Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

In the central training ground of Evergreen Stronghold, the dust settled after the tumultuous Top 50 qualifying rounds. Chen Lin's name, along with that battle where he defeated the "Iron Wall" Baroque, officially entered the vision of the Stronghold's leadership.

Owner of the Green Vine Workshop, a disciple of Master Liria, a fourth-level wizard apprentice, and the "Thorn Apprentice" with bizarre defensive vine armor and deadly paralyzing poison... These labels combined make Chen Lin an undeniable force in the selection competition, attracting more attention, both overt and covert.

However, for Chen Lin, advancing to the top 50 was merely a ticket to participate in the Southern Region Trial.

The real challenge—surviving, exploring, and seizing the soul artifact to heal Ella in the brutal Trial Tower—has yet to begin.

He clearly recognized his own shortcomings: insufficient movement speed and lack of effective long-range strike capabilities.

These two points could become fatal weaknesses in a rapidly changing and perilous trial environment.

At the same time, Chen Lin's life fell into a near-harsh, high-speed daily cycle.

Every day is precisely divided into several parts, like a fine gear, spinning wildly on the path of striving for improvement.

As dawn broke and the glowing moss on the dome of the ramparts was not yet fully illuminated, Chen Lin was already sitting cross-legged in the deepest secret chamber of the workshop.

The air was filled with the clear, star-like fragrance of the Lunar Eclipse Dew, yet it also carried a hint of restrained vitality.

Before him lay a specially made jade bottle containing the last few drops of precious medicinal liquid from the first batch of concoction.

He carefully took out a drop and put it in his mouth.

The medicinal liquid instantly transformed into a cool and gentle torrent of energy, rushing straight into the mind's sea.

In that instant, the world seemed to be slowed down.

The trails of dust floating in the air, the subtle sounds of apprentices getting up and washing in the neighboring workshop, and even the faint pulsation of energy flowing deep within the earth's veins all became incredibly clear.

His thinking speed was like an arrow released from a bow, and his thoughts moved like lightning. His perception and control over his own energy and the state of the Bloodthirsty Vine symbiotic body in his right arm had reached an unprecedented level of subtlety.

Under the cold monitoring of the Seed of Origin, he could clearly "see" that his spiritual sea, catalyzed by the medicine, was like a nebula being stirred by an invisible hand, spinning, condensing, and expanding at high speed.

Those stardust particles from the outside world, guided by the unique spiritual lens effect and weak spatial refraction properties of the Lunar Eclipse Concentration Dew, are absorbed, reorganized, strengthened, and transformed at a speed far exceeding the norm.

The Seed of Origin hints:

[The Lunar Eclipse Concentration Dew is in effect... Mental energy activity increased by 45%, thinking speed increased by 30%, sensory acuity increased by 25%, energy control precision increased by 15%...]

[Mental Strength Test: Level 4 Early Stage Wizard Apprentice, Mental Strength 54.3 points → 54.4 points, continuing to increase...]

[Expected end of this drug's effect; mental strength increased by 0.15 points]

If word got out that this rate of improvement was enough to drive any fourth-level wizard apprentice crazy!

Even with decent talent and ample resources, a typical fourth-level wizard apprentice who can steadily increase their mental strength by 1 point per year is already considered extremely excellent.

Chen Lin, relying on the Moon Shadow Companion Grass extracted from the optimized cultivation of the Seed of Origin, combined with the high energy conversion efficiency of his Bloodthirsty Vine symbiote after being tamed in the barrier life energy environment, and the precise guidance of the Seed of Origin on the process of mental power tempering, was able to achieve a terrifying speed of more than 1 point per month!

Of course, the cost is equally enormous.

After the effects of the drug wore off, what followed was intense mental euphoria and a deep-seated sense of exhaustion, as if the soul had been excessively stretched and tempered.

He needs to immediately enter deep meditation to guide the rich life energy of the barrier and his own blood and qi to nourish his talent, repair the minor damage to his spiritual sea, and consolidate the results of his improvement.

Meanwhile, the materials for the Lunar Eclipse Concentration Dew are extremely rare and expensive, and the amount produced each month is barely enough for daily use. Almost all of the workshop's profits are used to prepare these two potions.

Considering the many other ways magic stones are consumed, and the need to accumulate potions as reserves for future use in the Trial Tower, it is impossible to meet the long-term, large-scale requirements for mental strength improvement.

The Seed of Origin coldly warned: [Potion Dependence Risk: Moderate. Long-term, high-frequency use may lead to the fragility of the mental sea structure, drastically increasing the difficulty of breaking through the formal wizarding bottleneck.]

"We haven't considered the body's drug tolerance, and the speed at which mental strength is improved... isn't fast enough."

Chen Lin finished meditating, feeling the imperceptible yet real growth in his spiritual sea, but his eyes showed little joy.

With only three months left until the Southern Region Trial, he needs to raise his mental strength from 54 points to at least 60 points, reaching the mid-stage of the fourth-level wizard apprenticeship, or even aiming for 70 points to reach the late-stage fourth-level wizard apprenticeship, in order to have the resources to explore the depths of the Trial Tower.

