I Picked Up Talents in the Interstellar Battlefield

Qin Tian's virtual figure slowly advanced along a narrow corridor, treading on a path made of unknown material, which absorbed all sound. Only the surrounding gray mist flowed gently with his movement, as if guiding his direction.
After walking for about several hundred meters, the gray mist ahead suddenly dispersed, revealing an ancient and magnificent gate. The gate panels were carved with intricate mythological patterns, featuring both Western deities and Eastern immortals and Buddhas. Dark golden light shimmered within the patterns, exuding a sense of gravitas that transcended time and space.
Qin Tian composed himself, then gently pushed open the grand gate.
“Creak!”
The soft creak of the turning hinges echoed in the empty space, and the scene behind the door suddenly opened up.
A resplendent hall came into view. The hall's dome was extremely high, embedded with countless points of light like stars, casting a soft yet majestic glow.
Almost the instant the gate opened, the gazes of several figures, who had been standing scattered within the hall, converged on Qin Tian. There was curiosity, scrutiny, and a faint probing, as if they wanted to see through his virtual image completely.
Qin Tian also quickly scanned the hall. The next second, a strange look involuntarily appeared in his eyes. He had thought that his self-created image of "Hades" was already quite anime-like, but he hadn't expected that the virtual images of the people present were no less exaggerated than his, some even more so.
To the left, a giant figure, easily five meters tall, stood out. He had a bronzed, bare chest with muscles as hard as rock, and heavy iron chains wrapped around his arms. A mountain-like aura emanated from him, and the codename hovering above his head was "Giant Spirit God."
Not far away, a woman in a white dress stood quietly. Her pink hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her face was as exquisite as a goddess from legend. Her eyes were as clear as sapphires, and a faint holy light enveloped her. Her name was "Athena."
Near a jade pillar, a man wearing bright blue armor with dazzling golden hair held a shimmering trident. Sea wave phantoms seemed to swirl around him, and his codename was "Poseidon."
On the other side, there was "Daoist Master Duobao," dressed in a bright yellow daoist robe and holding a whisk. His robe was embroidered with dense patterns of magical treasures, exuding a mystical Daoist aura.
"Ares," clad in crimson-gold battle armor and wielding a long spear, was surrounded by a faint bloody halo, his aura sharp like a drawn sword.
And in the corner of the hall, a familiar white-robed figure leaned against a jade pillar, holding an immortal sword that emitted a pure white glow. His aura was cold and ethereal, none other than "True Martial Emperor," whom Qin Tian had met on the barren mountain.
If any cosplay enthusiasts were here, they would surely faint from happiness.
"Haha! True Martial, the newcomer you mentioned is finally here!" A hearty laugh was the first to ring out. Poseidon strode forward with his trident, his golden hair fluttering with his movements, and his smile was as bright as the sun. "Hades, in Western mythology, we are brothers, welcome, welcome."
Qin Tian raised his hand to shake his, feeling a clear touch at his fingertips, though it was less warm than in reality, more like a delicate energy membrane. He nodded slightly: "Hello."
"After half a year, the Mythology Society finally has a new face." Daoist Master Duobao gently waved his whisk, the hem of his bright yellow daoist robe swaying slightly. His voice was as gentle as a breeze rustling leaves, and his gaze, though scrutinizing, held no malice as it fell on Qin Tian. "Welcome to join."
"Welcome."
Ares also stepped forward, his crimson-gold armor reflecting the starlight from the dome, a smile on his face.
Feeling that the group had no hostility, but rather a hint of friendliness, Qin Tian's taut guard quietly relaxed a little.
"I knew you would come." True Martial Emperor slowly approached with his immortal sword, his gaze sweeping over the codename "Hades" above Qin Tian's head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "This codename certainly suits your abilities and temperament."
"Oh? From the sound of it, Hades is a combat master?" Poseidon immediately caught the key information, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
True Martial Emperor nodded faintly, his tone as calm as if stating an ordinary fact: "Hmm, he was able to take three of my moves without dying, and even gave me a minor injury—you can judge for yourselves if that counts as a combat master."

"Damn it, can't you stop showing off?"
Athena's opening remark instantly shattered her goddess-like demeanor. "Always acting like a sword immortal, but in reality, he's a guy who doesn't even change his stinky socks. Next time we meet, can you please wash your hair properly? I'm almost nauseous from your greasy hair."
