Lin Xia's thoughts were still churning with the scorching heat of Flame Fist and the icy chill of Frozen Fist. His fingertips seemed to retain the faint sensation of electric arcs triggered by Thunder Punch, while his desire for attribute mineral ores spread through his heart like wildfire.
Just then, footsteps sounded. Lou Gao's face, covered in marks from furnace smoke and crisscrossed with deep lines, was now brimming with an almost childlike, uncontrollable delight.
His eyes shone astonishingly bright, like the hottest core of a furnace, and even his beard trembled slightly with excitement.
Before Lin Xia could fully recover his senses, Lou Gao's large, callused hand, like an iron clamp, had already seized his wrist and dragged him toward the Forge Room without explanation. The force was so great that Lin Xia stumbled.
"Teacher? Slow down... What... what's going on?"
Thrown into confusion by this sudden enthusiasm and the expression on Lou Gao's face—the look of someone who had found an incomparably precious treasure and had to share it immediately—Lin Xia asked instinctively.
Lin Xia had only just pulled himself away from the excitement of Thunder Punch, and his mind was still struggling to keep up with his teacher's pace.
"Haha! Incredible news! Xiao Xia, it worked! It worked!"
Lou Gao had no intention of keeping him in suspense. His booming voice echoed throughout the training room, every word filled with indescribable excitement and impatience.
Lou Gao stopped, turned around, and gripped Lin Xia's shoulders tightly with both hands. His blazing eyes stared fixedly at Lin Xia, as though he wanted to pour the light in his own eyes straight into Lin Xia's mind.
"After all this time—no, after all these sleepless days and nights of tinkering!"
Lou Gao spoke at a frantic pace, nearly spraying Lin Xia's