Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 89: Advanced Characteristics [Expert Knowledge]

The examiner sat in the middle. He was an old man with a long white beard and a gaze as sharp as an eagle. It was obvious at a glance that he was an experienced potion master.

Ron recognized him immediately—Magnus Claw, one of the most senior Potions Masters in the school.

"Welcome everyone to participate in this potion master certification examination."

Magnus' voice was loud and powerful, showing no sign of old age:
"I am the chief examiner, Magnus. Today, I will be judging your performance along with the two deputy examiners."

He briefly explained the assessment process: "The assessment is divided into three parts: theoretical testing, material identification, and actual refining. Only those who meet the passing standards in all three aspects can obtain the Alchemist certification."

The assistant began to distribute the theory test papers. Ron took the test paper and quickly glanced through it.

The questions cover all aspects of basic potions, including basic knowledge points as well as some advanced questions that require in-depth thinking.

Thanks to his hard study during this period, he found that most of the problems were within his control.

Ron began to answer calmly, his thoughts clear and his writing as if inspired by God:
“There are four basic principles of pharmacology. Please explain and give examples.”

"Differences in the reactions of Star Grass and Moon Shadow Flower at different temperatures."

"Why does the 'Awakening' potion need to be brewed in a special sealed container?"

As he answered one question after another, Ron felt as if the knowledge in his mind was spontaneously connecting into a network.

Those once scattered points of knowledge are now naturally merging into a whole, and every answer makes him feel refreshed.

During the theory exam, he was surprised to find that he could even recall every page of "Basics of Potions", including the small notes and diagrams.

This almost photographic memory allowed him to answer questions with ease.

Two hours later, the theoretical exam ended.

Ron checked his answers, made sure they were correct, and handed in the test paper.

A premonition flashed through his mind, as if something was about to change.

Next is the material identification link:

Each candidate was brought to a workbench with twenty different materials placed on it. The task was to correctly identify the type and approximate quality of each material within thirty minutes, and point out the counterfeits mixed in.

Ron stood in front of the workbench, took a deep breath, and concentrated himself completely.

Thanks to the [Medicinal Material Identification] skill and the [High-Speed ​​Identification] feature he gained after breaking through to the proficient level, he can determine the authenticity and quality of most materials almost at a glance.

He quickly began to identify it, his movements skillful and precise.

The moment my fingers touched the material, all kinds of information flooded into my mind through special perception:

This silver mushroom was picked too long ago, so its activity has slightly decreased;
This dragon's blood leaf is genuine, but improper storage has weakened its potency;

This so-called stardust crystal is actually processed quartz powder and is a complete fake.
During the process of identifying the materials, Ron discovered that not only was [Medicinal Material Identification] at work, he could even compare these materials with the records in various obscure books he had read in the past.

Those once scattered points of knowledge now all appear in my mind, forming a complete cognitive map.

"Time's up!" the invigilator announced. "Please stop judging."

Ron let out a light breath and glanced at his answer sheet, which he had checked over and over again countless times to ensure there were no mistakes or omissions.

He was very confident in his judgment, especially those fakes that were deliberately mixed in, he was able to identify them one by one.

The candidates next to them looked different. Some looked confident, some looked serious, and some looked depressed, obviously not very satisfied with their performance.

"Apprentice Ron, please come here." Magnus suddenly called out his name and waved Ron to come closer to the examiner's seat.

Ron's heart tightened, and he quickly walked up to the examiner: "Master Magnus."

"Your judgment on Material 18 is very interesting." Magnus's eyes flashed with curiosity.
"Half of the candidates thought it was the rhizome of the Moon Shadow Orchid, but you concluded it was a fake winter night grass in disguise. Can you explain your reasons?"

Ron thought for a moment and answered directly:
"A genuine moon orchid rhizome will have seven concentric rings on its cut surface, and it has a faint sweet fragrance when crushed. Material No. 18, while similar in appearance, only has five rings on its cut surface, and has a bitter smell when crushed, a typical characteristic of winter night grass."

Magnus nodded expressionlessly, "Very good, continue."

"More importantly," Ron added calmly:
"The silver stripes on the rhizome of the Moon Shadow Orchid change position with the phases of the moon. Today is a waxing moon, so the authentic specimen should have a left-leaning stripe. However, the 18th specimen has a fixed right-leaning stripe, which is clearly the result of artificial dyeing."

A flash of surprise crossed Magnus's eyes, but he quickly regained his seriousness. "Who did you learn this material identification technique from? This ability to observe details is quite unusual."

"I once worked in a potion shop for a while, and the manager there taught me some basic methods."

Ron answered truthfully: "The rest is experience gained through practice."

