Lou Gao waved his hand, a trace of reminiscence flickering in his eyes.
"The Yellow Sandstorm Rat is exceptionally skilled at concealment and burrowing through sand, making it extremely difficult to capture. Precisely because of this, they often live far longer than ordinary Soul Beasts of the same level."
"Many years ago, I once accidentally sensed a Yellow Sandstorm Rat clan deep within the sandfields. Even the weakest among them was at least over four hundred years old! As your first Soul Ring, it would be a perfect match!"
Lou Gao paused, seeing the blazing light ignited in Lin Xia's eyes, and made his decision.
"However, that stretch of sand is complex in terrain. The Yellow Sandstorm Rats move like ghosts within a sea of sand. Charging in recklessly would be like searching for a needle in the ocean—wasting time and possibly running into other dangers."
Lou Gao stepped up to Lin Xia and placed his rough, powerful hand on his shoulder, a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Xia Xia, you've only just arrived in Gengxin City and have only recently become my disciple. Your foundational knowledge of minerals, forging, and even Soul Beasts is like a blank sheet of paper."
"Your foundation is not yet stable—possessing a treasure mountain yet knowing not the way in."
"Obtaining a Soul Ring is certainly important, but sharpening the blade does not delay the chopping of wood. For the time being, you will stay peacefully at the Blacksmith Association—study properly, and eat more minerals to strengthen yourself!"
"As for that Yellow Sandstorm Rat…"
"Leave it to your master with peace of mind! I will personally arrange manpower, mobilize the Association's resources and connections, and cast a wide net to thoroughly search that sandfield!"
"Once its exact nest or activity range is confirmed, I will personally accompany you, protect you during the process, and ensure nothing goes wrong! How does that sound?"
Listening to Lou Gao's meticulous arrangements, a warm current surged through Lin Xia's heart, along with deep agreement.
Indeed, having the talent to grow stronger by devouring minerals yet not understanding minerals themselves was like begging while holding a golden rice bowl—an utter waste of potential!
Future growth would inevitably be restricted.
Moreover, Lou Gao had provided the most perfect solution.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xia bowed deeply to Lou Gao, his voice filled with gratitude and resolve.
"This disciple Lin Xia obeys the Master's orders! Thank you, Teacher, for your careful arrangements! I will certainly study diligently and not disappoint your high expectations!"
"Good!"
Seeing Lin Xia's attitude, Lou Gao felt greatly comforted, a smile blooming once more on his face.
He then pointed at the corner, where Larvitar was still gnawing on the last bits of Star Gold crumbs, its little belly already round and full, and laughed.
"Go on—take your little fellow to the Association's rear courtyard and settle in. The innermost room of the eastern wing in the back courtyard—quiet and spacious will be your residence from now on!"
"Food and daily necessities will be delivered by others. Rest well today. Early tomorrow morning, I'll begin teaching you how to identify ores and metals, as well as various kinds of knowledge!"
"Yes, Teacher!"
Lin Xia saluted once again and turned toward Larvitar.
Sensing that it was about to leave this room filled with the scent of 'delicacies,' Larvitar licked the crumbs at the corner of its mouth with a hint of reluctance.
Seeing this, Lin Xia smiled and said,
"Don't worry. Teacher just gave us lots of good food—we'll eat it together."
Only then did Larvitar nod, following closely at Lin Xia's side. As they were about to step out the door, Larvitar suddenly turned back toward Lou Gao, pressed its little claws together, and bowed, as if thanking him for taking them in.
That single action nearly melted Lou Gao's heart.
How could there be such an adorable little Martial Soul?!
Lin Xia naturally saw this as well and gave Lou Gao an embarrassed, sheepish smile before leading Larvitar toward the rear courtyard.
Even after Lin Xia and Larvitar left, Lou Gao remained immersed in that gesture for quite some time.
Following Lou Gao's instructions, Lin Xia led Larvitar through the relatively quiet corridor of the rear courtyard.
The scent of metallic dust in the air faded somewhat, replaced by faint hints of vegetation and the distant, muffled hammering sounds blocked by the courtyard walls.
They soon found the thick wooden door at the very end of the eastern wing.
Pushing it open, the scent of fresh wood rushed toward them.
The room was far more spacious than Lin Xia had expected. The furnishings were simple yet sturdy: a hard wooden bed, a table and chairs, a wardrobe, and a washbasin stand in the corner.
The walls were unpainted, a raw wood color that exuded a rugged feel, but everything was clean and tidy.
The window stood open, slanting sunlight pouring in and illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
"Larvitar~"
Larvitar hopped inside curiously, sniffing here and there, seemingly evaluating this new "nest." In the end, its gaze locked onto the hard wooden bed that looked especially solid.
Lin Xia didn't rush to interrupt the little fellow's exploration of the new environment. At this moment, all his attention was focused on the dark silver spatial Soul Tool ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
He concentrated and extended his consciousness into the ring.
Buzz—
The instant his awareness sank inside, Lin Xia was completely dumbfounded!
This was supposed to be just "some" items inside?!
This was practically a miniature treasure vault!
The space within the ring was far larger than he had imagined. The first thing that came into his "field of vision" was a brilliantly colored mound of ores that occupied nearly half the space!
They were roughly categorized and piled together. Although there was nothing on the level of Starry Refined Gold, what lay before Lin Xia was still worlds apart from the iron ore and quartz stones he had casually gnawed on in the wilderness before!
Massive chunks of Black Iron Ore radiated a deep, somber glow, exuding a heavy sense of power.
Crimson Copper Ore, red as congealed magma, gave off a scorching aura.
Malachite speckled with peacock-blue patterns looked warm and jade-like.
Mithril Sand glittered with faint silver light, fine as powder.
There were also whole blocks of Cold Iron, bronze ingots with a tough, lustrous sheen, and even several unidentified ores faintly glowing with an earthy yellow halo—clearly containing dense earth-element energy…
The energy fluctuations emitted by all these ores intertwined, forming an aroma so rich it was intoxicating to Lin Xia. In an instant, it stimulated his saliva to flood uncontrollably, and even his stomach began to rumble loudly.
The moment Larvitar saw Lin Xia's expression, it immediately understood something!
It excitedly rolled around on the bed.
"Larvi Larvitar!"
"My heavens…"
Lin Xia murmured, his throat bobbing as he forcefully suppressed the urge to immediately take out a chunk and start chewing.
With great difficulty, he shifted his gaze away from the mountain of ores and looked to the side.
Next to the ore pile was another small mound—this one built entirely from countless glittering coins!
Gold coins! All of them were Gold Soul Coins!
They were stacked neatly, radiating an alluring sheen within the mental space.
Lin Xia made a rough estimate, and his heart began pounding uncontrollably once again—one hundred thousand!
Absolutely no less than one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!
For someone like him, penniless and freshly out of the mountains where he had been chewing dirt, this was an unimaginably vast fortune!
And in one corner of the space, dozens of books of varying thickness were neatly stacked.
With a thought, Lin Xia took out the top few volumes.
Illustrated Compendium of Basic Continental Ores (Annotated Edition by Lou Gao)
Detailed Records of Ore Vein Distribution Around Gengxin City
Encyclopedia of Soul Beasts (Beginner Volume)
Detailed Explanation of Fundamental Meditation Methods
Foundations of Forging: An Introduction to Metal Properties
Just glancing over these titles sent a scorching wave of heat surging through Lin Xia's heart.
This was exactly the knowledge he needed most right now!
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