Lin Xia smiled as he gave the command, casually rubbing the little guy's head at the same time.
"Don't be picky. Put it away. There'll be times when your appetite improves!"
"Larvitar…"
Larvitar responded somewhat unwillingly, but it still obediently set down the half-chewed chunk of Purple Lightning Iron. With its short little legs, it trotted over to the Red Copper mine cavern.
Stretching out its short forelimbs covered in rocky armor, it plunged them straight into the loose pile of Red Copper ore. Then, like the bucket of an excavator, it suddenly scooped outward with force!
Crash—!
Dark red ore spilled out like a tide, effortlessly flung aside and scattered at Lin Xia's feet.
Larvitar moved with astonishing speed and efficiency. Its little claws flew up and down as it quickly emptied the not-so-large ore pocket entirely.
The whole process was easy and relaxed, even carrying a hint of arrogance—as if to say, "These lousy rocks are worth me making a move?"
Lin Xia looked at the pile of Red Copper ore stacked like a small hill. The spatial ring, which had just freed up some space, lit up once more with a faint glow.
Invisible spatial power descended, sweeping up the large quantity of ordinary-value ore and storing it all inside.
The space within the ring was once again packed full with Purple Lightning Iron and Red Copper ore.
After finishing everything, Lin Xia turned his gaze toward Lou Gao.
"Teacher, everything's been taken care of."
Lou Gao nodded in satisfaction. His eyes swept over the emptied ore pocket and the area where the Purple Lightning Iron vein had once been—now reduced to uneven pits from Larvitar's digging. Finally, his gaze landed on Larvitar, who had once again picked up a piece of Purple Lightning Iron and was hugging it blissfully, eyes squinting shut.
His eyes were filled with anticipation for Lin Xia and Larvitar's future.
"Good! This trip's harvest far exceeded expectations! Let's go—we're heading back!"
Lou Gao waved his hand boldly.
"This little monster's eaten so many 'good things.' Once we're back, it'll need to digest properly! I really want to see what kind of surprises it'll bring us next!"
Hearing this, Lin Xia smiled and replied confidently,
"Teacher, you'll definitely see changes. I promise I won't disappoint you."
Lou Gao listened to Lin Xia's resolute words. Seeing the confident light shining in his eyes, the smile on his face deepened, satisfaction nearly overflowing. Stroking his thick beard, his voice rang out loud and hearty.
"Good lad! I'll be waiting to see what kind of new tricks you two come up with! Don't let this old man down! Hahaha!"
Lin Xia nodded, then picked up Larvitar—who was practically unable to walk anymore, its little belly round as it struggled to digest the Purple Lightning Iron's energy and followed behind Lou Gao.
They left the mine along the smooth tunnel Larvitar had dug earlier.
Time flowed quietly, like molten iron streaming through the casting furnaces of Gengxin City.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
During those seven days, the backyard of the Blacksmith Association almost became the exclusive domain of Lin Xia and Larvitar—the "ore devourers."
Lin Xia's daily routine was extremely regular. At dawn, he studied various books by the light of the rising sun. During the day, under Lou Gao's guidance, he learned the basics of forging, mineral identification, and soul power tempering techniques.
The rest of the time, however, he and Larvitar were engaged in an activity that others found utterly incomprehensible—eating ore.
The deep purple hue and flickering lightning arcs of Purple Lightning Iron became the most common sight in the backyard.
Lin Xia sat cross-legged, holding a fist-sized chunk of Purple Lightning Iron, biting off the edges with his teeth.
Each bite was accompanied by a faint crack and the sizzling sound of purple electric sparks. A powerful numbing sensation spread from his mouth throughout his entire body, as if countless tiny currents were running rampant inside him.
The first few times, the stimulation caused Lin Xia's muscles to tense up, even making his hair stand on end. Yet he endured it through sheer willpower and his desire to grow stronger.
Larvitar, on the other hand, needed no learning at all.
Its "job" was simple—eat!
