Late at night, a minibus appeared outside the desolate village.
Qin Yexuan opened his eyes from atop a large tree, and a crow in his hand gently flew away.
In four hours, he had used his remaining spiritual energy to transform the crow into a telepathic pet.
Although not to the same extent as a lion cat, the crow now possessed basic intelligence and abilities, completely comparable to the world's strongest unmanned reconnaissance aircraft today.
Moreover, the effect of mind-link allowed Qin Yexuan to see things humans could not through the crow's perspective.
Humans have trichromatic vision, sensing only three types of light. They are sensitive to blue, green, and red. Through the combination of these cone cells, humans can see the colors we are aware of.
Therefore, we cannot see ultraviolet light, but many nocturnal animals, especially birds that rely on ultraviolet light for foraging and finding mates, can.
Crows are among the best.
They possess four types of cone cells, and their eye position and observation methods are entirely different from humans.
The range of vision for a crow is wider. In a vast field, it can instantly spot a grasshopper in the grass.
And with basic intelligence, the crow can analyze the captured scenes and transmit them to Qin Yexuan.
It was a wonderful flow of information that allowed for the discernment of every detail even in the dark.
The minibus stopped on the small road outside the house.
Zhang Min was the first to get out, seemingly having hired the driver.
The rest of the group followed slowly.
"Assistant Zhang, I'm not here for the money; I'm here for research. That Qin Yexuan might be the first person to have successfully traversed realms. I'm too interested in his experience."
"Traversing into a microscopic world, a pocket universe, and even cultivating?"
These people discussed with great excitement.
Zhang Min, on the other hand, was puzzled: "You really don't want the bounty?"
"Assistant Zhang, you are young, so you value money more. For us, such a discovery, surpassing all previous human knowledge, is priceless."
Zhang Min clearly didn't believe them.
The crow flew overhead, unnoticed by anyone.
Qin Yexuan observed the expressions of eight people at that moment.
The subtle details of their expressions were clear to him.
The eyes of the experts were incredibly bright, even narrowing slightly as they looked at Zhang Min with nervousness and anticipation.
Through the minute changes in their facial expressions, Qin Yexuan deduced that they were genuinely here for research, their goal being the exploration of an unknown world, not money.
The three security personnel had more complex emotions. Two appeared hesitant, secretly observing the surrounding routes. Through the crow's observation, Qin Yexuan noticed the weapons hidden in their clothes.
They were folding knives and batons.
Heh, these two were clearly prepared to silence everyone and abscond with the bounty.
The third security guard, however, was gazing at Zhang Min with an infatuated stare.
This young guard couldn't hide his admiration and unrequited love for Zhang Min.
He wasn't here for money, nor did he understand research; he was simply here to protect Zhang Min.
The last person was the so-called computer systems expert. He was only in his thirties, relatively young, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp. He had been observing everyone else from start to finish.
Interesting.
Qin Yexuan could tell this person was no mere desk-bound computer operator.
The computer expert's gaze first fell upon the two security guards with malicious intent, his eyes directly locking onto their hidden weapons.
Then, he subtly shifted his position, intentionally or unintentionally moving to Zhang Min's right rear.
This position not only blocked others' line of sight but also allowed him to protect Zhang Min at a moment's notice, or to seize her.
Qin Yexuan then noticed his hands, nimble and strong, with thick calluses.
He immediately identified this computer expert as a person of interest.
This individual was undoubtedly the most dangerous, more akin to a secret agent or assassin.
He left the large tree and issued new instructions to his pet crow.
The crow nimbly passed through the dilapidated roof and hid on a dust-covered beam.
Qin Yexuan circled around to the back, entered the house, and sat on a dilapidated recliner, feigning being bound.
The half-broken door creaked open.
Zhang Min turned on her phone's flashlight, illuminating Qin Yexuan, who was looking down.
The casually dressed experts, however, were well-prepared and directly switched on their rechargeable spotlights.
Four lights illuminated the entire room, sufficient for over three hours.
Seeing Qin Yexuan, one expert rushed forward, startling everyone.
This expert grabbed Qin Yexuan's clothes and shouted excitedly: "Did the extraterrestrial life form from that meteorite possess Chen Xing? A friend in the Star River Group's medical team said Chen Xing's ALS has recovered from the terminal stage to the initial stage."
This was absolutely confidential information, definitely not something that could have been leaked so easily by a friend.
The expert's voice trembled with excitement: "Is it extraterrestrial life from the pocket universe of the meteorite? My God, it can even cure ALS, so what about other diseases? Can all cancers be cured?"
Zhang Min and others pulled the expert back.
Qin Yexuan looked up: "Even ALS hasn't been completely cured. What's inside Chen Xing isn't a complete consciousness."
"What do you mean?" the expert was still excited.
"A complete consciousness, you can think of it as an extraterrestrial life form. According to my understanding, let alone curing diseases, a complete... extraterrestrial life form could even grant Chen Xing immortality, making him a god!"
The expert was stunned, then roared: "Chen Xing, that scoundrel! Rich people are all like this. What kind of entrepreneur, just a selfish capitalist."
The expert waved his arms, his face contorted: "He has no vision at all. If he possessed knowledge that could cure any human disease, why wouldn't he benefit the entire world?"
Qin Yexuan said faintly: "That's a power similar to cultivation in novels. I understand what you mean, why not share it with the world? Have you considered that if the whole world possessed such power, good people would become even better, but bad people would become even worse!"
The expert fell silent.
The others glared at him angrily: "You didn't come for money, nor for the fate of all humankind. You purely want to obtain that power!"
