I Picked Up Talents in the Interstellar Battlefield

By the time Qin Tian stepped out of the house, night had already fallen.
As early as two thousand years ago, the Empire had mastered artificial sun technology and extended this magnificent project to all star systems under its rule.
The rhythm of day and night had long been deeply ingrained in the genes of the Empire's citizens—an ancient memory from the Mother Star era, and an eternal rhythm of civilization's continuation.
Therefore, Imperial law explicitly stipulated that any colonized planet with a permanent population exceeding one billion must construct an artificial sun in synchronous orbit.
Although these artificial creations still couldn't compare to the ancient star orbiting the Mother Star in terms of scale, energy level, and stability, they were sufficient to simulate the most basic day-night cycle in the cold depths of space—the hazy light of dawn, the fervent glow of midday, and the gentle twilight of dusk were all perfectly replicated.
These artificial suns were not merely simple lighting devices; they were also a manifestation of the Empire's humanitarian care for its citizens.
They rose and set with a constant rhythm, maintaining humanity's most primal circadian instincts, allowing wanderers scattered throughout the galaxy, no matter where they were, to feel the warmth and tranquility of home when they looked up.
"Night has finally arrived."
A slight curve appeared on Qin Tian's lips.
In the darkness, all his attributes increased by 100%, and his aura became even more restrained.
A new game began. He moved through the streets, unseen, undetectable by any cameras or thermal devices.
His perception ability had significantly increased compared to daytime, with almost the entire city falling within his sensory range.
Heat sources, smells, and sounds quickly integrated, forming a biological map. Qin Tian was like a ghost, drifting above the city.
At night, the city was not quiet.
In every Genius Battle, the first day was always the most intense, with the highest number of eliminations.
This year was no different.
So far, over 40 geniuses had been eliminated, nearly half of the total number.
Among the remaining participants, some had superior combat power, such as Four-Star and Five-Star Geniuses; others were skilled at hiding and had not been discovered by others; and some had formed alliances early on, protecting themselves and eliminating others through numerical superiority.
The battles among these remaining geniuses would be the main highlight of this Genius Battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Combat fluctuations emanated from several corners of the city.
Qin Tian sensed them and moved towards the area with the most heat sources.
However, while flying, he saw a person.

The night was like ink, and that person stood like a drawn sword under the moonlight.
Pure white gilded armor shimmered with a cold gleam in the crisp moonlight; each plate seemed steeped in starlight, radiating an otherworldly cold light.
His cloak flapped in the night wind, its dark base devouring all light, with only the crimson-gold character "God" burning brightly in the darkness, like an ancient mark of judgment. His faceplate gleamed with a metallic coldness under the moon, and his heavy combat boots crushed the moonlight scattered on the ground.
The gilded runes at the armor's joints traced an eerie path in the night as he moved.
A-rank examiner, code-named "God."
"This set of equipment is really cool~"
Qin Tian secretly praised, and casually placed a Hunting Mark on Examiner "God."
The purpose of the mark was not to target "God"; according to regulations, examiners could not attack other examiners.
This was merely a preparation for a subsequent plan.
A Hunting Mark was not a mental imprint, but rather the Top Hunter locking onto the target's aura, thereby activating the power within the bloodline, greatly suppressing one's aura, increasing speed by 70%, and attack power by 50%.
Therefore, the marked target would not feel anything.
Qin Tian bypassed Examiner "God" and continued flying. Not long after, he witnessed a very intense battle.
Below were three individuals: one male and two females.
Before the competition began, Qin Tian had reviewed the assessments of the contestants by various organizations and memorized the information of all one hundred geniuses.
These three were Zhong Liying, a Four-Star Genius and inheritor of the Sky Wheel Arrow bloodline; Ao Zihong, a Four-Star Genius and inheritor of the Fish Dragon bloodline; and Ji Yufei, a Three-Star Genius and inheritor of the Cold Crystal bloodline.
The three of them were battling a very peculiar vine. This vine was semi-transparent, capable of blending into the darkness. Unlike the man-eating willows on the lake island, it wasn't fixed in one spot but slithered along the ground like a venomous snake, sometimes erupting from the shadows of corners to ambush, and sometimes splitting into dozens of illusory figures, making it difficult to distinguish real from fake.
