Water Creation Spell

Selenst nodded slightly upon hearing this, a faint, imperceptible smile flashing across the corners of his mouth.

Matthew visibly sighed in relief when he saw it. Fortunately, he had not disappointed Lord Selenst.

His Level 5 talent was still the strongest and most worthy of pride here! But when his gaze unconsciously swept over Li Ang in 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.

The girl wore a trace of exhaustion on her face, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the crystal ball.

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

"Level 4 mental power talent, water-element affinity. Astral Star condensed, confirmed," the wizard attendant announced once again.

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

The third person to step forward was a tall, skinny boy wearing a strange pair of thick-lensed glasses.

He pushed up his glasses and placed his hand on the crystal ball. A soft milky-white glow lit up inside it, like the dawn.

"Level 4 mental power talent, light-element affinity. Astral Star condensed, confirmed." The wizard attendant's tone carried a trace of surprise.

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 mental power talent, perhaps he possessed some other special quality as well?

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

The cabin fell into brief silence. Out of more than thirty people, only three had succeeded? Unease began to spread through the crowd.

Just then, 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 in much better condition overall.

Under the watchful eyes of dozens of people, he placed his hand against the icy surface of the crystal ball.

Buzz.

A swift azure light instantly flared within the crystal ball. Deep within that light, a faint, gentle blue hue flowed—a trace of the water element.

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

The wizard attendant was visibly stunned. The light seemed far too active for 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 a 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 vanished, and the crowd dispersed in an instant like the ebbing tide.

Yet the overall atmosphere did not relax. Instead, it was replaced by another, more anxious emotion.

Those who had yet to condense an Astral Star were filled with urgency and anxiety, as well as undisguised jealousy toward Li Ang and the others.

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

The ship's drinking water was murky and astringent, carrying the strange smell of rust and wooden barrels. Every swallow seemed to scrape against his already fragile throat.

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

Li Ang took out the Level-0 Spell Compendium. His fingertip brushed across the names of the basic spells before finally stopping at a spell he had noticed earlier: [Level-0 Spell: Water Creation Spell].

[Effect: Condenses free water molecules in the air to produce a small amount of pure drinking water.]

[Spell structure: Use Astral Stars 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 Mental World.]

"Water-element affinity..." Li Ang sensed the Astral Star in his Mental World, azure with a hint of blue, as well as the gentle water-element aura surrounding it.

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

He sat cross-legged, cast aside all distracting thoughts, and sank his consciousness into his Mental World. He tried to stop relying on his familiarity with airflow and instead capture and understand water's nature of gathering and flowing.

At the Mental Core, the Astral Star slowly revolved. He cautiously separated a thread of his consciousness and extended it toward the gentle blue water-element magical power around him.

After establishing an initial connection with the water-element magical power, he tried to imagine water vapor gathering, to imagine the process of droplets condensing...

Within his Mental World, the Astral Star was guided by the Mental Core to outline the basic water-element symbol representing "condensation."

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

On the second attempt, the symbol's lines had barely taken shape before they twisted out of form due to a slight fluctuation in his mental power.

The third time...

Li Ang did not lose heart. The experience of failure was like stones tossed into his Mental World, sending out faint ripples and giving him a clearer understanding of the characteristics of water-element magical power.

He adjusted his breathing and slowed his pace. Rather than forcibly trying to condense it, he eased his control and allowed the surrounding water-element magical power to flow naturally toward him.

Buzz.

Deep within his Mental World, a simple yet stable blue rune, glowing with a gentle watery light, was finally completely outlined.

Although 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, Li Ang locked his mental power onto the empty space half a foot before him.

Condense, he silently recited.

Then the water-element rune faintly shone within his Mental World.

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 drip, it fell into the wooden bowl Li Ang had prepared beforehand.

He lifted the wooden bowl and brought it close to his lips. A crisp, sweet, pure scent rushed into his nostrils.

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

"What sweet water." Li Ang's eyes lit up. The water condensed by this [Water Creation Spell] was purer and sweeter than even the finest spring water on the market, let alone the rusty, murky 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 steps in controlling water-element magical power!