Keith's heart ached a little when he saw Minami raise her hand and make a deep incision across her palm, drawing out her blood to form a small Blood Spirit and giving it the shape of a fox.
She infused Mana and Aura into it, and then used the Elemental Codex of the Devil Sutra, whispering a silent verse. The Blood Spirit came to life, exuding the purest affinity for Water and vying for control against the Water Spirit hiding inside the hole.
Sensing the pure affinity for Water, the Spirit curiously peeked out and then, like a hungry child, rushed towards the Blood Spirit, ready to devour it after sensing the great power contained within it.
"Not so fast." Minami smiled at the Nature Spirit, which was transparent and in the form of a small nymph.
It was perhaps one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her life, and it carried within it the laws and affinity of Water that would have easily overwhelmed an Ashaya's senses.
She recalled her Blood Spirit into her hand and then reached out towards the Water Spirit, which chased after it but stopped right in front of her.
Soon enough, it was curiously circling around her, inspecting her Aura, but it was clear from its behaviour that it was thinking about stealing the Blood Spirit.
"I will let you devour it if you agree to become a part of me."
Her offer was ignored as the Water Spirit continued circling around her curiously, and then it sneakily tried to steal the Blood Spirit, but she had already prepared for that.
Minami quickly pulled back the hand on which her Blood Spirit was resting, and then, utilising the Elemental Codex once again, she opened her other palm, which still bore the fresh incision. She drew out another drop of blood, which immediately caught the Water Spirit's attention, and much to its delight, she allowed it to taste it.
As soon as the Water Spirit touched her blood, its transparent body began shining in myriad colours, and Keith clearly sensed the Laws it carried reacting to the active Laws contained within Minami's blood.
Just a single taste was enough, and the Water Spirit immediately flew over to her, feeling close to her as though it were a baby now resting in its mother's arms.
And Minami treated it as such as well.
Slowly, she fed the Blood Spirit to it, drop by drop, and at the same time, she continued chanting Verses and utilising the Water Codex to bind the Life-Devouring Water Spirit to herself.
By the time the Blood Spirit disappeared, the Water Spirit belonged to her, and as if ready to take a nap after a full meal, it slowly settled in her palm before sinking into the incision and disappearing into her body.
Keith frowned when he saw Minami's face turn a little pale, and she was clearly experiencing some discomfort. However, it was something he had already expected.
The Life-Devouring Water Spirit was perhaps the most dangerous of all Water Spirits, and as the name suggested, it could devour the very life force of living things.
If the one refining it was not worthy, they would lose their life to it as well, but this was not something that their race had to worry about.
A minute later, Minami opened her eyes again, and her complexion had already recovered.
Keith approached her and gently took hold of her hand.
Using the power of the Fragment of the Book of Life, he completely healed the incision, which had already been closing at an alarming rate, and then smiled at his daughter, who seemed exceptionally happy today.
"How long will it take you to refine it?"
"Two weeks." She telepathically answered him, and he nodded before sending her inside Aerzar, where she could rest and begin working on refining the Water Spirit.
Since the lake had now lost the Water Dragons that resided there, many other Magical Beasts were already coming to claim it.
Unfortunately for them, this place was losing the rich Aura and Mana that had attracted them in the first place.
And it was because the source had been taken away.
Keith curiously looked across the lake bed, and then his eyes caught something that surprised him.
There were hundreds of lights blinking everywhere, and their numbers were steadily increasing.
[These are Luminous Water Spirit Pearls, Host. Birthed by the presence of a powerful Water Spirit in a natural environment over a period of hundreds of years, they carry a minute amount of its essence. These are valuable treasures that can be used to create Magical Items and can also be used to create Pills and Potions, including Affinity Potions. Though they are poisonous to Mortals, the Immortal and Divine Races can consume them raw. They taste delicious.]
"How old are these Pearls?"
[They range from 600 to 16,300 years old, Host. The Water Spirit likely came to life over 16,500 years ago. Since it is gone now, these Pearls will not grow any more potent than they already are.]
Keith quickly started collecting them all, and while communicating with the System, he sorted them into different groups based on age and potency.
Something he noticed was that these Pearls had formed inside natural clam shells that blended perfectly into the lake bed, and if they had not started blinking after the departure of the Water Spirit, even he would have continued believing they were nothing more than ordinary rocks embedded in the lake bed.
It took him a good hour to collect every single Pearl, and there were exactly 857 of them.
Content after getting his hands on such precious natural treasures, he was in an excellent mood. Deciding not to attract the attention of the Magical Beasts, he simply teleported out of the lake and reappeared a good distance away from it.
