Chapter 37

Luo En opened his eyes and answered cautiously: "I discovered some clues about the 'rhythm' of mental power, which allows me to use meditation time more efficiently."

"Rhythm?" The duty officer nodded, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes: "This perspective is quite insightful... Few people with high aptitude can break through from this direction."

She pondered for a moment and continued to ask: "Besides meditation, have you practiced any other skills?"

Luo En calculated in his heart how to answer; of course, he couldn't expose his golden finger, but it was necessary to appropriately display some special talents.

"I have some insights in potionology and swordsmanship," he said cautiously, "especially potionology; I have been working in Lady Ailan's shop."

"Lady Ailan..." The duty officer's expression changed subtly, "No wonder... This explains why you were able to break through so quickly."

Her attitude became more serious:

"Although from the perspective of aptitude, your starting point is very low, being able to break through from a sixth-grade star to a primary apprentice within a few months reminds me of a case from a few years ago."

"What case?" Luo En asked curiously.

The duty officer's gaze carried a hint of recollection and fear:

"That was also a candidate apprentice with an extremely low starting point. When he arrived, not only was his mental power aptitude at the bottom, but his face was also ugly enough to make people stare... But he advanced all the way in the school in just a few years, and now he is already standing at the threshold of a formal wizard."

Luo En's heart jumped, and he recalled some gossip that Andre had told him before: "Are you talking about... Oliver?"

The duty officer's eyes quickly became vigilant: "You know him?"

"Just heard of him." Luo En quickly explained: "I heard he has great achievements in curse research."

The duty officer nodded slightly, but the vigilance in her eyes did not completely dissipate:

"Oliver is indeed a rare genius, but the path he chose... is not something everyone should emulate."

She seemed to be very secretive about this name, and the topic turned back to business:

"Alright, since you have passed the mental power measurement, I will register some basic information now, and then you can apply for resource allocation."

The whole process was calm and efficient. The duty officer recorded Luo En's basic information and ability tendencies in detail and asked about his future development direction.

"Which field do you intend to focus on?" The duty apprentice asked, "This will affect your task allocation and resource type."

Luo En thought for a while; as a person with multiple professions, his development path was naturally more diversified.

But considering the current situation and the abilities he had already publicly displayed, he still had to be cautious in his choice.

"I am interested in both potionology and spell research, but I am currently more inclined toward potionology."

He finally answered. This was consistent with his true abilities and also coincided with Lady Ailan's recommendation.

"Potionology..." The duty officer nodded and wrote down this choice: "Lady Ailan's judgment has always been accurate. Since she chose you as an assistant, she must have seen your potential in this area."

Next, the duty officer took out a thick list, flipped to a certain page, and handed it to Luo En:

"According to your aptitude and breakthrough time, you are rated as 'secondary potential,' which means you can only choose items from this list."

Luo En flipped through the list, his heart sinking; the items listed were indeed quite basic:

A few extraordinary materials that could only be considered passable, a few ordinary potions that he could refine himself, and some introductory books on wizarding skills, just like his "Basics of Potionology."

What interested him most was the column classified as "Meditation Techniques" on the list.

There were several gemstone-level advanced meditation techniques listed, but the conditions for acquisition were almost harsh—

It required signing a service contract with the school for more than fifty years, and these meditation techniques could only raise the practitioner to the level of an advanced apprentice, with no higher-level content.

Similarly, the conditions for acquiring zero-ring spell models were also extremely strict, and also required signing terms for a specific number of years of service to the school.

"These conditions..." Luo En frowned slightly.

"Don't complain, this is already better than what most secondary potential apprentices can get..."

The duty officer said calmly: "School resources are very limited; it is impossible for everyone to get the best things."

"Sorry, ma'am." He took out the letter from Lady Ailan that was still perfectly sealed: "Lady Ailan asked me to give this to the duty officer."

The duty officer took the letter, her brows raised slightly.

She carefully checked the seal on the envelope and only carefully opened it after confirming it was correct.

As she read the contents of the letter, her expression gradually became surprised; she even turned the letter over to carefully check the signature and seal.

"This..." The look in her eyes when she looked up at Luo En changed significantly, with a bit more scrutiny and re-evaluation:

"Lady Ailan rarely writes recommendation letters for people, and the wording of this letter..."

She didn't finish, but Luo En could feel the weight of that letter.

"Please wait a moment." The duty officer stood up, walked to a hidden corner, took out a rune stone, and began to talk in a low voice.

The rune stone lit up with a faint light, and a moment later, a majestic male voice came through.

The voice was very soft, and Luo En could not hear the specific content, but he could feel that it was a superior whose strength far exceeded that of a duty apprentice—possibly a formal wizard.

Luo En stood where he was, his heart fluctuating slightly. He wondered what might have been written in Lady Ailan's recommendation letter to cause such a reaction.

Not long after, the duty officer returned to the test room with a different list in her hand; her expression had returned to calm, but the curiosity about Luo En could not be hidden in her eyes.

"According to Lady Ailan's recommendation and the confirmation of the wizard in the school, your authority has been upgraded to the 'intermediate potential' level."

She handed the list over: "This is the corresponding resource list."

Luo En took this new list and quickly browsed through it, finding that the difference was staggering.

Not only were the types of items richer, but the conditions for acquisition were also much looser.

Some precious extraordinary knowledge that required decades of service now only required a shorter service period; and some basic items could even be chosen directly without any additional conditions.

"In addition." The duty officer continued:

"Given your expertise in potionology, you have been assigned the task of refining potions. You need to submit a specified quota of potions every month, and you can arrange the rest of your time freely. Occasionally, there may be some field tasks, but there will be much fewer than other ordinary apprentices without specialties."

Luo En's heart moved; this was undoubtedly the most suitable task allocation for him.

The fixed submission task could exercise his potion skills, and at the same time, it left him enough time for other cultivation.

"Now, you can choose items from the list." The duty officer said: "Please choose carefully; this is related to your development for a long time to come."

Luo En nodded and read the list carefully again.

He knew the importance of this choice and quickly made various comparisons and trade-offs in his heart.

After thinking for a long time, he decided to choose a complete set of potion refining utensils and a piece of close-fitting protective inner armor.

(End of chapter)