I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield

Chapter 972: Chapter 631: Lucky Dog? Collaboration (Part 2)

"Hmm, I’ve noted everything down."

Qin Tian smiled and nodded, his gaze once again settling on Liang He.

He understood how difficult it was for those without a bloodline to break through Tier Five. Liang He being able to achieve it meant that besides having extraordinary perception, there must have been some hidden fortune helping him a lot.

Qin Tian lightly crossed his hands in front of his chest and asked seriously, "Earlier, I heard Captain Cornis say you’re planning to enlist at Ice Extreme Pass?"

"Yes, General Qin!"

Liang He immediately collected himself, nodding respectfully and firmly, with a particularly earnest expression in his eyes.

"Have you thought about which legion to join?" Qin Tian continued to ask.

Liang He didn’t hesitate in the slightest, blurting out, "Azure Dragon Army!"

"With Cornis there, the Azure Dragon Army is indeed the best choice for you."

Qin Tian smiled, then subtly shifted his tone, "However, your decision to enlist at Ice Extreme Pass should not be just because of Cornis."

Liang He didn’t hide it and directly replied, "What the General said is absolutely right. My enlistment at Ice Extreme Pass is partly due to my trust in Cornis, and on the other hand, because I have another goal."

He looked up at Qin Tian, his gaze clear and firm, "I want to participate in the Nine Stars Martial Competition, to bathe in the light of the Celestial Stele, to enhance my talent, solidify my foundation, and break through to Tier Six — this is the dream of my life."

"Nine Stars Martial Competition?"

Qin Tian glanced at Cornis with a half-smile, and Cornis instantly lowered his head in embarrassment, his face full of confusion.

He knew that the Nine Stars Martial Competition was a semi-classified matter within the military, although not forbidden from being spread by word, it shouldn’t be randomly disclosed to outsiders.

But Qin Tian did not blame him, only looked at Liang He and spoke steadily, "I will indeed be drawing personnel from various legions to prepare for the Nine Stars Martial Competition, but the final selection will depend on internal selection. Once you officially enlist in the Azure Dragon Army, you will gain qualification for selection. Whether you can make it to the expedition list or not depends entirely on your own strength."

Learning that he had a chance to participate in the selection, Liang He was instantly so excited that he trembled slightly.

"Thank you, Qin..."

He suddenly realized his mistake, quickly correcting himself, and gave a standard military salute, his voice loud and forceful, "Thank you, Military Lord!"

Qin Tian looked at him with a gentle smile, "Prepare well, I expect to see both your names on the expedition list."

"Yes, Military Lord!"

The two responded in unison, saluting, their hearts surging with waves that couldn’t be calmed for a long time.

As they walked out of the military department building, Cornis couldn’t help but look back at the towering structure, his heart full of emotions, "I can’t believe, in this life, I would be personally summoned by the Military Lord and receive praise directly from him. Ah He, you truly are my lucky star!"

Liang He smiled helplessly, "Cornis, thank you for speaking on my behalf earlier, but you exaggerated a bit, making it seem like I’m some chosen one. If I really had such good luck, I would have awakened my bloodline long ago and wouldn’t have had to endure until now."

Hearing this, Cornis almost rolled his eyes, raising his hand to jokingly "strike," "You unlucky emperor, eat my ’unlucky chief’s punch!’"

After the joke, the personal wristwatch on Cornis’s wrist suddenly vibrated slightly, displaying a new message.

He casually opened it to check, his eyes widening in an instant, unable to help but curse, "Damn!"

"What’s wrong?" Liang He asked quickly.

Cornis brought the wristwatch screen to Liang He’s face, his eyes full of uncontrollable excitement, "Look! Twenty thousand military merit points! The Military Lord approved twenty thousand for me!"

Twenty thousand military merit points!

Liang He was instantly shocked.

Before enlisting, he had already inquired about the military rules from Cornis, among which military merit points were of utmost importance.

Twenty thousand military merit points are an incredibly rich reward for a captain and are even enough to exchange for one of the reasons I joined the army — a bottle of Bronze Level Bloodline Potion.

"This must be the Military Lord’s reward for my civilian protection on the street earlier!"

Cornis said, looking at Liang He with regret, "It’s a pity, Ah He, you’re not officially enlisted yet, not an Imperial soldier, so you can’t receive military merit rewards."

