Before his words had even faded, Lou Gao's callused fingers, which contained astonishing strength, suddenly tightened!
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, the ordinary-looking stone shattered like a walnut crushed between fingers.
Yet what was revealed inside the broken stone was not the expected grayish-white or earthy yellow, but a deep, heavy black—black as thick ink, as if it could absorb light itself!
The black was exceptionally pure, carrying the cold, hard texture of metal, forming an intense contrast with the dirt and moss on the stone's surface.
"Eh?!"
Lin Xia cried out in surprise. He immediately crouched down and, copying Lou Gao, casually picked up another unremarkable stone nearby.
Lin Xia's finger strength was no weaker. He squeezed hard.
"Crack!"
The stone shattered, revealing the same deep black within!
"This... why is it completely black inside?"
Lin Xia rubbed the black stone dust between his fingers. It felt fine yet heavy.
Seeing Lin Xia's astonishment, the smile on Lou Gao's face deepened, carrying the satisfaction of teaching and enlightening a student.
Lou Gao tossed away the remaining black fragments in his hand, dusted off his palms, and began his lesson.
"Xiao Xia, you haven't yet learned how to systematically examine ore veins, so it's normal that you couldn't tell."
Lou Gao pointed at the ground beneath their feet, his voice steady and full of experience.
"The reason this place was named Black Rock Valley by our Blacksmith Association is because a special rock layer lies beneath it—the Black Rock Layer!"
Lou Gao paused and emphasized his next words.
"This Black Rock is no ordinary stone. Its texture is extremely hard and dense, its density far exceeds that of ordinary rock, and its internal structure is special. It possesses a strong... well, you can think of it as an ability to