"How much is Minami's Cultivation going to improve after completely refining the Life-Devouring Water Spirit?"
[If she does not waste the Aura and Mana carried by the Water Spirit, she will be able to reach the Peak of the Martial General Realm. It is also possible that she will become a Martial Master, considering how well-attuned the Laws of the Life-Devouring Water Spirit are to her own Bloodline Powers.]
Hearing those words, Keith brightly smiled and increased his pace as he rushed to join his family.
It only took him a few minutes to catch up with them, and Kiara curiously looked his way after sensing his good mood.
"Where's Minami?"
"She's resting." He told her. "I found something interesting. Want it?" he asked, and when she nodded, he tossed one of the Pearls to her.
"It's pretty." Her eyes widened at its luminous glow, and even her sisters curiously guided their horses closer to take a better look, the soft radiance reflecting in their intrigued gazes.
"Eat it," he said, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
However, without asking any questions, she popped it into her mouth, and her eyes immediately widened in shock as she felt the Pearl melt into the purest essence that washed over her body, a cool and refreshing sensation tinged with subtle sweetness.
Her cheeks flushed as though she had entered a drunken state, yet her mind felt clearer than it had ever been before.
Everyone watched as her eyes flickered from Amethyst to Red to Black before finally settling beneath their familiar deep-blue mask once more.
"How do you feel?" he knowingly asked as he summoned Anakin from his Beast Ring and then used the Metallic Cube that Kiara had given him, the Beast Armour.
Once his ride was ready, he quickly climbed onto it, and by then, Kiara had finally found the right words to describe her condition.
"It's like I have taken a Concentration Potion or a Comprehension Pill, and my senses seem to have been enhanced. Are the effects permanent?" she hopefully asked. "Also, I feel very full right now. I was quite hungry before."
"No." He smiled at her. "You will eventually come down from this state, but you will notice some permanent benefits when it comes to your senses, especially your ability to detect living things."
At his words, Kiara realised that she could indeed sense living beings much farther away than before, and she could perceive them with far greater clarity, even noticing the smallest of movements.
"Do you have more?" Alana hopefully asked, and brightly smiled when he tossed a Pearl to her.
He then gave one each to Venessa, Kashish, Qingyue, Harud, Sibyl, Sebastian, and Victor as well.
Ayesha, who was soaring high above them, wanted to come down and take one too, and she was content when he told her that he had one reserved for her as well.
They all laughed when Victor, after consuming the Pearl, became slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information his senses were conveying to his brain.
Other than him, everyone else seemed to be enjoying the state immensely, and Harud voiced his honest thoughts.
"I feel like if I read a book right now, I would never be able to forget it."
"Let's test it." Keith playfully smiled as he handed him an Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Pills, and Potions, and the boy visibly tensed at the sheer size of the book.
"The effects will last for over a week, so finish it before then," he said, and upon hearing those words, Sebastian eagerly looked at him.
"Can I have one too?" he asked, and Keith nodded before handing him a copy of the Magical Beast Encyclopedia.
"Why does he get the more interesting one?" Harud complained, causing his sister to roll her eyes.
"You can finish yours early and then swap with him."
"Fair enough." He shrugged, but despite his casual appearance, he was genuinely excited to finish reading the Encyclopedia and test the benefits of this enlightened state.
The same was true for Sebastian, who was already looking forward to finishing the Encyclopedia in his hands as quickly as possible.
"Do you want one too, Victor?" Kiara playfully asked the Muscle-Head, who immediately shook his head, and his response made her grin. "Oh, you will get one too." She smiled before taking out a storybook from her Storage Ring and handing it to him. "Finish it before the week is over. We will make you narrate a random story from it, one that I will choose. That will be your test."
"I don't want to read..." He sighed, but then opened the book, and to everyone's surprise, within seconds, he was completely immersed in it.
"Wow... these Pearls can help Victor become smart." Alana joked, but the Muscle-Head did not respond at all.
He truly was immersed in the book.
Intrigued by his behaviour, she asked Kiara to give her another copy as well, but she quickly discovered that her concentration had not improved to such a dramatic degree.
"It's because you never had any issues concentrating once you put your mind to something. This is normal for you." Keith answered her curiosity and smiled at his daughters, all of whom shared this trait.
For the rest of their journey back to the Crystal City, everyone kept chatting except for Victor, who remained completely hooked on the stories.
They were stunned when, out of nowhere, Victor suddenly started shedding tears over a tragic story, and seeing him sobbing like a little child was one of the funniest things they had ever witnessed in their lives.