Lynn had lunch with Remi and Yara.
Throughout the meal, Remi seemed distracted, clearly shaken by the news that Lynn was already a Second-level Wizard Apprentice.
Lynn, however, remained indifferent and didn't dwell on it too much.
He had noticed that when Remi first saw him return, his eyes lit up with joy. However, upon learning of Lynn's achievements, his mood became somewhat gloomy.
This complicated mindset perfectly echoed an old saying:
"You fear your brother will suffer, but you also fear he'll drive a luxury car."
Remi's conflicting emotions were easy to understand. He wished his friend success, yet he couldn't help but feel a sense of disparity due to Lynn's accomplishments.
"If he knew I was a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, he'd probably break down completely..."
Lynn thought to himself but had no intention of deliberately provoking Remi.
Judging from Remi's reaction, he bore no malice just a regular person who felt joy at a friend's return but also a tinge of jealousy at their achievements.
After lunch, Lynn followed Yara and Remi along a garden path toward the core area of the Potion Garden.
On the way, he subtly gathered information about Third-level Wizard Apprentice assessments.
If given the opportunity, he wouldn't mind revealing his true strength to bypass the tedious evaluation process.
After all, the gains from the Furnace War had propelled his abilities forward at an astonishing rate, and this progress wasn't completely inexplicable it wouldn't arouse too much suspicion.
However, neither Remi nor Yara knew about this. To them, Third-level Wizard Apprentices were still a distant goal, so they hadn't bothered to learn much about it.
As they neared the core area of the Potion Garden, towering structures loomed ahead, resembling a series of connected castles grand and enigmatic.
Remi and Yara led Lynn to the assessment site, the very place where they had undergone their own evaluations before gaining entry into the core area.
To Lynn's surprise, the assessment location wasn't some secluded chamber.
On the contrary, it was conducted in a spacious hall on the first floor of the core area. In an unassuming corner stood a rectangular, cyan-colored stone platform.
Wizard-robed apprentices frequently passed by, occasionally casting curious glances but quickly returning to their affairs.
"Here?"
Lynn asked in mild surprise, scanning the bustling hall.
Holding an assessment in such a public space was beyond his expectations.
The sheer psychological pressure alone would be enough to make many apprentices falter.
Remi and Yara simply nodded they had long since grown accustomed to this arrangement.
When they had taken their assessments, they had also been subjected to the scrutiny of onlookers, making every step of the process feel even more nerve-wracking.
Lynn said no more and placed his palm on the cyan stone.
The next moment, the stone emitted a soft glow and began to shift.
Before his eyes, the cyan block slowly rose, unfolding into an operation platform neatly arranged with various potion-making tools.
At the center of the platform was a small screen displaying a list of assessment tasks.
Lynn glanced through the options and found no tasks related to Third-level Wizard Apprentices. So, he selected a Second-level Apprentice assessment.
Flowing Water Potion
Venus, Goddess of Love
Rejuvenation Overnight
Among the options, Lynn unhesitatingly picked "Rejuvenation Overnight" the simplest one.
How did he know it was the easiest? Because it was the cheapest...
"Please swipe your card!"
A prompt appeared on the screen.
Lynn couldn't help but sigh he not only had to complete the assessment himself but also had to pay for the materials.
Previously, he had experienced the joy of "working on a loan", and now, he was facing "pay-to-test" a signature touch of the Furnace system's thoughtful care.
Fortunately, the material costs weren't too high.
"Rejuvenation Overnight" required only 1.5 points. Without hesitation, Lynn swiped his card to purchase the materials.
His accumulated points were plentiful. Although he had been away from the Potion Garden due to the Furnace War, his wages had never been suspended.
Perhaps this was the Furnace's way of compensating battlefield apprentices.
Moreover, after selling off the magic stones he took from that white-haired Second-level Apprentice, he had more than 200 points on hand paying 1.5 points was a mere trifle.
Once the transaction was completed, a small compartment on the operation table slowly opened, revealing a neatly arranged set of potion ingredients.
"You got this, Lynn!"
Remi and Yara cheered from the sidelines.
Lynn gave a slight nod, carefully picking up the ingredients while mentally recalling the detailed information about "Rejuvenation Overnight."
In The Basics of Potion Processing, this potion was thoroughly documented.
It wasn't an aphrodisiac, but rather a healing potion that could stop bleeding, relieve pain, and reduce the erosion of energy factors in the body.
"Two petals of Spring Wildflower, five grams of Fairy Fang Powder, two wings of a Killer Bee, and..."
Lynn methodically arranged the ingredients, took a deep breath, and began the potion-making process.
"How many attempts will he need to succeed?"
Remi watched Lynn, recalling his assessment.
Mastery in potion-making couldn't be gained overnight, but luck sometimes played a crucial role.
In his case, he had managed to successfully brew the required potion with a stroke of good fortune, securing his place in the core area of the Potion Garden.
Yet, Remi still had his doubts:
"Second-level Apprentice assessments are tougher. Does that mean he'll need to use energy factors during the process?"
Yara seemed to be pondering the same question, silently observing Lynn's every move.
At the operation table, Lynn was fully focused.
He had already memorized The Basics of Potion Processing by heart the theoretical aspect posed no problem.
However, potion-making was a discipline that required both theory and practice in equal measure.
Although Lynn was confident, there was always a degree of uncertainty when attempting a potion for the first time.
"First, the grinding process..."
Lynn knew that the real challenge of "Rejuvenation Overnight" lay in the subsequent infusion of energy factors.
For now, though, the fundamental steps required no such factors only manual skill and sharp mental observation.
The key was to use mental power to observe the subtle changes in the ingredients as they were being processed.
After all, no two leaves in the world were identical, and written guides weren't perfect blueprints.
This was where a wizard apprentice's mental acuity became critical.
Only by integrating the potion formula, personal experience, and precise observations of the ingredients could one successfully craft a potion with optimal effects.
Lynn's movements were steady and skilled.
His mental power unfolded like an invisible web, carefully capturing even the most minute variations in the materials.
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