"This thing looks familiar, but I can't recall where I've seen it. What's it for? Will this little stone help me awaken my abilities?"
Xu An curled her lips, having no hope for Zhou Haimei's memory.
"This appeared in Qin Chuan's possession a few days ago, but I doubt Qin Chuan knows what it's for even now."
Zhou Haimei grew even more curious.
"You know?"
Xu An felt a bit guilty. Of course, she didn't know, but she had Ze Yuan, who did, beside her.
So, Xu An shamelessly nodded at Zhou Haimei. "Of course, I do. I stumbled upon it by chance. This thing is called a crystal core. Once absorbed by the human body, it can quickly awaken abilities."
"Of course, not everyone will gain abilities after using a crystal core, but you seem to have a sense for abilities, so I'll let you try it now."
"Don't Qin Chuan and the others know that crystal cores can awaken abilities?" Zhou Haimei asked.
"They probably don't know for now, but I'm not sure about later. We're just gaining a head start. If I can discover this, more and more people will surely find out. Matters concerning human evolution can't be kept secret for long."
"We can only use this time difference to train hard and strive to master our abilities more proficiently before everyone knows about ability users."
Zhou Haimei nodded, indicating she understood.
As Xu An explained, Zhou Haimei gradually shed all her clothes.
Following Xu An's instructions, she used her consciousness to draw the energy from the crystal core into her limbs and bones.
In an instant, Zhou Haimei felt excruciating pain all over her body, as if something was crushing her.
It felt like all her bones were about to break.
She couldn't bear it and cried out in pain.
Seeing Zhou Haimei's state, Xu An also looked worried.
But she knew that Zhou Haimei had to endure this alone.
No one could help her.
If Zhou Haimei could get through it, she would awaken her abilities and embark on a different life.
But if Zhou Haimei couldn't endure it, not only would she be unable to awaken her abilities, but her body would also enter a decline.
"Ze Yuan, is this normal? Why is she in so much pain?"
Xu An remembered that when she awakened her abilities, she only had a high fever for a day.
But now, Zhou Haimei seemed to be enduring some kind of torture, writhing on the ground in pain.
She kept crying out, "It hurts so much, it hurts so much."
What's more, Zhou Haimei even began to self-harm.
She continuously scratched the wall with her fingernails and even banged her head against it.
Her ten fingers were worn bloody, leaving vivid red handprints wherever they passed, a shocking sight.
Xu An's heart ached, and she couldn't bear to watch any longer.
"Ze Yuan, isn't there any way to lessen her pain?"
Ze Yuan watched as Xu An's desire to step forward and stop Zhou Haimei grew stronger.
He quickly stopped her.
"Don't touch her. She's at a critical moment of awakening her abilities. If you make her give up now, she'll die!"
It was Ze Yuan's warning that made Xu An hastily lower her hand.
Human evolution was, in essence, defying fate.
Only by enduring this inhuman pain could one cross that threshold.
Xu An understood these principles, but seeing her good friend suffer still made her feel unwell.
Finally, after an hour of intense pain, Zhou Haimei completely fainted.
Xu An quickly rushed forward and held Zhou Haimei in her arms.
A sticky substance resembling black mud emerged from Zhou Haimei's body.
But after these impurities were expelled from her pores, Zhou Haimei's skin noticeably became smoother and more refined.
After Xu An cleaned Zhou Haimei, she slowly regained consciousness.
"Am I dead?" Zhou Haimei's voice was incredibly weak, like someone recovering from a long illness.
Xu An smiled. "No, you're alive and well, and you'll be even better in the future."
Zhou Haimei, with a hoarse voice, asked, "Have I awakened my abilities? I feel like I've died once."
Xu An, following Ze Yuan's instructions, asked Zhou Haimei to release her abilities.
Zhou Haimei concentrated, following Xu An's method.
A small cluster of red flames suddenly emerged from the center of her palm.
But the flame was fleeting.
It didn't last long before quickly extinguishing.
However, even so, Zhou Haimei was sufficiently excited.
"An'an, An'an, An'an... Did you see that? Did you see it?"
"I really have abilities, I can set things on fire! An'an, An'an, An'an, look quickly, did you see it just now?"
Zhou Haimei was stunned by the small cluster of flames and was in a state of incoherent excitement.
Xu An, looking at the flames in Zhou Haimei's palm, also laughed heartily.
"It's a mutated fire-type ability, a physical manifestation," Ze Yuan's voice came from behind Xu An, sounding both surprised and somewhat understanding.
Xu An didn't understand what a mutated fire-type ability was.
Ze Yuan explained to Xu An. "Normal fire abilities are red, but Zhou Haimei's ability's fire seed is a rare growth type and will evolve as the host grows."
Xu An sounded puzzled. "But the flames I saw just now were red."
Ze Yuan shook his small head. "Your levels are too low to see it. Zhou Haimei's flames are not purely red; they are mixed with blue. Flames that appear in multiple colors are generally stronger."
"As she evolves, the flames will gain more colors. If Zhou Haimei can evolve to have nine colors of flames, she can almost instantly defeat all powerful individuals with fire abilities."
At that time, Xu An didn't understand the meaning of Ze Yuan's nine-colored flames.
She just felt subconsciously proud. As expected of Zhou Haimei, her abilities were equally outstanding.
Xu An ran over, looking curiously at Zhou Haimei's palm. "Sister Mei, can you do it again?"
Zhou Haimei's voice was hoarse, and she looked extremely exhausted, as if she had gone through a battle for three days and three nights.
"I can't. I feel no strength left in my body."
Ze Yuan reminded Xu An from behind, "She's exhausted now. Let her rest properly. That kind of flame requires a lot of training and practice."
Xu An nodded, understanding the implications.
"Sister Mei, rest well. We'll try your abilities again when you've recovered."
Zhou Haimei lacked the strength to even reply to Xu An, only managing a nod.
With Zhou Haimei's abilities proving so powerful, Xu An felt even more confident about winning the championship.