Lin Xia's pupils shrank sharply. A move name that was incomparably familiar from his previous life's games burst out of his mouth almost instinctively, his voice warping slightly from sheer shock.
"Dig?! Larvitar already learned Dig?!"
This completely overturned his understanding!
This was not a Soul Skill granted by a Soul Ring, but an ability that the Martial Soul itself had comprehended during its growth—awakened naturally as its energy accumulated and its origin stirred!
And this speed… how many ores had it even eaten? Larvitar's talent and potential clearly far exceeded his imagination!
Just as Lin Xia was still immersed in the shock brought by Dig, his mind racing as he considered the enormous value this move could have in combat and exploration
"Lar-vi~!"
A crisp cry filled with pride and a clear desire for praise suddenly came from behind him!
Lin Xia whipped around!
Less than three steps behind him, the ground suddenly bulged upward, the soil surging and scattering like a fountain!
The gray-green little dinosaur sprang out of a freshly opened hole with a cheerful pop, like a sprite of the underground, carrying with it the fresh scent of earth!
Larvitar landed steadily, then even went through the motions of shaking its head and body, flicking off quite a bit of the dirt clinging to it.
After that, it lifted its small head proudly, planting its short little claws on its round waist and striking a pose that clearly said, I'm amazing.
Those ruby-like eyes were opened wide, sparkling with a blatant Praise me! Praise me now! light, the corners of its mouth even seeming to curl upward smugly!
Seeing this adorable yet self-satisfied figure, Lin Xia's earlier shock was instantly washed away by overwhelming joy and fondness.
Lin Xia couldn't help but burst out laughing. He walked over, half-crouched, and vigorously rubbed the blunt horn on top of Larvitar's head.
"Incredible! Seriously incredible!"
His voice was filled with undisguised admiration and pride.
"This move is amazing—fast digging, completely silent, appearing and disappearing like a ghost! Worthy of my Martial Soul, Larvitar! Absolutely brilliant!"
Hearing Lin Xia's praise, Larvitar lifted its little head even higher in smug delight—then suddenly seemed to sense something odd.
Its claws dropped from its waist as it tilted its head, a very human-like trace of confusion flashing through its red eyes.
…Is Master praising me? Or is he praising himself?
Seems like… maybe both?
However, this tiny logical dilemma lasted less than two seconds in the face of overwhelming achievement and the craving for praise.
Larvitar decisively gave up thinking, planted its claws back on its waist, and puffed out its little chest even more!
That's right! Master is praising me! Praising Larvitar for being super talented!
"Larvi-tar~!"
(Of course!)
Lin Xia looked at Larvitar's smug, hands-on-hips pose, then lowered his gaze to the two smooth, deep tunnels at his feet—nearly formed in an instant. A thought suddenly arose in his mind, igniting an even bolder, more exhilarating idea!
"Dig… appearing and vanishing, passing through rock and soil as if they were nothing…"
Lin Xia muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the space ring Lou Gao had just bestowed upon him. Its cool touch did nothing to suppress the heat surging in his chest.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing as he stared at Larvitar, as if gazing at a walking treasure-excavating machine.
"Larvitar!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement as he crouched down, placing both hands on the little fellow's round shoulders. A light never seen before flashed in his eyes.
"Can we… can we go prospecting?"
"Lar-vi?"
Larvitar tilted its head, its hands-on-hips pose loosening. Confusion filled its ruby-like eyes—it clearly didn't quite understand the new term prospecting.
It raised a small claw and scratched the blunt horn on its head.
"I mean going to find things buried underground… tastier stones, treasures with even more energy!"
Lin Xia tried his best to explain in words Larvitar could understand, pointing toward the tunnel it had just dug.
"Just like what you did earlier—drilling into the ground! You can sense where those stones are, right? Just like how you could tell the taste of that starry refined gold essence before!"
"Larvitar—!"
Larvitar's eyes instantly lit up!
Tasty stones? Treasures with more energy?
That—it understood perfectly!
It nodded its little head vigorously, its short tail whipping back and forth excitedly with pa pa sounds.
It patted its round, bulging little belly with a small claw, then pointed at the ground again. The meaning could not have been clearer.
No problem! I'm great at finding tasty things!
Digging underground is my specialty!
Seeing that Larvitar understood and responded so enthusiastically, Lin Xia's heart began to pound wildly.
Fragments of knowledge he had just skimmed through in Illustrated Guide to Basic Continental Ores and Detailed Record of Ore Veins Around Gengxin City flashed rapidly through his mind.
How unimaginably rich were the mineral deposits hidden deep beneath the Douluo Continent!
Judging by the current point on the timeline, it could be said to be an entirely unexploited virgin land!
Ordinary iron and copper veins went without saying but there were also rare and precious mithril ores, refined gold ores, even associated minerals containing special elemental energy… and perhaps even legendary ores!
"Ordinary miners—even Soul Masters—need to spend enormous amounts of time and effort to extract ores: chiseling rock, blasting, transporting… not only is the efficiency low, but it can also damage the structure of the ore veins."
Lin Xia's thoughts raced as he compared this to Larvitar's almost terrifying digging ability.
"And Larvitar? Its 'Dig' was practically born for prospecting! Soil and rock are nothing before it—it can open passages in an instant. On top of that, it could already precisely sense the energy fluctuations of Starry Refined Gold and Starry Gold even through the Martial Soul space. When the time comes, it would be able to directly 'navigate' to rich ore deposits!"
"This efficiency… it's nothing short of dimensional suppression!"
As Lin Xia thought about it, vivid scenes seemed to unfold before his eyes.
He and Larvitar venturing deep into underground regions no one had ever set foot in, like treasure hunters armed with the keenest sense of smell and the most powerful digging tool, unearthing precious mineral deposits buried far beneath the earth one after another!
That would mean endless "food," a guarantee for rapid growth of Soul Power and physical strength, and most importantly the very foundation for Larvitar's future evolution into the Sandstorm Tyrant!
After all, for Larvitar to evolve into Tyranitar, eating just the small amount of ore Lou Gao had given him would be nowhere near enough!
It would require an entire mountain's worth! And if it wanted to become even stronger, the more it ate, the better!
Lin Xia couldn't help but let his imagination run wild—what if his luck were heaven-defying, and he discovered something like the legendary dragon vein formed at the place where the Mountain Dragon King had fallen, or a Dragon Valley ruin containing top-tier ores infused with the essence of dragonkind…
Then his and Larvitar's growth speed would truly reach an unfathomable level!
Soaring straight to the heavens would be no exaggeration!
One had to know that minerals related to dragons often contained the purest and most domineering energy. For a terrestrial darling like Larvitar, capable of using Dragon-type moves, they would be an absolute top-tier feast.
"Hoo…"
Lin Xia took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that while top-grade mineral deposits were tempting, such opportunities were rare strokes of fortune—like searching for a needle in the sea.
What was truly realistic right now was to make use of Larvitar's newly mastered Dig and begin experimenting within a controllable scope!
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