Morning sunlight filtered gently through the kitchen window.
The small house was quiet except for the soft sounds of cooking.
A faint sizzling noise came from the pan as vegetables were stirred with practiced ease.
Lyra stood in front of the stove, sleeves slightly rolled up, long black hair tied loosely behind her. Despite being someone capable of shaking entire battlefields with her cultivation, she moved calmly through the small kitchen as if this peaceful routine were the most natural thing in the world.
She hummed softly while preparing breakfast.
Outside, birds chirped in the distance.
Inside the house, everything felt warm and calm.
Then—
Tiny footsteps approached.
Lyra's ears twitched slightly.
Without turning around, she already knew who it was.
A small voice followed.
"Lyra?"
She smiled faintly.
"You are awake already, my prince?"
Evan stood at the entrance of the kitchen, rubbing one eye lazily.
His dark blue hair was slightly messy from sleep.
For a moment, he simply watched her cook.
In his previous life, scenes like this were rare. Busy schedules, noise, constant movement… life had always felt rushed.
But here—
Morning sunlight.
Cooking.
A peaceful house.
It felt strangely comforting.
Evan leaned against the doorframe.
"You're cooking again."
Lyra chuckled softly.
"Of course. Someone has to feed you."
Evan crossed his arms.
"I could cook."
Lyra finally turned around and looked at him.
She raised one eyebrow.
"My prince… You are five."
Evan frowned slightly.
"That's discrimination."
Lyra laughed quietly and returned to stirring the pan.
"Well then, when you grow taller than the kitchen counter, perhaps I will allow it."
Evan walked into the kitchen and climbed onto a small chair near the table.
He watched her silently for a moment.
Then he spoke again.
"Lyra."
Her tone immediately softened.
"Yes, my prince?"
Evan hesitated slightly.
Even though he had lived with her for years now, there was still something strange about asking this.
But the system's mission was clear.
Learn about cultivation.
And Lyra was probably one of the best teachers he could possibly have.
So he spoke.
"Can you teach me about cultivation?"
The sound of cooking stopped.
For a moment, the kitchen went completely silent.
Lyra slowly turned her head.
Her eyes rested on Evan.
He sat on the chair, legs swinging slightly in the air, looking completely innocent.
But Lyra knew better.
Evan had always been… unusual.
Too observant.
Too intelligent.
Too calm.
Even when he was a baby, there had been moments when she felt like he understood far more than he should.
Still…
Hearing this question made her pause.
"You wish to learn about cultivation, my prince?"
Evan nodded.
"Yes."
Lyra placed the wooden spoon down and turned off the stove.
She walked toward the table and sat across from him.
Her expression was calm but thoughtful.
"I suppose it is about time."
Evan straightened slightly.
"Really?"
Lyra smiled faintly.
"You are five years old now."
"In most cultivation families, this is the age when children begin learning the basics."
Evan's eyes lit up.
Perfect timing.
Lyra folded her hands gently on the table.
"However, my prince, cultivation is not something simple."
Her voice became slightly more serious.
"In this world, there are three main paths of cultivation."
Evan listened carefully.
Lyra raised three fingers.
"Body."
"Soul."
"And Essence."
Evan tilted his head slightly.
Lyra continued explaining.
"The Body Path focuses on strengthening the physical body."
"Bones, muscles, organs… everything becomes stronger."
"At higher levels, the body itself can become harder than steel."
Evan blinked.
That sounded extremely painful.
Lyra then lifted her second finger.
"The Soul Path focuses on the mind and spirit."
"It strengthens perception, awareness, and spiritual consciousness."
"Those who cultivate the soul deeply can sense things from miles away or resist powerful mental attacks."
Evan nodded slowly.
That actually sounded very useful.
Then Lyra lifted her third finger.
"The Essence Path focuses on controlling and refining spiritual energy."
"This energy is what most people call Qi."
Evan leaned slightly forward.
Finally.
The part he was most curious about.
Lyra noticed his interest and smiled gently.
"The reason most cultivators focus first on Essence cultivation is that Qi is the foundation of everything."
She tapped the table lightly.
"Without Qi, you cannot strengthen the body effectively."
"And without Qi, you cannot nourish the soul, nor can you have the benefit of increased lifespan."
Evan thought about it carefully.
So Qi was basically the power source for everything.
Lyra continued.
"In the Mortal Cultivation Realm, all three paths must grow together to become a complete cultivator."
"If one path falls behind too much, the cultivator cannot ascend to higher realms."
Evan nodded slowly.
That matched what he had learned from listening to conversations over the years.
Lyra continued explaining.
"In the Essence Path, the first stage is called Essence Awakening."
"That is when a cultivator first senses Qi and begins to gather it inside the body."
Evan's eyes sparkled slightly.
He had already felt Qi before.
Actually… he had absorbed so much of it that Lyra had to seal his dantian.
Lyra seemed to remember that moment as well.
Her expression became slightly awkward.
"…However."
She coughed lightly.
"In your case, my prince, we must be careful."
Evan tilted his head.
"Because of my abnormal constitution?"
Lyra froze.
"…You remember that?"
Evan shrugged.
"A little."
Lyra sighed softly.
"Yes."
"That incident proved that your body reacts to Qi… far too strongly."
She looked at him seriously.
"If we allow you to cultivate carelessly, your body might absorb too much energy again."
"And that could be dangerous."
Evan scratched his cheek.
"Fair."
Lyra leaned forward slightly.
"So for now, I will only teach you the theory."
"No actual cultivation yet."
Evan groaned dramatically.
"So basically… homework."
Lyra smiled.
"Yes, my prince."
"Exactly."
Evan slumped onto the table.
"I knew I shouldn't have asked."
Lyra chuckled softly.
But she continued explaining patiently.
She described how Qi flowed through meridians.
How the dantian acted as a storage center for spiritual energy.
How cultivators circulated Qi to strengthen their bodies.
Evan listened carefully.
Even though he occasionally made exaggerated bored expressions.
"Meridians… circulation… essence gathering…"
Lyra continued speaking for nearly an hour.
By the time she finished, breakfast had already grown cold.
Evan leaned back in his chair.
His brain felt full.
But the information was incredibly valuable.
Lyra watched him quietly.
"How do you feel, my prince?"
Evan rubbed his forehead.
"Like I just attended my first lecture."
Lyra smiled.
"That is essentially what this was."
Then she gently ruffled his messy hair.
"But you listened very well."
Evan sighed.
"Well… cultivation sounds complicated."
Lyra nodded.
"It is."
"But you will learn slowly."
Then she stood up and returned to the stove.
"Now eat your breakfast before it gets colder."
Evan looked at the food.
Then he looked back at Lyra.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…Thanks."
Lyra glanced back at him.
"For what, my prince?"
Evan shrugged.
"For teaching me."
Lyra smiled softly.
"Of course."
"That is my duty."
But her eyes carried a warmth that went far beyond duty.
And as Evan began eating breakfast—
A familiar system sound echoed quietly inside his mind.
!~Ding~!
The mission window appeared.
[Mission Completed]
[
Learn about cultivation.
Reward: 500 System Points
]
Evan nearly choked on his food.
But he quickly composed himself before Lyra noticed.
Inside his mind, he grinned.
Perfect.
Now he finally had enough points.
Enough to buy the most important item in the system shop.
The Mortal Qi Gathering Manual.
And the true beginning of his cultivation journey was about to start.