Potion Effects and Spell Experiment

When he finished work and left the Herb Shop, Ron carefully tucked the few bottles of Refreshing Potion into his robes.

Although Mrs. Allen had said they were merely defective products, they were still a rare windfall for a Candidate Apprentice like him.

In the Black Mist Forest, a bottle of perfect-quality Refreshing Potion often sold for more than a dozen Magic Stone Fragments.

Even this defective product could fetch at least two or three Magic Stone Fragments if he sold it at the market.

This was still the most basic Refreshing Potion—brewed mainly from Moonlight Grass and Carbon Breath Grass, along with various auxiliary ingredients.

Compared with advanced potions made from rare materials, its effects were naturally far inferior.

But for Ron as he was now, it was enough.

Although this potion could not directly increase mental power, it allowed the user to remain highly lucid for a short period.

Compared with the bitter water steeped from Black Nettle Leaf, its refreshing effect was several times stronger. Even the nauseating bitterness that should have accompanied such a potion had been balanced to perfection.

No wonder some apprentices from better backgrounds would rather spend a fortune to buy several bottles as spares.

Amid these thoughts, Ron returned to his room.

Although the morning's work and practice had consumed quite a bit of his energy, he had no intention of resting just yet.

The deadline for the assessment was drawing closer and closer, making every minute and second precious.

More importantly, he was eager to verify the idea he had just formed.

Taking out a bottle of Refreshing Potion, Ron first examined the clear, amber-colored liquid inside.

Under the faint light, tiny silver particles could be seen drifting within it. They were remnants of Moonlight Grass.

"Let's begin."

Ron sat on the bed, adjusted himself into the most comfortable position, and carefully took a small sip of Refreshing Potion.

A cool sensation instantly spread from his throat throughout his body, like a clear spring flowing through a dried-up riverbed.

The fatigue caused by his morning practice and work vanished completely, replaced by an exceptionally lucid state.

"This effect..." Ron clicked his tongue inwardly. No wonder so many people are eager to get their hands on it.

Then he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

This time, he tried to combine the circulation of his mental power with the clarity brought by the potion.

In this unprecedentedly sensitive state, Ron could perceive the flow of his mental power more clearly.

Those minute fluctuations that were usually difficult to grasp had now become clearly visible.

"So that's how it is."

He suddenly realized that the residual energy fluctuations in the potion bore an astonishing resemblance to the Rhythm of his mental power.

This might be the reason Refreshing Potion could help stabilize mental power.

Basic Meditation started.

In his consciousness, the basic rune composed of three arcs began to take shape.

But this time, Ron did not mechanically copy it as he usually did. Instead, he tried to let the rune form naturally in accordance with the rhythm of his mental power.

It was like writing beautiful calligraphy. What mattered was not rigidly copying the shape of the characters, but mastering the connections between the strokes.

Gradually, he felt a smoothness he had never experienced before.

His mental power was like a docile stream, slowly gathering under the rune's guidance.

Special effect triggered: Potion Amplification—This meditation's effect has slightly increased

Basic Meditation Experience + 1

Basic Meditation Experience + 1

Basic Meditation Experience + 1

...

"This rate of improvement..." Ron opened his eyes, pleasantly surprised as he watched the experience value on the panel continue to rise.

Besides the amplification brought by the potion, the bonus to mental power accumulation from the Potion Apprentice profession was also silently taking effect.

Just as Ron was preparing to continue meditating, Darund's irritated voice came from next door again. "Why is the Spell Model for 'Sonic Tremor' always unstable?"

A clattering crash followed, as if some experimental apparatus had been smashed.

This obsessed researcher of Sonic Spells had clearly encountered another bottleneck.

Hearing the noise, Ron suddenly remembered something.

Come to think of it, he had never seriously studied the zero-ring spell "Slime Splash."

Among the basic spell scrolls distributed by the School, aside from the "Basic Meditation Method," this was the only zero-ring spell, and the simplest one at that.

In the world of wizards, spells were like precious seeds. Every wizard would pour a lifetime of effort into cultivating a few of them, making them grow into unique sources of power.

The ring count represented the complexity of a Spell Model, not its direct level of power.

Most apprentices could truly master no more than two or three spells in their lifetimes. Even those with outstanding aptitude found it difficult to become proficient in many spells at once.

That was because true mastery of any spell meant integrating it into one's own mental system, an extremely long and arduous process.

Flipping open the notebook he carried with him, he found the spellcasting essentials he had hurriedly recorded back then:

"Some zero-ring spells can display astonishing power in the hands of a true wizard, even surpassing that of high-ring spells."

"Every spell is a seed. An apprentice's task is not to mechanically memorize the casting steps, but to find a way to resonate with that seed and let it take root and sprout in their own mental soil."

"The zero-ring spell 'Slime Splash' requires condensing a droplet-shaped mental power structure. It appears simple, but actually contains several different energy circulation patterns."

Ron carefully reviewed the contents. His understanding of mental power had changed completely, and after this period of comprehending Rhythm, he might be able to understand the spell from an entirely new angle.

He pressed his cool palms to his face to clear his head, then began condensing his mental power according to the method in his notes.

The clarity brought by the Refreshing Potion was still lingering, allowing him to perceive every fluctuation of his mental power more keenly.

Sketching the shape of a droplet in his consciousness was not difficult. The difficult part was keeping the shape stable and giving it the correct "Rhythm."

Ron remembered his mentors saying that true mastery of a spell was a long process.

A Primary Apprentice who could master one or two spells was already exceptional. Intermediate Apprentices, meanwhile, often spent several years studying the variations and applications of a single spell rather than blindly pursuing quantity.

Only upon reaching the High-level Apprentice stage would they begin trying to modify and fuse the spells they had mastered, creating more personalized forms of power.

Only after reaching the level of a Formal Wizard would one be qualified to attempt creating entirely new spells.

By then, they would have integrated the several spells they had mastered into their souls, able to draw upon the power of heaven and earth with every gesture.

That was also why, in the eyes of ordinary people, wizards seemed able to cast powerful spells without chanting incantations—the spells had already become as instinctive to them as breathing.

Just as he did when brewing potions, Ron tried to guide his mental power in a similar manner.

He no longer forced it to take shape immediately. Instead, he followed its natural flow and slowly gathered it into a droplet shape.

Zero-ring spell "Slime Splash" casting started.

Mental power control method optimization detected.

Potion Apprentice profession bonus: Mental power control precision slightly increased.

"It seems the direction is right." Ron could feel the Spell Model taking shape with unprecedented stability.

The sensation was like finding the optimal balance between ingredients while brewing a potion.

When all the forces were in harmony, the spell naturally took shape.

Slime Splash Experience + 2

"So that's how it is."

Ron opened his eyes and looked at the small clump of slime condensed in his hand.

Not only had this casting gone far more smoothly than before, but it had also consumed noticeably less mental power.

But he knew that he was still a long way from truly mastering the spell.

This was merely an initial understanding. To truly internalize it as part of his own power would require countless attempts and failures.

As his mentors often said: "A wizard can often spend an entire lifetime mastering only a handful of spells, but it is precisely this focus and depth that allows those spells to reach realms beyond ordinary people's imagination."

It seemed that not only Potions, but even the most basic spells followed certain specific laws.

And through his understanding of Rhythm, he seemed to have found a shortcut to improvement.

Just as Ron was preparing to continue experimenting, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from the corridor, seemingly mixed with quiet sobbing.

He pricked up his ears warily. At this hour, any unusual disturbance was worth watching out for.

Especially after so many things had happened yesterday...