Chen Fan looked at Gu Jianghai and the others, then at Gu Ze.
If one could draw a bow with eighty pounds of force, their Strength Attribute wouldn’t be far from reaching Body Tempering First Layer.
But judging from the expressions of Uncle Gu and the others, it didn’t seem to be the case.
Could it be?
"Brother Chen, actually I was planning to say this earlier."
Gu Jianghai looked at Chen Fan,
"Xiaozhe, he’s actually an Awakener."
"What!"
Chen Guodong and the others were buzzing with shock, their faces showing extreme surprise.
An Awakener!
Gu Ze, was actually an Awakener?
Gu Ze proudly raised his head.
Indeed, although he wasn’t a Martial Artist, he was undeniably an Awakener!
Then, he glanced at Chen Fan with the corner of his eye, only to see the latter with an expression of "as expected," somewhat infuriated; had he sensed it all along?
"Brother Gu, is what you say true?"
Chen Guodong’s voice trembled, looking at Gu Ze in disbelief.
An Awakener!
A figure that every city fought over, someone who, once grown, could cause cataclysmic destruction!
"Yes."
Gu Jianghai had anticipated this reaction and smiled bitterly.
When he had first looked at Gu Ze, he was contemplating whether or not to reveal his true identity to gain more leverage.
But then Chen Fan agreed back then.
That’s why he was willing to share this secret with everyone now.
"He’s an Enhanced Awakener. By consuming Spiritual Power, he can instantly double his own strength for a short time. That’s why he can draw a bow with eighty pounds of force."
"Double the strength!"
Everyone, including Chen Fan, drew in a sharp breath.
No wonder Gu Jianghai and the others denied it. Gu Ze could normally only draw a bow with forty pounds of force, but with his superpower, he could draw one with eighty pounds.
If he reached Body Tempering First Layer, wouldn’t he be able to draw a bow with two hundred pounds of force?
Chen Fan felt a tinge of envy.
Awakeners were indeed strong.
Liu Yong and the others were overjoyed, secretly giving Chen Fan a thumbs-up.
They never expected a member of Gu Family Stronghold to be an Awakener!
No, it was that Gu Family Stronghold had agreed to join their stronghold, meaning from today on, their stronghold had an Awakener!
In these times, the status of an Awakener was self-evident. Having such a person in the stronghold greatly enhanced its safety!
Consequently, everyone began praising Gu Ze, just like how Gu Jianghai and the others had praised Chen Fan earlier.
Chen Fan watched from the side with mixed feelings.
Still, having an Awakener join was indeed good for himself and the Chen Family Stronghold.
The first Awakener!
"This is just the beginning,"
Gu Ze snorted coldly and said, "I’ve just learned how to control my abilities. Doubling my strength is just the start!"
"!!!"
Everyone was shocked again.
"Young man, are you saying your strength can increase two-fold, three-fold?" Gao Yang’s mouth was agape, capable of swallowing a basket of eggs.
Chen Fan’s eyes also showed surprise.
"Of course."
Gu Ze replied without hesitation.
Everyone collectively drew in another sharp breath.
This was the power of an Awakener?
"Ahem."
Seeing his son getting a bit carried away, Gu Jianghai quickly coughed twice and said, "Don’t listen to his nonsense. It’s not that easy. Xiaozhe just recently managed to control his abilities freely."
"Recently?"
Chen Fan asked curiously, "Can’t Awakeners freely use their abilities from the start?"
Chen Guodong and the others also looked confused. Their knowledge of Awakeners wasn’t much more than Chen Fan’s; they only knew that Awakeners were immensely powerful but knew little else.
After all, Awakeners and ordinary people seemed to live in two different worlds.
Gu Jianghai shook his head,
"At the beginning, Xiaozhe had no idea he had awakened his superpower. It was only when he got emotional that his strength would increase significantly. He didn’t pay much attention at first. But as it happened more frequently, he gradually realized.
After we found out, we didn’t know how to help him, so he had to explore on his own. Two years ago, he finally managed to control it freely, though each use would leave him exhausted.
Later, as he became more skilled, his strength amplification increased from the initial half to now a full double. To be honest, we didn’t help him much along the way. He achieved all this on his own."
"The key is, even though Xiaozhe is an Awakener, he didn’t leave us for his own sake."
"Yes, Xiaozhe could have left."
Everyone else was moved.
Hearing this, even Chen Guodong and the others couldn’t help but feel respect for the young man.
Chen Fan also nodded slightly. This guy seemed to have a proud and arrogant exterior, but had a good character.
Moreover, as Uncle Gu implied, wasn’t it hard for Awakeners too? Awakening a superpower was just the start. How much power they could unleash depended on their individual talent.
"Brother Gu, rest assured. Xiaozhe being an Awakener will remain a secret only among those present. It will never be spread," Chen Guodong quickly assured after considering something.
"Yes, yes, we’ll keep it to ourselves."
"That would be ideal."
Gu Jianghai said gratefully.
"Chen Fan."
Gu Ze suddenly looked over.
"Hmm?"
Chen Fan looked at him.
"Chen Fan, I admit, you are stronger than me now," Gu Ze said seriously, "but as long as I have enough food, it won’t be long before I surpass you."
"..."
Chen Guodong and the others exchanged glances.
Was this a challenge?
Chen Fan paused briefly and then smiled, "Alright, I’ll be waiting for you to surpass me."
Everyone laughed.
As the day darkened, it was time to part ways.
They agreed that Gu Family Stronghold would move over tomorrow, and Chen Family Stronghold would make the necessary preparations before finally parting ways.
Feeling good, Chen Guodong and the others discussed Gu Ze’s situation and dreamed of a better future.
"By the way, Xiaofan, take a look at this."
Suddenly, Gao Yang took out a pocket-sized booklet from his pocket and smiled.
"What’s this?"
Chen Fan stopped and focused on the thin booklet with only a few pages. On the cover were several large characters.
"Meteor Arrow Technique?"
He was stunned, looking at the characters and then at Gao Yang’s face.
The name seemed like something out of a martial arts novel. Though techniques like Tai Chi Fist and Xingyi Fist were also Martial Arts, this seemed a bit different, right?
"Uncle Gao, where did you find this? Is it usable?"
"I don’t know, I found it on the person carrying the bow and arrows," Gao Yang said sheepishly. He just thought since it was an archery technique and Chen Fan used a bow, it might be useful to him.