Art of Creation [Eco-Cultivation Prototype]

The Core Formation Realm—

It was more than just a breakthrough in power. It marked a cultivator's first step toward shaping the truth of who they were.

Within the depths of Devor's soul, a towering mountain stretched skyward, piercing the heavens of his inner world.

Over a thousand meters tall, it stood as the culmination of everything he'd built so far—his Foundation, both literal and spiritual.

But now, standing atop this colossal summit was no longer enough.

To reach Core Formation, Devor had to go further—he had to fill this internal realm, bring it to life, and give it form.

"A cultivator's soul world is like an empty planet," Master Nie had once explained. "Your Foundation sets the terrain—but your Core... your Core gives it breath, motion, and meaning. It becomes the sun, the air, the altar, or the root of what makes your path truly yours."

For many cultivators, their soul world birthed an Altar—a sacred construct of spiritual law that radiated their Dao throughout the landscape, anchoring it into permanence.

Others, rarer still, conjured Totems, Stars, or even Beast Souls—each a reflection of their unique cultivation journey.

Devor didn't know what his manifestation would become.

"It will come naturally," Master Nie had said. "You cannot shape it by will—it will shape you by truth."

Devor's truth was entwined with the natural world.

His soul had never chased destruction or domination. It had always resonated with growth, harmony, and the raw chaos of experimentation. He was a cultivator who learned from soil and seed, from failure and flourishing alike.

So it wasn't entirely surprising when the change began not with flame or force…

…but with a whisper.

A pulse of golden light surged across his inner skies, descending like divine rainfall onto the mountain below.

The world inside him began to stir.

The base of the mountain cracked open, not from collapse—but from life. Golden essence spilled forth like warm sunlight, flowing across the soul terrain in glimmering waves.

Devor watched in awe as tendrils of golden mist gathered at the mountain's base, pooling into a luminous spiral.

Slowly, a vortex of vitality emerged—gentle at first, then swelling in power.

Roots.

Leaves.

Fronds.

And finally—buds.

From that swirling mist, the first shapes began to emerge: not a traditional altar, not a monolithic totem—but a Spiritual Plant Garden.

It spread wide, lush and alive, infused with profound resonance. Dozens of embryonic plant forms pulsed gently, their essence synchronized as if they shared a single heartbeat.

Devor's breath caught in his throat.

It wasn't just a garden.

It was a living expression of his Dao.

A harmonious web of interlinked species—each one carefully positioned, each one resonating with the others. Just like his real gardens.

But then—just as Devor marveled at the scene unfolding below—

His eyes flicked upward.

And froze.

Another vortex had formed—this one atop the mountain's peak.

Golden energy swirled like a storm at the summit, far above where any garden should have reached.

The spiritual wind howled in that space, foreign and untamed. Something was forming there—something unprecedented.

"Wait... two manifestations?" Devor thought in disbelief.

That shouldn't have been possible.

Cultivators were meant to manifest a single representation of their path.

But now, Devor had two—one at the base of the mountain, and another at its crown.

Three days passed.

And when Devor finally opened his spiritual eyes and gazed fully upon the shape of his inner world...

His entire soul shook.

At the base of the mountain, a sprawling Spiritual Plant Garden had rooted itself across fertile land, bathed in golden energy, quietly stabilizing the entire soul world.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

But at the summit, something else had emerged:

A solitary, Golden Tree, gleaming like a beacon, its branches reaching through the clouds of his inner skies.

The Tree absorbed the spiritual winds above the mountain and exhaled them downward, nourishing the garden below. The relationship was perfect. The Garden grounded the mountain; the Tree crowned it.

One provided foundation.

The other, ascension.

Devor understood then.

He hadn't just formed a garden—or a symbolic tree.

He had formed a dual-core system. Something no Master had ever taught. Something not found in any scroll or ancient text.

His Core Manifestation wasn't a single object—it was an ecosystem.

One rooted in soil.

One born of sky.

And together, they completed his world!

His true power had finally taken shape.

Not as a single manifestation, like the vast majority of cultivators experienced during Core Formation—but as two distinct forms.

A Spiritual Garden, nestled at the base of his soul's towering mountain.

And a Golden Tree, standing proud atop its summit.

"This... this shouldn't be possible," Devor thought, stunned.

He forced his thoughts to steady, combing through his memory of Master Nie's teachings.

"When one enters the Core Formation Realm, their power condenses into a single representation—typically an altar. That altar anchors your inner world and serves as a conduit for the Golden Core that comes next. The core must form at the highest point of the soul—at the mountain's peak."

And yet… Devor's Spiritual Garden had formed beneath the mountain.

His Golden Tree had manifested atop it.

"Skipping the entire Core Formation phase and stepping directly into Golden Core?" Devor considered, heart pounding. "That's not just unheard of—it should be impossible."

But what he was seeing wasn't theory. It was happening inside him.

Despite the confusion, Devor didn't dare question it aloud—not now. Interfering mid-breakthrough could collapse the delicate spiritual alignment. If the resonance between the garden and tree shattered, he might never recover it again.

So he focused.

For the next fourteen days, Devor remained in absolute seclusion, letting his body and soul acclimate to the changes taking root within him.

