David thought for a moment before turning to his assistant, "Give Devon a ring and see if he can drop by."


    "Sure thing."


    Half a minuteter, the assistant nced over at David, speaking softly, "Devon said the assessment is tomorrow, so it''s probably not the best time for a visit. He''s noting."


    David heard this and was caught between feeling proud of having such a principled student and being frustrated by his rigidity.


    "Never mind, I can''t be bothered with him right now," David said with a wave of his hand.


    His stubborn apprentice was always like this during assessment season. It was nothing new.


    Meanwhile, after hanging up, Devon stared at the charred remains in the cauldron, running a hand through his tangled hair.


    For the tenth time today, he dumped the burnt residue into the trash bin at his feet.


    After giving the cauldron a thorough clean, Devon was about to start another attempt when he noticed he was running low on herbs. Massaging his temples, he headed out of the alchemyb.


    Soon, he was at the storeroom, handing his list of needed herbs to the storekeeper.


    While waiting, his eyes, shadowed with exhaustion and red-veined, and his stubbly chin, told the tale of a few sleep-deprived days. Devon was lost in thoughts of alchemy, his gaze distant, not even noticing when someone entered the room.


    The new arrivals were Conrad and Dane.


    Conrad hadn''t expected to see Devon. Noticing Devon''s scruffy appearance, a slight smirk tugged at his lips as he unusually initiated a conversation, "Fancy seeing you here, Devon. Picking up herbs too?"


    It took Devon a moment to look up, finally showing some expression on his rugged face, "Oh, Conrad, Dane, when did you get here?"


    Conrad: "..."


    Dane noticed Conrad''s slightly annoyed expression, aware of his usual annoyance with Devon. Clearing his throat, he smiled and tried to lighten the mood, "Just now. Devon must have been too caught up in his thoughts to notice."


    Devon nodded, "Yeah, I was thinking about something."


    Conrad, his disdain for Devon''s offhand attitude simmering beneath the surface,mented casually, "All set for tomorrow''s assessment, I assume?"


    Devon didn''t look at Conrad, replying with a casual ''It''s alright'' while mentally juggling the idea of tweaking his potion recipe once he got back.


    What irked Conrad the most was Devon''s arrogant air, acting as if he was the top talent in the whole association. If it weren''t for their master being the chairman, Devon wouldn''t be much at all.


    Determined to knock Devon off his high horse, Conrad nned to showcase who the real genius was in tomorrow''s assessment.


    Conrad turned away, ending the conversation there.


    Soon enough, the storekeeper handed Devon the herbs he needed. Devon took his supplies, gave Conrad and Dane a nod, and hurried off.


    After he left, Dane handed his own list to the storekeeper and turned to Conrad, "I heard Devon''s been hitting a walltely, struggling to whip up any decent grade-A potions."


    While crafting grade-A potions was tough, for someone like Devon, a seasoned alchemist, failing to do so could only mean his skills were slipping.


    Conrad raised an eyebrow, having been too focused on the Cunningham family and Donald to notice, "Really? I wouldn''t have thought it was that bad."