Chapter 54: Awakened?

Lu Yu looked at Qin Lianjun and the others, then cast his gaze upon Qin Hai.

Being able to draw an eighty-pound bow, his strength attribute logically shouldn't be far from Body Tempering First Layer. But judging by the expressions of Uncle Qin and the others, that didn't seem to be the case.

Could it be…

"Brother Lu, actually, I've wanted to tell you all for a long time." Qin Lianjun looked at Lu Yu, his expression somewhat complex.

"Xiaohai, he is actually an Awakened."

"What!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Guohao and the others felt their minds go blank for an instant, their faces filled with an expression of extreme shock.

An Awakened!

Qin Hai was actually an Awakened?

Qin Hai lifted his head slightly, a flash of pride crossing his eyes.

That's right, although he wasn't a Martial Artist, he was a genuine Awakened!

Afterward, he stole a glance at Lu Yu from the corner of his eye, only to see the latter looking as calm as if he had expected it all along, which immediately made him feel somewhat annoyed—could it be that he had guessed it long ago?

"Brother Qin, are you telling the truth?" Lu Guohao's voice was trembling as he stared fixedly at Qin Hai, still unable to believe this astonishing fact.

An Awakened! That was a hot commodity fought over by all major factions; once they grew up, they would possess earth-shattering power!

"It is absolutely true." Qin Lianjun smiled bitterly; he had long expected everyone to react this way.

Before, when he looked at Qin Hai, he had been hesitating whether to reveal this secret to add bargaining chips for merging into the Lu Family Stockade.

He hadn't expected that Lu Yu would have already agreed at that time, and precisely because of this, he was more willing to tell everyone this secret without reservation.

"He is an Enhancement-type Awakened. By consuming Mental Power, he can double his own strength for a short period of time. This is the reason he can draw an eighty-pound bow."

"Double the strength!"

Even Lu Yu couldn't help but gasp.

No wonder Qin Lianjun and the others were being evasive before; it turned out that under normal circumstances, Qin Hai could only draw a forty-pound bow, but once he used his ability, his strength would double, allowing him to draw an eighty-pound bow.

If he were to break through to the Body Tempering First Layer, wouldn't he be able to draw a two-hundred-pound bow directly?

Lu Yu couldn't help but feel a trace of envy in his heart; the abilities of an Awakened were truly powerful.

Zhao Shan and the others were smiling so hard their eyes narrowed into slits, secretly giving Lu Yu a thumbs-up.

Who could have imagined that a hidden Awakened was in the Qin Family Stronghold!

No, the Qin Family Stronghold had already agreed to merge into the Lu Family Stockade, which meant that from today on, the Lu Family Stockade possessed an Awakened!

In this day and age, the status of an Awakened was of vital importance; with such a powerhouse sitting in the Zhai, the safety factor would rise straight up!

Consequently, just as Qin Lianjun and the others had praised Lu Yu earlier, the crowd began to shower Qin Hai with endless praise.

Lu Yu watched from the side, feeling both amused and gratified.

Being able to have an Awakened join was undoubtedly a great thing, whether for himself or for the Lu Family Stockade; this was the Lu Family Stockade's first Awakened!

"This is only the beginning." Qin Hai gave a light snort, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance, "I have only just mastered how to skillfully control my ability; a one-fold strength amplification is merely a start!"

"!!!" Everyone was shocked once again.

"Young man, do you mean that your strength can still be amplified by two times, three times?" Sun Gang's mouth was wide open, enough to fit a fist inside.

A flash of surprise also crossed Lu Yu's eyes.

"Of course." Qin Hai responded without hesitation.

The crowd gasped in cold air again; was this the potential of an Awakened? It was too astonishing!

"Ahem." Seeing his son getting a bit carried away, Qin Lianjun hurriedly coughed twice and stepped in to smooth things over, "Don't listen to his bragging, how could it be that easy? Xiaohai only managed to control his ability as he pleased during this recent period."

"This period?" Lu Yu asked curiously, "Can't an Awakened use their ability freely at the beginning?"

Lu Guohao and the others were also full of confusion; they knew very little about Awakened, only that they were very powerful, and knew nothing else.

After all, Awakened and ordinary people seemed to live in two completely different worlds.

Qin Lianjun shook his head and slowly explained: "At first, Xiaohai didn't even realize he had awakened an ability; it was just that when his emotions were agitated, his strength would suddenly increase greatly.

At the beginning, he didn't take it seriously, but later, as it happened more often, he slowly noticed it.

After we found out, we didn't know how to help him either, so he could only rely on himself to slowly explore it.

It wasn't until two years ago that he was finally able to control his ability freely, but he would be extremely exhausted after every use.

Later, he became more and more proficient in using it, and his strength amplification increased from the initial half to the current one-fold.

To be honest, along this journey, we couldn't help much; he relied entirely on himself, which was truly not easy."

"The key is that although Xiaohai is an Awakened, he has stayed in the Residence for our sake."

"That's right, Xiaohai could have left to develop in a better place." Others sighed one after another, their tones full of emotion.

Hearing this, Lu Guohao and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for this young man.

Lu Yu also nodded slightly; although this kid looked a bit arrogant, his character was actually not bad.

Moreover, listening to Uncle Qin say this, the growth path of an Awakened was not smooth sailing either; even if one awakened an ability, how much strength one could exert still depended on individual talent and effort.

"Brother Qin, rest assured, only those of us present know that Xiaohai is an Awakened; it will absolutely not spread out." Lu Guohao suddenly thought of something and hurriedly promised solemnly.

"Yes, yes, yes, we will definitely keep our mouths shut." Everyone echoed in agreement.

"Then I am very grateful to you all." Qin Lianjun said gratefully.

"Lu Yu." Qin Hai suddenly looked at Lu Yu.

"Hmm?" Lu Yu looked back at him in confusion.

"Lu Yu, I admit that you are stronger than me right now." Qin Hai said with a serious face, "But as long as there are sufficient resources, it won't be long before I leave you far behind."

"..."

Lu Guohao and the others looked at each other; was this the rhythm of issuing a challenge?

Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth lifted, revealing a hearty smile, and he responded readily: "Alright, I'll wait for you to surpass me."

Seeing this, everyone could not help but laugh.

The sky was growing dark, and it was time to part ways. Everyone agreed that the people from Qin Family Stronghold would move over tomorrow, and Lu Family Stockade would make the corresponding preparations, after which they each set off on their return journeys.

Lu Guohao and the others were in an exceptionally cheerful mood, talking about Qin Hai the whole way and imagining the bright future of Lu Family Stockade.

"Right, Lu Yu, take a look at this." Suddenly, Sun Gang pulled a palm-sized booklet from his pocket, his face full of smiles.

"This is?"

Lu Yu stopped in his tracks and looked closely; he saw that the booklet was very thin, with only a few pages, and on the cover were written a few large characters—"Phantom Archery".

He widened his eyes in surprise, looking at these characters and then at Sun Gang; the name sounded just like a Cultivation Method or Secret Manual from a martial arts novel.

Although things like Taiji Fist and Xingyi Fist were also martial arts, this style seemed far removed from them.

"Uncle Sun, where did you find this? Can it be practiced?"

"I'm not sure either; it was searched from the body of that guy who carried the bow and arrows." Sun Gang scratched his head and said somewhat sheepishly, "I thought since it's called Archery and you are skilled with the bow, I'd bring it for you to take a look; it might be useful to you."