Lin Xia's tone was calm, but Lou Gao could hear the immense responsibility behind those words, along with unwavering perseverance and almost inhuman dedication.
Building an entire mecha legion while raising his Soul Power to the peak of the Soul King Level at only twelve years old, those four simple words, "following a steady routine," concealed countless days and nights of sweat, wisdom, and relentless effort.
Lou Gao remained silent for several moments.
Inside the carriage, the only sounds were the steady rumble of the wheels and the neighing of the Galehorn Horses.
He picked up his wineskin once more and took a long, deep drink, the burning liquor washing away the complicated emotions in his heart.
Looking at Lin Xia's youthful face, already etched with determination beyond his years, Lou Gao's eyes were filled with heartache and pride before finally becoming a heartfelt sigh.
"These past few years, Xia you've worked so hard."
His voice was low and sincere, carrying the solid, steadfast weight unique to a master blacksmith.
"For the Association, for your dream you've shouldered far too much by yourself. As your teacher i feel ashamed."
Lin Xia simply shook his head with an easy smile, one that came straight from the heart and was full of youthful confidence.
"Teacher, you're giving me too much credit. Honestly, I never felt it was difficult. I have a goal. I have a direction. Watching the Association grow stronger day by day seeing the mechas go from blueprints to reality watching Tyranitar grow step by step, seeing Zhuqing and everyone else live peacefully in Gengxin City while steadily becoming stronger."
He looked at Tyranitar, then Zhu Zhuqing, before finally meeting Lou Gao's eyes.
"Every single day has been fulfilling and full of hope."
"I've truly enjoyed every moment of it."
Tyranitar let out a low growl in agreement, while Zhu Zhuqing nodded firmly.
"Good! Well said! 'I've truly enjoyed every moment of it!'"
Lou Gao was inspired by Lin Xia's optimism and passion. His own fighting spirit surged once more as he waved his large hand.
"That's exactly the spirit my disciple should have! However..."
His expression suddenly changed.
A powerful curiosity burned within his crimson-gold eyes as they locked onto Lin Xia like the most precise Soul Tool scanner.
"Xia, your Soul Power has reached an unbelievable level, and your Martial Soul has evolved into something so terrifying. I've held this question in for long enough. Now I have to know!"
"Your Soul Skills! Are they still based on those 'Abilities' you told me about back then?"
"How did you choose your later Soul Rings? And just how did you build up the combat strength of a twelve-year-old Soul King?"
"Come on! Explain everything in detail!"
Lin Xia knew that, above all else, what his teacher truly cared about was the source of his strength, the mysteries behind his Soul Skills.
He straightened his posture.
Confidence and profound composure shone within his eyes, as though countless stars revolved in their depths.
"Don't worry, Teacher. The core Abilities haven't changed."
"In fact, with the addition of my later Soul Rings, they've become even stronger and more complete, practically eliminating every weakness."
His voice carried the calm assurance of someone who had complete mastery over his own power.
"My first Soul Skill is still Sand Stream."
Lin Xia opened his palm.
A strand of pure earth-yellow Soul Power swirled above it, and the air inside the carriage instantly became dry. Tiny grains of sand seemed to appear from nowhere.
"This is the foundation."
"When activated, it instantly transforms the surrounding environment, creating an enormous sandstorm domain."
"It not only provides exceptional concealment while suppressing an opponent's senses and vision, but more importantly..."
"It serves as the absolute battlefield upon which all of my other abilities operate."
"Within the sandstorm..."
"I am the ruler."
Lou Gao narrowed his eyes.
He could clearly sense the immense earth-element principles contained within that strand of Soul Power. This was far beyond the level of natural power an ordinary Soul King could command.
"What an incredible battlefield."
"How large is its range? And how long can it last?"
"When I use it at full power, it can cover an entire medium-sized city."
Lin Xia answered calmly.
