Lin Xia pointed at the center of the training ground, where a specially made dummy stood clad in heavy armor forged from refined iron mixed with a small amount of tungsten steel.
This dummy had been custom-built by Lou Gao specifically to test the power of firearms, and its defensive strength was extremely high.
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar nodded excitedly, its crimson eyes locking firmly onto the target.
Its small body lowered slightly, and a ferocious aura began to gather.
"Good!"
Lin Xia's gaze sharpened.
"Use—Thunder Punch!"
"Larvitar!!!"
The instant the command was given, Larvitar let out a short, powerful battle cry!
Its rock-armored right claw clenched tightly as dazzling purple lightning arcs erupted like a frenzy of writhing serpents, coiling around it and exploding with heart-stopping crackling sounds!
Violent lightning-attribute energy ionized the surrounding air, filling it with a faint scent of scorching.
The next moment, Larvitar's short hind legs burst forth with astonishing power. Its body transformed into a gray afterimage, charging straight toward the dummy with unstoppable momentum!
Its speed far exceeded its usual running pace, as if the lightning not only enhanced its attack power but also stimulated its explosive strength!
When it was still over a meter away from the dummy, Larvitar swung its lightning-wreathed right claw with full force!
Boom—!!!
A deafening roar like a war hammer striking a drum exploded throughout the training ground!
Lin Xia clearly saw that at the instant Larvitar's small fist made contact, the chest armor—crafted from refined iron and tungsten steel and capable of withstanding a peak Soul Grandmaster Level full-power strike, collapsed inward as if molten butter pressed by a red-hot iron!
The hardened metal twisted and deformed under the violent lightning heat and impact!
Zzzzz—!!!
A piercing electric hiss continued to ring out as the struck area instantly turned pitch black, wisps of smoke even rising from it!
A pungent smell of metal being instantly melted spread through the air.
The massive dummy was blasted off the ground by the overwhelming force, as if struck by a charging rhinoceros, and was sent flying backward. With a thunderous clang, it slammed heavily into the reinforced wall more than ten meters away, shaking the entire training ground!
The charred fist mark on the gleaming armor was shockingly conspicuous!
Lin Xia watched the scene, his pupils contracting before erupting into uncontrollable ecstasy!
"It worked! It really worked!"
He clenched his fist excitedly.
"Peak Soul Grandmaster Level—no, even early Soul Elder Level destructive power! The might of Thunder Punch… is simply terrifying!"
His earlier speculation was completely confirmed!
Devouring Purple Lightning Iron Ore had not only strengthened their bodies, it had truly granted them the ability to wield lightning!
This utterly overturned Lin Xia's understanding of martial souls and soul skills!
Witnessing Larvitar's overwhelmingly domineering punch firsthand completely ignited the fire in Lin Xia's chest.
Looking at his own fist, where faint lightning arcs still lingered, a powerful urge surged within him.
"I'll try it too!"
Lin Xia took a deep breath and mobilized the fully refined soul power at his peak eighteenth level.
His soul power circulated along the same peculiar path he had comprehended when learning Thunder Punch, rapidly surging into his right arm and gathering at his knuckles.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Purple lightning arcs, far weaker than Larvitar's, yet clearly visible began to dance and coil around Lin Xia's fist.
Though it lacked Larvitar's heaven-shaking ferocity, it still carried a presence that could not be underestimated, filling the air with a faint static sensation.
Locking his gaze onto another armored dummy, Lin Xia shouted softly and drove off the ground, his body shooting forward!
Though his speed was not as terrifying as Larvitar's, it was still far beyond that of ordinary soul masters!
"Ha!"
The lightning-condensed fist smashed fiercely into the dummy's chest armor!
Bang!
A dull impact rang out as the dummy shook violently. Though it was not sent flying, its chest armor was still crushed inward by several centimeters!
More importantly, the struck area of the refined iron armor bore clear scorched marks, with the edges even faintly reddened, as if seared by intense heat!
"Hoo…"
Lin Xia withdrew his fist, examining the dent and scorch marks on the armor while feeling the lingering numbness in his knuckles and noting that only a tiny amount of soul power had been consumed. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Though the power was far inferior to Larvitar's, this punch's destructive capability was absolutely beyond the limits of what an ordinary eighteenth-level soul master could achieve!
Whether physical impact or the added lightning burn damage, it was enough to grant him an overwhelming advantage among peers of the same level!
Thunder Punch had become one of his most powerful trump cards!
And most crucially, its soul power consumption was low, it had no cooldown, and a trump card like this could be used as a basic attack.
"Devouring attribute-based ores… really allows one to obtain the corresponding elemental power!"
Lin Xia stared at his fist, still flickering with faint lightning arcs, his eyes burning with intensity.
Larvitar trotted over and rubbed its little head against Lin Xia's leg, its large crimson eyes filled with proud delight that clearly said, 'Master, see how awesome I am?'
"You're amazing, little guy. Truly amazing!"
Lin Xia laughed as he rubbed its head, yet the thoughts in his mind began to grow wildly like untamed weeds.
The power of Thunder Punch had let him taste real gains.
Devouring Purple Lightning Iron Ore had granted lightning-attribute offensive power—so then…
Lin Xia's gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the training ground, casting itself toward the unknown distance as he muttered to himself.
"Thunder Punch is already mastered… and its power is indeed overbearing. But lightning is, in the end, only one kind of element."
In his mind flashed the image of Larvitar's future evolution into Tyranitar, wielding terrifying power over earth and the Dark type. He also thought of the unique nature of his own martial soul.
"If I could find a mineral containing extreme fire-element energy… then the power of 'Fire Punch' would be even more terrifying!"
"Scorching heat, explosive impact… whether facing plant-type martial souls or ice-attribute soul masters, it would be an invincible weapon!"
Lin Xia's thoughts drifted once more in another direction.
"And ice… the power of extreme cold—freezing, slowing, or even directly sealing the opponent in ice! 'Ice Punch'… if I could master it, and combine it with Thunder Punch—ice and lightning intertwined, then the control and destructive power…"
The more Lin Xia thought about it, the hotter his blood burned.
He lowered his head to look at Larvitar by his feet. The little guy seemed to sense its master's yearning, crimson eyes flickering with anticipation for some unknown future "delicacy."
"The fire-attribute 'Magma Heart'… the ice-attribute 'Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow'… these legendary top-tier ores!"
Lin Xia licked his slightly dry lips, his eyes blazing with intense desire and a thirst for exploration.
"It seems… it's time to have a proper talk with Teacher and plan the next 'foraging' route."
Inside the Blacksmith Association's warehouse, those mountains of ordinary ores now seemed utterly bland in his eyes.
What Lin Xia truly craved were genuine elemental treasures, ones that could ignite raging flames and freeze all things.
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