Potion School

His voice carried a trace of barely perceptible surprise as he asked, "You... became a Formal Apprentice before reaching the Wizard Tower?"

Li Ang nodded calmly. "Yes, sir."

"Oh?" Old Mori's eyes widened slightly behind his lenses. He set down his work, his gaze lingering for several seconds on Li Ang's somewhat pale yet composed face.

"To condense an Astral Star during the voyage, master a spell, earn the supervising wizard's recognition, and advance to Formal Apprentice... such talent and comprehension may be common in the Elemental School, but in our Potion School, it's rarer than hen's teeth."

His tone held undisguised admiration, along with a hint of wistfulness.

The moment those words were spoken, the several reserve apprentices beside them, still awkwardly carrying their piles of supplies, turned to look at Li Ang in unison. Their eyes were filled with shock and unconcealed reverence.

Though they had luckily condensed Astral Stars, mastering even a single spell independently without a mentor's guidance was simply too difficult. Not one reserve apprentice aboard their ship had succeeded.

Old Mori took out another thirty copper coins and handed the supplies to Li Ang, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"A Formal Apprentice's monthly allowance is sixty coins. Make good use of them. Mentor Eve instructed that if a new apprentice can use the contents of this basic herb pack to successfully prepare a qualified Calming Potion within three days..."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly, with a touch of expectation and encouragement.

"They will have a chance to become Mentor Eve's apprentice. For you, that is a rare opportunity indeed."

Calming Potion? Li Ang's heart stirred. This was one of the most basic potions recorded at the very beginning of Fundamentals of Potioncraft. Its effect was to soothe the mind and assist with shallow meditation.

And what did becoming Mentor Eve's apprentice mean? Selenst had invited him before as well. Had he accidentally missed an opportunity?

After receiving the basic supplies for joining the school, Wizard Attendant Ellie led them away from the supply station.

The group entered the corridor inlaid with plant specimens once more. After Wizard Attendant Ellie introduced the locations of several basic facilities along the way,

they climbed the stairs to the second floor. The corridor here no longer displayed plant specimens, but rows upon rows of school regulations. At last, they stopped before a heavy oak door.

The instant Ellie pushed open the door, a wave of sweat and the distinctive hormones of young men rushed over them.

Ellie was clearly choked by the smell. Covering her nose, she said to the two male reserve apprentices,

"This is the collective dormitory for male reserve apprentices."

Li Ang glanced inside. The space beyond the door was large, with twenty or thirty bunk beds packed tightly across the rough black stone floor. At the moment, however, it was empty.

"Find yourselves empty beds. Remember! Keeping quiet is a basic requirement. Anyone who disturbs another person's meditation will be put in solitary confinement."

Looking at the terrible conditions before them, the reserve apprentices all showed some measure of disappointment in their eyes, but none dared complain.

Silently clutching their cauldrons and herb packs, they squeezed into the crowded space like sardines and began searching for beds of their own.

Next, Ellie led Li Ang and another girl to the collective dormitory for females on the other side. Compared to the boys' dormitory, this one was even messier, with all manner of belongings piled throughout the room.

The girl stared at the sight before her in fear, hardly daring to believe this was where she would live in the future.

Ellie spoke somewhat helplessly.

"Go in. Either get used to it, or become a Formal Apprentice and leave this place."

The braided girl looked as though she wanted to cry but had no tears left. She walked into the dormitory.

Finally, Ellie's gaze shifted to Li Ang, the only one wearing a gray robe.

"Li Ang Carlson, your dormitory is on the third floor. Follow me."

After climbing another flight of stairs, Ellie brought Li Ang to an area of private dormitories.

Ellie stopped with Li Ang before a room marked B045, then took out a brass key and unlocked the door.

"These are private dormitories for Formal Apprentices and Apprentice Wizards. They may not be large, but at least they're quiet."

She stepped aside, then looked into the room with a hint of envy.

"At eight tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting at the entrance to the Potion School's main hall for all of you to conduct the school-entry ceremony. Don't be late."

After saying that, Ellie made no further small talk. She handed the key to Li Ang, turned, and left, soon disappearing around the end of the corridor.

Li Ang entered the room. Though it was not large, it appeared to be only around ten square meters.

But compared to that crowded collective dormitory just now, this place was practically heaven.

Once again, Li Ang felt the hierarchy and cruelty of the wizarding world.

Directly opposite the door was a small double window set with frosted glass. Through it, he could see Riley City beyond the Wizard Tower.

A sturdy wooden bed stood by the window, covered with clean gray coarse-linen sheets and a pillow of the same material.

To the left of the bed stood a simple natural-wood wardrobe, while to the right was a desk of the same material, paired with a wooden chair.

A black wooden clock hung above the desk, displaying the current time: three in the afternoon. Other than that, there was nothing else.

Li Ang closed the door behind him. He walked to the desk, first placing Fundamentals of Potioncraft on its surface, then carefully setting the rough ceramic cauldron and the very light basic herb pack in one corner.

His gaze fell first upon the cauldron.

[Standard Practice Cauldron: Lv0]

[Status: Can be bound]

[Binding cost: 1 Mental Power]

"Bind," Li Ang silently recited in his heart.

A faint thread of Mental Power was drawn from his Astral Star and slowly flowed into the cauldron's rough surface. Li Ang clearly felt a connection form between himself and the cauldron.

[Binding successful]

[Standard Practice Cauldron: Current level Lv0]

[Current effect: Increases stability when brewing potions]

[Lv1 effect: Increases stability when brewing potions by 10%, increases Mental Power guidance effect by 10%]

[Upgrade requirement: Number of Magic Starlets in the Mental World reaches 1; consume 5 Mental Power]

Without hesitation, Li Ang raised the cauldron's level to Lv1.

"Increased stability and Mental Power guidance effect..."

Li Ang fell into thought. For a potion-making novice like him, these two attributes were undoubtedly a gift of charcoal in snowy weather.

In potion brewing, failure often came in the instant when the heat went out of control or the ingredients fused unevenly.

That ten percent increase in stability might be the difference between success and a pile of dregs.

Next, his gaze shifted to the basic herb pack wrapped in rough gray linen.

He untied the hemp cord around it and poured its contents onto the desk.

There was pitifully little inside.

Two Tranquility Flower Stamens, carefully pressed flat for preservation. They were a soft pale purple and gave off a faint fragrance that calmed the mind. These were the core ingredients of the Calming Potion, providing its primary mind-soothing effect.

Around a dozen dried Silverleaf Orchid leaves. The leaves were silvery gray, their edges slightly curled, and they gave off a faint mint-like scent. Their purpose was to further enhance the effects of the main ingredient.