Dave looked at all the items and bought them all. He even bought two copies of the Ocean Heart Pearl, thinking it could help him as well. Sitting cross-legged, he consumed one of the pearls. As it dissolved into his system, he felt a deep surge of water energy flowing through his body.
His chest glowed faintly—he already had a water element affinity, though not ultimate-tier. But after fusing with the Ocean Heart Pearl, that changed.
Now, it wasn't just top-grade—it had become Ultimate Water Affinity.
An hour passed as Dave's cultivation fully settled. When he finally opened his eyes, a ripple of water-like light shimmered around his body. He couldn't help but grin.
"Good… very good," he muttered, lifting his hand.
As he raised his palm, a stream of water materialized out of thin air, swirling gently above it. It was no ordinary water—this was refined Ultimate Water Essence, born from his fusion with the Ocean Heart Pearl.
He waved his hand slowly, and the water followed like a loyal thread. He then let it drift outward, shaping it into a blue water blade that hovered in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, the blade gently flew across the courtyard and sliced cleanly through a small tree branch—without leaving a single scar on the bark.
Water droplets misted into the air, and a fresh, earthy scent followed.
Dave nodded in approval. "Hmm. Stable, dense, and smooth flow. Very good."
Ultimate Affinity doesn't inherently grant these abilities—rather, no one truly knows how to properly use their Ultimate Affinity yet.
For the people of Douluo, Ultimate Affinity simply means they have reached the highest form with their element. But in truth, it also unlocks elemental resonance and elemental sense.
And what are those? They are the foundational abilities required for any mage to cast spells:
Sensing the element in the environment
Gathering it using one's mana or in this world case spirit energy
And then shaping it into a spell
And Dave had just done exactly that. Without a spirit ring or technique, he gathered water from the air and shaped it into a spell—because he unknowingly unlocked elemental sense and elemental resonance.
In a way, with his mage knowledge, Dave now had an unprecedented advantage in the world of Douluo. He could cast spells freely—or, in their terms, create self-made Spirit Skills—far more easily and efficiently than native Spirit Masters.
"Hehe… hmm, should I teach all these spells to Meilin and develop her into the first mage of Douluo?" Dave chuckled to himself, eyes lighting up more and more at the idea. "I think it's a great plan. The Spirit Rings here could act like substitutes for Mana Circles…"
His grin widened. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
"Hm, still, I've reached my limit. I managed to compress and cast only Tier 1—first-circle—spells. Is it really true that magic isn't limited by Spirit Rings?" he mused, flexing his fingers as he felt the spell break once again.
He attempted another Tier 2 spell but found he lacked the energy stability to finish it. It fizzled out before forming properly.
"I guess Spirit Rings act like mana anchors—just like the mages' mana circles…" Dave whispered to himself, nodding as he jotted it down in his mental notes.
"What are you mumbling about?" a voice asked behind him. He looked up and saw the group returning.
"Done sightseeing?" Dave asked casually.
"Yup," Steve replied. "We saw a lot. This world is really different."
"Great," Dave stood and stretched. "Now that you've seen enough, it's time to train seriously."
He gestured to the group. "While you don't have your first Spirit Ring yet, now's the best time to explore your Martial Spirit's traits and direction. Think about what path you want to take. Based on that, I'll prepare the best Spirit Beasts for your first ring."
The group exchanged glances and nodded seriously, then dispersed to reflect and train.
"Wait, Meilin, you stay," Dave said, catching her just as she followed Natasha.
She blinked and walked back. "Yes, big brother Dave?"
Dave smiled and placed a small, warm-blue pearl in her palm. "eat this"
She looked confused. "Isn't this… jewelry?"
"It looks like it," Dave said with a chuckle. "But it's not. It's a spirit herb—Ocean Heart Pearl. And for you, it's a medicine that can help you grow stronger."
He handed her a small book titled Ocean Bloom Vital Sutra and one more item: Blessed Rain Pollen.
"Eat this one too after eating the pearl. Sit cross-legged and cultivate right here," he instructed gently.
Meilin hesitated, then nodded, trusting him fully.
The moment she placed the pearl in her mouth, a soothing glow enveloped her body. The essence from the herb merged into her spirit sea, resonating with her Martial Spirit—the White Shore Lily.
Within seconds, the aura around her changed.
As the herbs activated inside her, her previously low-grade water affinity instantly evolved to top-grade, and a natural affinity to life energy followed soon after. The room felt damp and alive, as if the sea breeze had entered the world around her.
Dave looked at Meilin and nodded slowly. "Although it didn't reach true top-grade affinity yet… it's fine. I'll just keep feeding her rare materials and awaken her as a true mage. After all, only ultimate affinity users can even begin to become mages in this world."
With that thought, he handed her another Ocean Heart Pearl, followed by a second one shortly after. Though her affinity had risen earlier, it had stopped just short of the ultimate mark. But now, with these two additional pearls, Meilin's body shimmered again with a purer glow.
This time, there was no mistaking it.
Her Water Affinity had evolved to Ultimate Grade—confirmed by the two shimmering blue lines now visible on the largest petal of her White Shore Lily Martial Spirit.
"Good… Now, eat the Blessed Rain Pollen," Dave instructed calmly.
Meilin, eyes slightly dazed from the surging power, nodded and placed the delicate pollen bud into her mouth.
The moment it dissolved on her tongue, her spirit trembled. A warm, nurturing energy surged through her, and suddenly her entire body radiated with a calming, pure essence. Dave stepped back slightly as a gentle halo formed around her.
But just as the energy surged to refine her, a dark-black line of impurities surged from her nose, followed by a faint groan. She doubled over slightly as her body rejected built-up toxins and waste.
Dave frowned and called out, "Natasha! Help her."
Natasha rushed in from the next room and caught Meilin as she swayed, gently guiding her to sit on the bed. She grabbed a cloth and wiped Meilin's nose while softly patting her back.
"It's okay, okay" Natasha said softly and then glared at Dave " what are you doing to her?"
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