Art of Creation [Eco-Cultivation Prototype]

With the system's real-time monitoring, Devor could now observe the gray curtain's status without blindly experimenting.

This gave him a layer of safety, but the truth was—

He still wasn't certain what this energy truly was.

Was it simply an alternative to the golden energy, or was it something entirely different?

For now, he pushed aside his doubts and focused on the experiment.

He had arranged six Earth-Grade plants in a formation, all directly linked to the Abyssal Bloodbane Lotus, forming a poison-element cycle.

Everything was prepared.

Now, it was time to test.

Devor exhaled, glancing at Venom Spiritual Tree. "Alright, Venom. Absorb a little energy from the gray curtain, but don't take too much."

Venom trembled slightly in acknowledgment, then extended its influence.

A thin strand of energy snaked upward, latching onto the gray curtain overhead.

The moment Venom absorbed the energy, a shiver ran through the barrier.

Devor's heart leapt into his throat.

Even though he could see the status in real time, witnessing the curtain react in real-time made his chest tighten with tension.

He immediately checked the system's interface.

Essence: 12,367 → 12,254

"A hundred essence absorbed… and no major structural damage." Devor let out a shaky breath, reassuring himself that the experiment was still under control.

"Now, release that energy and show it to me," he ordered.

Venom obeyed.

From its massive trunk, it expelled a small sphere of condensed gray mist, hovering just above the ground.

It was roughly the size of a child's fist—a small amount, yet dense.

Devor took a step closer, stretching out his Spiritual Sense to examine it.

And the moment he touched its aura—

His expression shifted to pure confusion.

"This doesn't feel anything like the golden energy I cultivated with before." He had expected something similar—perhaps a different variation of refined plant energy, just altered by its toxic nature.

But this?

It felt murky.

Dense. Polluted.

It wasn't merely Toxic Element energy—it carried a strange heaviness, almost as if it was… rejecting life rather than nurturing it.

"If I tried to cultivate with this…" A disturbing thought entered his mind. "…Would it poison me?"

No, it wouldn't just poison him.

It would kill him.

Devor's brows furrowed.

How was this possible?

Even Toxic-Element plants, which thrived in corrosive environments, still required some form of life energy to grow.

Even the Venom Spiritual Tree, despite its poison-based attributes, still had pure, foundational energy.

This energy, however—

It was something else entirely.

Was it truly cultivation energy?

Or was it something… darker?

Devor took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

"No matter how strange this energy is, I won't understand it unless I test it." He turned to Venom. "Give this energy to Plant Number One."

Venom trembled, sensing his determination, and extended a tendril of energy toward the plant.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The gray mist drifted forward, sinking into the root system of the Earth-Grade plant.

Devor crouched down, focusing his Spiritual Senses to observe every microscopic change.

Would the plant reject the energy?

Would it wither and die?

Would it… transform?

Seconds passed.

Then a minute.

Then another.

And yet—

The plant remained unchanged.

Devor narrowed his eyes. "Nothing? Not even a reaction?"

But then—

A small shift in energy circulation.

Barely perceptible.

It wasn't collapsing, nor was it thriving—but its core structure was shifting.

The longer Devor observed, the more certain he became. "It's happening."

This energy wasn't destroying the plant.

It was reshaping it.

Devor's mind raced. "Negative energy can also cultivate plants…?"

That went against everything he had learned.

All plants, even poison-based ones, required positive energy as their foundation.

Even Toxic-Element plants were ultimately nourished by life force—they merely converted it into poison through their unique properties.

But this—

This energy wasn't converting life force.

It was replacing it.

Devor's gaze flickered to Venom.

It was a Toxic Element Spiritual Tree, but its energy had always been raw and foundational.

If Venom had been truly corrupt, then both Juyin and Devor would have been poisoned just by coming into contact with its power.

But this gray energy—

It carried none of that foundational purity.

"Then what is it?" Devor exhaled slowly.

He had discovered something entirely new.

The five minutes passed slowly, each second stretching with mounting tension.

Devor focused all his senses on the plant before him, feeling the dense, transformed energy pulsing within it.

It had fully absorbed the gray curtain's essence, and the shift in its energy circulation was undeniable—far denser, richer, and more volatile than before.

