Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 106: Five Hundred Years of Changes in the Abyssal Continent

Magnus chuckled, took out an antique pocket watch from inside his robe, opened it and checked the time:
"Since it's still early, I thought we could talk about something more in-depth."

Ron was slightly surprised, but quickly nodded in agreement.

"How much do you know about the supernatural organizations outside the Black Mist Jungle?" Magnus suddenly asked.

"Not much. Madam occasionally mentions some, but they are very brief."

Ron answered truthfully, and at the same time, he felt something in his heart. This old potion master obviously wanted to tell him some important information, and it must be related to Mrs. Allen.

"So, have you ever heard of the Crystal Spire?"

"I've heard Madam mention it several times, and there are records in the books within the school, but the information is incomplete. It only records that it is a gathering place for extraordinary people that is larger than the Black Mist School." Ron recalled.

Magnus nodded, his eyes becoming distant.

"The Crystal Spire... that's one of the most glorious wizard organizations in the Ring Abyss Continent. It's located in the fertile central region, and the magic concentration there is over five times that of the Black Mist Jungle."

The Abyssal Continental Group... Ron narrowed his eyes slightly. He noticed that the other party mentioned a larger geographical term, but did not explain it in detail.

The old man stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark mist-shrouded woods in the distance:
"In reality, the Black Mist School is only nominally affiliated with the Crystal Spire, and can be considered a peripheral branch of it. However, due to geographical isolation, this affiliation is not particularly strong."

Ron pondered, "Then why would any wizard choose to come to the Black Mist Jungle instead of going to the Crystal Spire where resources are more abundant?"

"That's a good question." Magnus turned around, a glint of approval in his eyes.
"Did you know? Mrs. Allen and I, as well as many of the older wizards you see here, were once members of the Crystal Spire."

Ron's eyes lit up; this information matched Mrs. Allen's previous vague hint.

Magnus sighed softly. "Young man, you should have started to learn advanced meditation methods, so you should have a basic understanding of mental pollution, right?"

"Yes, Madam told me that it is a disease that wizards cannot avoid contracting during meditation and experiments."

"Not only that." Magnus' voice became even deeper:

"The rate at which mental pollution accumulates is directly related to the concentration of magic power in the surrounding environment. The richer the magic power, the faster the mental pollution will erode."

As he spoke, he pointed to the distance, probably to the west:

"The magic concentration in the Crystal Spire is five times that of here. The mental pollution endured by the wizards there during their daily meditation is at least three times greater than here."

Ron suddenly realized: "So you and Mrs. Allen."

"You guessed right. For wizards like us who are already old and have no chance of advancement, the Black Mist Jungle is a good place to retire."

Magnus smiled self-deprecatingly: "Of course, the more direct reason is that we failed in the struggle at the Crystal Spire and were marginalized."

Ron took the opportunity to raise another question: "But, Madam once mentioned 'favor', saying it is an important means of resisting spiritual pollution."

"Oh... She even told you about the 'favor'." Magnus nodded, confirming his guess:
"You're right. Favors can indeed slow down spiritual pollution, but in places with extremely high concentrations of magic power, even with the help of favors, the accumulation rate will be alarmingly fast."

He suddenly changed the subject and talked about a seemingly unrelated topic: "By the way, do you know how long a formal wizard's lifespan is?"

Ron shook his head. With his authority, he couldn't find much information related to formal wizards in the materials within the school.

"In the absence of a mental pollution outbreak, an ordinary official wizard can live to at least three hundred years old."

Magnus turned slowly. "Those wizards who are slightly stronger, or have undergone physical transformation, can reach a maximum lifespan of five hundred years, until their souls essentially decay."

This number shocked him - five hundred years of life was enough to witness the rise and fall of a mortal kingdom.

"Of course, the premise of all this is that spiritual pollution does not break out prematurely."

Magnus added, a hint of caution in his eyes:
"Many wizards fail to reach the end of their natural lifespans, but are instead consumed by the pollution they have accumulated along the way, driving them mad, deformed, or... worse."

After a moment's silence, Magnus' expression softened.
"However, you don't need to worry too much about this yet. With your talent and Mrs. Allen's guidance, you will have a long way to go."

After sighing, he put down his teacup and changed the subject: "Speaking of which, I'm organizing a small potion master's gathering in half a month. Are you interested in joining?"

"Potion Master's Gathering?"

This was obviously an opportunity for the other party to build connections and exchange knowledge.

"Yes, it's held every quarter. It's not a large event, with just a dozen or so like-minded colleagues gathering together to share their recent research experiences and sometimes exchange interesting formulas."

Magnus explained, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes: "For new potion masters, this is a good opportunity to meet some veterans in the industry."

"I'm very interested, Master Magnus." Ron nodded immediately and agreed: "I'd love to attend this party."

"Great, then let's meet at the Cedar Hall in the north section of the school on Wednesday afternoon."

Magnus nodded with satisfaction, his beard trembling slightly. "Bring some of your own improved formulas. Everyone will be very interested."

