Lin Xia clearly caught that flicker of light in her eyes.
He quietly relaxed inside, knowing that his words had struck the core of the issue.
He did not say anything further. Instead, he simply reached out and gently patted Larvitar's increasingly sturdy head.
"Alright, little guy. It's time for us to set out. The Silent Nether Mountains are still waiting for us to explore them."
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar immediately perked up and leapt back onto Lin Xia's shoulder.
After replenishing their supplies, the two of them and the Pokémon once again embarked on their journey.
Lin Xia's steps were steady and powerful, while Zhu Zhuqing silently followed behind him. Her small figure was still slender, yet the straightness of her back seemed to contain an indescribable new strength.
Deep within her unusually quiet eyes, that tiny flame of newfound hope continued to burn silently through the days and nights of travel, becoming the faint light that supported her through the long journey.
Half a month passed in difficult travel, exposed to wind and sleeping under the open sky.
They passed through bustling towns and crossed desolate wildernesses alike.
Lin Xia focused on cultivation and teaching Larvitar how to control the power enhanced by that trace of dragon blood, while Zhu Zhuqing became even quieter, not lifelessly so, but in a way that drew all her emotions inward as she silently observed and absorbed everything around her.
She began trying to follow the meditation method her sister had left behind, awkwardly guiding the weak Soul Power within her body. Each time she succeeded, the faint light in her eyes brightened a little more.
At last, a vast mountain range that seemed to have slumbered since ancient times appeared at the edge of their vision.
The Silent Nether Mountains.
They resembled an enormous dark green primordial beast lying across the earth.
The endless mountain ridges were covered in dense primeval forest, interwoven with dark green, deep brown, and emerald hues, radiating a heavy, ancient aura that inspired instinctive fear.
The air was filled with the rich scent of vegetation, mixed with the damp smell of soil and a faint, indescribable trace of decay.
Even the light itself seemed stingy here. Though it was midday, the depths of the forest remained dim and profound. Sunlight could only barely pierce through the massive overlapping canopies that blotted out the sky, casting mottled patches of shifting light upon the ground.
The entire mountain range was shrouded in a peculiar silence.
It was not truly soundless. Rather, it was filled with faint rustling noises, low growls, and the friction of branches and leaves. Yet instead of bringing vitality, those sounds only heightened the eerie stillness, as though every corner concealed unknown dangers.
"This is the place."
Lin Xia stopped walking and took a deep breath. Dense life energy and the hidden aura of Soul Beasts rushed toward him, causing the Soul Power within his body to stir slightly.
Beside him, Larvitar also perked up its little ears excitedly, its crimson eyes cautiously and curiously sweeping across this primordial land.
"Zhuqing, stay close to me. Don't move more than three steps away."
Lin Xia spoke in a low voice, his expression turning serious.
The Silent Nether Mountains were a paradise for Soul Beasts, filled with danger at every turn.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly. Her small hands unconsciously clenched into fists. Alongside caution, her eyes held an even stronger desire to explore the unknown.
To her, this oppressive forest felt like the first true "outside world" she had ever encountered after escaping the invisible cage of Star Luo.
"Little guy."
Lin Xia tilted his head toward his companion on his shoulder.
"Time for you to show your skills. Sense the surroundings and search for that kind of ore the kind with a dreamlike starlight glow, unique energy fluctuations, and an aura that exists between illusion and reality."
"Illusion Star Glazed Crystal!"
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar gave a short yet determined response.
The dark golden dragon-pattern mark on its chest seemed to glow faintly as an invisible and pure sensing force silently spread outward from its body like ripples across water.
It closed its crimson eyes. Across the magma-like armor covering its body, the dark red patterns seemed to come alive, flowing with an almost imperceptible radiance.
Its little ears trembled at an extremely high frequency, capturing the faintest energy ripples in the air and deep beneath the earth.
Its nostrils twitched continuously as it distinguished the scents of countless mineral particles hidden within the soil, rocks, plants, and even the air itself.
Lin Xia and Zhu Zhuqing lightened their footsteps as they followed behind Larvitar, slowly entering this silent and desolate land.
The light within the forest grew even dimmer.
Thick vines coiled around towering ancient trees like giant pythons, hanging downward from above.
The thick layer of decaying vegetation beneath their feet felt soft and slippery, releasing a heavy earthy scent.
The surrounding silence became magnified, making every sound of snapping branches beneath their steps seem exceptionally loud.
Occasionally, unknown birds or small Soul Beasts would be startled, darting deeper into the forest with fluttering wings or rapid rustling sounds, stirring tension within the quiet woods.
Larvitar's senses remained fully activated.
At times, it would stop and lightly press its armored claws against exposed rock walls or damp soil, as though listening to the pulse of the earth itself.
At other times, it would raise its head and take deep breaths toward a certain direction, seemingly trying to capture unique particles drifting through the wind.
The dragon pattern on its chest flickered continuously with its concentration. The invisible force field it emitted caused nearby low-Level insect-type Soul Beasts with keen instincts to avoid the area entirely.
Time slowly passed amidst the tense search.
They crossed moss-covered rocky slopes, waded through freezing forest streams, and traversed damp lowlands filled with poisonous miasma.
Zhu Zhuqing stayed close behind Lin Xia. Her small figure appeared especially tiny amidst the gigantic ancient trees and complex terrain, yet her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She saw strange plants she had never encountered before, vividly colored poisonous mushrooms, insects disguised as fallen leaves, and even a massive rhinoceros-like Soul Beast covered in thick bone armor rolling in a distant mud pit.
Each new discovery caused the tiny flame of "newfound hope" within her heart to burn a little brighter, temporarily dispelling the shadows left behind by her family.
She did her best to circulate her weak Soul Power, making her movements more agile so that she would not become a burden.
Meanwhile, Lin Xia remained fully focused on guarding their surroundings and guiding Larvitar. His Spiritual Power spread outward like an invisible web, sensing every disturbance in the environment.
In the dim forest light, his dark golden eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, scanning every shadow that might conceal danger.
Suddenly!
Larvitar, which had maintained its heightened sensing state the entire time, abruptly stopped and let out a short, excited cry.
"Larvitar!"
Its crimson eyes snapped open, bursting with astonishing light as it stared fixedly toward a mountain wall to the left front, hidden beneath enormous fern plants and twisted tree roots!
The dragon-pattern mark on its chest shone brighter than ever before, radiating scorching heat. Lin Xia and Zhu Zhuqing could even vaguely hear a deep dragon's roar echoing within their minds.
It was resonance from the trace of divine dragon-bone essence within Larvitar's body!
"We found it?"
Lin Xia's heart jumped. Instantly, he gathered Soul Power into his eyes, his sharp gaze piercing through the dense layers of vegetation toward the mountain wall.
Deep within the gaps between the lush fern leaves, beneath the intertwined damp roots, there faintly emerged a glow unlike anything ordinary!
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