Becoming a Laboratory Assistant, the Assessment Drew Near

Luo Lin followed Wizard Eric into the Insect School's laboratory.

The place was far more spacious than he had imagined, and the air was thick with the mingled scent of strange herbs and insect secretions.

Along the way, he saw many transparent containers housing all manner of unusual insects of varying sizes.

Several apprentices in white robes bustled about inside.

Wizard Eric led him to an independent workbench. On it sat a specially made refrigerated case, inside which twenty translucent, faintly pulsating milky-white glands were neatly arranged.

Beside it lay an extremely delicate set of dissection tools, including silver needles as fine as hairs and miniature cutting blades.

"These are them."

"I'll give you two days."

"Use the tools here. Notify my assistant when you're done."

After saying that, Wizard Eric turned and left, seemingly unconcerned that Luo Lin might botch the task or steal the materials.

Luo Lin took a deep breath, knowing this was a test.

He put on the thin leather gloves prepared beside him, picked up a silver needle, and carefully examined a Dream Spider's silk gland.

The gland's surface was covered in fine veins, while viscous fluid flowed slowly within it.

He needed to separate it from the attached tissue without puncturing its outer layer. The difficulty was extremely high.

Focusing his mind, he activated the Efficient Scholar talent to its fullest.

His senses became extraordinarily sharp, and the silver needle in his hand seemed like an extension of his fingers.

Luo Lin cautiously inserted the needle into the junction between the gland and the tissue, his movements gentle and steady as he searched for the tiniest point of entry.

This was an exceptionally draining process.

His mental power was highly concentrated, and fine beads of sweat soon seeped from his forehead.

It took him nearly an hour to perfectly strip the first silk gland. He had nearly made several mistakes during the process, but his exceptional control allowed him to correct them in time.

After placing the perfectly stripped silk gland into a designated preservation solution, Luo Lin let out a breath.

With the experience of his first success, the subsequent processing would go faster.

He rested briefly to recover some mental power, then began working on the second one.

Time passed amid the silent, focused work.

Luo Lin became completely immersed in the high-precision operation and forgot the passage of time.

When hungry, he took a bite of the black bread he had brought with him. When thirsty, he drank some water.

Aside from necessary rest and meditation to restore his mental power, he spent almost all his time at the workbench.

The precise control granted by Efficient Scholar and the solid foundation provided by Basic Potion Material Processing combined perfectly at this moment.

His movements became increasingly fluid, and his error rate was extremely low.

A task originally expected to take two days was completely finished after only a day and a half.

Of the twenty Dream Spider silk glands, nineteen had been perfectly stripped. Only one suffered slight damage along its edge in the final stage due to an extremely fine vein remaining attached.

However, more than ninety percent of its overall activity had been preserved.

This success rate far exceeded Wizard Eric's expectations.

"Very good! Far beyond my expectations!"

Wizard Eric rarely showed a smile.

"It seems your talent for material processing is much stronger than the merely decent level you claimed."

"One damaged gland is unavoidable. This level of completion is already exceptionally rare."

He directly transferred 500 contribution points to Luo Lin, then paused in thought before saying,

"Luo Lin, would you be interested in working part-time as my laboratory assistant? You would mainly be responsible for processing delicate, fragile living materials or organs."

"You might need to come over once or twice a week. The timing can be discussed."

"Payment will be settled according to task difficulty and completion quality. It will not be lower than market rates."

"Furthermore, certain basic knowledge and resources within the laboratory can be made available to assistants."

Luo Lin's heart jolted.

This was exactly the opportunity he had longed for!

Not only would he gain stable and generous pay, but he would also gain access to knowledge and resources at the level of an Official Wizard. This would provide immeasurable benefits for his attempt to reach Third-Rank Apprentice, or even Official Wizard.

"Thank you for recognizing me, Wizard. This student is willing!"

Luo Lin immediately bowed in acceptance.

"Good. I'll have my assistant coordinate the specifics with you."

"Register your identity information first."

"From now on, you can come over every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon unless something special comes up."

"If there is an urgent task, I'll have my assistant notify you."

Wizard Eric nodded and informed Luo Lin of several other matters.

After leaving the Insect School laboratory, Luo Lin's heart surged with excitement.

Becoming an Official Wizard's laboratory assistant was undoubtedly an important shortcut.

