Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 97 The Potions Master's Assistant Exam!

Inside Locke's residence.

Locke stared at the two gems before him, lost in thought. On the table lay a precious gem, a deep blue diamond, which he had created by combining two level 6 deep blue gems and a level 6 diamond.

Locke saw its entry—

Deep Blue Diamond is a variant of Deep Blue Jade found only in the deepest underground mines. It is a mutated version of Deep Blue Jade created when Deep Blue Jade absorbs raw diamond ore. Its ability to filter magical power is more than ten times that of raw Deep Blue Jade, and its durability far surpasses that of raw Deep Blue Jade. A single Deep Blue Diamond can stabilize its owner's magical power and generate a filtering effect, reducing the user's magical power fluctuations to an unbelievable degree.

Locke used a diamond necklace to conceal this special gem, placing it in a special space inside the necklace.

This kind of precious gem cannot be detected unless it is actively infused with magic power, since it is essentially a magic power filter.

Therefore, Locke doesn't need to worry; someone will find it.

Locke tried to circulate his magic, his expression changing slightly. "Wearing this deep blue diamond, the stability of my magic is several times higher than before. I can almost control my magic with impunity."

Locke attempted to use magical flame techniques. The greatest difficulty for a potion-making assistant lies in how to skillfully use magical flames and smoothly switch between various elemental fire sources during a refining process. At least five types of magical flames must be able to be switched skillfully in order to skillfully refine potions at the potion-making assistant level.

In this process, the stability and accuracy of magical power are the most important things.

Locke snapped his fingers, and first came a wood elemental magic flame of 1400 degrees Celsius, a ball of blue flame burning and flickering at his fingertips.

Wood elemental fire is the gentlest and is the most commonly used fire by potion masters. If you don't even know this, you can't say you're studying potion-making.

Next, Locke's fingertips transformed into a thousand-degree fire elemental magic flame, and the cyan flame turned into a red flame.

The fire element, with its explosive properties, is also frequently used when extracting medicinal components.

The temperature of fire element flames is relatively low, but this makes it easier to extract special components from the materials; otherwise, magical flames would damage the herbs.

Locke remained expressionless and successively transformed the flames at his fingertips into water elemental flames—blue magical flames, wind elemental flames—pale magical flames, and earth elemental flames—yellowish-brown magical flames.

Wood element flames, earth element flames, fire element flames, wind element flames, and water element flames—these are all magical flames, magical flames that cannot be easily extinguished by ordinary water.

Each has its own characteristics.

Water element flames have the lowest temperature, making them suitable for low-temperature extraction of medicinal materials.

Wind element flames have the highest temperature, making them suitable for obtaining certain components through brute force.

Earth element flames have a temperature of only 800 degrees Celsius and are mild in nature, making them suitable for neutralizing polar magical flames, containing extreme components in medicines, eliminating drug toxicity, and reducing the toxicity of the resulting potions.

These five magical flames are the five flames that potion-making assistants should at least master first. Locke was originally very slow at learning them, and it would probably take him five to ten years to fully master them.

But now, with the blessing of the deep blue jewel, the stability of his magic has been further improved.

The magical flames at his fingertips were changing faster and faster.

Locke gazed at the magical flames, lost in thought. "With the Deep Blue Diamond, I can certainly accelerate my journey to becoming a potion master's assistant."

"The most important talent during the potion master assistant stage is the stability of mana, because at this stage, potion masters can simply follow the recipes to concoct potions."

"The demand for identifying the properties of medicines and developing formulas is very low."

Locke said, "As long as I can reduce the switching speed of the five magical flames to less than 3 seconds, I can start to formally refine medium-difficulty potions."

Medium-difficulty potions, also known as potion-making assistant potions, generally have quite complex properties and may require skillful switching between three or more magical flames.

Of course, the assessment will still include the speed and mastery of switching between the five common magical flames.

This is a basic skill.

Locke's eyes lit up with confidence. "If I become a potion-making assistant as soon as possible, I can concoct advanced growth gel, as well as high-grade nutrient soil and nutrient solution myself, which will save me a lot of money."

