The Way of a Disciple Is Never to Hoard Alone

Lin Xia smiled and soothed Larvitar, taking several high-quality Purple Lightning Iron Ores from his Space Ring—the ones with the most active flowing arcs of electricity—and placing them on the ground.

Larvitar immediately pounced on them. Though it was already stuffed, it still hugged the largest piece, opened its little mouth, bared teeth harder than refined steel, and bit down fiercely!

Kā Chā!

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

"Zzzzt—!"

More purple electric arcs spilled from the shattered ore like tiny spirit snakes, continuously burrowing into Larvitar's body, racing across its surface, flashing, and fading away...

Yet even amid his delight, Lin Xia did not forget Lou Gao standing beside him.

Lou Gao's gaze, filled with amazement, gratification, and even a hint of indulgence, remained fixed on Larvitar. That unreserved support and trust sent a warm current surging through Lin Xia's heart.

Lin Xia knew full well how irresistible a rare Lightning Attribute ore like Purple Lightning Iron was to a Divine Craftsman who had spent his life dealing with minerals and forging.

Hoarding it all for himself was no way for a disciple to act.

With that thought, Lin Xia's mind stirred.

The dark silver Space Ring on the ring finger of his left hand, which Lou Gao had given him, flashed. Accompanied by a soft rustling sound, a small pile of mineral ore glittering with gorgeous purple light and wreathed in electric threads appeared on the open ground beside Lou Gao.

These ores were not the largest, but their color was deep, and the Energy Fluctuation of their Lightning Attribute power was exceptionally active. They were clearly premium pieces Lin Xia had carefully selected.

"Teacher."

Lin Xia raised his head and looked at the slightly stunned Lou Gao, a sincere smile on his face.

"You should take these. I have plenty in my ring, enough for Larvitar and me to chew on for a long time. I won't miss this little bit. You can keep them for research and forging, or give them to anyone in the Association who needs them."

Lou Gao looked at the small pile of priceless Purple Lightning Iron on the ground, then at Lin Xia's clear and open gaze. In an instant, an indescribable warmth and emotion rose in his heart.

This Kid... he was thoughtful, knew how to repay kindness, and, more importantly, possessed the rare temperament of not being greedy or possessive and knowing how to share.

To remain this clear-headed and loyal in the face of such immense wealth pleased him as a master far more than talent ever could.

Lou Gao raised his thick brows, and the wrinkles on his face relaxed. He did not refuse. Instead, he reached out with his large hand and firmly patted Lin Xia's shoulder, the force still heavy and solid.

"Good Kid! At least you've got a conscience! You remembered your master's little craft. This Purple Lightning Iron is indeed something Old Man covets! With it, I might be able to hammer out a few good pieces!"

Lou Gao crouched down and swiftly stored the Purple Lightning Iron Ore on the ground in his Storage Soul Tool. His rough fingers brushed over the jumping arcs on the ore's surface, while his eyes gleamed with a Divine Craftsman's blazing passion for top-grade materials.

Seeing Lou Gao accept that portion of Purple Lightning Iron, Lin Xia smiled and asked:

"Teacher, where are the resources you mentioned? This Purple Lightning Iron Ore shouldn't be part of those resources, right?"

At those words, Lou Gao stood and dusted off his hands. His gaze turned toward the deeper reaches of this abandoned Ore Cave, toward the rock wall at the end where the miners had made their last excavation before the collapse sealed it off.

The ease on Lou Gao's face faded slightly, replaced by the complexity of old memories.

"The resources Old Man mentioned before..."

As he spoke, Lou Gao walked several steps forward and stopped before the seemingly ordinary rock wall, its surface covered with the marks of time and dust.

Lou Gao took a deep breath. Soul Power rippled faintly around him as he gave a low shout.

"Diamond Chisel!"

In an instant, a solid, heavy earthen-yellow glow gathered and extended in his hand. In the blink of an eye, it formed a massive chisel Martial Soul of ancient design, seemingly forged entirely from Adamantite and radiating an indestructible sharpness!

The chisel's body was archaic, while its tip gleamed with chilling light. It was Lou Gao's Tool Martial Soul—the Diamond Chisel!

"Hah!"

Lou Gao lowered his stance and planted his feet, gripping the thick handle of the Diamond Chisel with both hands. Surging Soul Power poured into the Martial Soul like a rushing river.

Without any flashy movements, he simply pressed the chisel's tip firmly against a seemingly solid seam in the rock wall, then thrust forward with explosive force!

Boom!

A muffled thunderous blast echoed through the Ore Cave, shaking dust down from overhead.

The rock wall struck by the Diamond Chisel shattered instantly like a punctured eggshell, bursting open into an irregular hole nearly a meter wide!

Broken stones and dust spread through the air, revealing the hidden sight behind the wall.

Lin Xia immediately moved closer and peered inside by the flickering torchlight.

The space beyond was not a deep Ore Tunnel, but a relatively small chamber, like a mineral pocket.

It was filled with dark red mineral ore, reflecting the faint, distinctive metallic sheen beneath the firelight.

"Red Copper Ore?"

Lin Xia recognized it at a glance. This was precisely what he had read about in the Basic Continental Ore Compendium earlier that Early Morning.

Red Copper was a fairly common, mid-grade metal ore with good ductility and Soul Tool conductivity. It was commonly used to forge the outer shells of ordinary Soul Tools and various everyday metal utensils.

Its value... truly could not compare to the Purple Lightning Iron they had discovered earlier.

"That's right, Red Copper Ore."

Lou Gao withdrew the Diamond Chisel and looked at the mineral ore piled inside the chamber, his tone carrying both regret and relief.

"The last survey back then found the end of this small Red Copper Ore vein. Its reserves weren't large, and its purity was average. We originally thought that mining it could at least replenish some of the Association's stock, but before we could begin, it..."

Lou Gao did not continue. He merely shook his head, then turned to Lin Xia. A broad-minded smile reappeared on his face as he pointed toward the Red Copper Ore in the chamber.

"There. These are the resources your teacher mentioned before. They're not worth much—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away. But..."

Lou Gao deliberately drew out his words and teasingly looked at Larvitar, who was hugging its Purple Lightning Iron and still seemed somewhat dazed by the tremendous noise earlier.

"For your little glutton, it's still mineral ore. No matter how ordinary the energy is, it's stronger than plain rocks."

"Take it home as an after-meal dessert. It can grind its teeth and fill its stomach a little! Better than chewing the wall, right? Hahaha!"

"Yogi?"

Larvitar seemed to understand the word dessert. Although it was still holding its Purple Lightning Iron, it curiously poked its little head forward, its ruby eyes looking toward the dark red mineral ore in the chamber.

It twitched its Small Nose as if sniffing it, and then... an obvious look of disdain appeared on its Small Face.

Mm... the taste is so bland... the energy is so weak... it's nowhere near as good as this fragrant, tingly purple stone in my hands!

Little Guy honestly pulled his head back again and continued focusing on its grand Purple Lightning Iron feast. Little Tail gave a perfunctory swish, as though saying:

This kind of "snack" doesn't interest me much!

Lin Xia could not help laughing at Larvitar's expression, which practically said that it was hard to go from luxury back to frugality. Still, just as Teacher had said, even a mosquito leg had meat on it.

No matter how ordinary the energy in Red Copper Ore was, for Larvitar, which needed massive quantities of mineral ore to grow, it was still a resource that would add up over time.

"Teacher is right. Larvitar, get to work!"

This book is the only Douluo novel to advance this round. Thank you all, brothers, for your support! Tofu sincerely thanks you! Please keep up the follow-up reading!