As soon as he uttered these words, the few people were immediately startled, their facial expressions frozen, hair on their backs standing on end, a chill rising from the soles of their feet up to their necks.
Shi Yong was stunned, he clearly hadn’t anticipated the situation to develop this way.
He had already begun to fantasize that he had undoubtedly passed the other party’s test and was about to come into contact with that unknown Extraordinary World.
But now, the other party’s words doused him with cold water, abruptly pulling him back to reality.
"This... Star Lord, actually... we were only trying to complete your task, we didn’t think through everything..."
He stammered in his defense, feeling that the man in front of him was looking at him with penetrating eyes, like the scorching sun, making it impossible for him to raise his head and meet his gaze, as if he could see right through his heart.
If it were before, Shi Yong, upon hearing that someone could make others submit just by their gaze, would have thought it was an overindulgence in novels and movies.
In reality, it was merely the psychological pressure brought on by someone’s societal status and presence, not actual oppression.
Once you strip someone of their power and position, and you look at them again, you wouldn’t even feel a ripple of psychological change.
In this regard, as a rich second-generation with a considerably wealthy family background, Shi Yong had a profound experience.
Of course, this does not exclude some psychological masters who can use their gaze to purposely create a tense mood, causing the other person to experience negative emotions.
But now, under the scrutiny of the man across from him, he was certain that he truly felt that oppression, solid like reality, nearly suffocating him.
What he didn’t know was that this feeling was not unfounded, but a form of spiritual oppression.
After Zhang Xiaoman’s spiritual power had increased, he didn’t need any skills to look at an ordinary person , and it would still put immense pressure on them.
Furthermore, not only in terms of spiritual power, but on a fundamental life level, he was also able to influence others.
Because he had awakened to Dark Energy and possessed Extraordinary Power, Awakeners naturally exerted a sense of oppression when facing ordinary people.
This feeling, unlike spiritual power, did not materialize, but it could bring about influence from the subconscious, causing involuntary feelings of awe and other emotions towards oneself.
These, were merely what Shi Yong felt in just a few breaths of time, being the nearest, he bore the brunt and thus felt the greatest pressure.
"I don’t like people who act too smart."
Zhang Xiaoman withdrew his gaze, saying,
"However, your abilities are indeed sufficient. But joining us is not just about that."
His transition immediately caused those people to lift their heads, their eyes gleaming with renewed hope.
"The world you see is just the real facade; in this world, there are too many unknown mists, dangers are everywhere."
"We are the watchers existing at the edge of this mist, keeping dangers out of the world..."
Zhang Xiaoman looked at them, slowly saying,
"Our organization is not as you imagine. Once you join here, you will always face trials of life and death, do you understand this?"
Upon hearing this, their expressions immediately changed.
From the initial blow, to the subsequent glimmer of hope, and now to curious excitement, everyone seemed to see a mysterious organization silently guarding the world, battling indescribable evil spirits in various corners, bearing unimaginable burdens.
They were all young people with adventurous spirits, and on top of that, they loved exploring ancient myths and legends. Now, upon hearing Zhang Xiaoman’s words, their inner desires were immediately stirred.
"Star, Star Lord! Please let me join! Let me become like you guys! I want to protect this world together with you!"
Behind Shi Yong, the alarm clock suddenly spoke up, its tone incredibly exhilarated and passionate, and the others nodded in agreement, indicating, "We feel the same."
Dane and Sam acted as mere backdrops throughout the whole process. Not just the members of the Canglan Expedition Team, but also these two brothers, were deeply moved at this moment.
If it weren’t for maintaining their image as Guardians, they would probably have shouted and thrown themselves into building the Star Alliance long ago.
Zhang Xiaoman, however, slightly shook his head.
"You are just ordinary people; joining our ranks isn’t so simple... Since this was to fulfill my request, I can overlook yesterday’s events. However, if you truly wish to join us, you still need to face a real trial."
"Then, what sort of trial would that be...?"
Xia Sha cautiously asked, the others also watched him with hopeful eyes.
Zhang Xiaoman glanced at her. This girl was good, relatively speaking, she was the calmest among them.
"I believe you might have heard some topics about monsters these days. My trial is very simple, it requires you to help me gather that information, and within a month, bring at least 30 pieces of valid intelligence before me. I will decide based on your results whether you can pass."
"Okay! Star Lord, rest assured! We will definitely complete the task! We absolutely won’t disappoint you!"
Upon hearing this, they were almost hesitant-less and immediately accepted the task.
Regarding the online discussions about monsters and the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, of course, they were familiar.
But as they had been busy searching for this mysterious organization, they hadn’t paid much attention to these events.
Now, upon receiving the assigned task from the other party, they also realized that these monsters must indeed be real.
Thinking that they were about to engage with an Extraordinary World, their excitement was uncontrollable, their minds filled with rampant thoughts.
It seemed they, too, would join the ranks in resisting the Dark. The feeling of glimpsing the true nature of the world was irresistible to them.
On the other hand, the primary purpose Zhang Xiaoman had in assigning this task was not actually to see if they could complete it.
He said he would decide based on the results, not necessarily requiring them to achieve 30 reports.
He wanted to see, with these guys’ capabilities, how much information they could collect for him, after all, they had a super hacker among them.
If they could meet his requirements, he wouldn’t mind establishing a special Canglan Department dedicated to gathering intelligence.