"Watch out for the right side."
Zhong Liying's cold shout pierced the night sky. The crimson flame longbow "Blazing Sun" radiated dazzling light in her hands. Nine golden-red arrows, like phoenixes spreading their wings, shot through the air, trailing fiery tail flames.
Where the arrows passed, the air twisted. They precisely embedded themselves into the writhing vine in the street corner's shadow.
The moment the flames erupted, the semi-transparent vine body twitched violently, emitting a piercing shriek like a baby crying. Gloomy blue sap splattered from the wound, corroding the bluestone slabs into wisps of white smoke.
Ao Zihong soared into the air, fully activating his Fish Dragon bloodline.
His arms were completely dragonized, green scales gleaming coldly in the moonlight, and his fingers extended into three-foot-long sharp claws.
"Break for me!"
With a roar, the dragon claws swept across with a tearing shriek, severing the injured ghost vine at its waist.
After falling to the ground, the severed vine twisted madly like a dying snake. The gloomy blue sap spewing from the cut coagulated into tiny sharp thorns in the air, shooting towards the three.
Ji Yufei's eyes narrowed, and she lightly tapped the ground with her delicate foot.
"Coagulate."
Her crimson lips parted, and the power of her Cold Crystal bloodline surged out like a tide. Crystalline frost rapidly spread from her as the center, instantly covering the entire street.
The flying venomous thorns were frozen in mid-air, clinking and shattering onto the ground.
Even more terrifyingly, the frost spread backward along the ghost vine's sap, completely freezing the remaining vines that attempted to escape into the ground, forming a dazzling ice sculpture forest under the moonlight.
The Thousand Shadow Ghost Vine was forced into a desperate situation.
Just as the three thought victory was assured, an unexpected change occurred!
The frozen vines °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° suddenly burst simultaneously, countless ice crystal fragments carrying gloomy blue sap splattering in all directions.
The shadows on both sides of the street began to writhe madly, and dozens of new vines erupted from every dark corner, launching a surprise attack.
These newborn vines were even more bizarre than before, their surfaces covered with densely packed human face patterns, each face emitting a silent wail of agony.
"Be careful! It's burning its origin!" Zhong Liying quickly retreated, her longbow continuously opening and closing, a rain of arrows forming a curtain.
Ao Zihong, however, advanced instead of retreating, his dragon claws weaving into a net of green light.
Ji Yufei formed a hand seal, and an ice-blue barrier instantly materialized around the three.
The ghost vine's death throes came as quickly as they went.
As Zhong Liying's arrow pierced the core vine, Ao Zihong's dragon claws tore through the last line of defense, and Ji Yufei's extreme cold completely froze its regenerative power, this fierce battle finally drew to a close.
The ghost vine let out one last unwilling shriek. The vine at its core violently contracted, then burst with a "pop!"
This time, the gloomy blue sap coagulated into beads in the air, falling like raindrops, tapping crisply on the bluestone slabs.
Under the gaze of the three, a pair of green boots dropped from the shadows with a clatter.
It was the Thousand Shadow Ghost Vine's guardian item.
"Boots? These are mine then. As an archer, I need a pair of agile boots to enhance my dodging ability," Zhong Liying said.
"Alright."
Ao Zihong and Ji Yufei nodded in agreement. After half a day of alliance, they had developed a certain level of trust in each other and reached a preliminary agreement on the distribution of spoils: if a spiritual artifact was suitable for a particular person, it would be prioritized for them, but they would compensate with subsequent spoils.
Seeing the two agree, a smile appeared on Zhong Liying's pretty face.
However, before she could even approach the boots, a hand suddenly reached out from the shadows, snatched the boots, and fled, catching the three completely off guard.
What!!!
Upon seeing this, the three were first stunned, then their lungs nearly burst with anger.
The spoils they had worked so hard to obtain were snatched by someone else! Who could tolerate that!
"Chase!"
Zhong Liying's pretty face flushed with anger, her clear voice carrying a hint of biting cold.