"Becoming a potion master's assistant might give me a new way to earn magic stones. The potions I make myself can be further synthesized to improve their effects, which should soon be able to support my mental strength growth and even my studies in the field of breeding."

"In the later stages of breeding, a large number of high-level potions will be needed, and many breeders can only buy them from potion masters using magic stones."

He now spends nearly three thousand yuan a month, so he needs to actively expand his income streams.

Furthermore, both meditation and breeding require a large number of high-level potions. If one could refine them oneself, a significant amount of cost could be saved, and the synthesis process would be much smoother. Locke had also been very interested in what exactly the so-called essential potion for advancing to a formal wizard, as mentioned by the witch Sophia, was.

Perhaps becoming a potion master's assistant would allow me to get in touch with that field sooner.

Locke calmed down and prepared to go to the Chimera Market to buy a batch of practice materials for Concentration Ointment in order to learn how to make it.

……

Two months later, it was time for the potion-making assistant certification exam at Lilith's Hut.

Locke quickly filled out the questions related to potions and handed them to Mr. Derek Jones, the official wizard in front of him.

Mr. Derek Jones is a first-level potion master, whose most famous work is the first-level potion, the Thousand Faces.

The Thousand Faces Potion even made it into the Sassari's Course in Everything textbook; it's a potion that, once ingested, can permanently alter one's soul aura and physical appearance.

This type of auxiliary potion has many uses, and many reclusive wizards need to use them to completely sever ties with their past.

Of course, I wasn't the only one getting certified. I applied for the Potions Assistant exam certification and waited for a while until the number of applicants reached three before I got the chance to take the exam.

Furthermore, the application fee for the assessment is 500 magic stones.

Besides myself, there was another person participating in the assessment: a senior first-class wizard apprentice from Lilith's Hut, and a first-class wizard apprentice from a nearby small wizard organization.

Those small wizarding organizations are not qualified to conduct assessments, and the outside world will not recognize their assessment results.

To undergo the potion-making assistant certification exam, they need to come to a relatively large wizarding organization like Lilith's Hut for the exam.

Besides the wizard Derek Jones, there were actually two other wizards in front of them.

The assessment for Potions Assistant is quite rigorous, so the assessment team must consist of three formal wizards, one of whom must hold the Potions Master badge.

This is also why many small wizarding organizations are not qualified to conduct assessments.

Derek Jones, a formal wizard, glanced at the three students' answer sheets and then snorted. "The foundations of all three of you are a bit weak. Oh well, you'll barely pass."

"Next up is the test on magical fire transformation."

The two people beside Locke both looked very nervous, as the pass rate for the potion-making assistant exam had never been very high.

Many people have the real strength to pass the exam in private, but once they enter the examination hall, under the cross gaze of three formal wizards, some people will not be able to calm down and will be unable to exert their strength.

Then I failed the assessment.

Locke wasn't too nervous; his score on the test wouldn't be very high, given the short study time.

When first-class wizard apprentices come for the assessment, they have already studied potion-making for several years, but I have only studied it for a little over two years.

However, the next two exams are my strengths. As long as I can pass this first round, the subsequent magical flame test and the practical potion-making test will be no problem.

Wizard Derek Jones, along with two other full-fledged wizards, set their sights on the first first-class wizard apprentice at Lilith Hut who was taking the magical fire test.

After watching his magical flame switching, Wizard Derek Jones frowned, wrote down his grade, and scolded, "Bate, you are, after all, a student of our Lilith Hut."

"This level of skill is being tested? You're wasting your magic stones, and you're wasting our time..."

"Your magical flame switching speed is around 5.5 seconds. With this level of skill, you still dare to take the exam? Aren't you afraid that your cauldron will explode from being boiled by your magical flame?"

Bette, pale-faced, bowed to the three formal wizards. "I'm sorry, I can usually do it. I was just too nervous..."

“My latest job really requires a potion-making assistant certificate, and I need that job, so…”

Wizard Derek Jones scoffed. "That's no reason."

"It's a disgrace to our Lilith House in front of outsiders."

(End of this chapter)