Inside the magical creature cultivation room.

Locke resisted the dryad's passive [Human Charm Spell] while using a small knife to slice its wrist and extract its blood.

"Human, my kin will tear you to pieces!"

"I'll use your heart to nurture a new dryad!"

The dryad thrashed violently, trying to break free, but in the next moment, the invisible Mandrake Vine coiled around its throat, squeezing its neck until it could neither move nor speak.

A normal dryad's combat power was at least equivalent to a first-class wizard apprentice.

However, all the iron cages in this cultivation room were enchanted with restraining spells from the enchantment school, designed to suppress and immobilize. Thus, Locke only needed a single [Vine Hand] to keep this furious dryad under control.

But if he opened the cage, that would be a different story.

The dryad would likely release all the magical creatures in the cultivation room in the shortest time possible, inciting a full-scale rebellion and escape.

Suspended midair inside the cage, the dryad stared in confusion at the empty space before it. Due to the Mandrake Vine's invisibility, it couldn't even see what had attacked it.

"What... is this...?"

"Damn... wizard apprentice..."

"Once I'm free..."

After collecting 500ml of dryad blood, Locke sheathed his knife. The dryad's rough, bark-like skin rapidly healed, leaving only a scar resembling a split in tree bark.

Locke examined the blood in his hand. It was green, but with a translucent, glass-like quality, as if made of emerald glass.

"Dryads are treasure troves for wizards, every part of them is valuable," Locke mused. "But capturing and containing them is fraught with danger."

"You’d need to be at least a first-class wizard apprentice to even attempt subduing a creature like this."

He draped a black cloth over the cage to prevent the dryad from using its [Human Charm Spell] on other magical creatures and causing unnecessary risks.

He had once read in a miscellaneous book about a wizard apprentice who locked a dryad and a kobold together. The dryad charmed the kobold and used it to escape the laboratory.

The [Human Charm Spell] worked on any humanoid creature with sufficient intelligence.

Leaving the cultivation room, Locke entered Witch Sophia's potion laboratory, a wooden hut filled with shelves of jars and bottles. Many contained bizarre specimens, some even labeled with danger warnings to deter casual handling.

Using the [Mana Centrifugal Extraction Technique], Locke combined the dryad's blood with Witch Sophia's bloodline-targeting extraction potion, isolating the required dryad blood essence. He handed two vials to her. "Teacher, here’s the dryad blood essence, two portions."

Witch Sophia nodded. "Set them aside for now."

"Locke, now that you’re a second-class wizard apprentice, it’s time you learned something more practical."

"From now on, you’ll be responsible for maintaining the magical flames during my potion-making."

Locke frowned. "Teacher, what are magical flames?"

With a wave of her hand, Witch Sophia illuminated the entire laboratory. Cauldrons burst to life with flames of varying colors, red, blue, green, purple, even blended hues.

She raised her right hand, and a cyan flame settled into her palm. "Generally, a formal wizard’s potion-making assistant must be at least a second-class wizard apprentice, sometimes even first-class."

"That’s because the assistant must help control the intensity and type of magical flames."

"Among all auxiliary disciplines, potion-making, alchemy, and enchantment are the most complex."

Witch Sophia continued, "An independent breeder only needs to reach first-class wizard apprentice level."

"But an independent potion maker must be a First Circle wizard."

She gestured to the flames. "Potion-making demands extreme precision in flame control. Temperature and properties are critical factors."

"For example, this wood-element mana flame in my hand is the gentlest, nature-friendly, with a temperature around 1,400 degrees Celsius, one of the most commonly used magical flames."

"Different colored flames have different temperatures and properties." She clenched her fist, extinguishing the cyan flame, then opened her palm to reveal a red flame. "This is a fire-element flame, 1,000 degrees Celsius, explosive in nature. It’s used for potions with volatile properties."

Witch Sophia explained, "So far, you’ve learned the [Mana Centrifugal Extraction Technique]. Now, I’ll teach you the next step, magical flame techniques."

"But these are only fringe knowledge in potion-making. To become a true potion maker, assistant-level skills are far from enough."

"Locke, the path of magic is vast. You have a long journey ahead."

"Still, mastering these basics will at least make you a competent assistant."

Locke listened, enthralled.

This was the advantage of being a formal wizard’s sole apprentice.

Other formal wizards wouldn’t impart such knowledge so readily, nor would they appoint a newly minted second-class wizard apprentice as their potion-making assistant.

Witch Sophia handed him a scroll. "Here’s the spell model for magical flames. The technique involves summoning flames using this model and injecting elemental particles in varying ratios."

"This allows you to create flames with different attributes."

"But this is just the beginning. Different potions require different flames. Sometimes, brewing a single potion demands switching between several, even dozens, of flame types."

"Now, try summoning a wood-element flame in this cauldron."

Locke accepted the scroll and began studying it from scratch.

But then, Wesley Durant, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. "Sophia, I’ve no objection to your apprentice practicing magical flames."

"But by the time he masters it, the Thousand Sores curse will have turned me into sludge."

"Find someone else for him to practice on."

Witch Sophia glanced at him. "Wesley, so now you’re scared?"

"Still, it’s not a problem."

"Your First Circle permanent defense field, [All-Metal Devourer], is exceptionally powerful. At the very least, you won’t die within the next week."

"Locke has a natural talent for mana stability. The spell model for magical flames is simple, the real challenge is maintaining steady mana output. He excels in this regard, so there’s no need for concern."

Under Wesley Durant’s slightly panicked gaze, Witch Sophia pulled up a chair, sat down, and began flipping through a book, as if she had all the time in the world.