The excited expert sneered: "Aren't you all the same? Anyone even slightly intelligent would understand. What is money? Chen Xing would have to offer all his wealth, but it's still nothing compared to the power brought by extraterrestrial life!"
The two security guards with ulterior motives exchanged glances, looking a bit dazed.
They hadn't grasped the meaning of this statement yet.
But the intelligent people present had their eyes gleaming.
"With that so-called power of cultivation, you can become a super-human, even a god. What need would you have for money then?"
This statement hit the nail on the head.
At this moment, Qin Yexuan suddenly stood up, and everyone recoiled.
Qin Yexuan looked at them: "You can't deal with a wealthy man like Chen Xing, yet you want to obtain the so-called power of cultivation, so you've come here. Now, you must listen to me carefully."
He recounted what he had analyzed with Zhang Min, finally saying: "Chen Xing can't even cure his own ALS. What's inside him is a counterfeit. The real consciousness might be dormant within one of you!"
Everyone trembled.
Someone asked: "Can you check?"
Qin Yexuan remained silent. The excited expert shouted again: "If I were chosen by the great extraterrestrial life form, I would be willing to share it with everyone."
Qin Yexuan still said nothing.
The other experts also swore oaths: "We are also willing to share."
At this point, laughter echoed.
The computer expert laughed with extreme sarcasm: "None of you will share, because once this power is shared, you will be creating enemies for yourselves. No one should possess this power. Utter annihilation is the best solution to save this world."
His tone was chilling: "Any existence that surpasses all of humanity is extremely dangerous."
Silence fell over the scene.
Qin Yexuan finally spoke: "I have a method to check you. I will tell you a mantra and its usage later. This is the most basic cultivation technique, a method similar to hypnosis."
He explained the methods of "Imperial Mind Technique" in detail.
"As long as you do as I say, the person with the dormant consciousness will enter the initial stage of cultivation and generate spiritual energy. At that point, I will be able to detect it immediately."
"We are willing to cooperate!" Everyone, including the two security guards, shouted excitedly.
Only the computer expert shook his head: "I disagree. The Imperial Mind Technique is a form of mind control. It's already incredibly powerful in your traversed world, and even more terrifying in ours. You want to let a malicious person obtain this ability first. What if he..."
The computer expert didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood his meaning.
Qin Yexuan said faintly: "First, only this technique can be cultivated the fastest, yielding results within an hour. Any other examination methods would take at least half a month or even longer. Second, this is a mind technique, so I can detect it immediately. If you cultivate other techniques well and hide them, I won't be able to determine the target."
The computer expert's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said: "Then I won't learn it. Instead, I will supervise you all with Assistant Zhang. I need everyone to tie themselves up to ensure everyone's safety."
This time, everyone disagreed, even Zhang Min shook her head.
Qin Yexuan looked at the computer expert: "Your idea is good, but unfortunately useless. The Imperial Mind Technique can easily control you and turn you into a puppet."
He shook his head: "Besides, they won't trust you either."
The computer expert became anxious: "Everyone, do you know what you're doing? I can make a call, prepare a better experimental area, and keep everyone in a safe environment!"
Everyone's gaze became peculiar.
The computer expert raised his hand: "I am not Chen Xing's person, nor was I sent by the Star River Group."
Zhang Min spoke: "What if the extraterrestrial life form is lurking within you?"
The computer expert immediately shook his head: "After leaving the laboratory, I underwent the most rigorous and cautious full-body examination. I underwent twelve rounds of testing, both physically and mentally. I am absolutely fine."
Qin Yexuan looked at him for a long time: "Not even a single abnormality?"
The computer expert thought for a moment: "Except for my cat..."
"What about your cat?"
"I haven't seen my cat for a long time. I haven't seen her since entering the laboratory, but when I held her, she bit me. She never bit me, her owner, before."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Only Qin Yexuan didn't laugh.
His eyes flickered: "Where is your cat now?"
"I boarded her at a pet shop."
Qin Yexuan was deep in thought.
Then he shook his head: "Perhaps it's just a minor incident. The most likely candidates are you humans."
The situation became a stalemate, with some willing and some refusing.
Qin Yexuan said sternly: "We don't have much time. Before the plan proceeds, I need to teach you some basic language of the pocket universe, just some simple syllables. Only by mastering these first can you learn the Imperial Mind Technique."
Everyone couldn't convince each other, and time was pressing, so they frowned and nodded.
The computer expert did not refuse: "Alright, at least it's a good start. We will peacefully learn extraterrestrial culture. Speaking of which, this is truly exciting."
Qin Yexuan slowly recited five syllables, which were indeed very simple.
"Recite them forwards first, then backward. Recite each three times."
Everyone was silently learning. Zhang Min recited it once and felt very strange. As she pronounced those syllables, her breath intake and exhalation also changed.
Suddenly, she thought of something.
"Could it be that Qin Yexuan isn't teaching us pronunciation, but this is... this is the method of the Imperial Mind Technique?"
Her heart raced.
"That's enough!" Qin Yexuan suddenly stopped everyone, his expression extremely grim.
"What's wrong?" Everyone looked at him.
"It's over. This gathering ends here. Pretend nothing happened and you can leave." Qin Yexuan's words were so bizarre that everyone was stunned.
"We're not leaving!" they shouted excitedly.
Qin Yexuan said coldly: "Sorry, I was just joking. There's actually no Imperial Mind Technique or cultivation whatsoever."
The people present were going mad.
The two security guards with ulterior motives exchanged glances and suddenly charged at Qin Yexuan.
Since it was all a joke, it was time to fight for money!