Lou Gao suddenly raised his hand, cutting Lin Xia off mid-sentence. The relaxed ease on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by sheer disbelief.
His gaze burned like a torch as it locked onto Lin Xia. His voice rose sharply, astonishment edging into interrogation.
"Xiao Xia! What you just said—this 'Digging Hole'—Larvitar comprehended it on its own? Just yesterday? And without absorbing a single spirit ring?!"
Lin Xia felt his heart tense at his teacher's sudden intensity, but he quickly understood the crucial point Lou Gao had grasped.
After a brief moment of thought, Lin Xia nodded calmly.
"Yes, Teacher. This isn't a Spirit Ability granted by a spirit ring. Larvitar… is somewhat different."
"As it consumes ore, accumulates energy, and continues to grow, certain things dormant within its body awaken naturally. You could call them innate abilities, or spirit instincts."
"'Digging Hole' is one of them. It doesn't come from an external source—it's born from its own bloodline and origin."
He did his best to explain using concepts familiar to this world.
"Innate ability… spirit instinct?"
Lou Gao repeated the words softly. The shock in his eyes churned like a gathering storm.
He suddenly inhaled sharply, as though trying to draw all the air in the courtyard into his lungs. His voice trembled with disbelief.
"You're saying… this Spirit of yours—Larvitar—was born with Spirit-Ability-like powers? And it has them without a spirit ring?!"
His breathing grew heavy. This completely overturned everything he understood about Spirits.
A Spirit Master could only gain Spirit Abilities through spirit rings—unless they were exceptionally gifted individuals capable of creating their own abilities. Yet even then, Lou Gao had never heard of a Spirit itself possessing such abilities before obtaining a spirit ring.
And gaining them simply by eating?
Lin Xia saw how close his teacher was to losing composure and understood the impact of this revelation. To avoid further confusion later, he decided to be even clearer.
"Yes, Teacher. And… 'Digging Hole' isn't the only one."
He paused, then continued under Lou Gao's nearly frozen stare.
"As far as I know, Larvitar currently has eight Moves."
"Eight… eight?!"
Lou Gao's voice jumped an octave, hoarse and strained, like a piece of iron pushed past its limit under a heavy hammer.
He shot to his feet, the stone stool scraping loudly against the ground.
He was a Spirit Saint—a seven-ring powerhouse—someone who had survived countless dangers and hardships to obtain seven Spirit Abilities.
Yet the Spirit of this six-year-old boy before him hadn't even absorbed its first spirit ring… and already possessed eight innate abilities.
Eight.
A wave of bitterness, absurdity, and even a trace of envy surged uncontrollably in Lou Gao's heart.
His worldview seemed to buzz and shake beneath his feet.
After living for so many years and considering himself well-informed, he suddenly felt like a clueless child stepping into a forge for the first time—standing before a Divine Artifact he could not comprehend.
He looked at Lin Xia's young yet earnest face, then at Larvitar on the ground, hugging its star cold iron with a blank, innocent expression, utterly unaware of the mental bomb it had just dropped.
The corners of Lou Gao's mouth twitched several times.
"Eight… eight innate abilities… heh… good… very good…"
His voice sounded distant, as though he were forcibly dragging himself back to his senses after an overwhelming shock.
He raised a hand and wiped his face hard, his rough palm scraping against his stubble with a raspy sound. Then he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if emptying the turmoil from his chest.
The resilience and broad-mindedness of a Divine Craftsman soon reasserted itself.
"Damn it… comparisons really are infuriating!"
He cursed suddenly, but a self-mocking, relieved smile spread across his face.
"This old man spent most of his life scraping together seven tools of the trade, and you, you little monster, haven't even gone out to hunt Spirits yet—and you're already sitting on eight treasures! Hahaha!"
He slapped Lin Xia's shoulder hard enough to make him sway, but his tone was full of openness and release.
"That said, my path is different. Six of my seven Spirit Abilities are meant for forging. Being able to hammer out a true sharp weapon—that's real skill."
"Your road, Xiao Xia, is entirely different from mine. It's another world altogether. Good—very good! This proves my judgment was right! I've taken in a disciple unprecedented in history!"
His gaze grew firm and bright once more, the bitterness fully replaced by pride and a burning curiosity toward the unknown.
"Xiao Xia, I understand your idea. Using Larvitar's talent and this 'Digging Hole' ability to explore underground ore deposits—this line of thinking is bold, novel, and unprecedented. In terms of efficiency and potential alone, it's the idea of a genius."
Then his tone abruptly hardened, carrying unquestionable authority.
"But! Mining exploration? Absolutely not."
"Huh?"
Lin Xia had expected caution—but not such a blunt refusal.
"What do you think the underground is?"
Lou Gao's voice rose, deep and resonant.
"It's a dead zone even more dangerous than parts of the Star Dou Great Forest! Underground magma rivers, toxic miasma, unstable and fragile strata, catastrophic collapses that can occur at any moment—and even unknown, powerful Spirit Beasts lurking deep below!"
"Not to mention naturally formed energy traps and maze-like illusions!"
"No matter how miraculous your 'Digging Hole' is, it's still a newly awakened ability!"
"Your understanding of the underground is practically zero! Even if Larvitar can sense ore, can it tell whether the path ahead leads to a rich vein—or molten, poisonous magma?"
"Does it know which rock layers bear the load, and which—once breached—could trigger a collapse stretching thousands of meters?"
"Can it protect you from sudden bursts of toxic gas or underground currents?"
"And most importantly—there isn't enough oxygen down there for you to breathe."
Lou Gao stared at Lin Xia, his eyes blazing. Each question poured cold water over Lin Xia's heated imagination.
"Mining exploration is a domain that demands extreme expertise, vast experience, immense strength, and meticulous preparation."
"For you to attempt it now…"
He paused, his voice heavy.
"…is no different from walking a tightrope over an abyss while blindfolded. Calling it a near-death experience would be an understatement."