Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 142 Master and Disciple
To her surprise, Ron never showed impatience with her because her questions were so basic; instead, he encouraged her to ask more questions and think more.

"The most important thing in learning potion-making is not memorizing recipes, but understanding the relationships between ingredients and the principles of reaction."

As Ron prepared a simple healing potion, he explained:

"Only by truly understanding these fundamental concepts can one make appropriate judgments and adjustments in practice."

Lilia nodded thoughtfully; this teaching method was completely different from her past experiences.

In her aristocratic family, when she learned etiquette and housekeeping, her teachers only required her to memorize and imitate mechanically, never explaining the reasons behind it.

"Try it. Prepare an energy booster using the method I just described."

Ron pushed the materials in front of Lilia: "Don't worry about failure; mistakes in the learning process are often the best teachers."

Lilia took a deep breath and carefully began to follow the steps she remembered.

Although her movements were clumsy, they were surprisingly precise, as if some kind of intuition was guiding her.

Ron observed silently from the side, already sensing something was amiss.

Perhaps this is precisely the unique aspect of the talent that "diligence can make up for lack of talent":

What may seem like an ordinary starting point can become increasingly steep in the learning curve over time.

Each of Lilia's attempts subtly enhanced her comprehension and operational skills.

[Superb Identification Experience + 1]

He secretly used his "supernatural perception" ability to observe the energy flow within Lilia's body.

As she focused on potion preparation, the peculiar energy fluctuations became more pronounced, like a small but resilient stream, slowly and steadily increasing in strength.

"Not bad." Ron commented when Lilia finished the first potion:

"Although there is still room for improvement in purity, it is already quite excellent for a first attempt."

A joyful smile spread across Lilia's face; this heartfelt praise gave her a long-lost sense of accomplishment.

This is not because of her appearance or flattery, but because of her genuine hard work and ability.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Ralph."

Lilia said sincerely, her eyes shining with gratitude.

“No need for such formality,” Ron replied with a smile. “On the path of learning, we are all seekers of knowledge.”

For the rest of the day, Lilia was completely immersed in learning the basics of potions.

She was surprised to find that she had an unexpected affinity for this subject, especially in material identification and processing.

Ron also noticed this and provided more challenging content as needed.

"You have a strong learning ability." As night fell and the day's teaching ended, Ron commented:

"Tomorrow we can try some more complex recipes and at the same time begin practicing basic mental control."

Lilia looked up in surprise: "Mental control? But my mental aptitude is only at the upper level of the fifth rank..."

"The foundation of mental control does not entirely depend on innate talent."

Ron explained, "The right methods and consistent practice can also lead to significant improvement. Moreover, as a potion master, basic mental control is an essential skill."

Lilia felt a warm current surge through her heart.

In her past life, few people have been willing to invest time and energy to nurture her because they see her potential.

Most people only see her appearance and regard her as an object that can be used or possessed.

“I will try my best, Lord Ralph,” she whispered her promise.

Back in her small room, Lilia sat quietly on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.

The scheming and plotting I had when I first came to the workshop now seem so superficial and laughable.

Compared to seeking protection by throwing oneself into someone else's arms, achieving success through one's own efforts and learning seems to be a brighter and more tangible path.

"Perhaps, my value lies not only in this face," Lilia murmured to herself, a glimmer of new hope in her eyes.

Meanwhile, in the trainee apprentice dormitory area, shocking news was spreading rapidly:
The beautiful Lilia is said to have become the "special assistant" of the genius middle school student Ron Ralph.

The news had no definite source, but it spread like wildfire among the apprentices, with all sorts of guesses and speculations emerging.

"I heard that Lilia is living in Ron's workshop now, and she doesn't come out at night..."

A tall, thin apprentice said mysteriously to his companion.

"Really? That Ron is a mid-level apprentice, and a professional potion master at that. His status is even higher than that of a typical mid-level apprentice."

His companion's eyes widened in surprise.

“It’s absolutely true! My cousin is a junior apprentice, and he saw Lilia wearing the workshop’s work clothes as she went in and out of the market to buy medicinal herbs!”

These reports quickly reached Keynes' ears.

The wealthy businessman's son had always coveted Lilia's beauty and had tried to get close to her many times, but she had always managed to avoid him.

Hearing that she had become someone else's "personal assistant," his face darkened, but he did not feel any anger.

