Morning sunlight spilled gently through the window, filling the small room with warm golden light.
Outside, the city had already awakened. Distant voices echoed through the streets, merchants setting up their stalls, and the faint clatter of carts rolling along stone roads.
Inside the house, however, everything remained quiet.
Evan slowly opened his eyes.
For a moment, he simply stared at the wooden ceiling above him.
Then he blinked.
Something felt… wrong.
He frowned slightly.
Wait.
His mind sharpened instantly.
Where is it?
Yesterday, when Lyra tested his talent, he had clearly felt it. The warm flow of energy in the air. The strange, almost electric sensation of Qi moving around him.
Even after the test ended, he had still felt traces of it in the room.
But now—
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Evan sat up slowly in his bed.
His tiny brows furrowed.
That's weird.
He closed his eyes briefly and focused inward.
Inside his dantian, the small vortex was still there.
But something had changed.
The vortex wasn't spinning freely anymore.
It felt… restricted.
Like something was wrapped around it.
What the hell?
He tried to sense the Qi in the room again.
Still nothing.
Not even a faint trace.
It was as if someone had shut off the spiritual energy around him completely.
Evan opened his eyes again.
Suspicion immediately appeared in his mind.
This feels intentional.
And there was only one person who could have done it.
Lyra.
He slowly turned his head toward the door.
Right on cue, the door opened.
Lyra stepped inside carrying a small bowl of food.
Her expression was calm, as always.
"Good morning, my prince."
Evan stared at her.
Long.
Hard.
Lyra walked toward the bed and placed the bowl on a small table nearby.
"Did you sleep well?"
Evan continued staring.
His baby face remained blank.
Inside his mind, however, he was thinking very different things.
You definitely did something.
He tried sensing the Qi again.
Nothing.
Not even a drop.
Alright.
If she wasn't going to explain—
He would force the issue.
Evan took a deep breath.
Then—
"WAAAAAAAH!"
The sudden cry filled the entire room.
Without any tears because he was making fuss.
Lyra blinked.
"Oh?"
Evan raised both tiny arms dramatically.
"WAAAAAH!!"
He kicked the blanket.
He flailed his legs.
A perfectly executed baby tantrum.
Inside his mind, Evan remained completely calm.
Let's see how you deal with this.
Lyra watched the scene silently.
Her eyebrow twitched slightly.
"My prince…"
Evan continued crying.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
He even rolled onto his side for extra effect.
Lyra crossed her arms.
"…You are acting."
Evan froze.
For exactly half a second.
Then he cried even louder.
"WAAAAAAAH!!"
Lyra sighed.
"I know you can understand more than you show."
Evan paused again.
…Wait.
His eyes slowly turned toward her.
Lyra sat down beside the bed.
Her gaze met his.
Calm.
Knowing.
"You have always been different."
Evan stared at her.
Inside his mind, alarms started ringing.
Does she know I'm reincarnated?
Lyra continued calmly.
"You observe everything."
"You listen to conversations."
"And your reactions are far too aware for a normal child."
Evan's internal panic grew slightly.
Okay… stay calm.
He slowly stuck his hand in his mouth.
Then drooled slightly.
"Ba…"
Lyra watched him for a moment.
Then sighed again.
"…Fine."
"I will pretend I believe that."
Evan internally sighed with relief.
Good.
Crisis avoided.
For now.
Lyra gently picked him up and placed him on her lap.
"My prince, the reason you cannot feel Qi this morning…"
She paused briefly.
"…is because of me."
Evan tilted his head.
"Ba?"
Lyra looked slightly guilty.
"Last night, while you were sleeping…"
She explained everything.
How the Qi in the room had begun flowing toward him.
How the plants had withered.
How his body had started absorbing spiritual energy unconsciously.
Evan listened carefully.
Inside his mind, he was stunned.
Wait.
I was cultivating while sleeping?!
Lyra continued.
"If I allowed it to continue, the entire house would have lost its spiritual energy."
"And worse…"
Her expression grew serious.
"Other cultivators might have noticed."
"Also It might be bad for your small body."
Evan understood immediately.
That was bad.
Very bad.
He was already suspicious enough after the crystal incident.
If powerful cultivators started sensing disturbances around him, they would investigate.
And if they investigated—
His life would become extremely complicated.
Lyra gently tapped his chest.
"So I sealed your dantian."
Evan's eyes widened slightly.
Inside his mind, he shouted.
YOU WHAT?!
Lyra raised both hands defensively.
"Not completely!"
"I only slowed the vortex."
"You can still cultivate later."
She sighed softly.
"But right now…"
Her voice softened.
"You are too young."
Evan stared at her.
Part of him wanted to complain.
After all, cultivation was the key to survival in a world like this.
The sooner he started, the better.
But another part of him understood.
If his talent really was as abnormal as Lyra believed…
Growing too quickly could attract attention.
And attention meant danger.
Lyra continued gently.
"When you grow a little older…"
"I will personally teach you cultivation."
"But until then, it is safer for you to remain like a normal child."
She looked down at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry, my prince."
Evan stared at her for several seconds.
Then he sighed internally.
…Fine.
This was probably the smarter move anyway.
He leaned back against her slightly.
Lyra smiled faintly.
"I promise you."
Her voice was calm but firm.
"When the time comes…"
"You will become stronger than anyone."
Evan blinked.
Then he raised his tiny fist dramatically.
"Ba!"
Lyra laughed softly.
"Yes, yes."
She gently ruffled his hair.
"The future strongest cultivator."
—
Far across the city…
An elderly cultivator walking through the market suddenly stopped.
His brows furrowed.
He slowly turned his head toward the distant residential district.
For a brief moment—
He had felt something strange.
A disturbance in the flow of spiritual energy.
Subtle.
Almost impossible to notice.
But unmistakable.
The old cultivator narrowed his eyes.
"…Interesting."
His spiritual senses expanded outward.
Searching.
But the disturbance had already disappeared.
Only faint traces remained.
He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Someone in this city…"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"…has done something unusual."