The first basic written examination was understandable, but the second paper, jointly written by the Alchemy Professors of the three schools, contained many points that were clearly beyond the regular student curriculum.
It purely tested talent, as well as the breadth and depth of extracurricular reading. Yet Lucien had answered everything correctly, which had already surprised him at the time.
And now, the Alchemical techniques Lucien displayed in practice filled Laurent with an even more tangible sense of wonder.
It was a very classical technique.
While knowledge and skills in the magical field had certainly accumulated and developed, there was, to some extent, a consensus: the older something was, the stronger it tended to be.
Many techniques and concepts passed down from ancient times had gradually thinned out during transmission because they were profound and obscure, or because they demanded excessively high talent.
Modern magical teaching focused more on accessibility, safety, and efficiency, so many ancient yet powerful or exquisite techniques had become the exclusive domain of a few ancient families or fortunate geniuses.
To Laurent, who had been immersed in Alchemy for decades, the techniques and rhythm Lucien was currently using definitely did not belong to modern popular methods or standardised textbook approaches.
They were more concise. The flow of Magic at certain transitions was more ancient, and the utilisation of the materials' intrinsic properties appeared more luxurious and bold.
Most importantly, with his own knowledge and experience, Laurent could not find any obvious flaws for the moment. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, and the control of Magic was refined to a staggering degree.
A boy of twelve or thirteen could actually possess such profound achievements in practical Alchemy?
This simply defied common sense.
Had Hogwarts' current Alchemy teaching reached such a level?
Or was this merely an extremely special case?
Filled with doubt, Laurent couldn't help turning his gaze toward the other Hogwarts contestant in the same row, the student named Riemann Selwyn.
In his eyes, Riemann's technique was the template of a standard good student: standardised and stable. Some of the processing details displayed the unique inherited style of old British Pure-blood families, making him excellent among his peers.
Unfortunately, the contrast was stark.
Once Riemann's operations were placed alongside Lucien's effortless, ancient-style skill, the gap became exceptionally vivid.
The latter did not seem to be competing so much as giving a skilled, even somewhat personalised, demonstration.
After a moment of silence, Laurent leaned slightly and asked the Hogwarts lead Professor sitting on his other side in a low but clear voice,
"Professor Shafiq, if I may be so bold, does your school currently customise completely different teaching plans based on each student's characteristics and progress?"
Sitting beside Laurent Rosier, Professor Shafiq, whose black curls were tightly bound in this public setting, was momentarily stunned by the sudden question from her French colleague and failed to react immediately.
But seeing Laurent looking at Lucien with great interest, Shafiq immediately understood his doubt, and a flicker of subtle embarrassment flashed through her pale grey eyes.
"Well, Lucien's Alchemy wasn't learned from me."
Upon hearing this, surprise flashed in Professor Laurent's eyes.
"Does Hogwarts have another Alchemy Professor?"
Just as the question left his mouth, realisation appeared on Laurent's face.
"Oh, I see. Could it be that Headmaster Dumbledore took a fancy to this child's talent and is teaching him personally? If that's the case, then it's not surprising..."
He felt that he had found a reasonable explanation.
On one hand, through the first two written examinations and the Alchemical methods before him, Laurent was certain that Lucien possessed extraordinary talent in Alchemy.
On the other hand, who did not know that the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the universally recognised greatest wizard of the century, Albus Dumbledore, also had peak attainments in the field of Alchemy, having once collaborated with the legendary Alchemist Nicolas Flamel on many epoch-making studies?
Combining the two, it seemed to make sense that a student like Lucien could be cultivated.
Sure enough, Dumbledore himself was Hogwarts' greatest foundation and brand.
Laurent sighed inwardly. With such a figure in charge, Hogwarts did indeed surpass other magical schools in certain aspects.
Of course, wizards from various countries would not say such things out loud. They would still insist on praising their own schools. French wizards would surely say Beauxbatons was the best in the world, and American wizards would definitely claim Ilvermorny was the finest globally...
Seeing the "I understand" look on Professor Laurent's face, Professor Shafiq opened her mouth, momentarily unsure how to respond.
She realised that he seemed to have misunderstood something, but the key was...
She did not know who Lucien had learned his Alchemy from either.
Shafiq was used to slacking off. No, in her own words, she knew how to allocate her energy.
Although she was surprised that Lucien had such Alchemical attainments at such a young age, she was too lazy to ask. In the Wizarding World, no matter how strange something was, it was not worth being shocked over.
In any case, it would still be a few years before Lucien might enrol in her Alchemy class. She would deal with it then.
Right now, waiting for Lucien to win this Alchemical Tournament and bringing that championship back to Hogwarts so she could ask Dumbledore for a few extra days of holiday was the real priority.
A sudden thought inexplicably jumped into Shafiq's mind.
Wait, she was away leading the team for the competition, so who was teaching the students enrolled in Alchemy at Hogwarts right now?
At the time, Dumbledore had only smiled and told her to lead the team well. As for the substitute teacher...
He didn't seem to have mentioned it?
Professor Shafiq blinked, then felt too lazy to think about the problem. She quietly shifted her body to lean more comfortably against the back of the chair, adjusting into a position that was both dignified and as relaxed as possible, then turned her gaze back to the field.
Her pale grey eyes swept over several contestants who were either nervous or composed, finally stopping on the area in front of Lucien.
In Shafiq's perception, the flow of Magic and the balance of various elements there were orderly and stable, as if it were not a teenager competing at all.
Oh, this child's movements were still so fast.
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