Chapter 111: Awakened Association

Seeing the look of surprise on Lu Yu's face, Ji Bingyu opened her mouth slightly, nodded gently, and asked, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"No, nothing." Lu Yu realized his lack of composure and gave a slightly awkward, bitter smile.

That's right; it was only logical that Ji Bingyu, as an Awakened, would possess a method to train her Mental Power.

Moreover, her sister must be an Awakened with a high degree of control over her own abilities, but because she was constantly under the surveillance of others, she had remained silent for fear of exposing Ji Bingyu's identity.

It was precisely because of this that Ji Bingyu's control over her own abilities was so low, and she could only rely on dreams to predict various future outcomes.

The room suddenly fell silent. Lu Yu hesitated for a moment, but finally gathered his courage and asked, "Um, Miss Ji Bingyu, what is your method for training Mental Power? Would it be convenient for you to tell me about it?"

After all, he couldn't pin all his hopes on that old man who sold Cultivation Methods, just as one shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.

If he could obtain the training method from Ji Bingyu, he could start training a few days early.

"You want the method for training Mental Power?" Ji Bingyu blinked, her eyes revealing a hint of curiosity.

"Ahem." Lu Yu felt his face flush and explained, "You could put it that way. Of course, it's not just for my own sake. Didn't you say before that you weren't very good at this? I was thinking that maybe I could help you brainstorm, and perhaps provide you with some inspiration."

Hearing this, Ji Bingyu couldn't help but laugh, her eyes squinting into crescent moons.

"Logically speaking, this isn't allowed. Because my sister said that the combat techniques within the Awakened Association must absolutely not be spread to others," Ji Bingyu said with a serious expression.

Lu Yu was slightly stunned when he heard this.

"Awakened Association?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Mm." Ji Bingyu nodded and continued, "As the name suggests, it is an association founded by the Awakened, and all its members are Awakened. I heard that the Thunder Emperor and the War Emperor are also in this association, and most of the combat techniques in the Association were created by them."

"So that's how it is." Lu Yu suddenly understood, then felt a bit nervous, "Then..."

"But I'm not a member of the Awakened Association." A look of triumph appeared on Ji Bingyu's face, "So, I don't think I need to follow this rule."

Lu Yu was left speechless by this.

Thinking about it carefully, Ji Bingyu's logic didn't seem to have any flaws.

But the problem was, since Ji Bingyu wasn't a member of the Awakened Association, how did she know this combat technique for training Mental Power?

"Ji Bingyu, I'm really grateful for your trust. But if doing this will cause you trouble, then forget it; I don't want to put you in a difficult position." Lu Yu felt conflicted; he felt like he was coaxing an innocent girl, which made him feel guilty.

"It's fine, as long as you don't say anything and I don't say anything, no one will know." Ji Bingyu shook her head firmly, looking very serious.

"Alright." Since it had come to this, it would seem too hypocritical to refuse again, so Lu Yu said, "Don't worry, I will never tell anyone about what happened between us today."

"Mm, I believe you." Ji Bingyu smiled and nodded, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. She pondered for a while before slowly saying, "This combat technique for training Mental Power is called the Moon Observation Method, and it is an entry-level method for improving Mental Power. The moon moves from east to west in the starry sky every day, and the shape we see is constantly changing."

Therefore, some Awakened train their Mental Power by visualizing the moon's shape at different stages in their minds.

Later, after improvements by several top-tier Awakened, this Moon Observation Method was created."

"So that's how it is." Lu Yu couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

The Awakened of today were truly impressive to be able to create their own Cultivation Methods. He wondered when he would be able to reach such a level.

"At the beginning, you must start by visualizing the simplest new moon. After you successfully visualize the new moon in your mind and can maintain it for ten minutes, you can proceed to visualize the crescent moon, followed by the quarter moons, the gibbous moon, and finally the full moon," Ji Bingyu continued.

"Is that considered Great Success?" Lu Yu asked curiously.

Ji Bingyu shook her head and said, "Being able to visualize the full moon and maintain it for a period of time is just the beginning. What you need to do next is to visualize the complete process of change from the new moon to the full moon, and then back to the new moon in your mind. Only by achieving this can it be considered Great Success."

"If you can continuously visualize this process in your mind and reach the state of Consummation, only then are you qualified to learn the Sun Observation Method."

"Sun Observation Method?" Lu Yu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Mm." Ji Bingyu said somewhat bashfully, her hands unconsciously interlaced, "Actually, I don't know much about the Sun Observation Method either; my sister mentioned it to me by chance."

"She said that above the Moon Observation Method is the Sun Observation Method, and above the Sun Observation Method is the Universe Observation Method. Those top-tier Awakened all use the Universe Observation Method."

Lu Yu took a deep breath upon hearing this.

He could roughly guess what the Universe Observation Method was like.

If the moon and the sun were just concrete objects, then the universe was a boundless concept.

Did this mean that the Universe Observation Method had no upper limit?

If the universe truly had no end...

"My sister said that while the effect of practicing the Moon Observation Method is relatively small, there isn't much danger. But if you practice the Sun Observation Method, the danger factor is much higher."

"Quite a few Awakened have died suddenly during the visualization process, with extremely painful expressions on their faces, yet there were no wounds on their bodies."

As Ji Bingyu spoke, she unconsciously shrank her neck, "I heard that they made a mistake during the visualization and were burned to death by the sun they visualized in their minds."

"Really?" This was the first time Lu Yu had heard of such a thing.

