Chapter 3478: Abnormal Affinity A minute later Lin Mu used another skill. "Cold Dew Armor." A basic defensive skill used by spirit realm cultivators in damp environments or against fire skills. Lin Mu formed it, and instead of a thin film, layered currents wrapped around him like overlapping scales, temperature dropping instantly as the water stabilized into a resilient sheath. He sighed softly. "These are unusable at this scale." It was not because they were weak, but simply because his baseline had surpassed them. Still, he continued. Among the spirit realm techniques, he deliberately practiced two that mattered to him. The Minor Water Manipulation Technique. And the Water General’s Armament Technique. He slowed himself down deliberately, tracing the Qi circuits precisely as described in the manuals, suppressing his instinctive control to follow the intended paths. It was like intentionally writing with his non dominant hand. Even so, mastery came almost instantly. Minor Water Manipulation responded to him like a child eager to please. Every variation, every sub technique, every optional branch revealed itself without resistance. Within minutes, he understood not only how it worked, but also why it was structured that way. The Water General’s Armament followed. This technique emphasized reinforcement rather than control, coating limbs in compressed water layers that mimicked armor and weapons or directly creating them without any physical connection. Lin Mu practiced shaping gauntlets, blades, and shields, then refined them further, discovering optimal density ratios and flow harmonics that the original creator had likely never realized. He opened his eyes. "In minutes," Lin Mu muttered. "Meng Bai took months." This was not due to Meng Bai lacking. It was due to the fact that Lin Mu now stood in a fundamentally different place. After an hour, he moved on. Immortal level techniques. The ocean responded instantly, currents deep below shifting as if something vast had stirred. Lin Mu extended both hands. "Major Water Manipulation Technique." This was not merely a stronger version of the minor technique. It was a comprehensive control art, one that embedded Qi flow patterns directly into the water being manipulated, allowing for precision across vast distances. Lin Mu let his consciousness expand. It was as if the sea opened up to him, as he observed every layer, every aspect of it. Surface currents. Thermal gradients. Pressure differences. Salt density. Hidden eddies formed by underwater currents miles away. He adjusted them. The ocean moved upon his command and his will. Water rose in slow, monumental arcs, forming spiraling columns that twisted and braided together before settling back into the sea. Entire sections of water flowed against their natural direction, obeying his will instead of gravity or wind. Lin Mu refined the technique again and again. He introduced rotational vectors. He altered pressure thresholds. He embedded counterflows. Within an hour, he no longer felt like he was using a technique. He was simply thinking. And water responded. "That... should not have been that easy," Lin Mu said quietly. Other immortal techniques followed. "Tidal Dominion Seal," a large scale suppression art meant to weigh down enemies within a watery domain. Lin Mu expanded it, discovering that its true strength lay not in forcefulness, but in subtly disrupting an opponent’s internal Qi circulation through antagonistic resonance. "Oceanic Abyssal Embrace," a binding technique designed to drag targets downward. Lin Mu modified it into a containment field that could suspend targets instead, pressure balanced perfectly to immobilize without crushing. "Rain Sovereign’s Call," originally a ritual grade technique requiring preparation and sacrifices. Lin Mu invoked it silently, summoning localized rainfall with precise droplet size and velocity, then canceled it just as easily. He did not even bother practicing "Ocean Severing Wave." That one felt redundant. As he paused, Xukong’s voice finally echoed in his mind. "This is no longer just natural affinity," the ancient spider said slowly. "If I had to describe it... your Water Dao comprehension has crossed into an abnormal tier." Lin Mu did not stop his practice. He shaped the sea into a vast, rotating spiral as he listened. "Even those born with Water Dao affinity rarely reach this depth," Xukong continued. "They may command water instinctively, but understanding is different. What you are doing now would take most of them ten thousand years, sometimes more." Lin Mu let the spiral dissolve into mist. "So the Water Core changed more than just affinity," he said. "Yes," Xukong replied. "It refined your perception itself. The Omnicore Ascendancy did not merely complete a core. It aligned you with the Dao." Lin Mu was silent for a long moment. Then he exhaled. "Truly worthy," he murmured, "of a skill granted by the ring." The ocean calmed around him. But Lin Mu knew this was only the beginning. He had not yet tested large scale combat applications. Nor interactions with his other cores. Nor what would happen when Water met Earth, Metal, or Fire under unified control. The sea stretched endlessly before him. And for the first time, Lin Mu felt that it was not something to cross or conquer. It was something to converse with. He raised his hand again. And the ocean responded as a few hours passed. The ocean gradually settled as Lin Mu allowed the water he had been manipulating to return to its natural flow. The surface smoothed, waves falling back into their original rhythm as if nothing extraordinary had occurred. Only Lin Mu remained seated above it, calm and thoughtful, his mind no longer focused on practice but on comparison. Water had answered him eagerly. That much was undeniable. Now, he wanted to understand why. Lin Mu lowered his hands and closed his eyes, shifting his awareness inward. One by one, he touched the different foundations within himself, not through Qi alone, but through something deeper, something closer to instinct. Earth came first. It was familiar in a way that felt almost ancestral. His earliest memories of cultivation were tied to earth, to stability, weight, and the unyielding patience of stone. When he extended his perception toward the seabed far below, he felt the earth respond immediately. The pressure, the rock, the layers of sediment beneath the ocean floor all aligned themselves with his will. He raised his hand slightly.