A scrutinizing glint flashed in his eyes. "I heard those potions you mixed for Tracy were quite effective. Perhaps you could bring a sample or two for demonstration."

Ron was shocked. He didn't expect Magnus to know so much about such a small matter.

"I will prepare it, Master," he responded respectfully.

Magnus finished his last sip of tea and stood up. "I won't disturb you from your work, young man. I look forward to seeing the results of your research at the gathering." His gaze rested on the dryad in the far corner.
"For assistants, tree spirits are indeed a good choice. Their ability to perceive plants is a rare aid in potion refining."

Ron smiled slightly: "Yes, Ailan has helped me a lot."

"Ailan?" Magnus raised an eyebrow. "You've already given it a name? Interesting. Most people use them as tools, forgetting that dryads are intelligent creatures."

The old man nodded slightly, as if he was satisfied with Ron's attitude towards the Potions Assistant: "Treat it well, and it will give you more in return."

After sending Magnus away, Ron returned to the laboratory.

His eyes fell on the scroll on the table, Magnus's gift - the formula for "Sun Flame Essence".

Ron carefully unfolded the scroll and began to study this precious information in detail.

The recipe is clearly structured, with precise amounts and times indicated for each step. Even substitutes for various ingredients are detailed, showing the author's care.

As he read deeper, Ron's eyes became brighter and brighter.

This recipe was even more ingenious than he had imagined. Not only were the ingredients carefully selected, but the timing of each configuration was also extremely precise.

"It's so perfect that I can hardly improve on it... Master Magnus is worthy of being the Potions Professor from the Central Land of Plenty."

Ron murmured in admiration, and at the same time a bold idea came to his mind:

If this potion could be combined with the bloodline activation potion that he was currently researching, perhaps the current directional problem could be solved.

The two potions are theoretically complementary - the "Yang Yan Essence" focuses on activating qi and blood and guiding positive energy, while the bloodline activation potion focuses on awakening dormant genetic potential.

"The key lies in the guiding medium of 'yang energy'."

Ron muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with thought: "The Yangyan Essence can activate and strengthen the Yang energy in the body, and this happens to be the essential characteristic of the Yangyan Dragon bloodline."

He quickly grabbed a pen and wrote down this inspiration in his notebook:

"Use the Yangyan Essence as a guiding medium for the bloodline factor, and through the resonance of positive energy, precisely activate the bloodline fragment related to the Yangyan Dragon."

After his thoughts became clear, Ron immediately wrote a short letter to Andre, telling him his new idea.

"...This formula will help us solve the problem of unclear bloodline activation direction. I already have a preliminary plan, but I need you to come over to discuss the details. If all goes well, we may be able to complete the refining of the first batch of samples within two weeks..."

After finishing the letter, Ron looked at the experimental subjects and notes on the table with satisfaction.

Today's harvest exceeded expectations. Magnus's visit not only brought precious formulas, but also opened the door to a wider network of contacts.

When night fell, only a few candles were still burning in the workshop, but Ron still did not stop to rest.

He picked up the ironwood sword and began his daily sword training. The wooden sword drew graceful arcs in the air, making a slight whistling sound.

As his breathing and body-building skills reached a proficient level, his control over the sword was no longer what it used to be.

Every movement was as smooth as flowing water, precise and powerful, as if the sword had become an extension of the body.

He could feel the energy flowing in his body, changing direction as the sword's momentum changed, forming a unique rhythm.

But strangely, the experience value of basic swordsmanship still stubbornly stayed at that last point, and refused to break through.

[Current Progress: Basic Swordsmanship (Proficiency 99/100)]

"Why can't I break through?" Ron frowned and asked himself, putting down the wooden sword in his hand, and the sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks.

He carefully recalled every sword move, every coordination of breath and movement, and even every subtle angle of his wrist.

He has memorized every form and move of basic swordsmanship by heart, and his muscle memory is so strong that he can almost complete the entire set of movements with his eyes closed.

Everything seems impeccable, but I just can't take that last step.

After thinking for a long time, Ron suddenly thought of a possible reason - lack of practical experience.

In theory, the highest level of swordsmanship lies not in the moves themselves, but in the state of "unity of mind and sword".

It is an instinctive reaction honed between life and death.

His training, though rigorous and systematic, always remained at the formal and theoretical level and lacked the test of real combat.

"But there's no need to rush out and fight a life-and-death battle with monsters or aliens just to seek a breakthrough..." Ron was in a dilemma.

After working so hard for so long, he finally became a professional potion master in the school. Now everything is stable and improving. He is not stupid enough to seek any life-and-death excitement.

"Let's wait and see. There will always be a turning point. Let's ask Andre when he comes tomorrow."

The next morning, Ron and Andre chatted casually about their recent situation, and then got straight to the point, asking him about his difficulty in making breakthroughs in swordsmanship.

"Well..." Andrei stroked his chin and thought for a while:

"If we were still in the kingdom, we could ask those sword masters to give you a tutorial battle, but obviously there is no such environment here."

There is one more update, which will be posted within half an hour. It is a key breakthrough.
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(End of this chapter)