An old man walked over.
He wasn't particularly tall, but his frame was broad and powerful, his muscles dense and compact. His hair and beard were completely white, yet he radiated vitality. His eyes were sharp and luminous, as if they could pierce metal and stone alike.
He wore a worn leather apron stained with coal dust and iron filings. In his hand was a small carving knife that gleamed with an unusually cold light, clearly meant for working on delicate components.
The most eye-catching detail was the badge pinned to his chest—a forging hammer encircled by starlight.
The symbol of a Divine Craftsman.
The surrounding blacksmiths immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.
"President!"
Lou Gao!
One of the Three Great Divine Craftsmen of the current world, and the President of the Blacksmith Association!
The steward, Old Li, instantly wiped the impatience from his face. After briefly recounting what had just happened, he spoke respectfully.
"President, this kid says he wants to join the association, but he's too young. I'm afraid he—"
Lou Gao's gaze settled on Lin Xia.
Those eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, as if they could see straight into a person's heart.
Lin Xia immediately felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him, but he forced himself to stay calm, meeting Lou Gao's gaze neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"You want to join the association?" Lou Gao asked.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a metallic resonance that rang clearly in Lin Xia's ears.
"Yes, President," Lin Xia replied respectfully.
"I have a special ability related to ore. I hope to serve the association and learn forging techniques."
"A special ability?"
A flicker of interest flashed through Lou Gao's eyes.
He had devoted his entire life to metal and forging. Anything novel involving ore or metals naturally stirred his curiosity.
"Tell me," Lou Gao said. "What makes it special?"
Facing Lou Gao's question—and the openly skeptical gazes of those around him—Lin Xia felt no inner turmoil.
He knew exactly how unique and valuable his ability was. To gain a foothold in the Blacksmith Association and secure resources, revealing part of it was a necessary price.
He needed Lou Gao's recognition. More importantly, he needed a stable source of ore.
After a brief moment of consideration, Lin Xia made his decision.
He raised his hand—not toward the piles of ore, but toward his own mouth—and spoke with absolute seriousness.
"President, my mouth can taste the components within ore and distinguish high-quality material from low-quality material."
He paused, then added,
"I only make comparisons. Right now, I don't have enough knowledge about ore to accurately name the metals."
The crowd that had already been watching burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that? He says he can taste the components of ore!"
"I'm dying—this kid must be starving and talking nonsense!"
"Eating ore? Does he think he's a spirit beast? Or made of copper and iron himself?"
"Yeah! Even if he could bite it, what would it taste like? Rust or rocks?"
The interest that had just appeared in Lou Gao's eyes was quickly replaced by deep disappointment.
He shook his head and sighed, his tone carrying the helpless indulgence of an elder toward an ignorant child.
"Little friend, do you think you have copper teeth and an iron mouth?"
"Even if you did, the hardness of many ores far exceeds what you imagine. Without special tempering, their structure is extremely stable. How could teeth possibly bite through them, let alone distinguish their composition? Your idea… is far too naive."
The mockery around them grew louder, words like "pipe dream" and "doesn't know his limits" floating through the air.
Lin Xia ignored everything.
His expression remained calm.
He walked straight to the pile of common ore, bent down, and picked up two pieces of iron ore. They were similar in size but slightly different in color.
Holding them, he returned to Lou Gao and spoke clearly.
"President, with your experience, you should be able to tell which of these two pieces has a higher iron content, right?"
Lou Gao and Old Li both glanced at the ore. With their experience, they could indeed make a rough judgment.
But before either of them could answer—
Lin Xia's next action caused all laughter to stop dead, as if someone had seized everyone by the throat.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xia brought the piece of iron ore in his right hand to his mouth, opened wide—
—and bit down hard.
CRUNCH!
A sharp, teeth-jarring sound rang out!
Under the horrified stares of everyone present, Lin Xia's teeth sank into the iron ore as if it were a crisp biscuit. He bit off a chunk the size of a baby's fist!
Without stopping, he bit off another chunk from the ore in his left hand!
He stuffed both pieces into his mouth, cheeks bulging, and began chewing vigorously.
"Crunch—crunch—"
The sound of hard ore being chewed echoed through the hall like someone munching roasted beans, sending chills down everyone's spine.
The entire Blacksmith Association hall fell into absolute silence.
Only the roar of the furnaces and the sound of Lin Xia chewing could be heard.
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief at the utterly incomprehensible scene before them.
That child…
He was really eating ore!
And not just biting it—chewing it!
What were his teeth made of?
What kind of stomach did he have?
Was this really something a human could do?
The disappointment on Lou Gao's face had long since vanished, replaced by sheer shock. He stared fixedly at Lin Xia's mouth, as if trying to see whether some divine blade was hidden inside.
Old Li staggered back half a step, his face drained of color.
Lin Xia chewed as if no one else existed, his brow slightly furrowed as he carefully distinguished the flavors.
After a moment, he stopped chewing and swallowed the paste-like mixture of ore fragments.
After savoring it carefully, Lin Xia raised the remaining piece of ore in his left hand and spoke calmly to Lou Gao.
"This one has a higher iron content."
He paused, as if sensing something deeper.
"And… it seems to be mixed with another mineral. The taste is… sharper. Very sharp. I haven't studied it yet, so I can't name it."
Silence.
Complete, absolute silence.
Everyone's minds went blank, stunned by this crude yet utterly unbelievable method of appraisal.
They looked at Lin Xia's intact mouth and teeth—without even a trace of blood—then at the two pieces of iron ore with massive chunks bitten cleanly away.
A powerful sense of absurdity washed over them.
The world itself suddenly felt strange and insane.
After the initial petrified shock, the already-bright light in Lou Gao's eyes erupted with unprecedented brilliance—borderline fanaticism.
It was the gaze of a master craftsman who had just discovered a legendary, god-infused metal.
"Good! Good! Good!"