Lin Xia looked at Larvitar, his expression turning unusually serious.
"Larvitar, I have an idea. From now on, while we're learning what the teacher teaches us, we can also try going underground… treasure hunting."
"We'll look for more—and tastier—ore. But we have to be careful. No digging randomly. We follow the teacher's guidance and stay away from dangerous areas. Understand?"
"Yu ji! Yu ji yu ji!"
Larvitar understood the words "treasure hunting" and "more delicious things" perfectly. It immediately became excited, hopping in place, patting its chest in reassurance as its little head nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
As long as there were tasty stones, it would dig wherever it was told!
It even made an energetic digging motion with its small claws, brimming with enthusiasm.
Seeing the little fellow in such high spirits, Lin Xia couldn't help but rub its blunt horn again, a hopeful smile appearing on his face.
With the key ability Dig, Larvitar's potential had been completely unleashed.
This was no longer just a combat or utility move—it was a doorway to an entirely new growth path, one overflowing with infinite possibilities.
An explorer of the earth.
A conqueror of underground treasure troves.
The endless ore veins and the vast underground world would become their stage for growing stronger.
"All right, little genius."
Lin Xia stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.
"Let's go back and keep studying. The more we learn, the more efficiently we'll be able to find delicious ore. Tomorrow, we can bring this idea up with the teacher and see if we can try it on a small scale near the Blacksmith Association's mine."
---
Early morning in Gengjin City was still wrapped in a thin layer of mist. Crystal-clear dewdrops clung to the plants in the Blacksmith Association's backyard.
Lin Xia was already seated at the stone table in the courtyard, flipping through the thick Continental Basic Ore Illustrated Guide (Lou Gao Annotated Edition) under the rising sun, his expression focused and absorbed.
Larvitar lay sprawled in one corner of the stone table, hugging a fist-sized chunk of black iron ore that gleamed with a dull metallic sheen.
Crunch. Crunch.
It ate with gusto, cheeks puffed out, its short tail swaying contentedly back and forth.
Ever since arriving at the Blacksmith Association, Larvitar's mouth had practically never stopped moving—its stomach was like a bottomless pit.
…
Before long, a tall figure appeared at the entrance to the back courtyard. The morning light outlined Lou Gao's sturdy silhouette.
At a glance, he spotted Lin Xia and Larvitar. Seeing Lin Xia deeply engrossed in reading and Larvitar peacefully gnawing on ore, a gratified smile appeared on Lou Gao's weathered face, still dusted with iron filings and coal soot.
He nodded to himself.
This child isn't just extraordinarily talented. His diligence and thirst for knowledge are even rarer.
Lou Gao deliberately lightened his footsteps as he approached.
Lin Xia was so immersed in the book that he didn't notice anything until a shadow blocked the sunlight. He startled, quickly set the book down, stood up, and spoke respectfully.
"Teacher, you're here…"
Lou Gao smiled and waved a hand, signaling him not to worry about formalities. His gaze instead fell with interest on Larvitar, who was still diligently working on the black iron ore.
"This little fellow eats quite well."
Lou Gao chuckled. On a whim, he bent down and reached out with his large, calloused hands, intending to pick up the seemingly tiny gray-green "little dragon" for a closer look.
Subconsciously, he used the amount of strength he would normally use to lift a small animal—
Hmm?
It didn't move.
Larvitar was biting into a particularly satisfying spot when it felt itself lift slightly before settling back down. Confused, it stopped chewing, turned its head, and looked at Lou Gao with its ruby-red eyes, half a chunk of ore still in its mouth.
"Yu ji?"
The look in its eyes was clear, yet faintly puzzled, as if asking:
Old man, what are you doing? Can't you see I'm busy?
The smile on Lou Gao's face froze for a moment before turning into clear astonishment.
He was a dignified Divine Craftsman, his physical strength far beyond that of ordinary people. Even though he hadn't used much force, the weight of this little fellow… was far greater than he had expected!
Lou Gao immediately exerted more strength, and only then did he manage to steadily lift Larvitar.
It felt heavy in his hands.
He weighed it instinctively, the astonishment in his eyes deepening. Turning to Lin Xia while holding Larvitar, he spoke in disbelief.
"Xiao Xia, your spirit… is not light at all! Holding it feels about as heavy as a full-grown strong man! How old is it?"
Seeing his teacher's shocked expression as he held Larvitar, Lin Xia couldn't help but laugh. He pointed to the half-eaten black iron ore on the table, as well as the scattered fragments around it.
"Teacher, don't forget what we usually eat. These are all solid ores—their density is far higher than flesh and blood."
"Since Larvitar and I can digest them, our body structure and density will naturally change. Being much heavier than we look is completely normal."
Lou Gao lowered his head and looked at Larvitar's gray-green body, covered in a rock-like carapace, then glanced at the hard black iron ore on the table.
Realization dawned on him.
"Exactly! Exactly! My mistake! If it were an ordinary mortal body, let alone digesting it, it probably couldn't even bite into this stuff! If it can eat and digest ore, how could its body not change?"
Thinking of Larvitar's teeth—comparable to top-grade tempered steel—and Lin Xia's feat of eating star gold raw, this increase in weight really was insignificant.
The surprise in Lou Gao's heart quickly turned into relief. In fact, it felt only natural.
He stopped dwelling on the issue and sat down at the stone table, Larvitar still in his arms.
Larvitar was quite easygoing. Having been fed star essence gold before, it had a good impression of this "big old man." Finding a comfortable position, it continued gnawing on its ore without concern.
In a good mood, Lou Gao casually pulled out a fist-sized piece of ore from an inconspicuous storage pouch at his waist.
It was deep, dark blue in color, with starlike light flowing faintly within.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding air seemed to carry a subtle chill—clearly no ordinary material.
"Here, little fellow. Try this piece of star cold iron. See if it suits your taste."
Smiling, Lou Gao brought the precious ore to Larvitar.
Larvitar's small nose twitched sharply. Its ruby-like eyes lit up instantly.
"Yu ji!"
With a cry of excitement, it immediately dropped the half-eaten black iron ore. Grabbing the star cold iron with both claws, it bit down eagerly with a loud crunch, its face filled with blissful satisfaction.
Watching this, Lin Xia couldn't help feeling a little envious.
Honestly… he wanted to try it too.
After feeding Larvitar, Lou Gao turned his gaze to Lin Xia, his eyes filled with both assessment and kindness.
"Xiao Xia, when I came in earlier, I saw you reading. How's it going? Which part are you on? Is there anything you don't understand?"