Qin Tian's mouth twitched sharply, and his expression instantly became strange. Previously, in his mind, True Martial Emperor was an unfathomable, mysterious powerhouse like a banished immortal. But with Athena's "underwear-level"Make complaints, that lofty image instantly collapsed, replaced by a vivid picture of a "lazy + reclusive otaku."
He also understood the implications: Athena and True Martial Emperor not only knew each other in reality but were also quite familiar, otherwise, she would never have exposed his shortcomings so "mercilessly."
True Martial Emperor, having his facade publicly torn down, flushed alternately green and white. His lips moved, but in the end, he could only manage to blurt out: "A good man doesn't fight with women."
After saying that, he silently retreated to the corner with his immortal sword.
The others in the hall were already used to it. Daoist Master Duobao shook his head with a smile, Giant Spirit God's lips curved into a smirk, and Poseidon outright burst into laughter: "Haha, True Martial, this is the consequence of meeting offline! Do you regret it now?"
True Martial Emperor said faintly, "This is the biggest regret of my life."
"Haha!"
Even more enthusiastic laughter erupted.
Qin Tian looked at the relaxed and humorous scene before him, a slight smile on his lips—it seemed this Mythology Society was not entirely composed ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) of aloof and distant geniuses; it also had such a lively and down-to-earth side.
"Hades, this is our Mythology Society's daily routine. Don't let the codenames, all deities, fool you; in reality, we're more like familiar online friends. We gather in this virtual space to chat when we have time, and incidentally, exchange information and share scarce resources."
Poseidon's smile remained hearty. "In the future, if there's anything you want, like special spiritual materials or rare cultivation techniques, and you're having trouble getting your hands on them, just tell us. What might be a problem for you, others might be able to solve easily—after all, everyone's connections and areas of expertise are different."
Qin Tian nodded upon hearing this, gaining a deeper understanding of the Mythology Society's purpose: "Okay, I understand."
"Since the newcomer has arrived, let's begin our exchange today." Poseidon turned to Daoist Master Duobao, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation. "Daoist Master Duobao, those two spiritual artifacts I commissioned from you last time, they should be finished by now, right?"
"They've been ready for you for a while now." Daoist Master Duobao gently flicked his whisk, his tone calm. With a wave of his hand, two streaks of light instantly appeared before him—a set of entirely black armor, its plates covered with intricate dark patterns, exuding a cold, hard metallic luster; beside it stood an iron rod as thick as a bowl, its surface engraved with golden runes. Though it floated silently, one could vaguely feel the immense power contained within.
"According to your requirements, this set of Blackwater Profound Armor focuses on defense and extensibility. It can freely contract and expand with your body, so even if a beast transforms, it won't affect the armor's protection. As for this Golden Cudgel, the material used is deep-sea profound iron mixed with star core sand, which not only makes its hardness far exceed ordinary spiritual artifacts but also allows it to freely change size, just as you requested." Daoist Master Duobao explained in detail, his tone conveying a certain confidence in his work.
"Perfect!" Poseidon's eyes lit up. Without even inspecting them, he reached out and touched them. The black armor and the Golden Cudgel instantly transformed into two streaks of light, merging into his palm and disappearing.
He turned to Qin Tian, explaining specifically: "The golden token in our hands, besides allowing access to the virtual space, also has a built-in storage function. You can usually store items in the token, and whether you retrieve them in reality or summon them for trade in this Mythology Hall, it's very convenient, without distance restrictions."
Qin Tian's eyes flickered, and he marveled inwardly. Such a trading platform that could ignore real-world distances was simply a godsend.
If utilized well, whether for acquiring rare spiritual materials or exchanging crucial intelligence, it could save countless troubles and even play an unimaginable role at critical moments.
Additionally, two pieces of information could be gleaned from the simple conversation: Daoist Master Duobao, as his name suggested, was an artifact refiner, and Poseidon commissioning beast armor from him indicated that he might be a Beast Tamer.
"Daoist Master Duobao, here are the customization fees: Star Iron Essence and Crimson Gold Ore Mother." Poseidon waved his hand, and two metallic glows instantly lit up before him.
Two fist-sized ore blocks floated silently. One glowed with a deep silver-blue hue, its surface appearing to have tiny stars flowing within—this was the "Star Iron Essence." The other was crimson-gold, with a dense texture, and one could faintly see the metallic luster flowing within—this was the rare "Crimson Gold Ore Mother."