"Potion shop?" Magnus narrowed his eyes, probably already having a guess in his mind: "Okay, you can go and continue preparing for the next step."

The actual refining phase is the most critical part of the assessment:

The staff prepared a relatively independent refining table for each candidate, equipped with basic refining equipment and commonly used materials.

Magnus walked up to Ron and handed him a note: "Here are the three potions you need to make."

Ron looked down and his pupils shrank slightly: wound healing potion, mental stabilizer and "awake" potion.

Among them, the "Sobriety" potion is extremely difficult to make. Even among working alchemists, few can refine it perfectly.

This is obviously beyond the scope of the exam, like the final question on a math test designed specifically for top students.

"This..." Ron looked up at Magnus, who looked at him with a kind smile on his face.

"Are you having any difficulties, young man?" the old potion master asked, a hint of temptation in his voice.

Ron took a deep breath and replied calmly, "No, Master Magnus, I will do my best."

"Very good." Magnus nodded. "You have four hours."

Ron quickly planned the refining order and time allocation.

The wound healing potion is relatively simple and can be completed first;
The Mind Stabilizer needs to be brewed slowly, and can be started immediately after finishing the first potion;
As for the "Sober" potion, you need to concentrate and administer it last.

He first took out the Silver Wing Separator and began to process the materials needed for the wound healing potion.

As soon as this set of precision tools appeared, it immediately attracted the attention of other candidates. Some people whispered in surprise, apparently recognizing that it was an extremely rare Silver Wing separator.

However, the more sophisticated the instrument, the more difficult it is to operate. Those who are not proficient in the technique will often end up making things worse if they use it rashly. Being able to use it well is also a skill of the potion master.

Therefore, using precision instruments brought by oneself does not violate the basic requirements of the assessment.

Ron ignored the comments and looks and focused on his work.

His movements were smooth and precise, every step was just right, without any unnecessary movements.

The wound healing potion was quickly completed, and the finished product was a perfect amber color with a light herbal aroma.

Ron put it into a small bottle and set it aside to cool while he began preparing the ingredients for the mental stabilizer.

"He finished a potion in just half an hour." The candidate next to him caught a glimpse of his movements and exclaimed in amazement, "And it looks like it's of top quality. Who is this guy?"

The refining process of mental stabilizers is more complicated, requiring slow boiling at a specific temperature while maintaining uniform stirring.

Ron used the special skills of his mentor, Mrs. Allen, to adjust the order of several steps in the traditional recipe, making the refining process more stable.

Just as he finished taking the mental stabilizer, a strange feeling suddenly came over him. He saw a familiar translucent prompt in front of him:

[Basic Potions (Proficient) Experience +1]

[Breakthrough! Basic Potions (Proficiency 100/100) → Basic Potions (Mastery max)]

[Additional features have been advanced:

High-speed memory → extensive knowledge
(Super memory → photographic memory;
The ability to integrate knowledge increases, and learning efficiency improves;
As the amount of knowledge increases, the understanding will rise slightly)

At the moment of breakthrough, Ron felt that his mind became unusually clear, as if the mist that had always existed was suddenly blown away.

All the knowledge he had learned in the past, whether it was the chapters and paragraphs in "Basics of Potions", the experience passed down orally by Mrs. Allen, or even those scattered records of potion configurations, were all reintegrated together in an unprecedented way.

It felt like the scattered puzzle pieces in my mind suddenly and automatically pieced together into a complete picture.

He can clearly see the intrinsic connections between various materials, the principles and mechanisms of various reactions, and can even predict changes that may occur under different conditions.

"Is this the difference in mastery levels?" Ron exclaimed in his heart.

An hour later, the mental stabilizer was also completed, showing a satisfactory deep blue color, with silver spots floating on the surface of the liquid, proving that its energy was extremely active.

Magnus patrolled among the candidates from time to time. When he passed by Ron's workbench, he would always stop for a while to observe the young man's operation.

In the last two hours, Ron began to challenge the most difficult "Sobriety" potion.

This potion requires extreme precision, and any slight error could render the entire product useless.

At this time, after completing a breakthrough in basic potions, Ron felt that his understanding of potion making had reached a new level.

He no longer follows the steps mechanically, but is able to see the essence through the appearance and understand the principles behind each step.

Ron first used the Silver Wing Separator to extract the purest part of the Stardust Pollen, and then, following Mrs. Allen's advice, added three drops of Moon Dew to improve stability.

He then began to slowly mix in the other ingredients while controlling the heat to ensure the temperature always remained within the optimal range.

While other candidates were still frantically preparing the second bottle of potion, he had already entered the final stage.

With the new perspective gained after breaking through the mastery level, Ron suddenly discovered a subtle flaw in the traditional formula.

