I Picked Up Talents in the Interstellar Battlefield

When the spaceship carrying Qin Tian and Dongfang Mingyue arrived at the Fulan Star Spaceport, a team of military personnel in standard military uniforms already stood on the tarmac, their formation orderly and their demeanor solemn.
"General Qin, Miss Dongfang, welcome."
The middle-aged man at the front stepped forward. He was dressed in a Major General's uniform, the golden stars on his epaulets particularly striking. The man extended his hand, his voice deep and resonant.
Qin Tian raised his hand to return the handshake, responding politely, "General Lian, hello."
The person who came was none other than Lian Zhan, the highest-ranking officer of the Seventh Bureau on Fulan Star, and also Yan Qing's old comrade-in-arms from the battlefield.
Lian Zhan looked at the excessively young Qin Tian before him and couldn't help but exclaim, "General Qin is truly young and accomplished!"
He and Yan Qing had struggled for decades to finally reach the rank of Major General, but the soldier Yan Qing had brought up was already at his rank in his early twenties. This promotion speed was truly astonishing.
He couldn't help but feel a little "sourness" in his heart: on one hand, he marveled at Qin Tian's background and ability—to sit in a general's position at this age, both background and ability were indispensable.
On the other hand, he also secretly sighed at Yan Qing's good fortune to have discovered such an outstanding subordinate. In contrast, although he also had capable people under him, he never had such a brilliant talent.
"Yan Qing, that guy, is really damn lucky!" After his Feeling, Lian Zhan composed himself, his tone becoming serious: "General Qin, Miss Dongfang, there's something I need to explain to you two. Logically, since you've arrived at Fulan Star, I should fulfill my host's duty and entertain you well. However, Yan Qing specifically instructed that General Qin has important duties and needs to rush to the Imperial Star as soon as possible. The military department has also approved my request to open a special channel for you two, and there should be no delay."
He stepped aside, pointing to a large spaceship docked not far away: "So, I truly apologize this time; I can't entertain you properly. I've already prepared a transit spaceship for you two, and the flight route has been filed and approved. Please board the ship now."
Qin Tian and Dongfang Mingyue followed his gaze—it was a spaceship over two hundred meters long, several times larger than the Kestrel-type Spaceship they had previously taken.
The spaceship's outer shell was dark gray. Although some traces of age could be seen, its surface energy shield interfaces and weapon bay markings still indicated that it was a retired military warship.
Even though it was a retired model, its hull strength and defense system were far superior to ordinary commercial spaceships. Its only drawback was probably that the comfort of its interior living space was slightly inferior to civilian spaceships.
Qin Tian and Dongfang Mingyue exchanged glances, both seeing acknowledgment in each other's eyes.
For Dongfang Mingyue, the sooner she arrived at the Imperial Star and entered the Pill Tower headquarters, the sooner she would gain security; Qin Tian was also eager to rush to the Imperial Star to complete his transfer procedures and begin a new chapter on Pluto due to his job transfer.
Therefore, neither of them had any objection to Lian Zhan's proposed "immediate transfer" plan.
After boarding the spaceship, Qin Tian quietly spread his spiritual sense, instantly perceiving the aura of a dozen crew members—these were the accompanying personnel arranged by the military department, who would escort them to the Imperial Star and then return on their own.
"General Qin, Miss Dongfang, I'll see you off here." Lian Zhan stood on the tarmac, shaking Qin Tian's hand again, then changed the subject, asking, "By the way, what are the arrangements for the spaceship you took earlier?"
"I'll send someone to take over and drive it away. I might have to trouble General Lian to look after it a bit then," Qin Tian responded with a smile.
"We're all comrades, don't mention trouble!" Lian Zhan laughed heartily.
He knew perfectly well that Qin Tian was a capable subordinate of his old comrade Yan Qing, and even more so, a rising star of the Seventh Bureau. To hold such a high position at such a young age meant his future was limitless.
Doing him a favor now might lead to opportunities for mutual assistance in the future—perhaps before long, Qin Tian's name would appear on the list of high-ranking officials in the Seventh Bureau.
"Then, General Lian, we'll take our leave." Qin Tian saluted.
"Have a safe journey!"
"Thank you!"
As the hatch slowly closed, the retired warship started its engines and smoothly ascended.

According to the flight plan, they would next enter the Central Star Region—this area was densely packed with stargates, and its transportation network formed a three-dimensional grid, making it far more convenient than the other eight major star regions.
After entering the Central Star Region, there would be no need for risky sub-space travel; they would only need to pass through a few stargates consecutively to reach the Imperial Star within ten days.
ss n s n
"This next stretch of the journey should be uneventful."
Qin Tian leaned back on the lounge sofa, his tense nerves finally relaxing.