Daoist Master Duobao's eyes instantly lit up upon seeing these two ore blocks. He quickly stepped forward two paces, gently placed his hands on the surface of the ores, and extended his spiritual sense to carefully perceive them.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand, a satisfied smile on his face, and exclaimed: "Poseidon, you were able to acquire such high-grade rare minerals. I've certainly benefited from this transaction. How about this, if you need spiritual artifacts crafted again in the future, I'll make one for you for free, to make up for the material price difference this time."
"Then I won't be polite!" Poseidon laughed even more heartily, raising his hand to push the ores towards Daoist Master Duobao, completing their transaction.
"My turn."
Ares, who was standing by, saw that their transaction was complete. He took a step forward, raised his hand, and dozens of transparent glass vessels appeared out of thin air, neatly suspended in mid-air.
The vessels were filled with fresh red blood, soaking various organs of different shapes. Some resembled hearts, emitting a scorching aura as they beat; others were like tough tendons, gleaming with a faint metallic luster; and still others looked like livers, their surfaces covered with intricate patterns.
"Athena, these are all organs stripped from a sixth-tier giant dragon—dragon heart, dragon liver, dragon sinews, dragon scales, all included." Ares's gaze fell on the vessel in the very center, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity. "Especially this one, it's the heart of a seventh-tier Red Dragon King, freshly stripped not long ago, still active, and contains very pure fire-element energy."
Everyone's gaze collectively fell on that vessel—a massive dragon heart slowly beating in the blood. Each pulsation caused the surrounding air to subtly tremble, and a scorching aura permeated through the glass, clearly felt even by Qin Tian from a distance.
Athena's eyes lit up. Without the slightest hesitation, she took out a large pile of white jade porcelain bottles and arranged them neatly in front of Ares. "These are the ice heart pills you requested, three thousand in total, plus one thousand Lingyuan Pills, five hundred vitality pills, and five hundred detoxification pills. Three days was too rushed, so this is all I could gather for now."
Ares looked at the porcelain bottles before him, a grateful expression on his face. He quickly put away the pills: "It's enough, these pills are a great help to me, thank you."
"You're welcome." Athena waved her hand, her tone frank. "To be honest, the value of these pills isn't actually comparable to your pile of dragon organs—especially that Red Dragon King's heart. If you had given me a few more days, I could have gathered more than twice the amount of pills, but unfortunately—"
"There's no time." Ares gently shook his head. "I only have three days."
Qin Tian stood by quietly, pondering. Ares's ability to hunt sixth-tier giant dragons and even acquire the heart of a seventh-tier Red Dragon King indicated his strength was undoubtedly immense.
However, the ice heart pills and vitality pills he requested were not high-tier pills and would be of little use to him personally, clearly intended for someone close to him.
Combined with the urgency in his words, it was likely he had encountered trouble in reality, and someone close to him urgently needed these pills to save their life.
And Athena's ability to gather thousands of pills in just three days meant that the power and financial resources behind her were also not to be underestimated.
"Ares."
Just then, Qin Tian spoke, "How much dragon blood like this can you obtain?"
Ares: "Obtaining dragon blood isn't difficult, but blood storage is a problem. I don't have such large containers."
"That's simple. I have a spiritual artifact called the blood spirit pearl, which can store blood."
Qin Tian said, "I'll give you this spiritual artifact. In the future, after you hunt a giant dragon, store the dragon blood in it and give it to me at our next gathering. In return, I can help you collect all kinds of pills you need—whether it's ice heart pills, vitality pills, or other pills, just give me a list. Besides that, I can also provide you with a batch of Explosions, which might help you deal with your current troubles."
"Explosions?"
Upon hearing this, Ares immediately became interested and quickly asked, "Are they powerful?"
Qin Tian said, "One Explosion can kill a Si Jie Ling Neng Zhe, with an Explosion radius of 500 meters. With ten Explosions, survival within the fifth-tier is almost impossible. With over a hundred, even a sixth-tier powerhouse would be injured, and their power is enough to destroy a medium-sized city."
What!
Hearing this, everyone present was astonished. Explosions were not that rare; the empire had developed many powerful explosives.
But to be able to threaten a sixth-tier, or even for a hundred Explosions to destroy a city, this definitely belonged to the empire's high-level controlled weapons. What was Hades's identity to be able to acquire such things?
Ares's body trembled, and his eyes revealed a look of pleasant surprise and excitement. "Hades, how many such Explosions can you provide?"
Qin Tian smiled faintly and stated a number that shocked everyone.
"5000."
As his voice fell, the scene suddenly became silent, utterly quiet.
Even True Martial Emperor, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly looked up at Qin Tian, as if seeing him anew.