After all, provoking others in the Black Mist Forest can often cost you your life.

“Ralph…” Keynes frowned. “I’ve only been out on field missions for two months. When did the school produce another person like this?”

The servant standing to the side whispered a reminder:

“Master, Ron Ralph is a rising genius who emerged during the two months you were away. It's said that his ranking in the candidate wizard sequence has recently improved dramatically, and he's already entered the top twenty. And…”

“And what?” Keynes asked impatiently.

"Moreover, he seems to have received special attention from the wizard Soren Griffith, often receiving private instruction."

The servant said cautiously, "Offending such a person would likely bring a lot of unnecessary trouble."

It should be said that it might bring about a catastrophic disaster, since his master was just an ordinary apprentice with no special skills.

But as a servant, this was the only way he could offer such a subtle reminder.

Keynes was undoubtedly a man who listened to advice, and upon hearing this, he fell silent instantly, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

He was born into a wealthy merchant family and learned from his father from a young age when to back down.

The consequences of angering a Sequence member favored by a formal wizard could be far greater than he imagined.

"Never mind." In the end, he could only reluctantly suppress his ulterior motives.
“Beautiful women are everywhere. You can buy a whole bunch of them in a single trip to the marketplace. There’s no need to make enemies with a genius like him over a woman.”

In this way, solely through her connection with Ron, Lilia successfully escaped Keynes's clutches, without her even realizing it.

Over the next few weeks, Lilia fully integrated into life at the workshop.

Every morning, she would get up early to prepare the potion ingredients and tools she needed for the day;

In the morning, I followed Ron to learn basic potion-making and mental control;
In the afternoon, he helped Ailan tidy up the workshop and take care of the little siren, Dale.
Evenings were for independent study and practice, and Ron occasionally noticed that the light in the other person's small room would stay on until very late.

Surprisingly, her culinary skills were also fully showcased.

Unlike Airan, who only knew how to cook simple vegetarian dishes, Lilia learned many advanced cooking skills in her aristocratic family.

She began preparing lavish meals for the workshop every day, cleverly combining various rare ingredients to create delicious and nutritionally balanced dishes.

"The taste of this dish... is just like that of a hotel chef."

Ron exclaimed in surprise when he first tasted Lilia's cooking.

Realizing that the concept of restaurants might not exist in the mortal realm, but rather in the private chefs employed by various nobles, he quickly changed his tune: "I mean, it's very delicious."

Lilia's face lit up with joy: "I studied under the head chef for a period of time in the family."

She didn't mention that she learned these skills to please her older siblings: "I'm glad you like them."

Ron nodded: "Talent and hard work will eventually pay off, no matter what field you're in."

These words resonated deeply with Lilia, and ever since arriving at the workshop, she hadn't dared to relax for a moment.

Especially from her small room in the courtyard, she could see the experimental area on the second floor of the workshop, which was also brightly lit all night.

Lilia felt that if Ron, who had already achieved success in many fields, was so strict with himself, what right did she, a toddler apprentice, have to slack off in her studies?

And as it turns out, hard work is indeed effective.

As time went on, Lilia's potion-making knowledge and skills improved rapidly, far exceeding Ron's expectations.

The little siren, Dale, became especially active with the addition of new people to the workshop, and she loved listening to Lilia tell stories about the outside world.

Lilia also enjoys spending her free time with Dale, teaching her simple knowledge and games.

“Dale, look at this, it’s called ‘Chasing the Light Game’.”

Lilia pointed a small mirror at the sunlight, projecting a bright spot onto the crystal tank wall, and then moved the mirror to let the spot of light move around in the water.

Dale excitedly chased after the point of light, her silvery laughter echoing through the workshop.

The entire workshop seemed to have become more vibrant because of Lilia's arrival.

Even the tree spirit, who was initially a little down because the new assistant was taking over her work, seems to have gradually recovered recently.

Perhaps she was worried that her value would be completely replaced...

Ron, who had been observing silently all along, came to this conclusion and couldn't help but sigh that the tree spirit was becoming more and more like a human, both in appearance and in heart.

………………

Ron stood on the workshop's balcony and reached out to lift the iron-blue curtains that fluttered in the night breeze.

The black fog forest outside the window was shrouded in a thin mist, and the magic crystal lights of the distant tower pierced through the fog, like illusory stars adorning the deep night.

