A Treasure Mountain, Yet No Way In

Lou Gao waved his hand, a trace of reminiscence glinting in his eyes.

"Yellow Storm Rats are extremely difficult to catch because they excel at hiding and burrowing through sand. But precisely because of that, they often live longer than ordinary Soul Beasts of the same rank."

"Many years ago, I happened to sense a Yellow Storm Rat colony deep beneath the sands. Even the weakest among them were at least four hundred years old! It would be a perfect match for your first Soul Ring!"

Lou Gao paused. Seeing the fervent light ignite in Lin Xia's eyes, he made his decision as well.

"However, that sandy region has complex terrain, and Yellow Storm Rats are elusive as ghosts in the Sand Sea. Going there rashly to search for them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It would waste time and might even lead to other dangers."

Lou Gao walked up to Lin Xia and placed his rough, powerful hand on his shoulder, his tone carrying a smile.

"Xiao Xia, you've only just arrived in Gengjin City and have only just become my disciple. Your basic knowledge of mineral ore, forging, and even Soul Beasts is as blank as a sheet of paper."

"With an unstable foundation, you have a treasure mountain before you yet do not know the way in."

"Obtaining a Soul Ring is certainly important, but sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood. For the coming days, stay peacefully at the Blacksmith Association. Study hard, and eat more mineral ore to grow stronger!"

"As for those Yellow Storm Rats..."

"Leave them to your teacher! This old man will personally arrange manpower, mobilize the Association's resources and connections, and cast a wide net to search that sandy region carefully!"

"Once we pinpoint their exact nest or range of activity, I'll personally accompany you there and protect you, ensuring nothing goes wrong! What do you say?"

Listening to Lou Gao's thorough arrangements, Lin Xia felt a warm current rise in his heart, along with a strong sense of agreement.

Indeed, having the talent to grow stronger by devouring mineral ore but not understanding the ore itself was like begging while holding a golden rice bowl. What a waste!

His future growth would inevitably be limited as well.

Moreover, Lou Gao had provided the perfect solution.

Without any hesitation, Lin Xia bowed deeply to Lou Gao, his voice full of gratitude and determination.

"This disciple, Lin Xia, will obey Teacher's orders! Thank you, Teacher, for going to such trouble with these arrangements! This disciple will study diligently and never disappoint Teacher's high expectations!"

"Good!"

Seeing Lin Xia's attitude, Lou Gao was immensely gratified, and a smile blossomed across his face once more.

Then he pointed at Larvitar, who was still gnawing on the last scraps of Star Gold, his little belly already round and full, and said with a smile:

"Go. Take your little guy to the Association's backyard and find a room to settle into. The innermost room in the eastern wing is quiet and spacious. It will be your residence from now on!"

"Someone will bring you food and daily necessities. Rest well today. Tomorrow morning, I'll begin teaching you how to identify ores and metals, along with all sorts of other knowledge!"

"Yes, Teacher!"

Lin Xia saluted again, then turned toward Larvitar.

Larvitar seemed to sense that he was about to leave this room filled with the scent of "delicious food," and reluctantly licked the crumbs from the corners of his mouth.

Seeing Larvitar like this, Lin Xia smiled and said:

"Don't worry. Teacher just gave us lots of delicious things. We'll eat them together!"

Only then did Larvitar nod. He followed at Lin Xia's feet, but just as they were about to leave, Larvitar suddenly turned back toward Lou Gao, pressed his little claws together, and bowed a few times, as if thanking Lou Gao for taking him in.

Larvitar's action nearly melted Lou Gao's heart.

How could there be such an adorable little dinosaur Martial Soul?!

Lin Xia naturally saw it too. He immediately gave Lou Gao an embarrassed, sheepish smile before leading Larvitar toward the backyard.

Even after Lin Xia and Larvitar had left, Lou Gao was still immersed in Larvitar's gesture.

Following Lou Gao's instructions, Lin Xia led Larvitar through the relatively quiet corridor in the backyard.

The scent of metal dust in the air faded somewhat, replaced by a faint fragrance of grass and trees, as well as the muffled sounds of forging from farther away, blocked by the courtyard walls.

They soon found the heavy wooden door at the very end of the eastern wing.

As he pushed open the door, the fresh scent of timber rushed toward him.

The room was far more spacious than Lin Xia had expected. Its furnishings were simple but sturdy: a hard wooden bed, a table and chairs, a wardrobe, and a washstand in the corner.

The walls were unpainted wood, carrying a rugged feel, but the room was clean and tidy.

The window stood open, and sunlight slanted in, illuminating the tiny specks of dust dancing in the air.

"Yoji~"

Larvitar curiously hopped inside, sniffing here and looking there as though evaluating his new "nest." In the end, his gaze settled on the hard wooden bed, which looked especially sturdy.

Lin Xia did not rush to pay attention to the little guy's exploration of his new surroundings. At this moment, all his attention was fixed on the dark silver Spatial Soul Tool Ring on the ring finger of his left hand.

He focused his mind and probed into the ring.

Buzz—

The instant his consciousness sank inside, Lin Xia was completely dumbfounded!

How was this merely "some things"?!

This was practically a miniature treasure vault!

The space inside the ring was far larger than he had imagined. The first thing that entered his sight was a colorful mountain of mineral ore that occupied nearly half the space!

They had been roughly sorted into piles. Though there was nothing as exceptional as Star Gold Essence, what lay before Lin Xia was still far beyond the Iron Ore and Quartz he had casually gnawed on in the wilderness before!

The massive chunks of Black Iron Ore emitted deep ethereal light and carried a heavy sense of power.

The crimson Red Copper Ore resembled solidified lava, radiating a scorching aura.

The Malachite, patterned with peacock-blue spots, was warm and lustrous like jade.

The Mithril Sand, sparkling with specks of silver light, was as fine as powder.

There were also chunks of Cold Iron, Bronze Ingots with a resilient sheen, and even several unknown ores faintly glowing with a yellowish-brown halo, clearly containing dense Earth Element...

The Energy Fluctuation emitted by these ores intertwined, forming an overwhelmingly rich "fragrance" to Lin Xia. It instantly made his saliva gush and his stomach rumble.

The moment Larvitar saw Lin Xia's expression, he instantly understood something!

He excitedly rolled around on the bed!

"Yoji! Yoji!"

"My god..."

Lin Xia muttered, his throat bobbing as he forcibly suppressed the urge to take out a piece and bite into it immediately.

With great difficulty, he shifted his gaze away from the mountain of mineral ore and looked to the side.

Beside the ore mountain stood another small mountain—one built from countless gleaming golden coins!

Gold coins! All Gold Soul Coins!

They were stacked neatly, giving off an enticing luster within the space of his consciousness.

Lin Xia made a rough estimate, and his heart began pounding wildly again—one hundred thousand!

There were definitely no fewer than one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!

For a poor kid who had not a single coin to his name and had just come out of the mountains after chewing dirt, this was undoubtedly an unimaginable fortune!

In one corner of the space, several dozen books of varying thickness had been stacked neatly.

With a thought, Lin Xia took out the books at the top.

<Basic Continental Ore Compendium (Lou Gao's Annotated Edition)>

<Detailed Record of Ore Vein Distribution Around Gengjin City>

Beast Encyclopedia (Beginner Volume)

<Detailed Explanation of Basic Meditation Techniques>

<Forging Fundamentals: An Introduction to Metal Properties>

Just scanning these titles made a scorching warmth surge through Lin Xia's heart.

This was precisely the knowledge he needed most right now!

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