The little fellow was like a tireless ore-crushing machine, hugging Purple Lightning Iron chunks larger than its own head and chomping away with joyful enthusiasm.
The purple lightning surrounding its body grew increasingly vivid. Its gray-green scales reflected a metallic sheen under the electric arcs, and when its little tail swayed, it even sparked tiny bolts of electricity, producing faint crackling sounds.
Larvitar's condition improved at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Its eyes became sharper, and within its small body, it felt as though thunderous power was on the verge of erupting.
Lou Gao would come by daily to take a look. Every time he saw Larvitar's "fully charged" appearance and bottomless appetite, he couldn't help but marvel in amazement, anticipation filling his eyes.
Naturally, during this period, Lin Xia's four senior brothers didn't stay idle either. After finishing their work, they often took Lin Xia and Larvitar around to experience the local culture of Gengxin City.
As the so-called City of Metal, Gengxin City was filled everywhere with the clanging sounds of forging. No matter where one went, blacksmiths could be seen hammering armor or weapons.
The place they visited most often was, of course, the city's famous ore trading market—Golden Stone Pavilion. There, Lin Xia saw all kinds of strange and rare ores, as well as shrewd, calculating ore merchants.
Relying on Larvitar's innate sensitivity to ore quality and value, Lin Xia even managed to pick up many rare ores at bargain prices.
This made Si Long, Si Di, Si Yu, and Si Kai—the four senior brothers—look at Lin Xia and Larvitar as if they had discovered a treasure.
A single thought surfaced in all their minds:
This junior brother wasn't just exceptionally talented—he was also unbelievably gifted when it came to treasure hunting!
In those seven days, Lin Xia completely won them over.
Of course, none of this was the most important part.
The truly significant change came from the effects of high-intensity ore consumption and the continuous tempering of soul power—results that were remarkably evident.
Lin Xia could clearly feel that the soul power vortex within his dantian had become far more condensed and robust compared to seven days ago. Its circulation was smoother and more harmonious, and the total amount of soul power had increased considerably. If he were to break through now, he was absolutely confident he could advance several Levels in one go!
However, the change that truly astonished—unsettled—Lin Xia was not the growth of his soul power, but the transformation of his body itself.
After finishing a round of study, Lin Xia casually picked up a high-quality piece of Purple Lightning Iron, its surface rippling with arcs of electricity, and began to toy with it in his hand.
Out of habit, he assumed he would be electrocuted like he was at the beginning, his hand going numb. He even braced himself for the slight trembling of his fingers.
But—
Nothing happened.
The ore lay quietly in his palm. Aside from its cold, hard texture, there was not the slightest sting of electricity.
Those purple lightning arcs that once made his hair stand on end now seemed to have turned into docile little snakes, coiling gently around the skin of his palm, bringing with them a strange sensation—numbing yet comfortable, almost like a massage.
Lin Xia froze.
Instinctively, he mobilized a trace of soul power and tried to actively make contact with the lightning energy inside the ore.
The result was astonishing.
Those faint strands of purple lightning seemed to find a place they belonged to. They seeped into his body through the skin of his palm, incredibly subtle, like trickling streams!
Lin Xia could clearly feel those weak electric currents flowing slowly beneath his skin, weaving through blood vessels and muscle fibers. Though extremely faint, they were undeniably real.
"Th-this…"
Lin Xia abruptly withdrew his hand. He stared at his perfectly normal palm, then at the Purple Lightning Iron resting quietly on the stone table, his pupils contracting slightly.
An utterly absurd thought uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
"What's going on? I… I'm not afraid of electricity anymore? I can even… absorb a little bit of it? Don't tell me… after eating so much of this stuff, I've mutated too?"
Lin Xia lowered his head and looked at his outstretched hands, then pinched the muscles of his arm. Beneath the skin, he could faintly sense that barely perceptible flow of weak electric current. His expression became extremely strange.
Suddenly, an outrageously ridiculous thought from his memories of his previous life popped into his head.
"Damn it! Don't tell me… I've turned into some kind of humanoid-type Pokémon too?"
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