"Hold on a little longer, little guy. Once it's dug out, we'll head back and digest it slowly."
Lin Xia gently stroked Larvitar's scorching head, his tone filled with reassurance and encouragement.
Lin Xia knew all too well how domineering the energy of Void Stone was, but at this moment, safely relocating this priceless yet highly dangerous mineral vein took priority.
Larvitar took a deep breath. Its small body, covered in rocky armor, once again emitted a faint glow.
This time, however, it did not charge forward with its usual ferocity. Its movements became exceptionally heavy and slow.
Those razor-sharp claws, capable of easily tearing through black rock, now felt as if they were filled with molten lead. Every excavation tugged at the violently congested spatial energy within its body, drawing out suppressed groans of pain.
"Sha… crack…"
Fragments of rock and the ordinary stone layers encasing the precious Void Stone vein were peeled away bit by bit.
Larvitar's small face was tightly drawn, crimson eyes filled with restrained pain and unwavering focus.
Its excavation speed was more than ten times slower than usual. Every claw strike felt like a battle against invisible shackles.
Lou Gao watched from the side, his heart clenched.
He never expected that, while enduring such immense pain, the little one could still execute commands with such precision, carefully avoiding any damage to the dark silver crystals flowing with stardust.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly.
Under the tense gazes of Lin Xia and Lou Gao, Larvitar worked like the most tenacious miner, inch by inch stripping away the "shell" surrounding the mineral vein.
Finally, through sheer perseverance, the entire dark silver Void Stone vein, flowing with stardust and embedded in the massive rock wall was completely separated and now lay quietly within the excavated hollow.
"You've worked hard, little guy!"
Lin Xia immediately stepped forward and tenderly lifted the nearly exhausted Larvitar into his arms. Its body was still scorching hot, but there was a trace of relief in its eyes—the calm that came after completing its task.
The spatial soul tool ring on Lin Xia's wrist flared with light as he carefully stored away this treasure that contained both terrifying energy and immense danger.
Even the space within the ring trembled violently from the intense spatial force, emitting a deep, resonant hum.
"Let's go. We're heading home."
Lou Gao said solemnly, his tone urgent and unquestionable.
He knew that what Lin Xia and Larvitar needed most now was a safe environment and proper recuperation.
After returning to the Blacksmith Association, Lin Xia and Larvitar immediately entered a phase of full recovery and refinement.
However, refining the residual violent spatial energy of the Void Stone proved far more difficult and prolonged than expected.
That power clung like a bone-parasite, like countless tiny spatial blades rampaging through meridians and flesh. A moment of carelessness could trigger severe soul power backlash and spatial ripple disturbances.
Lin Xia had no choice but to immerse his entire consciousness inward, circulating the foundational meditation technique, carefully guiding, soothing, and refining those unruly energy particles bit by bit, forcibly integrating them into his soul power and physical body.
The process was monotonous, painful, and extremely draining. Every successful refinement came with profound mental exhaustion and tearing sensations deep within his body.
Larvitar's condition was no better.
The energy congestion within its body was even more severe, forcing it to rely on prolonged sleep and instinctive absorption.
Most of the time, it remained curled up inside a specially prepared "mineral cradle." Its body would occasionally emit faint dark silver patterns, accompanied by suppressed whimpers of pain.
Through their spiritual connection, Lin Xia could clearly sense the storm-like turbulence of energy raging within Larvitar. All he could do was continuously transmit comfort and support.
At the same time, he carefully guided his own soul power fluctuations to resonate with Larvitar, forming a subtle harmony that helped it gradually organize and tame the violent spatial force.
This half-month of recuperation was not merely healing, it was a tempering and reshaping of their very foundations.
Lin Xia's soul power, which had been forcibly pushed to Level 18 by the Void Stone, was like inferior cement mixed with sand—unstable and restless.
He had to use this period to repeatedly circulate his soul power in the clumsiest yet most reliable manner, cleansing, compressing, and refining it again and again. He expelled the impurities and instability introduced by the forced integration of spatial energy, tempering his soul power until it became purer and more solid.
Every circulation brought soreness to his meridians and tested his will, but Lin Xia understood clearly that without a solid foundation, the road ahead would be impossible.
Finally, after day upon day of perseverance, the violent spatial energy was completely subdued and refined, fully integrated into their bodies.
Lin Xia's soul power level stabilized at the peak of Level 18, only a single step away from Level 19. Yet this Level 18 was entirely different—dense like mercury, smooth and perfectly controlled.
Lin Xia felt that his strength, speed, and even perception had undergone a qualitative leap. In particular, he sensed an indescribable increase in sensitivity toward subtle spatial fluctuations.
However, just as this half-month of arduous refinement was drawing to a close, something entirely unexpected happened.
Perhaps it was a physical stress response caused by the prolonged high-intensity circulation of soul power. Perhaps, during the refinement of the Void Stone's violent energy, his body instinctively sought other elemental forces to balance the excessively sharp spatial power within him. Or perhaps the massive amount of lightning-element energy contained within the Purple Lightning Iron Ore he had previously consumed was finally completely stimulated under extreme pressure…
In any case, on a night filled with thunder and lightning, as Lin Xia guided his soul power to surge through his meridians, a faint purple electric arc suddenly burst forth from his fingertips without any warning.
Crackle!
The crisp sound echoed clearly within the dimly lit workshop.
"Hm?!"
Lin Xia abruptly opened his eyes, staring in astonishment at the tiny arc of lightning dancing at his fingertips.
Immediately afterward, a thought stirred in his mind. He attempted to circulate his soul power along a strange route, one that seemed to originate from pure bodily instinct—condensing it within his fist.
Zzzzt!
A clearer layer of purple lightning, carrying a scorching sensation, instantly wrapped around his right fist, emitting a faint crackling of electric currents!
Almost at the same moment, the Larvitar sleeping in its cradle suddenly opened its eyes.
Seemingly stirred by Lin Xia's soul power fluctuations and lightning aura, it instinctively raised its small claw. A surge of purple lightning, far stronger and far more solid than Lin Xia's, crackled noisily as it coiled around it!
The little fellow curiously examined its own claw, then looked at Lin Xia's lightning-wreathed fist, letting out a questioning yet excited cry.
"Larvitar?"
Lin Xia and Larvitar stared at one another, both seeing the same uncontrollable joy and disbelief reflected in each other's eyes.
"Thunder Punch?!"
Lin Xia blurted out, his voice trembling slightly.
Wasn't this a move used by Pokémon in the Pokémon world?!
And yet… he could actually use it himself?
And Larvitar had comprehended it as well?
This… this was simply unbelievable!
Lin Xia immediately thought of the vast quantity of Purple Lightning Iron Ore they had previously consumed.
Could it be that consuming ores containing specific elemental energies not only strengthened the body, but also allowed one to directly comprehend corresponding elemental moves?!
The thought made Lin Xia's heart pound violently.
Once their bodies had fully recovered and their soul power had completely stabilized, Lin Xia and Larvitar wasted no time in heading to the sturdy training ground within the Blacksmith Association, specifically designed for testing weapons and soul skills.
"Larvitar, are you ready?"
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