Their visit to Fulan Star was accidental, so even if Dongfang Mingyue's enemies received news, they wouldn't have time to deploy an interception.
Dongfang Mingyue sat opposite him, unconsciously fiddling with the corner of her clothes, recalling the events of these past days. Changes had come one after another like a tide—from the destruction of her alchemy cauldron before the alchemy competition, to the assassination attempt by the Round Table Society, and then almost dying in a sub-space storm on her way to the Imperial Star after winning the championship. Every step had been breathtaking.
For the first twenty-plus years, her life revolved entirely around alchemy furnaces and herbs, simple, peaceful, and fulfilling. But she didn't know when, her life had suddenly turned onto a thorny and dangerous fork in the road.
"Still thinking about what happened before?" Qin Tian noticed the melancholy in her eyes and asked softly.
Dongfang Mingyue shook her head, took a deep breath, and a relaxed smile bloomed on her face again: "No, I was thinking ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ that once I enter the Pill Tower headquarters, I'll probably have to spend a long time in secluded cultivation and study."
"That's a good thing." Qin Tian sat up straight, his tone serious, "The Pill Tower gathers the empire's most top-tier alchemists. As the champion of the Qingmu Star Region, you'll even receive personal guidance from a Ninth-Grade Alchemist. Such an opportunity is rare and must be seized."
"Yes, I think so too—it's just," Dongfang Mingyue looked up at Qin Tian, "I won't be able to see you during this time."
Qin Tian was slightly stunned, meeting her watery eyes, and a ripple stirred in his heart.
He quickly composed himself, smiling playfully, "How can you not see me? Aren't we StarNet friends? We can video chat anytime. Besides, you promised to share half of the elixirs you make with me in the future. I remember that—I'll come 'beg for medicine' from you every now and then, so don't go back on your word."
Dongfang Mingyue's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curved: "So, you'll actively come looking for me, right?"
"Of course."
Qin Tian nodded, "I'm taking up a post on Pluto, which isn't far from the Imperial Star. Whenever I have a holiday, I'll go 'rummage' through your place."
"Okay, then let's pinky promise!" Dongfang Mingyue suddenly extended her slender, fair pinky finger.
Qin Tian laughed helplessly, "Do we have to be so childish? Only children pinky promise."
He originally wanted to refuse, but seeing Dongfang Mingyue's still, serious gaze, he eventually softened, slowly extended his hand, and hooked his finger with hers.
The moment their fingertips touched, a brilliant smile bloomed on Dongfang Mingyue's face, like an epiphyllum in full bloom, so bright that it lit up the entire lounge.
At this moment, Qin Tian's heart trembled fiercely.
Having spent day and night together, sharing life and death during this time, how could he not see Dongfang Mingyue's feelings for him?
Facing such a beautiful, brave, and kind girl, to say he felt nothing would be self-deception. He was a normal man; he would be attracted to beauty, and distracting thoughts often arose in his heart.
However, ever since he came to this world, he had always deliberately maintained a certain distance from everyone around him, whether friends or subordinates.
The most crucial reason, of course, was the system within him.
He couldn't explain the various strange things about himself. The closer the relationship, the easier it was for secrets to be exposed. This unknown risk made him afraid to open his heart to anyone, nor would he get too close to anyone.
Originally, in his plan, he would only consider a life partner after he became a supreme powerhouse capable of ignoring all threats.
But at this moment, looking at Dongfang Mingyue's smiling eyes, he had to admit—his heart, which had long been accustomed to being locked away, had finally been pried open a little.
Ten days later, the spaceship slowly exited the last stargate. After another dozen hours of travel, the scene outside the viewport suddenly changed, making Qin Tian and Dongfang Mingyue both hold their breath, their eyes filled with shock.
What greeted their eyes was a blue planet enveloped in a brilliant halo—that was the core of imperial power, the Imperial Star.
Even more astonishing was the layered defense system surrounding the Imperial Star: three massive satellites orbited the Imperial Star like guardians, their surfaces covered with silver-white energy cannon arrays, the muzzles glinting with a cold luster, as if capable of tearing through space at any moment.
In the airspace between the satellites, thousands of large armed fortresses floated. Each fortress was shaped like a giant steel disc, with a diameter of tens of thousands of meters. Densely packed carrier-based aircraft launch ports constantly saw warships taking off and landing, and the warship docking bays on the sides of the fortresses were even busier—various military warships moved in and out like homing bees, the vigilance reaching its extreme. "This is the outer defense line of the Imperial Star—" Dongfang Mingyue murmured, her eyes filled with awe.
Even coming from a saint blood family, she had never witnessed such a massive military deployment. Every detail exuded an oppressive feeling of being "impenetrable."