"As long as my Soul Power doesn't run dry, the sandstorm will never disperse."
"And as my understanding of the Tear of the Star Core and the power of the earth continues to deepen, both the sandstorm's destructive power and its suppressive effect on my enemies continue to grow stronger."
"My second Soul Skill is Sand Force."
Lin Xia withdrew his hand and clenched it into a fist.
A crushing, condensed aura of power capable of pulverizing mountains erupted from his body. It wasn't the pressure of Soul Power, but the manifestation of overwhelming physical strength itself.
"This Soul Skill works directly on Tyranitar. Once activated, while a sandstorm is in effect, Tyranitar's physical attack power increases dramatically. More importantly, the boost is continuous. As long as it remains within the sandstorm, its strength remains enhanced. This is the core source of damage that allows me to sweep through entire teams."
Tyranitar let out a low growl in cooperation, its dark crimson eyes glowing brightly. It casually raised one arm, and the terrifying power hidden beneath its armor compressed the air inside the carriage until it emitted a faint humming sound.
Lou Gao could clearly tell just how terrifying the increase in strength was. It far surpassed ordinary Soul Skills that enhanced physical power.
"The true key lies in the combination of the next three Soul Skills, Teacher."
A sharp gleam flashed through Lin Xia's eyes.
"Together, they completely compensate for Tyranitar's weaknesses, its massive size, relatively low speed, and its vulnerability to techniques that weaken its abilities. They form an almost perfect combat cycle."
"My third Soul Skill is Sand Rush!"
Lin Xia spoke more quickly now, his tone filled with excitement as he analyzed his combat strategy.
"The effect of this Soul Skill is nothing short of miraculous. While a sandstorm is active, Tyranitar's relatively low Speed is directly transformed into extreme speed. Just like cutting through flowing sand and charging upstream. This isn't merely an increase in movement speed, it fundamentally overturns its Speed attribute itself, allowing a normally cumbersome giant beast to attain speed that surpasses even the fastest agility-type Soul Masters."
Lou Gao drew a sharp breath.
"Slow becoming incredibly fast?! T-That's completely against common sense!"
He instantly understood where Lin Xia's unbelievable zigzag maneuvers during the mech battle had come from. This Soul Skill could be applied to the mech as well.
A heavily armored steel giant possessing supreme speed.
Just how terrifying would that be?
"My fourth Soul Skill is Sand Veil!"
Lin Xia continued without pause.
"This is the core of our evasion and survivability. While a sandstorm is active, Tyranitar becomes extraordinarily difficult to lock onto or strike."
"The blowing sand becomes our greatest camouflage and shield, greatly increasing our evasive ability."
"This dramatically improves our margin for error during high-speed charges and close-quarters combat. Most enemy attacks simply fail to connect. Combined with the speed granted by Sand Rush, we can appear and disappear like ghosts within the sandstorm, striking before our enemies can react."
Battle scenes immediately formed in Lou Gao's mind.
Within a raging sandstorm, a crimson or dark-golden figure darted about at ghostlike speed. Enemy attacks were perfectly aimed, yet somehow always missed by inches or were deflected by the swirling sand.
It was nothing less than a nightmare for every assault-type Soul Master.
Looking at Lin Xia now, Lou Gao felt as though he were staring at a monster.
"My fifth Soul Skill is Purifying Salt!"
Lin Xia declared firmly.
"This is the final piece and also the most important one. It grants Tyranitar an incredibly overbearing passive Trait: complete immunity to all negative effects that lower its abilities."
"Whether it's poison, curses, weakening auras, or bizarre Soul Skills that reduce attack, defense, or speed, none of them have any effect against Purifying Salt."
"It ensures that the combat enhancements I accumulate during battle, such as the continuous boosts from Sand Force, cannot be easily removed or reversed by my opponents, allowing me to maintain peak combat strength throughout the fight."
"Immune to all stat reductions and able to preserve its enhancements?!"
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