Lin Xia looked at Larvitar, his gaze turning exceptionally serious.
"Larvitar, I have an idea. From now on, while we study the knowledge our teacher teaches us, we can also try going underground… to treasure hunt!"
"Find more and tastier—ores! But we must be careful. We can't dig recklessly. We have to follow Teacher's guidance and avoid dangerous areas. Do you understand?"
"Larvi! Larvi-Larvitar!"
Larvitar understood the words "treasure hunting" and "more tasty food" perfectly. It immediately became so excited that it started waving its limbs around, patting its chest in assurance, its little head nodding like a pecking chick.
As long as there were delicious stones to eat, it didn't care where it had to dig!
It even made an energetic digging motion with its small claws, brimming with enthusiasm.
Watching the little fellow's fighting spirit soar, Lin Xia couldn't help but rub its blunt horn again, a hopeful smile spreading across his face.
With the key ability Dig, Larvitar's potential had been completely unlocked!
This was no longer just a combat or auxiliary move—it had opened up an entirely new growth path filled with infinite possibilities: becoming an explorer of the earth, a conqueror of underground treasures!
Endless ore veins and the vast subterranean world would all become their stage for growing stronger!
"Alright, little genius."
Lin Xia stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Let's go back and keep reading. The more knowledge we learn, the more efficiently we'll be able to find tasty ores! Tomorrow, we might bring this idea up to Teacher and see if we can try it on a small scale near the Association's mining grounds."
The early morning of Gengxin City was still shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Dew glistened on the plants in the backyard of the Blacksmith Association.
Lin Xia was already seated at the stone table in the courtyard, flipping through the thick Illustrated Guide to Basic Continental Ores (Lou Gao's Annotated Edition) by the light of the rising sun, his expression focused.
Larvitar lay at one corner of the stone table, hugging a fist-sized block of black iron ore that shimmered with a dull metallic sheen.
"Crunch, crunch"—it chewed with relish, its cheeks puffing in and out as its small tail swayed contentedly.
Ever since arriving at the Blacksmith Association, Larvitar's mouth had never stopped. Its stomach was like a bottomless pit!
Before long, Lou Gao's tall figure appeared at the entrance to the backyard, the morning light outlining his sturdy silhouette.
At a glance, Lou Gao spotted Lin Xia and Larvitar in the courtyard. Seeing Lin Xia immersed in reading and Larvitar peacefully gnawing on ore, a satisfied smile appeared on his weathered face, dusted with iron filings and coal ash, and he nodded inwardly.
This child was not only extraordinarily talented—this diligence and eagerness to learn were even rarer.
Lou Gao lightened his footsteps as he approached.
Lin Xia seemed completely absorbed in the book until Lou Gao's figure blocked the sunlight. Lin Xia jolted awake, immediately set the book aside, and stood up respectfully.
"Teacher, you're here…"
Lou Gao smiled and waved his hand, signaling him not to stand on ceremony. His gaze instead fell with interest on Larvitar, which was still fully focused on dealing with the black iron ore.
The little fellow's eating posture was genuinely amusing—completely immersed in its culinary world, utterly oblivious to its surroundings.
"This little one is really eating with gusto,"
Lou Gao chuckled.
On a whim, he bent down and extended his large, calloused hands, gently preparing to lift the small gray-green "little dinosaur" to take a closer look.
Lou Gao instinctively used the strength he would apply to an ordinary small beast and exerted force at his wrist—
Hm?
It didn't budge at all!
Larvitar had just reached a critical chewing moment when it felt its body lift slightly before settling back down. It paused in confusion, turned its small head, and looked at Lou Gao with gem-like crimson eyes, half a chunk of ore still clamped in its mouth, letting out a muffled, puzzled sound.
"Larvi?"
Its gaze was clear and a little bewildered, as if asking.
Old man, what are you doing? Can't you see I'm busy?
The smile on Lou Gao's face stiffened for a moment, quickly replaced by astonishment.
He was a Divine craftsman—his strength far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even though he hadn't used much force, the little fellow's weight… far exceeded his expectations!
Lou Gao immediately added more strength and only then managed to lift Larvitar steadily.
It felt incredibly heavy in his arms!
Lou Gao weighed it instinctively, the astonishment on his face deepening. Holding Larvitar, he turned toward Lin Xia, his tone filled with disbelief.
"Xiao Xia, your Martial Soul… is really not light at all! Holding it feels like it weighs at least as much as a full-grown adult man! And it's still so small—how old is it?"
Seeing his teacher holding his own heavy Larvitar with a shocked expression, Lin Xia couldn't help but laugh. He pointed at the half-eaten black iron ore on the stone table and the scattered ore fragments nearby, explaining.
"Teacher, don't forget what we usually 'eat.' These are solid ores—their density is far higher than ordinary flesh and blood."
"Since both Larvitar and I can digest them, our body structures and densities are naturally changing as well. Being much heavier than we look is perfectly normal!"
Upon hearing this, Lou Gao lowered his head and glanced at the gray-green body in his arms, covered in rock-like armor, then looked back at the hard Black Iron Ore on the table. Realization dawned on him.
"Exactly! Exactly! This old man was thinking about it the wrong way! If one had an ordinary mortal body, forget digesting it—one probably couldn't even bite into this stuff! If you can eat it and digest it, how could your body not change?"
Recalling Larvitar's teeth—comparable to top-grade tempered steel and Lin Xia's feat of chewing Starry Refined Gold raw, such a change in weight truly wasn't worth making a fuss over.
The trace of astonishment in Lou Gao's heart immediately faded into relief, and he even found it only natural.
No longer dwelling on the matter, Lou Gao carried the heavy Larvitar over and sat down beside the stone table.
Larvitar itself was rather carefree. Coupled with having been fed Starry Refined Gold earlier, it felt quite fond of this "big fellow" of an old man. Curling up comfortably in Lou Gao's arms, it continued to hug its ore and gnaw away contentedly.
In high spirits, Lou Gao casually reached into an inconspicuous storage leather pouch at his waist and took out a fist-sized mineral. The stone was a deep, profound blue throughout, as though starlight flowed within it.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding air seemed to carry a faint chill, clearly marking it as anything but ordinary.
"Come, little fellow. Try this Starfrost Iron and see if it suits your taste,"
Lou Gao said with a smile as he brought the precious ore to Larvitar's mouth.
Larvitar's tiny nose twitched sharply, and its ruby-like eyes instantly lit up.
"Larvi!"
It cried excitedly, tossing aside the half-eaten Black Iron Ore without hesitation. Using both little claws, it hugged the Starfrost Iron—radiating alluring cold energy and pure metallic power and eagerly took a loud crunch, its face filled with pure satisfaction.
Watching this treatment made even Lin Xia feel a little envious.
To be honest, he wanted to eat it too!
After feeding Larvitar, Lou Gao turned his gaze toward Lin Xia, his expression carrying both warmth and a hint of examination.
"Xiao Xia, I saw you reading when I came in just now. How was it? Which part were you reading? Was there anything you didn't understand?"