This could no longer be described as mere extraordinary talent—it was nothing short of a miracle that completely overturned their understanding of ores!
Recalling Lin Xia's earlier earth-shattering act of gnawing on iron ore, everyone suddenly felt that… maybe it wasn't so impossible to comprehend after all?
After all, he had even bitten through the chairman's treasured Starry Refined Gold in a single bite!
Lou Gao looked at his subordinates, who were frozen stiff like stone statues, and the fanatic smile on his face only grew wider. His blazing gaze refocused on Lin Xia, appraising him as if he were a peerless piece of uncut jade.
Sensing Lou Gao's attention, Lin Xia took a deep breath, suppressing the faint turbulence caused by his recent Soul power increase. Forcing himself to remain calm, his eyes clear and steady, he asked sincerely and clearly.
"President, then may I… join the Blacksmith Association now?"
To everyone's surprise including Lin Xia's—Lou Gao shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
The hall instantly fell silent once again.
A rejection?
Hadn't the divine craftsman just shown such admiration for him?
Lin Xia's heart sank slightly.
However, Lou Gao's next words sent shockwaves through everyone present!
"Child, tell me what is your name?"
Lou Gao's voice was unusually solemn, his sharp gaze filled with unprecedented seriousness and anticipation.
"Lin Xia."
Lin Xia answered without hesitation.
Lou Gao nodded. His tall figure leaned forward slightly as he stared into Lin Xia's clear yet stubborn eyes, asking with incomparable gravity:
"Lin Xia, are you willing… to take me as your master?"
Boom!
The words struck like a thunderclap—far more shocking than anything before!
Take him as a disciple?!
One of the three great divine craftsmen of the age, President of the Blacksmith Association, Lou Gao was personally asking to take this mysterious child as his disciple?!
The surrounding blacksmiths were completely stunned, their minds blank.
To be accepted personally by a divine craftsman was an opportunity countless blacksmith Soul Masters dreamed of yet could never obtain!
Lou Gao's status in ore resources and forging techniques was precisely the core reason Lin Xia had traveled thousands of miles to Gengxin City!
Joining the association was merely a means—the true goal was gaining resources and learning forging and ore knowledge.
And becoming Lou Gao's disciple—what did that mean?
It meant a stable supply of rare ores! It meant that every risk Lin Xia had taken, every exposure of his abilities, had now yielded returns far beyond expectations!
No hesitation! No indecision!
The instant Lou Gao finished speaking, Lin Xia did not stall, nor did he put on a show of polite refusal.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart. His gaze became incomparably firm and respectful.
Taking a step back, Lin Xia straightened his posture. Facing the divine craftsman Lou Gao—his beard and hair white, his eyes blazing like fire, Lin Xia clasped his fists and performed an impeccably standard and solemn disciple ceremony, bending deeply at the waist!
"Disciple Lin Xia—"
His youthful voice, still carrying traces of immaturity, rang out with unmistakable clarity and determination throughout the silent hall, overpowering even the roar of the furnaces.
"—pays respects to Teacher!"
The movement was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation—just as crisp as when he had bitten through the ore earlier.
Lin Xia poured his utmost sincerity into that deep bow.
The entire Blacksmith Association hall was left with only the roaring flames of the furnaces and the echo of the boy's clear words: "Pays respects to Teacher."
Lou Gao looked at the deeply bowing youth. On his weathered face, blackened by soot and marked by years of hardship, a smile hotter than the core of a furnace finally bloomed.
"Good! Good! Good!"
"From today onward, you are the fifth disciple of Lou Gao!"
After announcing this, Lou Gao did not even glance at the others. He immediately grabbed Lin Xia's wrist—his rough, massive hand containing astonishing strength and pulled him toward the exclusive workshop on the top floor.
"Come! Follow your master upstairs—let's have a proper talk!"
Lou Gao's voice boomed with barely contained excitement.
However, just as he turned around, a gray-green figure suddenly darted between them.
"Larvi! Larvitar!"
Larvitar jumped anxiously in place, its short claws forcefully pointing at the remaining piece of Starry Refined Gold in Lou Gao's arms—the one Lin Xia had bitten then pointing at its own mouth.
Its ruby-red eyes were filled with grievance and accusation.
You promised to save some for me!
Lin Xia immediately reacted. He quickly tugged lightly on Lou Gao's arm and said in a somewhat embarrassed, lowered voice.
"Teacher! Wait! My Martial Soul… my Larvitar—it… it has the same ability as me. It can grow stronger by eating ores. It's been eyeing those two precious ores of yours for a long time. Could you… could you let it have a taste too? Just a small bite?"
Lou Gao's forward-moving steps came to an abrupt halt, as if he had been struck by a immobilization technique.
He spun around sharply. His short, sturdy body seemed to freeze in place. The eyes that had been gleaming with excitement just moments ago suddenly contracted violently, turbulent shock surging within them far greater than when he had seen Lin Xia bite through the Starry Refined Gold!
A Martial Soul could eat ores? And grow stronger by doing so?!
The thought slammed into Lou Gao's cognitive framework like a massive hammer, detonating with a deafening roar.
In all his years, he had seen countless strange and peculiar Martial Souls and heard of innumerable bizarre cultivation methods but a Martial Soul that actively gnawed on ores and get stronger from them?
This was utterly unheard of, completely overturning his inherent understanding of Martial Souls and cultivation itself!
Lou Gao's hawk-like gaze locked firmly onto the anxious little dinosaur on the ground. Larvitar met his stare head-on, its gaze pure and filled with longing, utterly devoid of any ferocity common to Soul Beasts. The aura it emitted was unmistakably the same Soul power origin as Lin Xia's.
But… it could eat?!
Shock surged through Lou Gao's entire body like an electric current. Yet he was, after all, a divine craftsman of the age—his willpower was extraordinarily firm.
The astonishment on his face flashed by in an instant, so quickly it was nearly impossible to catch. In the very next moment, he forcibly suppressed it, restoring his usual calm composure.
"It's fine."
Lou Gao's voice was steady and unruffled. He nodded, and a faint smile—tinged with curiosity—reappeared on his face.
"It was my oversight. I forgot about this little fellow. Come, let's go upstairs and talk."
This time, he did not grab Lin Xia. Instead, he signaled with his eyes for Lin Xia to bring Larvitar along, then turned and headed toward the staircase his pace clearly faster than before.
On the top floor, the heavy doors of Lou Gao's exclusive forging room closed with a dull thud, cutting off the faint hammering sounds from below.
The interior was simple yet austere. The walls were covered with all manner of strangely shaped tools and ore specimens. The air was thick with the unique scent of metal, flame, and grease.
Lou Gao wasted no time on pleasantries.
He walked straight to a massive anvil and retrieved a dark silver ring from his robes. It looked plain and unadorned, its surface engraved with intricate hammer-patterns.
The material was unusual, faint Soul power fluctuations circulating around it.
"Xia, take this."
Lou Gao placed the ring directly into the still slightly dazed Lin Xia's hand, his tone brooking no refusal.
"This is a storage Soul Tool I obtained in my earlier years. The space inside is fairly large. I've stored some ore specimens of decent quality that I collected over the years, along with some Gold Soul Coins. Consider it your meeting gift from your master. Keep it well. If you need to study ores or if you get hungry—just take what you need."
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