Having already left Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy, Lin Xia naturally had no idea that he had narrowly avoided an act of retaliation.
At this moment, Lin Xia still felt a faint sense of regret in his heart—after all, he had been quite tempted by Xiao Wu's soul rings and soul bones.
But the moment he thought of Tang Hao watching from the shadows, that thought vanished immediately.
After all, Tang San had one hell of a father.
Putting those thoughts aside, Lin Xia set foot on the long journey toward the northern regions of the Star Luo Empire.
He also understood very clearly that his current strength was still extremely weak and that the road ahead was dangerous. Since it had already been nearly half a month since his Martial Soul awakening, it was time to begin proper training.
He immediately found a relatively open rocky area and sat down.
Weighing a freshly dug stone rich in metallic minerals in his hand, Lin Xia looked at Larvitar, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
"Larvitar, how are you feeling today?"
"Larvi~"
Larvitar chirped cheerfully, hopping in place and patting its round belly, clearly in excellent condition.
"Good!"
Lin Xia smiled, broke the ore in half, took one piece for himself, and tossed the other to Larvitar.
As one human and one Pokémon crunched down on the hard, brittle ore, crisp crack sounds echoed through the desolate mountains—forming a unique rhythm amid the wilderness.
"After eating so much good stuff, your body should've stored up plenty of strength by now. You've already passed the earliest juvenile stage. Your power's still low, but having more survival tools is never a bad thing."
"Come on—tell me. Or rather… show me. Have you awakened any special abilities?"
Larvitar tilted its small horned head, red eyes blinking as if seriously processing Lin Xia's words while sensing the energy flowing within its body.
A few seconds later, as though it had realized something, it suddenly took a stance—short arms extended, center of gravity lowered.
"Lar!"
Lin Xia immediately straightened up, his focus razor-sharp.
A faint glow appeared over Larvitar's body as it suddenly lunged forward, slamming into a knee-high rock.
With a dull thud, the rock shook. Larvitar landed steadily, clearly not having used its full strength.
Lin Xia nodded silently—just as he had expected. Pokémon move techniques were not restricted by soul skill slots; these were abilities that could be comprehended and mastered naturally.
But it wasn't over yet.
Next, Larvitar lifted its head, ruby-like eyes widening as a fierce, intimidating glare locked onto the rustling sounds within a nearby shrub.
Leer!
The movement instantly stopped—the small creature hidden inside had clearly fled in fright.
Standard stuff… Lin Xia nodded, unsurprised.
Rock Throw. Bite. Payback.
As Larvitar demonstrated move after move, Lin Xia grew increasingly satisfied. Considering how young it still was, being able to use this many skills was already impressive.
Just as Lin Xia was about to praise it—
Larvitar's next action caused Lin Xia's smile to freeze instantly. His eyes widened as if he had witnessed something utterly unbelievable!
Humm—!
Larvitar let out a low roar as its gray-green body suddenly erupted with an ancient, profound dark-red glow!
That light carried a weight as though it had risen from the deepest layers of the earth, steeped in primordial ages.
Within several meters of its body, gravel and sand were drawn by an unseen force, lifting into the air before wildly spiraling around it!
In the next instant, the glow rapidly condensed, converging onto Larvitar's short forearms and the blunt horn atop its head!
Like a vessel brimming with boundless power, Larvitar swung its rock-armored forelimb toward a massive boulder nearly half a person tall!
"ROAR!!!"
Accompanied by a roar far louder than usual, a torrent of dark-red energy wrapped around razor-sharp stone fragments burst forth!
BOOM—!!!
Ancient Power!!!
The instant the dark-red light struck the boulder, it was as if an ancient warhammer had smashed into it. Spiderweb-like cracks exploded across its surface, and the center was blasted apart into countless fragments!
Dust and dark-red energy shards scattered in all directions, and even the ground trembled slightly!
Lin Xia sucked in a sharp breath, his heart pounding violently.
"Hiss…! Ancient Power?!"
Before he could fully recover from the shock, something even more unbelievable happened!
After shattering the rock, the crimson glow had yet to fully dissipate and Larvitar didn't stop.
As if guided by the rhythm of battle, its once-clumsy steps suddenly took on a strange, flowing cadence.
Its gaze sharpened, focused and fierce.
It slightly bent its short legs, its body beginning to twist and rotate in a way that was impossibly coordinated, small claws tracing mysterious paths through the air.
This wasn't the rigid dance animation from Pokémon games—
It was a wild, primal dance perfectly adapted to its own form!
As it moved, the lingering dark-red fragments of Ancient Power in the air were drawn back as if summoned, rapidly circling Larvitar's body, forming a spiraling vortex of energy!
With every rotation and movement, the vortex compressed further inward.
And when Larvitar completed a full turn, planting its feet firmly and lifting its head proudly—
Flash!
The condensed dark-red energy vortex was completely absorbed into its body!
In that instant, Larvitar's entire form erupted with dazzling crimson light from the inside out!
The blunt horn atop its head and the red scale on its abdomen shone like blazing rubies!
A ferocious, wild aura exploded outward!
"ROAR—!!"
A roar far louder and more powerful than before rang out, its momentum having increased by more than double!
Lin Xia was completely stunned. His mouth hung open as the half-piece of ore in his hand fell to the ground with a dull clack, unnoticed. His mind echoed with only a single name, spinning wildly within his thoughts.
"Dragon Dance?!"
That dark-red energy vortex…
The way power was drawn in through movement…
The moment where its entire body lit up and all aspects were enhanced—
This was unquestionably Dragon Dance!
Although its form differed from the elegant choreography he remembered from Pokémon games—carrying instead the savage, rugged aura of a Rock-type Martial Soul—it possessed the exact same core essence:
A dance that gathers energy and strengthens the user in all aspects.
Watching Larvitar after the light faded—slightly panting, yet with sharper eyes and a clearly elevated presence, as though a portion of its latent power had been ignited—Lin Xia's heart continued to pound violently.
Larvitar tilted its head at Lin Xia's dramatic expression, looking somewhat confused.
"Larvi?"
(What's wrong? Was the dance not good-looking? Was it not strong enough?)
Seeing Larvitar's innocent expression, then recalling the rock-shattering Ancient Power and the overwhelming boost from Dragon Dance, Lin Xia suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! It was amazing—really amazing, Larvitar!"