For a moment, Devor allowed himself a small breath of relief.

But then—

Something felt off.

A creeping unease stirred in his chest, a sensation that years of cultivation and experimentation had trained him never to ignore.

His instincts screamed at him.

And then—

The plant reacted.

"Hm? Something's wrong!" Devor's eyes widened as the plant's aura fluctuated violently, its leaves trembling with an unnatural hunger.

Sensing its desperate need, Devor didn't hesitate. He extended his hand, channeling his golden Spiritual Essence into the plant before it could spiral out of control.

The moment his energy flowed into it, the plant shuddered, absorbing the essence with a ravenous intensity. But this time, it wasn't forceful—it was guided.

"What the—?! It's absorbing my energy like it's starving," Devor muttered, though this time, there was no panic—only focus.

He carefully controlled the flow, ensuring the plant grew in harmony with the others, maintaining the delicate balance between the six plants and the Abyssal Bloodbane Lotus.

And if the formation collapsed—

He didn't want to find out.

"Venom! Absorb the same amount of energy and distribute it to the other five plants—NOW!" His voice was sharp, urgent, laced with a command not to be ignored.

Venom reacted instantly, extracting another portion of the gray curtain's energy and channeling it toward the remaining plants.

Devor, meanwhile, forcefully severed his connection to the first plant, yanking his Spiritual Essence back before it could absorb any more.

"If I let it keep feeding, it'll throw the entire formation into chaos!"

The energy circulation linking the six plants wavered, growing dangerously unstable—

Until Venom's energy entered the system, balancing the scales just in time.

Devor let out a deep breath, sweat beading on his forehead.

That was too close.

He wiped his brow, forcing himself to calm down. "Use your energy to nourish the plants only after they receive the gray curtain essence!"

Venom trembled in acknowledgment, adjusting its rhythm.

This time, it waited, allowing the gray energy to fully settle before releasing its own stabilizing essence.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

And finally—

The formation stabilized.

Devor exhaled, his mind already racing.

"The gray curtain doesn't function like the golden curtain at all." He took out his notebook, flipping to a fresh page.

As Venom continued to monitor the plants, Devor began writing furiously, organizing his thoughts.

"The golden curtain provides everything a plant needs to evolve. It naturally enhances its quality, refining its structure in a perfectly balanced way."

The golden curtain was harmonious, seamlessly fusing evolution and stability.

But the gray curtain?

"The gray curtain is different. It only provides the energy necessary for evolution. But it lacks the foundational nutrients needed to sustain a plant's growth."

It was like forcefully triggering evolution—an unnatural push forward.

If a plant absorbed too much of the gray energy without proper reinforcement, it would begin to collapse from within—

Just like the plant that had withered moments earlier.

"So, the gray curtain isn't as perfect as the golden curtain."

"But…"

His grip on the notebook tightened.

"It has a unique advantage that the golden curtain doesn't have."

Devor's eyes shone with excitement. "If the golden curtain refines a plant's growth naturally, the gray curtain accelerates evolution itself."

That meant—

Any plant under its influence would evolve far more easily than normal.

Even plants that were already Grade-A might not be at their final form.

If handled correctly—

They could evolve again.

Devor's mind spun with possibilities.

How far could a plant truly evolve under the right conditions?

Could he take a Grade-A plant and push it into an entirely new classification?

The golden curtain had set a limit, refining plants to their peak natural state.

But the gray curtain?

It removed that limit.

"This is no longer about just growing stronger plants."

"This is about rewriting their very nature."

A slow smile crept across his lips.

"This changes everything."

But as his excitement grew, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered—

"If evolution is accelerated too much… what happens when a plant goes beyond its natural state?"

Even cultivators who pushed their breakthroughs too fast risked crippling their foundation or suffering inner demons.

Would plants suffer a similar fate?

Was there such a thing as an unstable evolution?

His golden energy had been almost devoured the moment it made contact.

And the plants were responding as if they had been starving for something hidden within the gray curtain all along.

"What if this energy isn't just accelerating their evolution?"

"What if it's giving them back something they need to elevate their own existence?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with implications.

For now, he had no answers.

But he knew one thing for certain—

He had only just scratched the surface of the gray curtain's true potential.