Is This True? No Joke?

Lin Xia looked at the ring in his palm, feeling the weight it carried and the trust that came with it.

Lin Xia did not put on a show of refusing it—in this world, survival and becoming stronger came first, and his teacher's gift had arrived just when he needed it most.

Clutching the ring tightly, he gave Lou Gao a deep bow, his voice sincere and clear.

"Your disciple Lin Xia thanks Teacher for this generous gift!"

"Mm."

Lou Gao nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze toward Larvitar, who was staring at him eagerly while its Small Claws rubbed together unconsciously. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Without Hesitation, he took out the last two pieces of Star Gold and Star Gold Essence from his robes—the very two chunks Lin Xia had bitten into after tasting them earlier—and held them out directly before Larvitar.

"Here, Little Guy. These are yours."

"Yoji—!!!"

After letting out an excited cry, how could Larvitar still care about acting reserved?

Its tiny arms shot out like lightning with astonishing speed, scooping the two Mineral Ores radiating tempting Energy Fluctuations into its embrace!

The next second!

"Kā Chā! Kā Chā! Kā Chā! Gā Bēng, Gā Bēng—!"

A dense, scalp-numbing barrage of chewing sounds, like beans popping, instantly filled the entire Forge Room.

Larvitar shook its little head wildly, its cheeks bulging as if stuffed with two huge walnuts. Its eyes narrowed into blissful slits, and satisfied "mmph mmph" sounds rumbled from its throat, as though it had entered a self-forgetting state of "mineral ore ecstasy."

That eating style was a hundred times fiercer than a Taotie that had starved for centuries, as if it feared someone might snatch its food away.

Seeing his own Martial Soul behaving so shamelessly, Lin Xia covered his forehead. He could barely stand to look, and muttered with both annoyance and amusement:

"Slow down! No one's going to take it from you!"

His tone was full of helplessness.

Yet after hearing Lin Xia say that, Larvitar's eyes were filled with disbelief. Other people might not steal it, but you were different!

That expression nearly made Lin Xia break down on the spot!

Was he really such a glutton?

Lou Gao, meanwhile, was completely amused by the Little Guy's behavior and burst into hearty laughter, clapping his hands.

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good! Interesting, truly interesting! Those teeth of yours are even tougher than the hardest Quenched Steel this Old Man has ever seen!"

Lou Gao's gaze at Larvitar was filled with astonishment and intense interest.

"It's good that you can eat! Being able to eat is a blessing! This Old Man lacks everything here except these lumps of stone! You can have as much as you want from now on!"

His delighted laughter echoed through the Forge Room, filled with the joy of having accepted a new beloved disciple.

But Lou Gao was, after all, the President of the Blacksmith Association and one of the foremost forging Masters of the age.

After the brief laughter, his expression swiftly turned serious. The simple curiosity in his eyes over Larvitar's eating habits transformed into something deeper and more probing.

He walked over to Lin Xia, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through Lin Xia's body and reach straight to his core.

Lou Gao's voice was grave as he asked, word by word:

"Xiao Xia, what you said downstairs just now—your Martial Soul Larvitar and you can grow stronger by consuming Mineral Ores... is this true? Is it really no joke?"

Faced with his teacher's solemn question, Lin Xia had no intention of concealing anything. Meeting Lou Gao's scrutinizing gaze, he nodded seriously, his tone utterly firm.

"Yes, Teacher, it is absolutely true! Larvitar and I can both cultivate by consuming Mineral Ores containing Metal Energy. This method is several times more efficient than ordinary meditation for gaining Soul Power!"

"And it can also strengthen the Physical Body!"

At those words, a brilliant light flashed in Lou Gao's eyes, but he did not immediately press for details.

He merely fell silent for a moment. In that brief instant, countless thoughts churned and collided in his mind before he finally asked:

"Xiao Xia, what exactly is your Innate Soul Power level?"

Lin Xia immediately took out the slightly wrinkled Martial Soul Certificate issued by Nuoding City Spirit Hall from his carry bag and respectfully handed it to Lou Gao with both hands.

Lou Gao accepted the certificate, his eyes sweeping across the paper like lightning. After reading it, a trace of delight flashed across his face.

When he had accepted Lin Xia as his disciple, he had not cared about Lin Xia's talent as a Soul Master at all. Even if Lin Xia had no Soul Power, as long as he possessed that ability, his value could not be underestimated!

But if he had Soul Power—and was even a genius—then naturally, that would be even better!

"Innate Soul Power... Level Eight..."

He had awakened only a little over a month ago and possessed Innate Level 8 Soul Power. His talent was indeed excellent, though not uniquely unparalleled.

However, in the next instant, Lou Gao's perception enveloped Lin Xia's entire body like the most precise probe.

His vast Soul Power carefully examined the fluctuations and intensity of Lin Xia's internal Soul Power—both an instinct of a top-tier Strong Person and a confirmation of his disciple's natural foundation.

It would have been fine if he had not examined him, but once he did—

"Buzz!"

Lou Gao's entire body trembled violently, as though he had been struck by an invisible Heavy Hammer!

Those weathered yet still sharp eyes widened to their limit in an instant, his pupils contracting violently as though he had witnessed the most unbelievable sight in the world!

He stared fixedly at the words "Innate Soul Power Level Eight" on the Martial Soul Certificate, then abruptly raised his head to look at the disciple before him—a six-year-old boy, thin in build but firm-eyed. Even the muscles in his face twitched faintly from the sheer shock.

"Level... Level Ten?!!"

For the first time, Lou Gao's voice trembled visibly. It was nearly hoarse from disbelief, filled with stunned horror.

"Y-you... your Soul Power... has actually already reached Level Ten?! How... how is that possible?!"

Lou Gao drew in a sharp breath, as though trying to calm the heart that was nearly leaping from his Chest Cavity. His voice rose from overwhelming excitement, carrying both questioning and the shudder of witnessing a world-shattering truth.

"Lin Xia! From the time you awakened your Martial Soul until now... at most, it has only been a little over a month!!"

"A little over a month!!"

"You went from a newly awakened Soul Scholar with Innate Level 8 Soul Power..."

"Crossed the threshold of Level Nine..."

"And charged straight to Level Ten?!!!!"

Every word from Lou Gao struck like a Heavy Hammer against an anvil, ringing loudly through the Forge Room filled with a Metallic Aura.

His gaze was locked tightly on Lin Xia, as though he were looking at a monster that had broken an Iron Law and overturned all common sense!

Innate Level 8 Soul Power, a little over a month, Level Ten Soul Power! This could no longer be described simply as "fast." This was an absolute shortcut to the heavens!

A path of Soul Power advancement achieved through "eating"!

The impact was a hundred times more shocking than Lin Xia being able to identify Star Gold Essence by taste, or Larvitar being able to chew through Mineral Ores!

Because it directly concerned the most central and fundamental issue in Soul Master cultivation: speed!

Lin Xia nodded lightly, confirming Lou Gao's perception. His tone was calm, yet carried a young man's certainty.

"Teacher's perception is correct. This disciple's Soul Power has indeed reached Level Ten, and there is even some left over!"

"But I did not cultivate for over a month. It has only been half a month!"