It meant he had truly entered the periphery of the academy's inner circle, gaining valuable resources and channels of information.

He checked his identity plate and found that his contribution points had risen to more than 2,500.

He did not squander them extravagantly. Instead, he began making final preparations for his push toward Third-Rank Apprentice.

The key to becoming a Third-Rank Apprentice lay in a qualitative transformation of mental power, a substantial increase in mana, and the construction of a more complex rudimentary core spell model representing the direction of one's own path.

This required a large accumulation of resources and a profound understanding of knowledge.

He first spent 800 contribution points at an internal academy auction to bid for a bottle of Spirit-Concentrating Potion.

This was a precious potion that could significantly purify mental power and improve meditation efficiency. It was especially effective for breaking through bottlenecks.

Next, using his laboratory assistant privileges, he spent 300 contribution points at an internal discounted price to purchase several sets of notes on mental power compression and mana purification.

Such knowledge was normally accessible only to Third-Rank Apprentices or well-connected Second-Rank Apprentices.

Luo Lin also began consciously making use of the laboratory's resources.

Wizard Eric allowed assistants to use the laboratory's basic equipment for personal research after completing their work, though they had to provide their own materials.

Luo Lin began using the precision instruments there to further optimize the preparation process of the Stamina Recovery Potion, while also attempting to study the formula for a low-grade potion called Clear Mind.

This potion could temporarily improve concentration and thinking speed, making it helpful for studying and constructing complex spell models.

Time flew by amid fulfillment and busyness, and only two weeks remained before the assessment.

Luo Lin's pace of life became even faster.

At fixed times each week, he went to the Insect School laboratory to complete assigned tasks. He devoted all his remaining time to frenzied cultivation.

He conducted three intense meditation sessions every day. After taking Spirit-Concentrating Potion, the progress of his Basic Meditation Method increased rapidly.

He repeatedly practiced Acid Spray and Weak Force-Field Armor. The proficiency of both spells steadily rose, while Acid Splash finally reached the Beginner level, allowing him to cast it relatively reliably, with improved range and accuracy.

Weak Force-Field Armor reached the peak of the Beginner level, gaining stronger defense and a longer duration.

Luo Lin also began studying the techniques for mental power compression, attempting to actively guide his mental power through condensation during meditation. The process was exceptionally painful.

It was like forcibly compressing loose gas into liquid, but the effects on mental power growth and qualitative transformation were remarkable.

The data on his panel changed every day:

[Level: Second-Rank Apprentice Wizard (Progress 78%)]

[Mental: 2.8]

[Mana: 28/28]

[Basic Meditation Method (Mastery 55%)]

[Spells: Acid Spray (Beginner 15%), Weak Force-Field Armor (Beginner 88%)]

He was getting closer and closer to the threshold of Third-Rank Apprentice, but Luo Lin could feel that the final sprint would be especially difficult.

The growth of his mental power had begun to slow, and the barrier leading to the third rank was sturdier than he had imagined.

Ten days before the assessment, Wizard Eric called him aside and handed him a crystal bottle containing a silver liquid that emitted soft starlight.

"This is Starlight Dew. It has a decent effect on stabilizing the sea of consciousness and helping you break through bottlenecks."

"Consider it a reward for your excellent work recently."

Wizard Eric spoke in an even tone.

"Prepare well for the assessment. Don't embarrass me."

Warmth surged through Luo Lin's heart as he solemnly accepted it. "Thank you, Wizard!"

This bottle of Starlight Dew was extremely valuable, far surpassing the value he had created for the laboratory during this period.

It was not merely a resource; it also represented recognition and investment.

Seven days before the assessment, Luo Lin adjusted his condition.

He stopped taking on all tasks and focused solely on meditation, spell practice, and physical training.

After taking the Spirit-Concentrating Potion and Starlight Dew, Luo Lin felt that his sea of consciousness had become more solid and stable, while that barrier seemed to have loosened slightly.

Three days before the assessment, Luo Lin felt that he had reached the peak of his current state.

His Second-Rank Apprentice progress had reached 99%, his Mental attribute had reached 2.9, and his mana limit had risen to 29 points.

His Basic Meditation Method had risen to Mastery 68%, while Weak Force-Field Armor had even broken through to the Proficient level!

It was time!