Water Creation Spell

Selenst nodded slightly upon hearing this, an almost imperceptible smile flickering across his lips.

Matthew visibly let out a sigh of relief when he saw it. Fortunately, he had not disappointed Lord Selenst.

His Level 5 talent was still the strongest here, still the one most worthy of pride! Yet when his gaze subconsciously swept over Li Ang among the crowd, the pride that had just risen on his face was instantly replaced by fear and conflict.

Then another person stepped forward. It was Helena.

There was a trace of exhaustion on the girl's face, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. She took a deep breath and pressed her hand against the crystal ball.

A pure, gentle blue light lit up within the crystal ball, like a tranquil lake.

"Level 4 spiritual talent, water-element affinity. Astral Star condensed, confirmed," the wizard attendant announced once more.

As Helena stepped back, her gaze briefly met Li Ang's. The corners of her lips unconsciously curved upward, and she silently mouthed a "Thank you" to him.

The third to step forward was a lanky youth wearing a pair of oddly styled glasses with thick lenses.

He adjusted his glasses, then placed his hand on the crystal ball. A gentle milky-white glow lit up within it, like the first light of dawn.

"Level 4 spiritual talent, light-element affinity. Astral Star condensed, confirmed." There was a trace of surprise in the wizard attendant's voice.

Light-element affinity was relatively rare and difficult to cultivate, yet this bespectacled youth had condensed an Astral Star in such a short time. Aside from his spiritual talent, perhaps he possessed some other special quality?

The bespectacled youth, Ludik, calmly nodded and stepped aside.

A brief silence fell over the cabin. More than thirty people, and only three had succeeded? Unease began to spread through the crowd.

At that moment, Li Ang slowly emerged from the back of the crowd. His steps were still somewhat unsteady, but his complexion was no longer as pale as before. He was clearly in much better condition.

Under the gaze of dozens of eyes, he pressed his hand against the icy surface of the crystal ball.

Buzz

A swift azure light instantly flared within the crystal ball. Deep within that glow, a hint of warm blue flowed faintly—it was the trace of the water element.

The intertwined azure and blue light swirled rapidly within the crystal ball, brimming with vitality.

The wizard attendant was visibly stunned. The light was far too active to resemble a newly condensed Astral Star. Only then did he loudly announce, "Dual affinity: wind element and water element. Astral Star condensation confirmed!"

Li Ang withdrew his hand, gave a slight bow in Selenst's direction, then calmly stepped aside to stand with Helena and Ludik.

Selenst's gaze swept across the four who had stepped forward. Then his emotionless voice echoed across the deck:

"I hope the four of you continue to improve. Learn one spell before we make landfall, and I will directly promote you to apprentices."

Having said that, Selenst did not linger in the slightest. He turned and vanished into the passage leading to the upper cabins, leaving behind a group of reserve apprentices staring at one another on the deck.

With Selenst's departure, the invisible pressure abruptly dissipated, and the crowd scattered in an instant like a receding tide.

Yet the atmosphere did not become any more relaxed. Instead, it was replaced by another, even more anxious mood.

The eyes of those who had yet to condense an Astral Star were filled with urgency, anxiety, and undisguised envy toward Li Ang and the others.

Li Ang returned to his room, which had been continuously purified by the [Gale-Sailing Canvas]. Though the air inside was far fresher than before, the dull pain in his lungs still clung to him like a disease gnawing at the bone.

The ship's drinking water was murky and astringent, carrying the strange taste of rust and wooden barrels. Every swallow felt as though it were scraping against his already fragile throat.

"It's time to solve the drinking water problem."

Li Ang took out the Level 0 Spell Collection. His fingertips brushed over the names of the basic spells before finally stopping on one he had noticed earlier: [Level 0 Spell: Water Creation Spell].

[Effect: Gather free water molecules from the air to create a small amount of pure drinking water.]

[Spell structure: Use an Astral Star to outline a basic water-element symbol and guide magical power into resonance.]

[Learning requirements: Water-element affinity and at least one condensed Astral Star within the spiritual world.]

"Water-element affinity..." Li Ang sensed the azure Astral Star tinged with blue in his spiritual world, as well as the faint, warm aura of water-element energy around it.

Without the element-rich environment provided by the [Gale-Sailing Canvas], learning the water-based [Water Creation Spell] would undoubtedly be much more difficult.

He sat down cross-legged, cast aside stray thoughts, and sank his consciousness into his spiritual world. He tried to no longer rely on his familiarity with air currents, instead attempting to capture and understand the gathering and flowing nature of water.

At the core of his spiritual world, the Astral Star slowly revolved. Carefully, he separated a thread of his will and extended it toward the faint, warm blue water-element magical power around him.

After initially establishing a connection with the water-element magical power, he tried to imagine water vapor gathering, to imagine droplets condensing...

Within his spiritual world, the Astral Star was drawn by the core of his spiritual power as it outlined the basic water-element symbol representing "condensation."

On his first attempt, the water-element magical power drawn by his will was like slippery loaches, difficult to shape steadily. It scattered halfway through the outline.

On the second attempt, the symbol's lines had only just begun to take shape when a minute fluctuation in his spiritual power twisted them out of form.

The third attempt...

Li Ang did not lose heart. The lessons of failure were like stones cast into his spiritual world, sending out faint ripples and giving him a certain understanding of the characteristics of water-element magical power.

He adjusted his breathing and slowed his pace. Rather than trying to force the water-element magical power to gather, he relaxed his control and allowed it to flow toward him more naturally.

Buzz

Deep within his spiritual world, a simple yet stable blue rune, carrying a warm watery glow, was finally completely outlined.

Though it was still far less condensed and lively than the azure rune of the Breeze Technique, it was not bad at all.

With a thought from Li Ang, his spiritual power locked onto the empty space half a foot before him.

Condense, he silently murmured.

Then the water-element rune in his spiritual world flickered faintly.

In the air, countless tiny water molecules invisible to the naked eye gathered from all directions as though drawn by an invisible force.

They rapidly condensed, forming a crystal-clear, fist-sized droplet in midair. Then, with a plop, it fell into the wooden bowl Li Ang had prepared beforehand.

He lifted the wooden bowl to his lips, and a crisp, sweet, pure scent rushed into his nose.

He cautiously took a sip. The cool liquid slid down his dry throat like timely rain after a long drought, instantly soothing the burning pain in it.

"What sweet water." Li Ang's eyes lit up. The water condensed by the [Water Creation Spell] was purer and sweeter than even the finest spring water on the market, let alone the murky, rust-tasting water aboard the ship.

Successfully learning the [Water Creation Spell] not only solved his drinking water problem, but also meant that he had successfully taken his first step in controlling water-element magical power!