Lin Xia looked down and saw that the skin on his exposed arms and the backs of his hands, under the light of the torch, had developed an extremely faint but undeniably real, obsidian-like sheen!
This glow was not superficial; it emanated from deep within his skin, making it look tighter and tougher, as if covered by an invisible, extraordinarily dense layer of cuticle.
Lin Xia couldn't help but rub the skin on his arms firmly with his fingers.
The sensation… had changed!
It was no longer just the soft elasticity of flesh and blood, but had gained a kind of indescribable toughness and hardness!
It felt as if he was touching the inner layer of a finely tempered, top-quality flexible leather armor, yet at the same time, it was like touching a cobblestone smoothed and hardened by billions of years of flowing water—smooth, dense, carrying an inner strength.
Lin Xia tried to scrape his arm with his fingernails. In the past, it would have left a clear white mark effortlessly, but now it left only a faint trace that faded and disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The defensive strength, resilience, and the "substantial feeling" of his skin, its ability to resist physical impact and energy erosion—were improving at an astonishing rate!
"This…"
Excitement filled Lin Xia's eyes. He moved his body slightly; his muscles underneath moved freely, but the "coat" covering them had changed completely. It was as if he had put on an innate, perfectly fitted invisible armor.
"Teacher! These scales… they're not strengthening my bones or muscles, they're strengthening my skin! My skin… has become as tough as its scales!"
Lou Gao had been watching Lin Xia's reaction and transformation closely. Seeing the fleeting obsidian sheen on his skin and hearing Lin Xia's firsthand description, the master craftsman's eyes blazed with joy!
"Ha ha ha! Good! Good! Good!"
Lou Gao repeated the word "good" three times, so excited that his beard was trembling.
"Exactly as expected! Fate! Truly fate! This beast is full of treasures, especially these scales. For you two, it's practically a tailor-made, unparalleled supplement!"
"The dual essence of earth and metal perfectly suits your path of physical enhancement! Skin reinforcement… marvelous! This is like giving you a natural, growing biological armor!"
"Peel off all of its scales!"
Lou Gao stared at the massive snake corpse, his eyes filled with fanatic reverence for the priceless treasure.
He was already pondering whether near the habitat of the Black-Patterned Obsidian Rock Python, there might be original ore even more precious that it hadn't yet converted…
After all, the mineral core that allowed it to grow to such a terrifying size could not be ordinary!
Lin Xia and Larvitar needed no further encouragement.
The boy and the beast, like gluttons discovering a new continent, pounced on the hard "treasure" again. The cave resounded with the increasingly dense, joyful sounds of crack! crunch! crunch! along with the faint hum of energy flowing into their bodies and their skin continuously strengthening.
Lou Gao watched Lin Xia and Larvitar gnaw at the Black-Patterned Mystic Rock Python's scales as if they had found a treasure, feeling the weighty aura of energy continuously rising within them from consuming the essence. The old man's face, framed by his beard, revealed a satisfied smile.
However, Lou Gao's eyes, as blazing as a furnace, did not linger on the "spoils" for long. Instead, they sharply scanned the huge cave entrance left by the python when it broke through the wall.
The opening was deep and dark, the edges still bearing scratch marks from the giant python's scales. A cold wind, mixed with strong earthiness, metal scents, and the residual stench of the python itself, slowly blew from the cave.
Lou Gao's gaze was filled with exploratory desire and a trace of barely perceptible greed,how could the core territory of a millennia-old Black-Patterned Mystic Rock Python contain only its scales?
The true mineral essence was most likely hidden in the deepest part of its lair!
"Xia! Larvitar!"
Lou Gao's voice carried undeniable excitement, interrupting the boy and the beast who were still indulging in their feast.
"Good things must be savored slowly. These scales aren't going anywhere! First, we secure the corpse, then we go inside and take a look!"
At that instant, Lou Gao completely overturned his previous assumptions, his mind racing with questions.
Why did the Black-Patterned Rock Python attack them? If there were no rare ores here, why would it linger in this place?
Even these two questions alone proved that there must be treasures here, far beyond the python itself!
Lou Gao pointed at the dark cave entrance, his tone resolute.
"This is a place the beast would die to guard. There's definitely something here! Maybe even the mineral core it hasn't had time to fully convert!"
Hearing this, Lin Xia immediately stopped chewing. Although he regretted pausing while the scales' rich aroma and the tingling skin reinforcement flowed through him, his teacher's judgment made sense.
Quickly, he stuffed the half-chewed scale into his mouth, swallowed after a few hurried chews, and felt the warm current surge into his skin again.
Then, with a thought, the spatial Soul Ring on his wrist flashed, and the massive corpse of the Black-Patterned Rock Python instantly vanished, safely stored away.
Only a large patch of purple-black blood remained on the ground.
"Larvitar"
Larvitar seemed to understand that it was time to explore a new area. Although he was a little disappointed at not finishing the "feast" in front of him, he immediately leapt from where the snake's corpse had vanished and landed at Lin Xia's feet, his crimson eyes cautiously fixed on the unknown cave entrance.
Lin Xia walked over to Lou Gao's side, and the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder before the cave entrance.
The wind blowing from inside carried a stronger scent of earth and rock, mixed with the stench of the giant python and an indescribable… sense of antiquity?
"Larvitar!"
Lin Xia called softly, pointing toward the cave.
"Sense carefully. Is there any unusual aura inside? Any energy fluctuations? Or… perhaps the scent of good minerals?"
Lin Xia trusted that Larvitar's intuition for energy and minerals far surpassed his own.
Upon hearing this, Larvitar immediately perked up his small ears. His tiny nose, like the most precise detector, sniffed rapidly toward the cave, producing sharp huff huff sounds.
His expression was extremely focused, his crimson eyes slightly narrowed, as if filtering countless complex information molecules from the air.
After a moment, Larvitar stopped sniffing, tilted his small head to look at Lin Xia, then decisively shook it and emitted a low, slightly confused murmur.
"Larvitar…"
The meaning was clear: he had not detected any particularly enticing scent, nothing like the previous scales or the high-energy mineral aroma.
From deep inside the cave came mostly the mixed scents of earth, rock, the remnants of the python, and a… much older, deadened stone aroma. There seemed to be no active mineral essence available for consumption.
Lin Xia frowned slightly and looked at Lou Gao.
"Teacher, the little guy didn't sense anything special. Could it be… that the Black-Patterned Rock Python really cleaned it out? Not even a trace remains?"
This result left Lin Xia a little disappointed.
However, Lou Gao, hearing Larvitar's feedback and Lin Xia's words, did not show any discouragement. Instead, a profound, inscrutable smile appeared on his weathered face, his eyes flashing with the light of a seasoned hunter.
He stroked his beard and said in a loud, clear voice.
"Kid! When it comes to prospecting, relying on your nose alone isn't enough! Sometimes your eyes can be deceived, and your nose can be fooled too! Whether there's anything good or not isn't determined by smelling or guessing, it depends on this!"
Lou Gao extended his calloused fingers and pressed firmly on his temple.
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