At this moment, the gaze of the warriors and police officers had already entirely focused on Lin Beichen, their eyes filled with a mix of emotions.
A mix of disbelief, shock, surprise...
Wait a minute!
"He’s the one choosing who can cultivate?"
"So young?"
"He looks like a student!"
"Could it be..."
"He’s an immortal, with the art of eternal youth, so he looks like a child, but maybe he’s hundreds of years old?"
"Is he here to teach us cultivation?"
"..."
Just as these questions arose in their minds, new questions immediately followed.
Even though their minds were about to burst with questions at this point,
...professionalism kept them from speaking.
"..."
The enclosed space remained extremely quiet.
At this moment, Lin Beichen nodded to Song Xiangdong, then took three steps forward, getting closer to the gathered warriors and police officers, and said with a smile, "I hope you all will follow your hearts and answer my questions honestly."
On the way here, he had already thought about what to ask.
Seeing them nod in unison,
he got straight to the point and asked, "Who among you is interested in supernatural tales and has ever thought that gods and ghosts might really exist in this world?"
Immediately,
almost ninety percent of the police officers and warriors present raised their hands.
Lin Beichen glanced around, memorized them in his mind, then nodded and signaled them to put down their hands. He then continued, "Now, please close your eyes and follow my description, try to use your imagination to the fullest, and then tell me what you imagined."
After finishing, he waited for everyone to close their eyes.
He then began to describe, "Now what you see is not white, nor black, but a chaotic color. In the chaos sits a person, and that person is you. You can feel what that person feels, and sense tiny bits of energy all around..."
Lin Beichen detailed the visualization process of the "Illusion Becomes Reality" imagined world.
After narrating,
he let them immerse in it, waiting for about half a quarter of an hour, then clapped his hands to break their concentration.
"Alright, now you can truthfully express how you felt and what you saw in the imagined world."
Lin Beichen glanced at everyone, then chose a police officer closest to him, saying, "You start first, then go in sequence."
"Okay."
The police officer was a bit caught off guard by being called upon suddenly, but quickly adjusted himself, recalled briefly, organized his words, and began to speak, "I didn’t feel anything on my body. As for what I saw, honestly, I didn’t see much, just darkness in front of me."
After he finished speaking,
the other police officers and warriors began to narrate their experiences one by one as Lin Beichen had instructed.
"I saw a gray area and also saw myself, but I didn’t see any of the energy you mentioned, nor did I feel anything on my body."
"Everything you described appeared in my mind, but it didn’t manifest before my eyes. However, I think what I saw is the so-called chaos."
"I could see the energy you described, but I didn’t feel it either in the imaginary world or on my actual body."
"..."
After a long time, they had all finished their stories.
Nobody succeeded in visualizing completely.
Lin Beichen had anticipated this outcome.
However, to his surprise, among such a large group, there were indeed a few who saw some parts of the imagined world.
"They have better intuition than most!"
"Maybe..."
"They can provide me with the answers I’m seeking."
Initially not expecting much, Lin Beichen now found himself with a glimmer of hope.
Without wasting time,
following the pre-devised plan,
he approached Song Xiangdong and picked out those whose intuition seemed a bit better.
Ultimately, he selected about sixty people.
"Can I cultivate now?"
"Great, I’ve been chosen!"
"Am I going to be trained as an immortal?!"
"..."
The chosen warriors and police officers could no longer contain their joy and excitement.
Seeing them cheer and jump for joy,
the unselected warriors and police officers looked on with expressions of melancholy and regret, their eyes filled with envy.
They envied not just the opportunity for cultivation, but also the chance to be part of something so crucial for Great Xia.
As for themselves...
They had missed this golden opportunity!
Song Xiangdong didn’t reproach the warriors and police officers for their loss of composure. He simply gestured, and the agents flooded in again.
"Those who were chosen, send them to the cultivation room."
"Those who were not, let them rest well and then send them back to their units."
With his order,
all hundred-plus individuals were promptly arranged and led away by the agents.
Soon, the once slightly crowded enclosed space became empty and quiet.
At this moment, Song Xiangdong looked at Lin Beichen and thanked him, "Thank you so much, Lin Beichen, not only for writing down your cultivation experience and insights for us but also for helping us select suitable candidates for cultivation."
"It’s no trouble at all, no trouble at all."