Chapter 54: He's Actually an Awakener!
Chen Fan glanced between Gu Jianghai's group and Gu Ze.
If someone could draw an 80-pound bow, their strength was approaching the first level of Body Tempering. Yet judging by Uncle Gu's expression, this didn't seem to be the case.
Could it be...?
"Brother Chen," Gu Jianghai began, meeting Chen Fan's gaze, "I meant to tell you earlier. Xiao Ze... he's actually an awakener."
"What?!"
The revelation struck Chen Guodong's group like thunder. Their minds buzzed as faces paled with shock.
An awakener!
Gu Ze was actually an awakener?
The young man lifted his chin with palpable pride. Though not a martial artist, he was indeed a genuine awakener! His sidelong glance at Chen Fan revealed the latter's unsurprised expression, sparking irritation - had he already guessed?
"Brother Gu," Chen Guodong's voice trembled as he stared at Gu Ze, "are you certain?"
"Absolutely." Gu Jianghai's wry smile anticipated their disbelief. "He's a strength-type awakener. By expending mental energy, he can temporarily double his physical power - hence drawing the 80-pound bow."
"Double?!" The collective gasp included Chen Fan.
Now it made sense - Gu Ze's normal limit was 40 pounds. With his ability activated, that doubled to 80. If he achieved first-level Body Tempering...
Chen Fan's chest tightened with envy. Awakeners truly lived up to their reputation.
Liu Yong's group beamed, flashing discreet thumbs-up at Chen Fan. An awakener in their merged village! In these times, such a presence meant dramatically improved safety.
The praise shower shifted from Chen Fan to Gu Ze, leaving the former caught between amusement and exasperation. Still, gaining their first awakener benefited both him and Chen Village immensely.
"This is just the beginning," Gu ZE interjected with a cold snort. "Double strength is merely my starting point!"
The crowd froze.
"Young man," Gao Yang gaped comically wide, "are you saying you could triple or quadruple it?"
"Of course." Gu Ze's instant reply drew another collective gasp.
"Ahem!" Gu Jianghai coughed pointedly. "Don't indulge his fantasies. Xiao Ze only recently gained proper control of his ability."
Chen Fan seized the opening: "Can't awakeners use their powers freely from the start?"
Gu Jianghai shook his head. "At first, he didn't even realize he'd awakened. Emotional spikes caused random strength surges until patterns emerged two years ago. Since then, he's progressed from 50% to 100% amplification through sheer self-training."
Chen Guodong's group regarded Gu Ze with newfound respect. Despite his arrogant demeanor, the young man's loyalty to his community spoke volumes.
"Rest assured," Chen Guodong vowed, "this secret stays within our group."
As dusk approached, both parties prepared for tomorrow's village merger. The Chen Village leaders buzzed with excitement about their new asset.
"Xiao Fan," Gao Yang produced a palm-sized manual from his pocket. "Found this on that archer."
"Meteor Arrow Technique?" Chen Fan blinked at the wuxia-style title. Though martial arts like Taiji existed, this seemed... different. "Where exactly did-"
"From the bowman's corpse," Gao Yang shrugged. "Thought our archer should see it."
(Chapter End)
