The forest lay in a serene hum, its roots twisting like living veins beneath the soil. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, scattering golden dust across the mossy floor. Yuan Liuyue knelt beside Xuan Mo, her amber-green eyes sharp with intensity, yet filled with warmth.
"Today," she said, her voice echoing softly through the protective formation, "you will begin to understand how cultivators shape power—not just through blood or aura, but through mastery of pills, artifacts, and formations. These are the tools of the world, the keys to survival and dominance."
With a graceful movement, she lifted a hand, and dozens of translucent spheres appeared, hovering in the air. Each pulsated with energy, radiating colors that shifted like sunlight on water.
"These," she said, pointing to a glowing golden sphere, "are pills. Every cultivator seeks them, from novices to sect leaders. Their ranks are as follows: Minor Celestial, Celestial, Supreme, Divine, and Legendary."
She gestured, and the sphere split into fragments, each fragment demonstrating its effect:
A Minor Celestial Pill enhanced speed and reflexes. Xuan Mo felt a faint jolt in his muscles, as though he had sprinted through the forest in an instant.
A Celestial Pill made qi flow visible, tracing veins of energy through the roots and trees, amplifying the pulse of life around him.
A Supreme Pill caused his aura to shimmer, awakening the faint scales of demonic dragon blood along his arms.
A Divine Pill resonated with the world-tree essence in him, illuminating veins of green energy across his chest.
A Legendary Pill, she said softly, "could awaken abilities beyond comprehension, bending reality itself."
Xuan Mo's eyes widened. Even at five, he could feel the difference, the subtle threads of power connecting each pill to his hybrid essence.
"Next," Yuan Liuyue continued, her voice firm, "are artifacts. Weapons, relics, and tools imbued with power. Their ranks mirror pills: Mortal, Sect, Divine, and World-Class. They respond to the cultivator's aura, enhancing techniques or adding entirely new abilities."
She extended her hand, and a small, jade-colored dagger floated above her palm, spinning with a faint pulse. Energy crackled along its edge, casting reflections of shifting glyphs on the leaves.
"This dagger," she explained, "is a Sect-level artifact. In the hands of a Core Formation cultivator, it can cut through stone and steel effortlessly. In the hands of a Divine-level cultivator…" Her eyes flickered, "it can cut the flow of qi itself."
Xuan Mo's tiny hands twitched, instinctively reaching for it. A faint shimmer of abyssal light pulsed from his chest, brushing against the dagger. The artifact vibrated, as though sensing him—but he was too young for control. Yuan Liuyue smiled faintly, her gaze proud yet cautious.
"Finally, formations," she said, sweeping her arm to the mist. Roots lifted and twisted, glowing faintly as they traced intricate, overlapping patterns above the forest floor. The glyphs sparkled like stars, each line and circle resonating with life energy.
"Formations," she whispered, "are more than diagrams. They are living constructs. Protective arrays shield a sect or forest. Offensive formations can crush armies or trap entire cities. World-defining formations… they can shift the flow of qi across a continent, bending reality to the will of the master."
The roots pulsed under Xuan Mo's feet, echoing her words. The forest itself became a demonstration of formation mastery: walls of glowing roots rose, spiraled, and fell in perfect sequence, a miniature battlefield he could touch, study, and understand.
"Now," she said, stepping back, "all these tools—pills, artifacts, formations—must harmonize with the cultivator's body, mind, and spirit. Knowledge alone is useless without control. Discipline, perception, and focus… these are your first lessons."
Xuan Mo's eyes shimmered with curiosity, his aura flickering between dragon fire and emerald light, already feeling the resonance between his hybrid essence and the lessons his mother imparted.
She reached down, brushing a lock of hair from his glowing forehead. "You will learn all of this, Xuan Mo. One day, you will wield these powers with precision. One day, you will shape the world. But today… you learn the foundations. Understand them, and the universe will bend to your will."
The forest pulsed softly, alive and sentient, responding to the hybrid child within. Each root, leaf, and misty swirl harmonized with his aura, embedding the lessons into his very being, preparing him for the future that awaited beyond the protective veil.
And so, Xuan Mo began to understand not just the world outside the forest—but the immense tools, secrets, and paths of power that would define his destiny.