This was the third time Lynn had stood in Rosalind's room.
He noticed that every time he ascended to a new level, he would find himself here once again. And each time, he would bring his teacher a little "surprise."
The first time was when he became a First-Level apprentice. The second time, when he advanced to Second-Level. And now, he was a Third-Level apprentice.
The previous two times had been relatively uneventful. But now, visiting as a Third-Level apprentice, even the ever-calm and composed Rosalind showed a hint of emotion.
Seated gracefully on the sofa, Rosalind had her long, slender legs naturally together, slightly bent.
A heavy book rested on her lap, her fingertips idly tracing the book's spine, though her gaze remained fixed on Lynn.
In her beautiful eyes, an unmasked look of surprise flickered.
Although Lynn had already explained the reason for his rapid progress how he had obtained a batch of rare potions when the Nightshadow Fortress was caught in the flames of the Furnace War Rosalind still found it somewhat surreal.
"Lynn, every time I see you, you always manage to surprise me…"
She spoke softly, her tone carrying a complexity that was difficult to put into words.
"In less than a year, you've advanced to Third-Level. Perhaps only Aestry could have been faster than you… but she…"
Rosalind's words trailed off, her expression turning solemn as a deep thoughtfulness settled in her eyes.
She had originally summoned Lynn to check on his recent progress, but she had never expected that this student of hers would leap from Second-Level to Third-Level in such a short time. His rate of improvement had exceeded her expectations.
"Sigh, the Furnace War has turned out to be your opportunity… but poor Colin…"
Rosalind let out a soft sigh, pressing her red lips together, a trace of worry between her brows.
She could still sense Colin's life force, which meant that at least he was still alive. But his whereabouts remained a mystery.
Even when she traveled to the Furnace front lines in search of him, she had found no trace. The war had been a catastrophe for Colin.
In stark contrast to Colin's disappearance, however, was Lynn standing before her.
Not only had this newly accepted student managed to survive the war with just his Second-Level strength, but he had also used the chaos to his advantage, rapidly rising in power as a beneficiary of the war.
When she first took Lynn under her wing, Rosalind had only hoped that he would survive the Furnace ordeal and become the second student of hers to live long enough to make something of himself.
Yet now, that expectation had been fulfilled at a pace beyond belief.
Rosalind felt a moment of daze as if everything before her was an illusion, too incredible to be real.
Lynn's advancement to Second-Level had merely surprised her, but his promotion to Third-Level truly shook her inwardly.
Even so, it wasn't enough to make the formal witch lose her composure this was still within her realm of understanding.
Only if the next time she saw Lynn, he had already become a formal wizard, would she truly be stunned.
Suppressing the thoughts in her heart, Rosalind looked at Lynn once more, a trace of satisfaction flickering in her eyes. She spoke softly:
"No matter what, becoming a Third-Level apprentice in these turbulent times is indeed good news."
Having just returned from the Furnace battlefield, she calmly briefed Lynn on the situation at the front lines.
Lynn listened attentively, his gaze sharpening slightly.
Though he had already heard some battlefield intelligence from Rand, the information had been incomplete. Rand was merely an apprentice, after all, and the details he could access were limited.
Now, hearing it firsthand from Rosalind, a formal witch, Lynn could finally piece together the fragmented information and see the full picture of the Furnace battlefield.
Rand had not lied: some individuals had indeed risen to become formal wizards through battle achievements.
However, what Rand had failed to mention was that behind every successful case, there were countless failures hundreds, thousands, even more reduced to mere bones on the battlefield.
The opportunity to become a formal wizard was real, but the difficulty was akin to reaching the heavens.
The lucrative rewards promised by the Furnace were, as Lynn had expected, not so easily obtained.
As he listened, his thoughts drifted, and a glimmer of deep contemplation flashed in his eyes.
The more he recalled, the more familiar it all seemed.
Back when the Furnace attacked Nightshadow Fortress, Black Dragon Witch Aestry had used a similar tactic sending apprentices to charge headfirst into the enemy's spells.
By the end, only a handful of apprentices had survived the Fortress's magical bombardment.
Now, the Furnace was laying siege to Emerald Forest, once again forcing apprentices to fight for their lives.
Yet, the methods differed vastly.
Aestry had relied on contracts to coerce apprentices into battle, drawing scorn from many behind the scenes. But the Lord of the Furnace was much craftier.
Instead of force, he dangled tempting rewards genuine, substantial prizes, not just minor benefits: opportunities to become formal wizards, advanced meditation techniques, high-level potions, top-tier enchanted artifacts, and more.
Though the apprentices charging into Emerald Forest suffered heavy casualties, the allure of these rewards continued to draw in wave after wave of eager participants, many even voluntarily leaving the Furnace to join the madness.
Lynn's gaze flickered slightly, his lips pressing into a firm line. Deep down, his decision was solidified he absolutely could not set foot on that battlefield!
"Lynn, you're still young. You have a long time before your breakthrough deadline there's no need to risk your life fighting for battle merits."
Seeing his contemplative expression, Rosalind mistook his thoughts for temptation, assuming he was considering heading to the battlefield. She immediately spoke out to dissuade him.
Indeed, Lynn had joined the Furnace at fifteen and was now only sixteen. He still had nearly twenty years before the age limit of thirty-five to attempt breaking into formal wizardry.
There was no reason to recklessly throw himself into such a high-mortality battlefield now.
After offering her warning, Rosalind's tone turned serious as she continued:
"Lynn, do you still remember what I told you before? Once you reach Third-Level, I will teach you an advanced meditation technique."
Lynn's eyes instantly lit up with excitement.
Of course, he remembered!
For an apprentice to break through into formal wizardry, three key factors were essential: a formal spell model, supporting potions, and the apprentice's strength.
At Third-Level, the basic meditation techniques were no longer sufficient. They could still provide some progress but at an agonizingly slow pace.
After all, advancing from a Third-Level apprentice to a formal wizard was a qualitative transformation a fundamental shift in life's essence, an incredibly difficult step.
Thus, to successfully make this leap, an apprentice had to fully tap into their potential and establish an unshakable foundation.
In this process, an advanced meditation technique was of utmost importance.
For every Third-Level apprentice aspiring to become a formal wizard, obtaining an advanced meditation technique was nothing short of a priceless treasure.
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