Star Gold and Star Gold Essence!

The moment the ore entered his mouth, an indescribable, Explosive Fresh Taste erupted across his palate!

It was like a divine nectar condensed from Earth Essence, the Power of Stars, and Pure Metal Will.

The flavor surpassed every mineral ore Lin Xia had ever tasted in his life, even surpassing all his fantasies of food when starving!

Sweetness carried a trace of the sharp edge unique to minerals, while richness wrapped around an indescribable fragrance. Countless pure metal energies danced and blended wildly across his taste buds like the finest seasonings.

Every chew felt like opening the door to a New World. The dense Energy Flow surged down his throat, instantly igniting his Limbs and Bones, making every cell in Lin Xia's body sing with joy!

This was not merely a feast for the taste buds, but a tremor of the soul!

Amid this ultimate deliciousness and Energy Impact, Lin Xia forced himself to focus all his attention on comparing the two surging yet completely different Energy Torrents in his mouth.

The ore in his right hand contained vast, overwhelming energy, like a rushing Lava River. It instantly replenished his depleted Soul Power, bringing a scorching, Pure Power boost. His body seemed to have been infused with refined Molten Steel, and even his Muscle Fibers buzzed with longing.

Yet at the same time, that energy felt too singular and fierce, with no lingering aftertaste. It carried an... outwardly strong but inwardly hollow flavor, like a Treasure Box that looked magnificent but was empty inside.

The ore in his left hand was equally explosively delicious upon entering his mouth, with equally surging energy, but what followed was a strange sense of depth and an endless reserve of strength!

Rather than delivering nothing but fierce impacts, its energy circulated through his body like Living Water's Gentle Touch, gently yet incredibly efficiently blending into his Flesh and Bones, bringing comprehensive nourishment and a subtle sense of transformation.

That energy also contained a faint, elusive spirituality, like twinkling starlight. It seemed able to touch his soul, bringing an indescribable... sense of connection?

Moreover, as this energy circulated through his body, it vaguely resonated with—and was drawn toward—the energy from the ore in his right hand?

Like master and servant, like Companion Ore!

After a while, Lin Xia stopped chewing. His Adam's Apple bobbed as he swallowed the Mineral Paste mixed with ultimate deliciousness and pure energy.

"Gulp."

An unprecedented Warm Current instantly exploded from his stomach, more than ten times stronger than when he had eaten any ore before!

Like a surging River Water, this Warm Current washed violently through his Limbs and Bones before finally flowing into his Dantian Sea of Qi.

Lin Xia clearly felt that the Soul Power within him, originally full and surging at the peak of level ten like a small pool brimming on the verge of overflowing, violently broke through that cicada-wing-thin bottleneck under this torrent's fierce infusion!

Bzzz—!

A stronger Soul Power Fluctuation rippled uncontrollably from Lin Xia's body before he forcibly suppressed it.

Within his dantian, the "pool water" of his Soul Power had clearly widened and deepened, becoming more condensed and substantial, carrying a rock-like Sense of Power!

His Soul Power had increased. Though he had not broken through, Lin Xia could clearly feel that its total amount had reached level eleven!

It was not just his Soul Power. He could feel that his bones had become slightly tougher, while his Muscle Fibers seemed to have undergone Tempering, filled with an explosive Sense of Power.

His Physical Body had been strengthened as well!

Stormy Waves surged through Lin Xia's heart, but his expression revealed nothing.

He forcefully suppressed the agitation from his Soul Power breakthrough and the pleasant sensation of his strengthened body, his eyes remaining clear and calm.

Lin Xia slowly raised his hand and pointed to the ore on his left, the one Lou Gao had handed him and from which he had taken a bite. His voice rang out, clear and certain, shattering the Deathly Silence.

"President!"

Lin Xia stared directly into Lou Gao's eyes, which were filled with scrutiny and anticipation!

"This is the rare Companion Ore you mentioned!"

