CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 37: RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND "POTENTIAL" ASSESSMENT

Ron opened his eyes and cautiously replied, "I discovered some clues about the ’rhythm’ of spiritual power, which allows me to utilize meditation time more efficiently."

"Rhythm?" The staff member nodded, a thoughtful expression flickering in her eyes: "This perspective is quite insightful... Generally, those with high aptitude seldom achieve breakthroughs from this angle."

She pondered for a moment and continued to ask, "Besides meditation, have you practiced any other skills?"

Ron calculated how to respond; of course, he couldn’t reveal his golden finger, but appropriately displaying some special talent was necessary.

"I have some insights into magic potion making and swordsmanship," he said cautiously, "especially magic potion making. I have been working at Lady Allen’s shop."

"Lady Allen..." The staff member’s expression subtly changed, "No wonder... That explains why you’ve managed to break through so quickly."

Her attitude became more serious:

"Although your starting point is very low in terms of aptitude, you’ve managed to break through from sixth-class star to elementary apprentice in just a few months, which reminds me of a case from a few years ago."

"What case?" Ron asked curiously.

The staff member’s gaze carried a hint of reminiscence and fear:

"That was also a candidate apprentice with an extremely low starting point. When he arrived, not only was his spiritual talent at the bottom, but his appearance was so ugly it was conspicuous... But within a few years in the school, he made rapid progress and is now about to become an official wizard."

Ron’s heart skipped a beat, recalling some rumors Andre had shared: "Are you talking about... Oliver?"

The staff member’s eyes quickly became alert: "You know him?"

"I’ve only heard of him," Ron quickly explained, "I heard he has made significant achievements in curse research."

The staff member nodded slightly, but the wariness in her eyes did not completely dissipate:

"Oliver is indeed a rare genius, but the path he chose... is not one everyone should follow."

She seemed to be reticent about this name and swiftly returned to the matter at hand:

"Alright, since you’ve passed the spiritual power measurement, now I need to register some basic information, and then you can apply for resource allocation."

The entire process was calm and efficient; the staff member meticulously recorded Ron’s basic information and ability tendencies, and asked about his future development direction.

"Which field do you intend to focus on?" The staff apprentice asked, "This will affect your task assignment and resource types."

Ron thought for a moment; as someone with multiple professions, his development path was naturally more diverse.

But considering the current situation and the abilities he had already publicly displayed, the choice had to be careful.

"I have an interest in both magic potion making and magic research, but currently, I’m more inclined towards magic potion making."

He finally answered. This matched his true abilities and aligned with Lady Allen’s recommendation.

"Magic potion making..." The staff member nodded and wrote down this choice: "Lady Allen has always had a keen eye, and since she chose you as an assistant, she must have seen your potential in this area."

Next, the staff member pulled out a thick list, flipped to a page, and handed it to Ron:

"Based on your aptitude and breakthrough time, you’ve been evaluated as ’secondary potential’ level, which means you can only choose items from this list."

Ron looked through the list, his heart sinking, as the items listed were indeed quite basic:

A few extraordinary materials that were only decent, a few bottles of ordinary potions he could already refine, and some introductory wizardry books akin to his "Basic Magic Potion Theory."

The item’s list that interested him the most was the one classified under "Meditation Technique."

There were several advanced meditation techniques listed there, but the conditions to obtain them were nearly harsh—

requiring a fifty-year service contract with the school, and these meditation techniques could only elevate cultivators to the level of advanced apprentice, with no higher-level content.

Similarly, the conditions for obtaining zero-ring magic models were exceptionally strict, also requiring signing specific service term contracts with the school.

"These conditions..." Ron slightly furrowed his brows.

"Don’t complain, this is already better than what most secondary potential apprentices can get..."

The staff member calmly said, "The school’s resources are very limited, not everyone can get the best things."

"Sorry, ma’am." He took out Lady Allen’s sealed letter: "Lady Allen asked me to give this to the staff."

The staff member took the letter, her eyebrows slightly raised.

She carefully examined the seal on the envelope and only cautiously opened it after confirming no errors.

As she read the contents of the letter, her expression gradually turned to astonishment; she even flipped over the paper to carefully check the signature and seal.

"This..." she raised her head and looked at Ron with a noticeably changed gaze, now with more scrutiny and reassessment:

"Lady Allen rarely writes recommendations for people, and the wording in this letter..."

She didn’t finish, but Ron could feel the weight of that letter.

"Please wait a moment." The staff member stood up, walked to a hidden corner, and took out a rune stone to begin speaking in hushed tones.

The rune stone emitted a faint light, and moments later, a dignified male voice was heard.

The voice was very light; Ron couldn’t hear the specific content but felt that it was someone far superior in strength to the staff apprentice—possibly an official wizard.

Ron stood in place, his thoughts slightly stirred. He wondered what Lady Allen might have written in the recommendation letter to cause such a reaction.

Not long after, the staff member returned to the testing room, holding a different list, her expression had returned to calm but her eyes revealed an unmistakable curiosity about Ron.

"Based on Lady Allen’s recommendation and confirmation by the wizards in the school, your access level has been elevated to ’middle potential’ level."

She handed over the list: "Here is the corresponding resource list."

Ron took this new list and quickly browsed it, finding the differences astonishing.

Not only were the types of items more diverse, the acquisition conditions were also much more lenient.

Some precious extraordinary knowledge that required decades of service now demanded only a shorter service term; and some basic items could even be chosen directly without any additional conditions.

"Moreover." The staff member continued:

"Given your specialty in magic potion making, you are assigned the task of refining magic potions. You are required to submit a stipulated quantity of potions each month, with the rest of the time freely arranged. Occasionally, there may be some field tasks, but they will be much fewer than those for ordinary apprentices without specialties."

Ron’s heart stirred; this was undoubtedly the most suitable task assignment for him.

Fixed submission tasks could hone his magic potion skills while giving him ample time for other cultivation.

"Now, you can choose items from the list." The staff member said, "Please choose cautiously, as this relates to your long-term development."

Ron nodded and carefully read the list again.

He knew very well the importance of this choice, swiftly making various comparisons and evaluations in his mind.

After much deliberation, he decided to choose a complete set of magic potion refining vessels along with a piece of protective inner armor.