"If silver tree root extract is added at the final stage, the efficacy will be more stable and long-lasting..."

He thought to himself, "It will also make the color more uniform and improve the overall quality of the potion."

Although Mrs. Allen did mention the properties of the silver tree root, its use in a sobering potion was Ron's own innovation.

He took out a small bottle of silver tree root extract from the side, added a drop when the potion was almost finished, and stirred it gently three times.

The color of the potion immediately became more uniform, changing from light blue to clear azure, and it exuded a fresh and pleasant fragrance.

At the same time, Ron was pleasantly surprised to find that the drug's effect, which was originally expected to last only four hours, could now last at least five hours according to his calculations.

A translucent prompt appeared before my eyes:
[Successfully improved an existing potion formula√]

In this way, there is only one advancement requirement left - independently configuring three advanced potions. This is also the easiest advancement requirement to achieve, and he can complete it himself after returning later.

"All three potions are ready." He carefully poured the potions into the prepared crystal bottles and began to carefully check if there were any details that were missing.

"Time's up!" The Demon Eye Vine in charge of supervising the exam automatically descended and began playing a pre-recorded voice: "All candidates, please stop all operations and hand over your finished product to the staff."

Ron placed the three bottles of potions neatly on the tray and glanced around.

Most of the candidates had tired and nervous expressions on their faces, and about a third of them hadn't even finished their second potion.

"This kid actually finished everything," the lizardman beside him exclaimed in a low voice. "And just from a distance, you can tell the quality is very high."

Magnus and the other two examiners began to check each candidate's finished work.

Their inspections are extremely rigorous, not only observing the color and smell of the potion, but also taking samples to test its potency and stability.

When Magnus came to Ron's workbench, his expression became extremely focused.

He first carefully observed the three bottles of potion, then took out a set of special testing tools and began a more in-depth analysis.

"Wound healing potion - extremely high purity, even distribution of active ingredients, good ductility."

He nodded to Ron and whispered his evaluation: "Candidate Ron, you have a very solid foundation. This must be at least three years of hard work."

Magnus remained calm on the surface, but secretly admired in his heart:
"This kid looks no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, and he's already at this level at such a young age. Old Alan is really lucky."

Next came the mental stabilizer. Magnus took out a drop and placed it on a special crystal piece.

The crystal piece immediately lit up with blue light, and complex energy patterns appeared on it.

"The stability has exceeded expectations, and the decay period has been extended by nearly 30%." Magnus raised his pale eyebrows slightly. "This is a very insightful approach."

The last part is the "Sober" potion, which is the most difficult part of the assessment.

Magnus carefully took out a drop and placed it on a black slate.

The potion quickly expanded, forming a perfect circle with crisp edges.

Even more amazing is that tiny star patterns emerge on the surface of the liquid, twinkling like constellations in the night sky.

Magnus was silent for a moment, then turned to Ron and asked, "What did you add to the formula for this astral reaction?"

Ron replied calmly, "A drop of silver tree root extract was added in the final stage, Master Magnus. It stabilizes the potion's energy structure and makes the effects more lasting."

"Silverwood root extract?" Magnus asked in surprise. "This isn't an ingredient in the standard formula. Who taught you how to improve it?"

"I figured it out through experimentation, with some guidance from teachers as well."

Ron answered cautiously, not mentioning Mrs. Allen directly. "After many experiments, I found that this additive can significantly improve the stability of the drug's efficacy."

The admiration in Magnus's eyes became more obvious.

Although he believed that this level of improvement was largely due to Mrs. Allen's guidance, it was still amazing that he could have mastered such skills at this age.

At this time, the old potion master had already made a judgment in his heart:
This young man's level is probably close to that of many senior potion makers, but he just lacks sufficient experience to independently improve new formulas.

If he were given a dozen years, it would almost be inevitable that he would become an outstanding potion master.

Magnus exchanged a glance with the two deputy examiners and continued to examine the finished works of other candidates.

As the inspection progressed, the atmosphere in the examination room became increasingly tense.

Many candidates had disappointed expressions on their faces, and it was obvious that their finished products did not meet the standards.

Finally, all the inspections were completed, and Magnus returned to the examiner's seat and whispered with the two deputy examiners.

After a moment, he stood up and looked around the audience with a serious and solemn expression.

"Basic Alchemy" gains the "High-Speed ​​Memory" feature after breaking through the proficiency level, and then further advances to "Extensive Knowledge" after breaking through the mastery level.

This "high-speed memory" feature was added by me later. It was not in the original version. If you have any questions about it, you can go to Chapter 2. There are some modifications.

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(End of this chapter)