Lin Xia looked at Larvitar, which had its little head tilted, wearing a dazed and slightly silly expression. He couldn't help reaching out to ruffle the small blunt horn on top of its head, laughing genuinely.
"Larvitar, why is the top of your head so pointy?"
Larvitar, whose short arms had been waving around, suddenly froze.
For some reason, it sensed a hint of teasing in Lin Xia's tone. Even though it didn't really understand what he meant, it instinctively felt that it wasn't anything nice. Immediately, it puffed itself up with Life Qi, planted its hands on its hips, and turned its head away in a huff.
"Lar—vi!"
Seeing that the little fellow actually had a temper, Lin Xia smiled helplessly. He took out an Ore from his bag and handed it over.
"Alright, alright. I was praising you for being handsome. Don't be so full of Life Qi, okay?"
The moment Larvitar caught the scent of the Ore, its red eyes flicked toward it. The next instant, it turned back at lightning speed, clamped its teeth down on the Ore, and crunched away happily, completely forgetting its earlier sulk.
Watching this scene, Lin Xia couldn't help but sigh. Who would've thought that this little fellow would one day be known as a walking disaster?
Now that he had confirmed Larvitar's moves and potential, Lin Xia added an unshakable new objective to his journey—
Move training.
The goal was simple and clear: improve move proficiency, shorten casting time, and increase power.
As a result, the journey toward Gengjin City took an unexpected turn.
What should have been a dull and monotonous trek instead became a live demonstration of repeated small-scale geological disasters.
"Larvitar, Rock Slide! Aim for that crack in the rock wall!" Lin Xia pointed decisively.
"Lar—vi!"
Larvitar waved its stubby arms. Under the guidance of invisible energy, several boulder-sized rocks rumbled up from the ground and slammed heavily into the targeted spot. Stone fragments flew everywhere, and the crack in the rock wall visibly deepened.
"Nice! Pay attention to your spirit power control! Again! This time, use Bite on that piece of deadwood!"
Lin Xia corrected every detail tirelessly.
"Crunch—"
With a dull tearing sound, the dead tree trunk—originally as thick as a bowl—was bitten straight through by Larvitar's small mouth, dark energy condensed around its fangs as wood chips scattered in all directions.
After getting familiar with the basic moves, it was finally time for the heavy hitters: Ancient Power and Dragon Dance.
Boom!!!
A torrent of dark-red ancient energy, mixed with sharp gravel and dust, surged forward like an awakening prehistoric beast and smashed violently into a low mound.
In an instant, the upper half of the mound collapsed like a sandcastle struck by a giant hammer. Gravel and mud exploded outward in a circular spray, dust billowed into the air, and a grotesque crater was left behind amid scattered debris.
"Dragon Dance!"
Larvitar let out a low roar. Its small body twisted and spun clumsily, yet with a strange rhythm. Its short claws cut through the air, stirring powerful currents and drawing in the remaining fragments of Ancient Power, forming a continuously condensing dark-red vortex around it.
When the vortex was completely absorbed, red light surged from its body!
Boom!
An invisible shockwave burst outward from Larvitar's center. The already-soft ground beneath its feet was overturned once again, as if plowed by an unseen force, forming a clear circular zone several meters wide. Soil was violently lifted by the airflow, exposing darker, wetter earth and tangled grass roots beneath—like an ugly scar freshly torn open.
…
High-intensity move training consumed an astonishing amount of spirit power.
Every time Larvitar used Ancient Power or Dragon Dance, Lin Xia could clearly feel the exhaustion in both of them, as if a large chunk of their energy had been instantly scooped out. It wasn't just physical fatigue, but a deep, hollow sensation unique to rapidly draining spirit power—like every cell was crying out in hunger and burning from within.
Larvitar, being naturally close to the earth, had a simple and straightforward solution.
With a thump, the little fellow sat down directly in the soft soil it had just overturned with its own moves. Without hesitation, it grabbed a large handful of dirt mixed with gravel and grass roots.
Puchi.
It stuffed the soil straight into its mouth and chewed loudly.
The faint metal minerals and earth-element energy within the soil were rapidly broken down by Larvitar's efficient digestive system, turning into a steady trickle that flowed throughout its body, gradually refilling its depleted spirit power.
Lin Xia watched Larvitar eat with great enthusiasm—only for his own stomach to growl even louder, accompanied by an intense wave of weakness.
He looked at the last piece of Iron Ore in his hand, then at the overturned, damp, dark soil beside Larvitar. A fierce internal struggle immediately broke out.
The Ore was gone. The small savings he had built up before had also been completely used up along the road.
After taking a deep breath, Lin Xia seemed to come to a momentous decision. If Larvitar could eat it, why couldn't he?
The Spirit had already fed back to his main body, granting him the ability to eat soil and Ore. The only reason he hadn't done so before was because he couldn't get past that psychological hurdle.
"To hell with it! It's better than starving to death on the road!"
Lin Xia squatted down, mimicking Larvitar. Holding his breath, he carefully pinched a small amount of relatively clean dark soil from the loosened ground and cautiously brought it to his mouth.
A moist, earthy scent mixed with faint humus rushed into his nose, making Lin Xia—who had grown accustomed to the metallic taste of Ore—instinctively want to frown.
But the overwhelming hunger and the emptiness caused by depleted spirit power finally overpowered his discomfort.
He closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and stuffed the soil into his mouth.
"Mmm…!"
The intense nausea he had expected didn't come.
The texture was grainy, carrying the distinctive astringency of soil. But as he chewed, the roughness gradually faded, replaced by an earthy flavor tinged with faint mineral notes. It couldn't be called delicious, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd imagined.
There was no bitterness, no urge to vomit—just a heavy, coarse texture.
After a while, he even sensed a faint sweetness.
More importantly, after swallowing a few mouthfuls, a weak yet genuine warmth slowly spread from his stomach to his limbs and bones.
That feeling was different from the physical strengthening gained from eating Ore. It was more focused on replenishing spirit power, along with a slight boost to his Spirit itself.
Lin Xia's eyes lit up instantly.
Although it couldn't compare to Ore, this soil… could actually be eaten as food!
It really could restore both stamina and spirit power!
Had Larvitar's sense of taste changed him as well?
Thinking about it, Lin Xia couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
"Lar—vi?"
Larvitar tilted its head, watching its master start eating too. There even seemed to be a hint of satisfaction in its red eyes, as if it were saying, See? I told you this stuff was fine.
Having discovered a whole new world, Lin Xia finally let go of all hesitation.
Forget dignity and elegance. Being able to fill his stomach and recover spirit power to continue the journey—that was what really mattered!
With that thought, Lin Xia stopped holding back and immediately entered "buffet mode" alongside Larvitar.
One big, one small, the two figures sat in the open space they had ravaged with their own moves—like a post-war ruin—grabbing handfuls of freshly turned soil and feasting away.
And so, along both sides of this desolate road, every so often, a shocking crater was left behind.