Qin Tian gazed out the window, his fingertips slightly tightened. He could clearly feel countless energy scan waves sweeping over the spaceship, from the satellites to the armed fortresses, probing the hull structure, personnel identities, and checking for dangerous items.
Soon, instructions from the Imperial Star Defense Department came through the spaceship's communication channel, ordering them to immediately proceed to the designated helipad on Satellite Three for a comprehensive inspection, strictly prohibiting unauthorized approach to the Imperial Star itself.
"Do all spaceships approaching the Imperial Star have to be inspected at the satellites first?" Dongfang Mingyue asked the captain.
"Yes, that is an imperial ironclad rule." The captain nodded, "As the center of power, the Imperial Star has the highest defense level. Any spaceship attempting to bypass the satellites and approach directly will be considered a hostile target and immediately attacked by the armed fortresses."
As he spoke, the spaceship, guided by instructions, was already flying towards Satellite Three.
Along the way, many spaceships from different star regions could be seen, whether civilian or military, all strictly following their designated routes without any transgression.
The helipads on the satellite surface were like giant beehives, divided into countless areas, each guarded by soldiers in standard military uniforms. The inspection process was rigorous to the point of being harsh.
After nearly an hour of strict inspection—from secondary identity verification and psionic fluctuation scans to unboxing and checking spaceship supplies—even after confirming Qin Tian's identity as an Imperial Major General and an imperial glory medal holder, the inspection did not slacken in the slightest. Only after confirming there were no prohibited items did the Defense Department soldiers allow Qin Tian and Dongfang Mingyue to proceed.
Qin Tian briefly bid farewell to the crew, thanking them for their escort, and then, with Dongfang Mingyue, carrying light luggage, followed the instructions to the Space Elevator entrance on Satellite Three:
The entrance was a circular platform a hundred meters in diameter. In the center of the platform stood a silver-white metal pillar, its surface flowing with faint blue energy patterns, connecting to a transparent passage that extended to the sky, eventually disappearing into the clouds—that was the Space Elevator's cabin track.
At this moment, many people were already queuing in the waiting area next to the platform.
"Please show your identification."
After the patrolling robot verified their information, the transparent passage's hatch slowly opened.
The interior space was spacious, accommodating over a hundred people. The inner walls were soft white, the ceiling was embedded with light panels simulating a starry sky, and the floor was made of a non-slip transparent material.
As the hatch closed, a gentle voice prompted inside the elevator: "Identity confirmed. Space Elevator is about to start. Destination—Imperial Star Surface Hub One. Estimated travel time: 23 minutes."
After the announcement, there was no noticeable sensation of acceleration in the elevator. Only by looking through the transparent floor could they see the satellite's outline gradually receding and the Imperial Star's surface becoming clearer—from an initial small dot, it slowly expanded, revealing the crisscrossing urban Veins and the green ecological belts surrounding the cities.
Dongfang Mingyue leaned close to the transparent wall, her eyes filled with wonder: "This is the Imperial Star—even more magnificent than what I saw on the StarNet."
She came from a saint blood family in the Qingmu Star Region and had seen many prosperous planets, but never had a planet exuded such a solemn and weighty sense of oppression in the vast starry sky as the Imperial Star.
Qin Tian also looked out the window. As the elevator continuously descended, the details of the Imperial Star became clearer—he could see the traffic lanes suspended above the cities, with flying vehicles shuttling through them like moving points of light; he could see the ecological forests covering large areas, complementing the metallic urban architecture; and he could feel the gradually denser psionic fluctuations in the air, far more abundant and stable than on other planets.
"Ding-dong—"
23 minutes later, the elevator slowly stopped. The moment the hatch opened, a breath of fresh air, carrying a faint scent of grass and wood, wafted in.
Stepping out of the elevator hub, what greeted their eyes was a magnificent circular hall. The hall's ceiling was a giant dome, painted with a star map of the Imperial territory, and the surrounding passageway had clear signs, leading to different areas of the Imperial Star.
Outside the hall, sunlight streamed through the glass curtain walls, illuminating the distant, densely packed skyscrapers—these tall buildings varied in form, some like spires piercing the sky, others like giant birds spreading their wings, their surfaces' energy shields gleaming softly in the sunlight.
On the streets, pedestrians walked orderly, and hovercars smoothly traversed their designated routes, everywhere exuding an orderly prosperity.
"We—finally arrived at the Imperial Star." Dongfang Mingyue stopped, took a deep breath, her voice full of emotion.
From the life-or-death crisis in sub-space to the arduous journey through the stars, standing on the soil of the Imperial Star now, all fatigue and unease seemed to vanish.
Qin Tian looked up towards the distance—that was the direction of the Imperial Military Department, where he would next complete his duties.
With the Imperial Star reached, a new journey officially began.