying how your plants resonate… I'm starting to understand how to merge the energies I absorb. Just like they do."

Devor gave a slow nod. "That's the right direction. If you keep this up, I may just reward you."

Venom straightened, eyes sparkling. "Better than Sister Yulin's reward?"

Devor groaned. "She gave you bird seed."

"But it was crunchy and sweet," Venom chirped, flaring his wings proudly. "It made me happy!"

"You're not even a bird," Devor wanted to say. But he just sighed and stood up instead.

"Alright. I've got time. Let's train."

Venom's wings snapped open in excitement. "Leave it to me, Brother Devor!"

In the next instant, his entire body collapsed into light, condensing into a swirling orb of energy that flew into Devor's chest.

Their spiritual connection clicked into place—a deep, synchronized link forged through Boundless Seal.

Within his spiritual core, Devor heard Venom's gleeful voice ring out.

"Let's go! It's time to show the world the power of my Venom!"

Devor smirked slightly and rose to his feet.

In a flicker of motion, he vanished from the garden and reappeared in his personal training courtyard, a wide space carved into the stone cliffs overlooking his residence.

He raised his right hand.

Dark violet energy surged outward in spiraling waves, swallowing the air around it.

Then came the change.

His fingers stretched—lengthened. His nails sharpened into curved violet claws. His bones creaked, joints shifting, muscles tightening beneath his skin. His skin darkened with inky shadows, glowing veins pulsing with Poison Qi.

But the transformation didn't stop there.

Two forces—Venom's chaotic elemental body and Devor's harmonized core—collided within his right arm.

And instead of canceling each other out, they formed a perfect, volatile equilibrium.

Opposition, not balance.

Tension, not harmony.

But it worked.

Venom God Hand Mode – Partial Manifestation!