At last—on the dawn of the fifteenth day—both the Spiritual Garden and Golden Tree reached completion.

Within the soul world, the two structures pulsed in rhythm. A golden thread of energy emerged from the heart of the Golden Tree, arcing downward like divine lightning, connecting directly to the garden far below.

And as that thread touched soil, something miraculous happened:

A thin golden veil shimmered into existence above the garden—identical in structure and aura to the Harmony Garden Devor had once created during his famed public competition.

But this wasn't just an imitation.

"This is the garden I made," Devor realized with a jolt. "The same one that defined my path… but reborn in purer form. This is my Dao made manifest."

Above, the Golden Tree began releasing a steady stream of shimmering essence—purer and more nourishing than any spiritual energy Devor had ever encountered. It bathed the garden, saturating the land with light.

The world within him wasn't just alive.

It was balanced.

Root and crown. Soil and sky. Growth and ascension.

As the soulscape reached equilibrium, Devor's physical body stirred.

A violent pulse ran through his meridians. His spiritual sea surged. His breath slowed—but deepened. Every cell in his body absorbed the changes, resonating with the transformation of his inner world.

He had entered the Core Formation Realm.

But more than that—his cultivation hadn't merely advanced.

It had evolved.

His energy—once filled with spiritual nourishment and gentle resonance—had reached a new refinement. The aura he emitted was no longer just beneficial to plants—it was practically a blessing.

A mere wisp of his power could now guide seedlings to sprout, balance elemental instability, and mend fragile growth patterns.

Devor spent an entire day immersed in stillness, allowing the newly transformed world within his soul to stabilize and overflow with vital energy.

His body had crossed the threshold into the Core Formation Realm, but this was not merely a matter of power—it was a reshaping of his very foundation. His Spiritual Garden and Golden Tree no longer existed as metaphors.

They were now the blueprint of his cultivation.

And once the garden was fully infused with the Golden Tree's essence—forming a perfect, living ecosystem inside his soul world—Devor slowly opened his eyes.

They were calm. Bright. Unshaken.

And almost immediately, a familiar flicker lit up before his vision.

[ System Alert Detected ]

[ Host has entered the Core Formation Realm ]

[ Analyzing Host's cultivation path...]

[ Synchronizing system functions with Host's Cultivation Path...]

[System Upgrade: Complete]

Devor blinked.

It had been a while since he'd felt excited by these notifications. Ever since stepping into the true stages of cultivation, the system had started to feel more like a tool—an efficient assistant—rather than a guide he depended on.

Still, it had its uses. Especially the Ultimate Synthesis function, which had played a huge role in his botanical experiments and theoretical breakthroughs.

He closed his eyes again and waited, quietly curious.

Sure enough, five minutes later, another update appeared—this one far more detailed.

[ Ultimate Synthesis upgraded ]

[ Host may now store up to three distinct body data profiles ]

[ Simulate techniques or growth patterns using alternate spiritual or physical conditions ]

[New: Disciplinary Simulation Mode unlocked]

[ Allows for cultivation simulations based on any disciple or linked creature's body ]

[ Ideal for instruction, demonstration, or projection ]

Devor raised an eyebrow. "So… I can simulate someone else's body and tailor cultivation paths to them?"

If he ever accepted disciples, or formed deeper pacts with Spiritual Trees, he could now train them directly by running simulations within his own mind.

And then came another wave of updates:

[ Ultimate Synthesis Expansion: Soul Garden Module Unlocked ]

[ Host may now simulate a 10m x 10m Spiritual Garden in the sea of consciousness ]

[ Compatible with all linked Spiritual Trees and symbiotic entities ]

[ Conditions may be modified: terrain, weather, elemental interference, foreign species ]

❄️❄️❄️

[ Spiritual Energy Metric Retired ]

[ Replaced by: Spiritual Essence ]

[ All simulations now consume Spiritual Essence instead of passive energy ]

❄️❄️❄️

[ Spiritual Analyzer retired due to low usage ]

[ Replaced with: Spiritual Perception ]

[ Allows active scanning of energy flows, mutations, and resonance ]

[ Greatly improves passive awareness and instinctive analysis ]

[ Consumes Spiritual Essence upon activation ]

Devor's heart skipped slightly.

"They removed Analyzer?"

Even if he hadn't used it often, the Spiritual Analyzer had once proven invaluable. It helped him understand the true nature of the Venom Domain—a harmony he had cultivated in the garden, one that caused the plants within it to evolve.

At first glance, it had seemed fragile, and he feared he might damage it.

But through the Analyzer, he discovered that it only appeared delicate on the surface; in truth, it was stable and resilient. It also allowed him to track its growth and development over time.

"That wasn't just a utility function… It was clarity. It showed me what my eyes couldn't."

And now it was gone.

He frowned, brows knitting in momentary frustration. "Did I underestimate it? If I had used Analyzer back when that intruder impersonated the Sect Master, would I have spotted the difference?"

But after a long breath, he centered himself.

No point in regretting what was lost. The system didn't punish—it evolved.

And these new tools… they weren't downgrades.

They were recalibrations, perfectly aligned with the path he had chosen: the Dao of Growth, Balance, and Creation.