Tonight marks the twentieth day since he officially began teaching Lilia.

Looking back on his experiences during this period, Ron couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment that was hard to describe.

Lilia's learning ability far exceeded his expectations; her focus and speed of absorbing knowledge made her a dream subject for educators.

The effect of this special talent, "diligence can make up for lack of talent," is truly incredible.

What may seem like an ordinary starting point can, over time, form an increasingly steep learning curve.

Especially in the past few days, Lilia's progress has been astonishing.

Perhaps it was the accumulation of knowledge over the past two months with Mrs. Allen, coupled with the intensive study over the past half month with me, that gradually brought out his talent.

She has not only been able to independently prepare primary treatments, but has even begun to try to improve some simple formulas.

Two days ago, she successfully increased the effectiveness of the "energizing potion" by nearly 20% while using only 80% of the ingredients.

This success rate even surprised Ron, as it was comparable to his near-proficient potion-making skills back then.

Even more surprisingly, she also demonstrated amazing adaptability to the basic exercises of mental control.

Despite having only a mid-level aptitude of five stars, her almost obsessive focus allowed her to master meditation techniques faster than apprentices of similar aptitude.

This morning, Lilia successfully completed the first stage of the basic meditation test, and the stability of her mental strength clearly exceeded the level she should have been given.

"Teacher, may I ask one more question?"

Lilia's voice came from behind.

At some point, the title "teacher" naturally replaced the original "Lord Ralph".

Ron turned around and saw a girl in work clothes standing at the door, holding a book called "Basic Potions" in her hands, looking focused and humble.

"Of course, what's the problem?"

"Regarding the ratio of silver moon grass to morning dew flower, I found that the 3:2 ratio recorded in the book does not seem to be the optimal ratio."

She said cautiously:

"I tried it a few times last night and found that a 5:3 ratio makes the medicine more stable and saves materials..."

A flicker of surprise crossed Ron's eyes, followed by a relieved nod:

“Your observation is accurate. The traditional ratio is based on the standard configuration in ordinary environments, but considering the magical environment of the Black Mist Forest, 5:3 is indeed more reasonable. This spirit of proactive thinking and practice is very rare.”

A flicker of joy crossed Lilia's eyes, but it quickly turned to humility:

"It's all thanks to the teachers' excellent guidance..."

"No, this is all thanks to your own hard work."

Ron corrected her habitual self-deprecation, word by word:

"Learning is not just about accepting knowledge, but more importantly, about questioning and verifying it. You have begun to demonstrate the mindset that a true potion master should have."

Lilia lowered her head slightly, her cheeks flushed, clearly treasuring this recognition.

“It’s very late, you should rest. Tomorrow we will begin learning the techniques of ‘Life Essence Extraction,’ which requires plenty of energy.”

Lilia nodded her thanks and quietly took her leave.

As her footsteps faded into the distance, Ron returned to his room and took out the silver pocket watch that hung around his neck.

Its black gemstone surface shimmered slightly, as if responding to his touch.

He slowly closed his eyes and entered a state of deep thought.

A moment later, an unprecedented feeling welled up from the bottom of my heart:

It was a warm and pure flow of energy, as if a clear spring was flowing into his spiritual core from the outside.

This feeling was completely different from the improvement he usually experienced through self-cultivation; it was more relaxed and natural, nourishing his soul without requiring any effort from him.

"This is 'blessing'..."

Ron murmured to himself, his heart filled with amazement.

He finally experienced firsthand the special connection that Mrs. Allen had described.

This is different from when I first gave an unintentional presentation in class, which inspired others and earned me a small favor.

This time, Ron acted as a true mentor, providing professional and purposeful guidance, and the "blessings" he received were significantly more powerful.

He could clearly feel the flow of this energy and actively guide its direction.

Under normal circumstances, most mentors would use this "blessing" to purify accumulated mental pollution, slow down aging, or even heal old wounds.

But Ron's situation at this moment is somewhat special.

"I have the Time Guardian Pocket Watch, which can periodically cleanse my mind of pollution, so I don't need to worry about this problem until I become a full wizard..."

He pondered for a moment and decided to devote this "blessing" entirely to his most scarce resource—his maximum magic power.

Ron carefully guided the flow of energy, directing it entirely towards his magical core.

As the "blessing" was infused, he felt a wondrous change begin to occur in the core of his magical power.

(End of this chapter)