"It’s fine."

Liang He remained calm, gently shaking his head, "Successfully joining the Azure Dragon Army and obtaining qualification for the Nine Stars Martial Competition selection, I’m already very satisfied."

As he spoke, he placed a hand on Cornis’s shoulder, smilingly joking, "However, having twenty thousand military merit points at once, it’s not too much for me to have a big meal, is it?"

"Not too much! Of course not too much!"

Cornis waved his large hand with bravado, "We haven’t seen each other in three years, and now we meet with such a grand occasion, we must not leave sober, let’s go!"

The two smiled at each other and headed towards a tavern on the street, their figures gradually merging into the crowd.

...

Outside Hanshuo City, the vast icy plains stretched endlessly, the piercing cold wind like sharp blades whistling across the ground.

Kesler stood in the center, surrounded by a faint icy mist, isolating the cold wind; beside him, Raymond’s face was pale, though the wound on his chest had begun to heal, blood still seeped out, his breath weak.

A group of beastmen stood behind, anxious and uneasy.

Around them, hundreds of soldiers clad in heavy spiritual energy powered armor formed a concentric formation, their spiritual energy hand cannons aimed directly at the beastmen.

Overhead, humanoid battle mech suits and floating cannon arrays hovered, the muzzles glowing faintly. Any abnormal move by the beastmen would result in an immediate barrage.

Kesler glanced sideways at the silent Raymond beside him.

He knew that the disastrous defeat at the hands of Qin Tian, who had killed Raymond in one strike, not only shattered Raymond’s pride as royalty of the purgatory White Tiger clan but also engraved deep fear and apprehension in him.

Otherwise, with the strength of both being Tier Seven beastman royalty, they wouldn’t be staying put here so quietly.

All of them were waiting for that man’s appearance.

Soon, a subtle spatial ripple permeated the icy plains, and in the next moment, a black figure appeared abruptly.

"Military Lord!"

The surrounding soldiers all bowed their heads, their voices deep and resonant.

Qin Tian nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Kesler and Raymond, his tone calm, "Shall we talk alone?"

Kesler immediately stepped forward, "General Qin, please."

Qin Tian raised his hand and lightly waved it, the formless power of space instantly enveloping the two men. In the next second, the two figures disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Raymond slowly turned his head, gazing at the towering distant ice mountains, the ferocity in his tiger eyes gone, replaced by a probing look.

What would Kesler discuss with Qin Tian?

On the mountaintop, the cold wind was even harsher.

Qin Tian and Kesler stood facing each other, a thousand-foot icy cliff beneath their feet, the vast icy plains stretching out in the distance, with only the sound of the wind howling between heaven and earth.

"Coming to my territory, you’re not here to avenge Unol, are you?" Qin Tian spoke with indifference.

"That waste Unol isn’t worth my intervention,"

To Qin Tian’s surprise, Kesler almost immediately denied it, the disdain in his tone unrestrained.

"Oh? Seems the relationship among your kin isn’t so harmonious," Qin Tian’s lips curled into a faint smile, his tone tinged with a trace of teasing.

"Even between brothers, there can be disagreements, even to the point of fighting to the death over interests. Unol and I are both direct lineage of the eternal Ice Silkworm clan, but there’s not much closeness between us."

Kesler’s expression remained calm, "General Qin, my visit to Ice Extreme Pass this time is to discuss a collaboration with you."

"Collaboration?"

Qin Tian’s eyebrows raised slightly, an amused interest appearing in his eyes, "A beastman royalty actually wants to actively collaborate with me, a Major General of the Human Empire?"

"Exactly."

Kesler: "There’s a saying among humans, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. As long as the interests are great enough, even enemies can temporarily put aside their grudges; what’s more, you and I have no personal grievances, it’s merely a matter of different standings."

Qin Tian looked at Kesler, his interest growing stronger, raising his hand to signal him to continue, "Alright, tell me, how do you wish to collaborate?"

Kesler raised his eyes, meeting Qin Tian’s gaze, "With the Nine Stars Martial Competition about to begin, I know you’ll participate, and I will also find my way in. My goal is simple, I need you to help me kill someone."

"Who?"

Kesler paused for a moment, then spoke word by word, "My elder brother, Broden."