The moment Lin Xia spoke, the entire hall fell into Deathly Silence.

Lou Gao strode forward sharply, his hawk-like gaze locking onto the bitten ore Lin Xia's Left Hand pointed at.

He grabbed the ore, repeatedly rubbing the edge of the bite mark with his fingertips. Then he lifted the other piece and carefully compared their luster and Spots. The scrutiny in his eyes was instantly shattered, replaced by volcanic-eruption-like surprise and fanaticism!

"You... do you know what these two minerals do?! Speak, quickly!"

After a brief silence, Lin Xia felt the lingering energy in his mouth and looked at the ore on the right before speaking calmly.

"This one has vast, fierce energy, like Lava Infusion. It can instantly replenish the Soul Power consumed during forging, but it's too violent and too singular. If used for Tempering, the Impurities inside may not be shaken loose. Anything forged from it... would probably only be a hollow shell that is hard on the outside."

After speaking of the ore on the right, Lin Xia looked at the ore on the left and said seriously,

"This one is different! It bursts with freshness the moment it enters the mouth, yet its energy is like Living Water's Gentle Touch, able to seep into the Bone Seams. More importantly—"

Lin Xia pointed at the bite marks on the two ores.

"It hides spirituality, like starlight hooking onto lava! Perhaps if a little is added during forging, it can temper that Brute Force and allow the main ore's fierceness to seep deeper along its 'threads.'

It would be like putting reins on a wild, violent horse... no, it would be Dotting the Eyes! It would bring Dead Iron to life, shake the Impurities into powder, thoroughly temper the Tendons and Bones, and forge a truly spiritual blank!"

After finishing, Lin Xia added,

"These are only my humble opinions. After all, I've never studied this kind of knowledge, so there may be mistakes in what I said!"

After hearing Lin Xia's precise description, the last trace of doubt in Lou Gao's eyes completely vanished, replaced by an almost scorching light.

He Slapped His Thigh, his voice booming like a Great Bell and overwhelming the roar of the furnaces in the hall.

"Good! Well said! It's precisely because you're a newcomer who has never studied Ore Knowledge, yet can discern all this just by tasting it, that it's even more astonishing!"

Lou Gao excitedly waved the two gleaming ores in his hand. His voice possessed the ringing quality of metal and clearly reached the ears of everyone in the deathly silent hall.

"Do you know what this is? The one in my left hand is the legendary Star Gold Essence, something worth more than ten thousand gold and impossible to obtain! A true Heavenly Material! Add just one gram during forging and fuse it into a weapon, and it can Turn Iron into Gold, granting it indescribable spirituality and resilience. It is a Divine Object capable of a qualitative transformation!"

Lou Gao then pointed at the nearly identical ore in his right hand, his tone filled with sharp contrast.

"And this one may look the same, but it is merely Star Gold with a fine appearance! Though it is still a treasure, if added during forging, just as you said, it will only make the blank outwardly strong but inwardly hollow, turning it brittle and Shatter in One Blow! It is the 'Defeated Gold' blacksmiths hate most!"

The moment he said this, it was like pouring a ladle of Cold Water into a boiling Oil Pan!

"Hiss—!"

"Star Gold Essence?! Defeated Gold Star Gold?!"

"Heavens... is that really the legendary Star Gold Essence? The President carries it around with him?"

The surrounding blacksmiths instantly erupted. Sharp intakes of breath and incredulous cries rose one after another.

The way they looked at Lin Xia completely changed. Their previous mockery, suspicion, and shock were all replaced by utter amazement and reverence.

Even Steward Old Li was so shocked that his mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word.

Divine Craftsman Lou Gao's personal confirmation, combined with Lin Xia's inconceivable ability to identify ore by taste, caused all previous doubts to vanish into thin air.

So what if he was young?

With this ability, even if he merely tested the purity of ores every day, he would already be invincible!

Shocking! Absolutely shocking!

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