Chapter 247: Awakening Stone

"It went quite smoothly. Actually, the assessment time was very short, ending in two or three minutes, but I was delayed a bit because I listened to Senior Zhuo give some advice afterward." Qin Hai looked at Lu Yu, sighing inwardly.

From Senior Zhuo, he learned that the so-called Martial Arts Association simply could not be mentioned in the same breath as the Awakened Association, whether in terms of influence, strength, or the resources they controlled.

He felt very sympathetic toward Lu Yu, but since Lu Yu had not awakened an ability, he had no way to help even if he wanted to.

"Is that so? That's great." Lu Yu nodded and asked curiously, "What is the assessment process like at your Awakened Association? If it's convenient, could you tell me about it?"

"Hmm." Qin Hai did not hesitate at all and said directly, "It's actually quite simple. First, you have to prove that you have awakened an ability, and second, you have to demonstrate the effect of that ability."

"Prove that I've awakened an ability?" Lu Yu's heart tightened suddenly, and he asked, "How exactly do you prove it?"

"Awakening Stone." Qin Hai spat out the three words briefly.

"After I went in with Senior Zhuo, I first came to a stone over a meter tall with a palm print on it.

You just have to put your hand in; if the stone vibrates, it proves you've awakened an ability. If there's no movement, it means you haven't awakened yet."

As he spoke, Qin Hai glanced at Lu Yu.

There were quite a few people who were prohibited from taking the assessment with him at the time, but he was the only one who could make the stone vibrate in the end.

From this, it was clear that the Awakened Association had long anticipated that some might try to fish in troubled waters, so they set up this step to filter out those who had not awakened an ability all at once.

"An Awakening Stone, to think such a magical thing exists." Lu Yu remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he cried out that it was bad.

He had originally thought the assessment only required testing Mental Power and then demonstrating a Skill; facts proved he had thought of things too simply.

"Yeah, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have found it hard to believe such a magical thing existed."

Qin Hai nodded and looked at Lu Yu, saying earnestly, "Lu Yu, I'm really grateful to you. If you hadn't brought me here, I would still be like a frog in a well, knowing nothing."

"Don't say that." Lu Yu smiled and patted Qin Hai on the shoulder. "All I could do was bring you here; you have to walk the road ahead one step at a time yourself. Remember, you must be careful and cautious in everything you do.

If you run into any trouble, just call me. After all, I'm the one who brought you out; if you were to have any accidents, I wouldn't be able to answer to Uncle Qin and the others when I go back."

"Hmm, I understand." A warm current surged in Qin Hai's heart.

Although he felt that if he really ran into trouble, Lu Yu, with his status as a Martial Artist, probably wouldn't be able to help much, this sentiment was real.

"Alright, that's enough talk. You've just joined the Awakened Association, so you must have plenty of things to be busy with. Go on, good luck." Lu Yu smiled and encouraged Qin Hai.

"Hmm, you too." Qin Hai took a deep breath and watched Lu Yu's back gradually disappear into the crowd before turning and walking toward the Association.

As soon as he entered, two men walked up to him, their faces full of smiles as they said, "Buddy, you're a newly joined Awakened, right?"

"Something you need?" Qin Hai glanced at the two coldly.

"Hehe, we have a way to earn points really fast here, do you want to try it?"

"That's right, it's much faster than completing missions to earn points. And since you're a newcomer, we can cover the initial fee for you first."

"No need." Qin Hai didn't look back and walked straight away.

In the Awakened Association, the only formal way to obtain points is by completing missions issued by the Association.

However, points can circulate freely among Association members.

Precisely because of this, two other ways to earn points have emerged.

One is by participating in Arena matches; winning against an opponent earns points. The more consecutive wins, the more points earned, and the appearance fee for the next match will also rise accordingly.

The other is to act as a spectator and place bets on the results of the matches in the Arena to earn points; to put it bluntly, this is a form of gambling.

Senior Zhuo had specifically warned Qin Hai before not to participate in such activities.

In the past, there were countless Awakened who, because they were addicted to this, lost all the points they had painstakingly accumulated, eventually ending up bankrupt and with broken families.

Some people didn't even die in the wilderness; they just went down the wrong path.

Even if you get lucky and win a bet for a moment, don't be happy too soon, because sooner or later you will lose it all back with interest.

And the final winner is always the local Association that hosts the Arena.

These two guys were clearly eyeing the 100 points Qin Hai had.

"This brat is quite arrogant." The one who spoke first couldn't help but curse.

"Aren't they all like that at the beginning? As long as we have patience and find him a few more times, he will definitely be tempted and take the bait. By then, if we bring him over, we can get 50 points."

The man on the right revealed a malicious smile on his face.

Lu Yu traveled all the way outside the city. He took out a map from his bosom and checked it carefully, discovering that the closest place was Yanshi City, over 400 miles away, which was a smaller city.

"Let's go there." Lu Yu looked up at He City behind him.

After all, Qin Hai had just passed the Awakened assessment in He City, and his ability was Strength Enhancement.

If he also said he had awakened Speed Enhancement in He City, the coincidence would be too obvious; it would be better to go to the more distant Yanshi City to try his luck.

Of course, he had no idea whether he could pass the assessment.

Lu Yu looked down at the attribute panel in his mind; from a certain perspective, he felt that he could be considered to have awakened an ability, right?

Forget it, whatever. Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it out for a walk to find out.

Maybe if he's lucky, a blind cat might run into a dead mouse and he'll pass the assessment.

Once he passes, the abundant resources in the Awakened Association will be like a brilliant treasure beckoning to him.

If he doesn't pass, it's nothing more than a waste of time, and from then on, he can completely give up this thought.

At Lu Yu's pace, he arrived at the foot of Yanshi City in less than ten minutes.

Yanshi City, true to its name, had city walls built entirely of hard rock, looking exceptionally sturdy.

At this moment, Lu Yu had changed his appearance; he was no longer as dashing and handsome as before, but had become plain and unremarkable, the kind that would instantly disappear if thrown into a crowd.

After Lu Yu paid the entry fee, he followed the flow of people and slowly arrived in front of the gate of the Yanshi City Awakened Association.

He prayed silently in his heart, then gathered his courage and stepped inside.

Soon, a woman dressed appropriately walked up, wearing a professional smile, and asked, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Hello, I'm here to take the Awakened assessment," Lu Yu said.

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes lit up, and she responded enthusiastically, "Okay, please come with me."

Led by the woman, Lu Yu soon met a middle-aged man wearing square-rimmed glasses.

The man looked Lu Yu up and down with a slightly suspicious gaze and asked, "Are you certain you are an Awakened? What is the ability you awakened?"

"Speed Enhancement," Lu Yu answered without hesitation. "Currently, I can increase my own speed to a maximum of two times."