I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield

Chapter 1022: Chapter 654: Assassination Returns, Lucky Star

When Qin Tian returned to his camp, the battles of the various legions were nearing their end.

The legion commanders returned to the camp one after another with their collected Tombstone Spirit Fragments, gathering at the center of the camp, gradually forming an increasingly large ball of light.

Qin Tian stood in the center of the camp, his gaze sweeping over the constantly expanding ball of light. Instead of rushing to collect the fragment, he first extended his perception, encompassing all biological fluctuations within Zone D-23.

His perception spread like a tide in all directions, passing through charred woodland, broken hills, dry riverbeds, and every hidden sign of life.

A moment later, a slight curve appeared at the corner of Qin Tian’s mouth.

"Already cleared a third, huh."

This progress was faster than he had anticipated.

Before departure, the Dongfang Clan tasked each team to first focus on survival—a seemingly simple task that turned out to be the most difficult first step within the Secret Realm surrounded by Stele Demons.

Next, the second task was to eliminate over fifty percent of Stele Demons within their respective areas within five days.

The reason for this requirement was because everyone knew that upon first entering the Secret Realm, the overall strength of the Stele Demons noticeably exceeded that of the Empire’s camps.

These Stele Demons, having roamed the Secret Realm for unknown years, would crazily besiege upon detecting human presence, like hungry wolves.

Meanwhile, Spiritualists from the Empire needed time to adapt to the Secret Realm’s environment, figure out the Stele Demons’ attack patterns, adjust their battle pace, and so on.

Therefore, the core strategy in the early stage was simple: stability.

First, secure survival, then gradually close the gap in combat power with organized coordination, deploying wisdom, experience, and tactical cooperation. Engage in guerrilla warfare among the Stele Demons, eliminating them little by little rather than blindly charging in.

Once over fifty percent of Stele Demons are cleared from the periphery, teams from various Holy Blood camps would unite, begin exerting true effort, accelerate the clearing, and head towards the center of the Secret Realm.

By then, the advantage of the human side would truly manifest.

According to past experience, when more than fifty percent of Stele Demons within the Secret Realm are eliminated, the Celestial Stele will release a divine light capable of effectively suppressing the trapped demon gods, simultaneously clearing the remaining Stele Demons within the Secret Realm—that marks the endpoint of the Nine Stars Martial Arts Competition.

Currently, only on the first day, the task at Ice Extreme Pass is nearly complete.

Fifty percent?

Qin Tian’s mouth curved slightly upward.

Fifty percent was the baseline task assigned to him by the Dongfang Clan, yet it was not his target.

His target was simple from the beginning—not only to eliminate all Stele Demons within his jurisdiction without leaving any behind but also to expand outward and snatch some of the "wild creatures" from others.

Who would have thought these Stele Demons, which were threats and task targets to others, in his eyes, represented adorable Evolution Points?

"Settle down here!"

Qin Tian issued the order.

The legions immediately dispersed according to the pre-divided areas, each finding a suitable place to start resting.

Warriors took out elixirs, food, energy liquids from their space equipment, some sat cross-legged with closed eyes to meditate, while some gathered in groups of three or five, replenishing energy while conversing in low tones.

The camp gradually returned to life.

...

Azure Dragon Army camp.

Conis sat cross-legged on a large rock, tearing open the pouch of energy liquid, tilting his head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls.

The energy liquid had a refreshing lemon flavor, cool in the mouth with a slight sour sweetness, quickly replenishing physical strength and relieving post-battle heat.

He wiped his mouth and excitedly shouted to Liang He beside him:

"A He, did you see? I slashed and killed a Tier Six Stele Demon with one strike!"

While saying this, Conis’ eyes glowed, his pride almost spilling over his face.

Without lifting his head, Liang He focused on wiping his battle sword, merely responding blandly: "That was because the legion commander had already greatly injured the Stele Demon; you just happened to finish it off."

Unperturbed by Liang He’s blunt exposure, Conis chuckled: "Whether it’s finishing off or not, I personally slaughtered a Tier Six Stele Demon."

He patted his Armed Armor, full of admiration: "This armor sure is amazing! I feel that even if I face a Tier Six Stele Demon alone, though I may not defeat it, it would be difficult for it to harm me quickly. If that Stele Demon is just a beginner in Tier Six... hey, I might actually have a chance to kill it."

Hearing this, Liang He finally paused his sword-cleaning, not refuting.

Through the recent battle, he too realized more deeply the powerful aspects of this Armed Armor.

The comprehensive enhancement of strength, speed, and reaction, the significant improvement in Spiritual Energy operation efficiency, and most importantly—the qualitative leap in defense power.

These combined gave him the confidence to challenge a Tier Six opponent despite only being a Tier Five Spiritualist without any bloodline augmentation.

This was an unimaginable feat in the past.

"By the way, A He," Conis suddenly recalled something, suppressing his playful demeanor and asking quietly, "Didn’t you say earlier you noticed something off? Was it in the place we fought just now?"

Liang He shook his head slightly, a furrow forming in his brow: "Nothing particularly wrong, maybe it’s just the unfamiliarity with the new environment, causing the senses to not fully adapt yet, resulting in some illusions."