The moment his attention touched the qi inside him, his body reacted naturally.
Like a river suddenly finding a deeper channel.
The passive absorption inside his body accelerated.
Qi from the room slowly began flowing toward him.
Then faster.
Faster still.
A faint spiral began forming around his small body.
Invisible to normal people.
But very clear to a cultivator.
The qi in the room was rotating gently around Evan like a miniature whirlpool.
A small vortex of spiritual energy.
Meanwhile, Evan continued drinking his milk, completely unaware of the growing disturbance.
Hmm.
He frowned slightly.
The warmth inside his body was getting stronger.
It felt comfortable.
Almost like soaking in warm sunlight.
This must be cultivation…
He had read about it before.
Cultivators usually had to sit in meditation for hours to guide qi through their bodies.
But for him—
It felt completely natural.
Effortless.
Like breathing.
Outside the window, the Spirit Gathering Formation continued pulling qi from the surrounding land.
The house quietly fed the growing vortex in the room.
And the vortex fed Evan.
Meanwhile, Lyra was still holding the bottle.
At first, she didn't notice anything unusual.
She simply watched her prince drink peacefully.
Then her brows slowly furrowed.
Something felt… strange.
Lyra's black eyes turned crimson as her eyes flickered slightly, and her senses expanded.
The spiritual energy inside the room was moving.
Circulating and gathering.
Her gaze slowly dropped toward the baby in her arms.
Evan.
The qi vortex was centered around him.
For a moment—
Lyra froze.
"…?"
She carefully extended her spiritual sense.
Yes.
There was no mistake.
The qi in the room was spiraling gently toward Evan's body.
And he was absorbing it.
Constantly.
Effortlessly.
Lyra blinked once.
Then again.
Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing.
Her prince…
Was cultivating.
While drinking milk.
She stared silently at Evan.
Evan blinked back at her.
Milk bottle still in his mouth.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Lyra slowly looked around the room again.
The vortex was small.
Very small.
Barely noticeable.
But the pattern was unmistakable.
This was a natural cultivation cycle.
One that normally required deep concentration.
Yet Evan was doing it unconsciously.
While eating.
Lyra looked back at him again.
Her expression slowly changed.
First confusion.
Then disbelief.
Then—
Pure pride.
"My prince…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"A natural cultivator."
Evan had no idea what she was thinking.
He simply continued drinking.
Why is she staring at me like that?
The milk bottle tilted slightly as Lyra adjusted it.
Her movements were careful now.
Almost reverent.
Evan blinked.
Did I do something strange?
Lyra gently brushed a small strand of hair away from his forehead.
Her crimson eyes shone faintly.
"To cultivate without effort…"
She murmured softly.
"As expected of you."
Evan silently continued drinking.
He still had no idea that a tiny qi vortex was spinning quietly around him.
Nor that Lyra was currently looking at him like he had just performed a miracle.
A few minutes later, the milk bottle was finally empty.
Evan leaned back slightly with a satisfied expression.
Lyra slowly lowered the bottle.
—
The moment his attention drifted away from the qi inside his body, the vortex gradually faded.
The spiritual energy in the room returned to normal.
Lyra noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
So the effect increased when he focused…
But existed even when he didn't.
Her prince truly possessed a body blessed by the heavens.
Lyra smiled softly.
Then she gently placed Evan back onto the bed.
"You did well."
Evan blinked.
I drank milk.
But Lyra clearly looked extremely proud of him.
She adjusted his blanket again before standing up.
Outside, the evening light had begun to fade.
Inside the quiet house, three powerful formations slept beneath the land.
And now—
A small prince had begun cultivating without even realizing it.
Lyra glanced back at him one last time before leaving the room.
Her smile held quiet confidence.
Lyra paused at the doorway.
For a moment, she simply stood there, watching the small figure resting on the bed.
Evan had already begun to grow sleepy after finishing the milk. His eyes blinked slowly, struggling against the heaviness pulling them closed.
The room was quiet again.
The qi in the air had returned to its calm, steady flow, gently nourished by the Spirit Gathering Formation beneath the house.
But Lyra knew what she had just witnessed.
Her prince had formed a qi vortex without meditation.
Without guidance.
Without even understanding what he was doing.
Most cultivators would spend years just learning how to sense qi.
Yet Evan had done far more than that.
Lyra's crimson eyes softened slightly.
"Heaven truly favors you," she whispered.
She walked back to the bedside and gently adjusted the blanket around him.
Evan looked up at her, half-awake.
His small hand moved slightly, gripping the edge of her sleeve.
Lyra froze for a brief moment.
Then a faint smile appeared on her face.
"So you wish for me to stay?"
Evan didn't respond.
His eyes had already begun to close.
But his tiny hand remained wrapped around her sleeve.
Lyra sat down beside the bed again.
"Very well."
Her voice became soft.
"I will stay."
Outside the window, the evening sky slowly darkened as the sun sank beyond the distant rooftops of Lunaris.
Inside the quiet house, the defensive arrays slept beneath the earth like silent guardians.
The Thunder Roc waited within its invisible storm.
The Golden Tortoise rested within its unbreakable shell.
And at the center of it all—
A small prince drifted peacefully into sleep.
Even in his dreams, faint streams of qi continued flowing gently toward his body.
Lyra watched him silently.
Her expression calm.
Resolute.
"No matter what fate awaits you in the future…"
She placed her hand lightly on his head.
"I will clear the path before you."
Evan didn't hear her words.
He was already asleep.
But the qi around him continued to gather quietly.
As if the heavens themselves were preparing something far greater.
The future of her prince…
Would shake the heavens.
Even if he was currently busy drinking milk.