Thinking about it, it didn't seem unreasonable. After all, as the saying goes, when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

By that logic, wouldn't the danger factor of the Universe Observation Method be even greater?

After all, to visualize a complete universe in one's mind, one would have to include not only various galaxies but also black holes, dark matter, and all sorts of strange energies.

Once one suffers from Qi Deviation, the ways to die would be truly bizarre.

"But the Moon Observation Method doesn't have any danger. My sister said that at most, you might feel a bit of physical discomfort, and you'll be fine after resting for a few days," Ji Bingyu said cautiously, her eyes revealing a hint of concern, as if she wanted to put Lu Yu at ease.

Lu Yu smiled slightly; he could feel Ji Bingyu's concern.

Actually, he had nothing to worry about; what did it matter even if it were the Universe Observation Method? The only thing he worried about was that his current Mental Power was insufficient and he couldn't reach the threshold for practice.

"Ji Bingyu, then please tell me the details of the Moon Observation Method," Lu Yu said.

"Mm-hmm." Ji Bingyu nodded quickly and then recited the specific content of the Moon Observation Method in one breath.

Lu Yu looked at his Skill bar, and sure enough, a line of small text had appeared.

【Moon Observation Method: Not Even a Clue (0%), Mental Power below 20 points, unable to practice】

Seeing the requirement after this line of text, Lu Yu's pupils contracted slightly.

So there was a requirement for Mental Power?

This was within his expectations, but his current Mental Power was only 17 points, still two or three points short of the 20-point requirement.

At this moment, Lu Yu seemed to vaguely understand something.

It seems that the Mental Power of an ordinary Awakened should be twice that of a normal person, right?

Yet even so, he had strengthened his body nearly ten times and even broken through to the Refining Flesh Realm, but he still could not meet this standard.

Clearly, the base was still too small; if the base could be larger, the improvement would certainly be much faster.

"How about it, Lu Yu? Shall I say it a few more times to see if you can remember it more clearly?"

Ji Bingyu asked softly, "If you are afraid of not remembering, I can also find a piece of paper and write it down for you. However, if you encounter any problems when you go back to practice, I might not be able to help you; after all, I am not very proficient in this area myself." After finishing, a look of shame appeared on Ji Bingyu's face.

"I have already remembered it." Lu Yu looked at Ji Bingyu with a smile.

Hearing this, Ji Bingyu's eyes widened suddenly, and her face turned red as well.

She could not help but recall her own experience back then, when her sister had to say it many times before she remembered.

Looking at Lu Yu before her, the gap between the two was simply too obvious.

"Don't worry, after I go back, I will diligently study this Moon Observation Method. If I have any gains, I will definitely come to tell you the first chance I get." Lu Yu hurriedly comforted Ji Bingyu.

"Really?" Ji Bingyu was both surprised and happy, "That's great, Lu Yu, thank you."

"Don't mention it." Lu Yu was left between laughter and tears; it was clearly he who had gained benefits from Ji Bingyu, yet the other party was thanking him in return. This feeling was quite interesting.

"Remember to eat the Blood Rice on the table; it might be helpful for the growth of your Mental Power. If you finish it, you can come to me to get more at any time." Lu Yu reminded her thoughtfully.

"O-okay." Ji Bingyu nodded in response; she could truly feel that Lu Yu's concern for her came from the heart.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for today; I also need to go practice martial arts. By the way, if you are interested, you can also come and practice with us." Lu Yu thought for a moment and suggested to Ji Bingyu.

He was actually very curious about how those top-tier Awakened practiced—did they only focus on training their Mental Power, or did they cultivate both Spirit and body together?

In Lu Yu's view, both body and Spirit were indispensable; as long as there was a weak point in either, one was destined to be unable to go far on the path of cultivation.

"I... I will consider it." Ji Bingyu shrank back a little.

"Alright." Lu Yu smiled.

He was merely making a suggestion; if Ji Bingyu was unwilling, he certainly could not force her.

After watching Lu Yu leave, Ji Bingyu let out a long sigh of relief.

She had been worried about what might happen next, but Lu Yu told her that the person did not know their identities. This was truly great; this way, there was no need to worry about suddenly encountering any disaster.

Ji Bingyu's gaze fell on the bag on the table, and a knowing smile appeared on her face.

However, at the thought of the suggestion Lu Yu made before leaving, she could not help but frown slightly.

Could she really practice martial arts? Even if she practiced as hard as she could, she was probably no match for those people, right?

Thinking of this, her mood became somewhat heavy again.

Meanwhile, Lu Yu walked on the road back, his steps exceptionally light.

He could not help but sigh in his heart that it was truly a case of "all that searching was in vain, only to find it without any effort."

The Mental Secret Manual he had been longing for was actually right within reach.

He felt he should have thought of asking Ji Bingyu sooner.

"Hmm, but one cannot say it like that." He shook his head, knowing in his heart that if he had not established a certain degree of friendship with Ji Bingyu, it would clearly have been impossible to obtain this Moon Observation Method.

Perhaps this was all fate's arrangement; every drink and every bite has its destined amount.

It was just that there was still a less-than-optimistic situation, even though the 【Moon Observation Method】 was now in his hands.

But his Mental Attribute still did not meet the conditions for practice; at the very least, he needed to strengthen his body twice more, or strengthen his body once and break through his Realm once.

"Take it slow; it will probably only take these two or three days, and by then I should be able to increase my Mental Power." The corners of Lu Yu's mouth rose slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

Now he planned to go see Wang Shu first, and then start practicing 【Basic Footwork】; after all, his Agility attribute could not keep holding him back.