Lin Xia looked down at the ring resting in his palm, feeling the heavy weight it carried—not just in substance, but in trust.
He didn't pretend to refuse it. In this world, survival and strength came before everything else, and his master's gift directly addressed his most urgent needs.
Clutching the ring tightly, Lin Xia bowed deeply to Lou Gao, his voice sincere and steady.
"Disciple Lin Xia thanks Teacher for the generous gift!"
"Mm."
Lou Gao nodded in satisfaction. His gaze then shifted to Larvitar, who was staring at him with undisguised anticipation, its little paws rubbing together unconsciously. A smile tugged at the corner of Lou Gao's mouth.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took out the last two remaining pieces of star essence gold and star gold—the very ones Lin Xia had bitten earlier—and handed them straight to Larvitar.
"Here, little fellow. These are yours."
"Lar—!!"
After letting out an excited cry, Larvitar completely abandoned any sense of decorum.
Its short arms shot forward like lightning, snatching both pieces of ore—still radiating alluring energy fluctuations—into its embrace!
The very next second—
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Gulp—gulp—!
A dense, scalp-tingling chewing sound instantly echoed through the forging room, like beans being crushed between teeth.
Larvitar's head shook wildly as it chewed, cheeks puffed out like they were stuffed with oversized walnuts. Its eyes narrowed into blissful slits, and soft, satisfied murmurs escaped its throat, as if it had entered some transcendent "ore paradise."
Its eating was savage—far more ferocious than a glutton who hadn't eaten in centuries—as though it feared someone might snatch its food away.
Lin Xia looked at his spirit's utterly undignified appearance, covered his forehead, and muttered with equal parts exasperation and amusement:
"Slow down! No one's taking it from you!"
His tone was full of helpless affection.
Larvitar glanced at him suspiciously.
Others might not… but you definitely would.
That look alone almost made Lin Xia lose his composure entirely.
Was he really that gluttonous in its eyes?
Lou Gao, meanwhile, burst into hearty laughter, clearly delighted by the scene.
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good! Interesting—truly interesting! This little fellow's teeth are at least three times tougher than the hardest quenched steel I've ever forged!"
His gaze toward Larvitar brimmed with admiration and intense curiosity.
"It's good that you can eat! Being able to eat is a blessing! I lack many things here—but ore? That, I have in abundance! From now on, you won't ever run short!"
The forging room filled with laughter, warm and booming, carrying the joy of having accepted a treasured new disciple.
But Lou Gao was, after all, the president of the Blacksmith Association—and one of the world's foremost forging grandmasters.
After the laughter subsided, his expression gradually turned serious. The lighthearted curiosity in his eyes faded, replaced by a much deeper, more probing look.
He stepped in front of Lin Xia, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce straight through Lin Xia's body and into his very core.
His voice was low and steady as he asked, word by word:
"Xiao Xia. What you said downstairs earlier—that you and your spirit, Larvitar, can grow stronger by consuming ore… is that true? This isn't a joke?"
Faced with his master's solemn questioning, Lin Xia had no intention of hiding anything.
Meeting Lou Gao's gaze directly, he nodded seriously, his tone firm and resolute.
"Yes, Teacher. It's absolutely true. Both Larvitar and I can cultivate by consuming ores that contain metallic energy. The efficiency is far higher than normal meditation—several times faster."
He paused, then added:
"It also strengthens the physical body."
Lou Gao's eyes flashed, but he didn't press further right away.
He fell silent, countless thoughts colliding in his mind. After a moment, he asked another question:
"Xiao Xia, what exactly is your innate spirit power level?"
Without hesitation, Lin Xia retrieved the slightly worn certificate issued by the Spirit Hall of Nuoding City from his bag and respectfully handed it over with both hands.
Lou Gao took the certificate, his eyes sweeping across it like lightning. After a quick glance, a hint of satisfaction appeared in his gaze.
When he had accepted Lin Xia as a disciple, he hadn't even considered Lin Xia's spirit master talent. Even without spirit power, Lin Xia's abilities alone made him invaluable.
But if he did have spirit power—and was talented at that—it would only be icing on the cake.
"Innate spirit power… level eight…"
Awakened just over a month ago. Innate level eight. Excellent talent—but not unheard of.
However, the next instant, Lou Gao's perception—sharp and precise like the finest measuring tool—spread over Lin Xia's entire body.
His vast spirit power carefully probed the density and fluctuations of spirit energy within Lin Xia. This was instinctive—a habit of a top-tier powerhouse, and a way of confirming his disciple's foundation.
It would've been fine if he hadn't checked.
But the moment he did—
Buzz!
Lou Gao's entire body jolted violently, as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer!
His weathered yet piercing eyes flew wide open, pupils shrinking sharply, as though he had just witnessed something utterly inconceivable.
He stared down at the words "Innate Spirit Power: Level Eight" on the certificate—then snapped his gaze up to Lin Xia, the six-year-old standing calmly before him, thin yet unwavering.
The muscles in Lou Gao's face twitched from sheer shock.
"Ten… ten levels?!"
For the first time, his voice trembled, hoarse and nearly voiceless, filled with disbelief.
"You… your spirit power… has actually reached level ten?! How—how is that possible?!"
He drew in a sharp breath, trying to steady his wildly pounding heart. His voice rose, trembling with excitement and awe.
"Lin Xia! From the moment you awakened your spirit until now… it's only been a little over a month!"
"A little over a month!!"
"You went from a freshly awakened spirit scholar with innate level eight…"
"Broke through level nine…"
"And went straight to level ten?!"
Each sentence struck like a heavy hammer crashing against an anvil, echoing loudly through the forging room steeped in the scent of metal.
Lou Gao's gaze locked onto Lin Xia, as though he were staring at a monster that had shattered ironclad laws and overturned all common sense.
Innate level eight. Barely over a month. Level ten spirit power.
This wasn't just fast—this was a straight road to the heavens.
A cultivation path achieved by eating.
The shock of this realization was a hundred times greater than Lin Xia identifying star essence gold by taste, or Larvitar gnawing on ore itself.
Because this pointed directly at the very core of spirit master cultivation—the speed of advancement.
Lin Xia nodded lightly, confirming his master's perception. His tone was calm, yet carried a youthful certainty.
"Teacher's perception is accurate. Disciple's spirit power has indeed reached level ten—and there's still some surplus."
He paused, then added plainly:
"But it hasn't even been over a month."
"It's only been half a month."