Lin Xia smiled as he gave the order, casually rubbing the little fellow's head.
"Don't be picky. Put it all away—you'll develop a taste for it sooner or later."
"Lar…"
Larvitar replied somewhat reluctantly, but it still obediently set down the purple lightning iron it had been half-chewing and waddled toward the red copper ore pocket on its short legs.
It stretched out its two stubby foreclaws, covered in rocky armor, plunged them straight into the loose pile of red copper ore, and then—like an excavator bucket—scooped outward with force!
Whoosh—!
Dark red ore was scraped out in a wave, scattering across the ground at Lin Xia's feet.
Larvitar moved with astonishing speed. Its small claws flew up and down, and in no time at all, the entire ore pocket was emptied.
The whole process looked effortless, even carrying a hint of disdain, as if to say: Do these broken stones even deserve my attention?
Lin Xia glanced at the red copper ore piled up like a small hill. The spatial ring on his finger, which had just freed up some space, glimmered once more.
Invisible spatial power enveloped the pile, swiftly drawing this large quantity of ordinary ore into the ring.
The interior of the ring was now packed full—purple lightning iron and red copper ore filling it to the brim.
After finishing, Lin Xia turned to Lou Gao.
"Teacher, everything's packed."
Lou Gao nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over the now-empty ore pocket and the area where the purple lightning iron vein had once been—now reduced to pockmarked excavation marks. Finally, his eyes settled on Larvitar, which had already gone back to hugging its purple lightning iron, squinting happily as it chewed. His expression was filled with anticipation for the future of Lin Xia and Larvitar.
"Good! This trip's harvest far exceeded expectations. Let's head back!"
He waved his hand decisively.
"This little monster has eaten far too many 'good things.' Once we're back, it needs time to digest properly. I want to see what new surprises it brings us!"
Lin Xia smiled at once.
"Teacher, you'll definitely see changes. I won't disappoint you."
Hearing Lin Xia's confident words and seeing the self-assurance in his eyes, Lou Gao's smile deepened. He stroked his thick beard, satisfaction nearly overflowing.
"Good lad! Your senior brother Si Long is waiting to see what new tricks you two come up with. Don't let this old man down! Hahaha!"
Lin Xia nodded. Carrying Larvitar—its belly round and swollen, struggling to walk while still digesting the lightning energy—he followed behind Lou Gao.
They left the mine cave along the smooth tunnel Larvitar had previously dug.
Time passed quietly, like molten metal flowing in Gengjin City's casting furnaces.
In the blink of an eye, seven days went by.
During those seven days, the backyard of the Blacksmith Association almost became the main stage for Lin Xia and Larvitar—the infamous "ore devourers."
Lin Xia's daily routine was extremely regular. At dawn, he studied books by the first rays of sunlight. During the day, he learned forging basics, mineral identification, and spirit power tempering techniques under Lou Gao's guidance.
Most of the remaining time, he and Larvitar did something that left outsiders utterly baffled—eating ore.
The deep purple glow and flickering electric light 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. He bit into the edge with his teeth.
Each bite came with a soft crunch and a spray of sizzling purple sparks. A strong tingling sensation spread from his mouth throughout his body, as if countless tiny currents were racing through his veins.
The first few times, the stimulation made his muscles tense and his hair stand on end, but Lin Xia endured it through sheer willpower and his desire to grow stronger.
Larvitar, on the other hand, didn't need to learn anything.
Its only "job" was to eat.
Like a tireless ore grinder, it happily gnawed on chunks of purple lightning iron larger than its own head, producing cheerful crunch crunch sounds.
The purple electric light swirling around its body grew increasingly intense. Its gray-green scales gleamed with a metallic sheen under the arcs, and when its small tail flicked, tiny sparks would even snap into the air with faint crackling sounds.
More importantly, Larvitar's condition was visibly improving.
Its eyes became sharper, and its small body seemed to house a brewing storm of thunderous power.
Lou Gao made a point of checking in every day. Each time he saw Larvitar's electrified, ravenous state and its incredible appetite, he couldn't help but marvel, his eyes full of expectation.
Naturally, Lin Xia's four senior brothers weren't idle either. After finishing their own work, they often took Lin Xia and Larvitar around to experience the local life of Gengjin City.
As the City of Metal, the most common sound here was the clang of forging. Almost everywhere they went, blacksmiths could be seen hammering armor and weapons.
Their most frequent destination was the city's famous ore trading market—the Jinshi Workshop—where Lin Xia encountered all kinds of strange and rare minerals, along with shrewd, worldly ore merchants.
Thanks to Larvitar's keen instinct for judging ore quality, Lin Xia managed to acquire many rare minerals at bargain prices.
This caused Si Long, Si Di, Si Yu, and the fourth senior brother to look at Lin Xia and Larvitar as if they had stumbled upon a walking treasure trove.
A single thought formed in all their minds: this junior brother wasn't just monstrously talented—he also had an unbelievable knack for finding bargains.
Within seven days, Lin Xia had completely won over the four of them.
But none of that was the most important part.
The high-intensity ore consumption and continuous spirit power tempering brought about dramatic changes.
Lin Xia could clearly feel that the spirit power vortex in his dantian had grown far more solid and significantly larger than it had been seven days ago. Its circulation was smoother and more stable, and his total spirit power had increased noticeably. If he broke through now, he would definitely rise several levels at once.
However, the most shocking—and even unsettling—change wasn't his spirit power.
It was his body.
After finishing a study session one day, Lin Xia casually picked up a high-quality piece of purple lightning iron, its surface shimmering with electric light.
Out of habit, he braced himself for the familiar numbing shock, even preparing for his fingers to twitch.
But—
Nothing happened.
The ore rested quietly in his palm. Aside from its cold, hard texture, there was no stinging sensation at all.
Those purple electric arcs that once made his hair stand on end now behaved like docile little snakes, coiling around the skin of his hand and bringing a strange, almost massage-like tingling comfort.
Lin Xia froze.
Subconsciously, he guided a trace of spirit power, trying to actively touch the lightning energy within the ore.
The result stunned him even more.
Those strands of purple electricity seemed to find a home, seeping into his body through the skin of his palm—subtle and gentle, like a thin stream.
Lin Xia could clearly feel them flowing slowly through the blood vessels and muscle fibers beneath his skin. They were incredibly weak, but undeniably real.
"This…"
He abruptly pulled his hand back, staring at his perfectly normal palm, then at the purple lightning iron resting quietly on the stone table. His pupils contracted slightly.
An absurd thought surged uncontrollably into his mind.
"What's going on? I… I'm not afraid of electricity anymore? And I can even absorb it a little? Don't tell me… after eating too much of this stuff, I've mutated too?"
Lin Xia lowered his head, looking at his open hands. He clenched the muscles in his arm, sensing the faint, almost imperceptible current flowing beneath his skin. His expression turned indescribably strange.
A bizarre idea from his past life suddenly popped into his head.
"Damn it… could it be that I've also become some kind of human-like Pokémon?"