Upon leaving the secret room, Chen Lin immediately immersed himself in the management of the Green Vine Workshop.

The workshop has become an important source of resources for him.

Inside the No. 3 cultivation cave, the constant-temperature magic circle hummed softly, and the lighting crystal emitted a constant halo. Five apprentice servants were busy in their respective areas: the apprentice tending the moonshine moss seedbed carefully dripped the specially made nutrient solution into the roots of the moss, and then directed the elven slaves to perform daily maintenance;

The apprentice in charge of the Peace Blossom is directing the elven slaves to artificially pollinate it using specially made brushes, and then using rapid growth magic to speed up the fertilization and fruit development process.

Chen Lin, like a calm supervisor, scanned every area with his eyes.

The Seed of Origin operates silently, analyzing the growth status and energy fluctuations of the magical plant, as well as the standardization of the apprentices' operations.

He would occasionally point out minor deviations, such as the silvery glow of a certain patch of moonshine moss being slightly dim, requiring adjustment of the angle of the energy lamp above; or the abnormal energy accumulation in the stamens of a certain calming flower, requiring a reduction in the supply of nutrient solution.

His instructions were precise and efficient, and the apprentices carried them out with awe.

In the makeshift medicine preparation room next door, the improved version of "Breath of Awakening Type III" is being packaged.

Chen Lin checked the energy purity of the latest batch of finished products and only signed off on the release after confirming that it met the purchasing standards of Liria Laboratory.

This batch of raw materials and potions will be exchanged for a substantial amount of magic stones and continued support from the Liria Laboratory. A portion of the profits will be used to purchase more rare materials to support his cultivation and research.

Due to the recent high consumption, Chen Lin even added the secondary life essence to the sales list. Since only he can make it to get the best effect, the quantity is not large, but the monthly profit can be 1000 more magic stones.

The workshop is now running smoothly, but Chen Lin knows that this is only the beginning.

He needs more advanced magical plants and more efficient cultivation techniques to exchange for more crucial resources in the future—such as rare materials used to break through the bottleneck of becoming a formal wizard, or core components for creating more powerful magical artifacts.

The central training ground of the barrier, the arena for the round-robin tournament, is Chen Lin's battlefield this afternoon.

Fifty outstanding apprentices compete in a match every day. The winner earns 1 point, the draw earns 0 points, and the loser loses 1 point.

The final ranking will determine the priority of trial resource allocation and the degree of importance attached to the area within the barrier.

Chen Lin's opponents are diverse, with varying fighting styles:

Against an elemental turret-type opponent, Chen Lin used the energy absorption and deflection field of the Thorn Armor to withstand the first wave of burst, while the Seed of Origin quickly analyzed the opponent's spellcasting gaps and energy flow weaknesses.

Command the vines to burrow into the ground like venomous snakes and launch surprise attacks, targeting the opponent's lower body or spellcasting points, using nerve paralysis to interrupt the casting, and finishing them off at close range.

The Thorn Armor's excellent defense against energy attacks has repeatedly proven its worth, but after each high-intensity bombardment, its right arm experiences an energy overload and aching sensation, requiring immediate post-match rest.

Facing a high-speed assassin-type opponent is the type that gives Chen Lin the biggest headache.

The opponent was extremely fast and moved with ghostly speed, so his vine entanglements often missed.

He could only cover his vital areas with thorny armor to withstand the damage, while using the enhanced perception from the Lunar Dew to predict the opponent's attack trajectory. At the critical moment, he would dodge to the side or block with vines, and then release a wide range of paralyzing poison mist or ground spike vines to restrict the opponent and look for an opportunity to counterattack.

Battles are often fraught with danger and consume enormous resources.

Against summoning and control-type opponents, who are generally skilled at manipulating golems and mental interference, the Soul Eater's Heart Balm's stable soul barrier becomes crucial in resisting mental attacks.

Thorn armor and vines are responsible for fighting against physical summons.

Chen Lin would prioritize using the flexibility and toxins of the vines to damage or paralyze the joints or energy cores of the opponent's summoned creatures before directly attacking the main body.

The Seed of Origin's ability to analyze energy nodes is remarkably effective when dealing with golems.

Every battle is a test of strength, tactics, and will.

With the mental strength of a Level 4 early-stage wizard apprentice, the optimized symbiotic ability, and the temporary boosts provided by the Lunar Eclipse Dew and Soul-Devouring Ointment, Chen Lin's battle record steadily improved, and his ranking on the leaderboard gradually climbed to around 25th.

But the cold analysis of the Seed of Origin constantly reminded him:

[The movement speed is a significant weakness, and the win rate against top speed-type opponents, such as Wind Affinity and Shadow Jumper, is less than 40%.]

Lacking efficient and powerful long-range strike capabilities, they are helpless against air and beyond-visual-range targets.

While the Thorn Armor offers strong defense, its active activation consumes a significant amount of resources, limiting its sustained combat capability.

These two weaknesses, like maggots clinging to his bones, limit his chances of achieving a higher ranking.