I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield

Chapter 422: Chapter 362: The Growth of Subordinates and Hidden Worries

In the days that followed, Qin Tian did not go out alone again, but instead stayed with the Chijin Battlegroup, leading everyone in a series of sweeping and devastating purges.

The frontline continued to expand, with each demon lair being uprooted completely, and three gushing demonic qi rifts were also completely destroyed.

The morale throughout the battlegroup was sky-high, with worship and awe for Qin Tian reaching a peak.

The warriors witnessed firsthand how those Tier Six demons, who once made them tremble in despair, often fell in one strike under Commander Qin’s blade; and those with strange bloodline abilities couldn’t withstand more than three strikes before becoming ghosts under his sword.

With such a war god leading the charge, the Chijin Battlegroup attacked every demon cave as if there were no resistance, crushing everything in its path. Everyone’s Military Merit Points skyrocketed like a snowball, so abundant that it was unimaginable—many privately calculated that by the end of this wave of battle, a double rank promotion wouldn’t be a mere dream.

A leader who can sweep away formidable enemies and continuously lead his brothers to victory naturally earns the most sincere devotion.

As for Qin Tian, the goals of the journey to the Demon Suppression Abyss were steadily advancing: First, harvesting Evolution Points and Talents to strengthen the Night Demon King and the Desolate Battle Body, now more than halfway completed; Second, enhancing the strength of his subordinates through battle, with significant results as well.

Li Qi, of course, experienced rapid improvement after his bloodline evolution.

Xiong, in the fierce battles, completely unleashed the ferocity of a half beastman, his typically honest demeanor vanished, becoming a blood-soaked beast. His physique and Spiritual Energy became increasingly powerful through countless refinements, vaguely showing signs of breaking through to Tier Six—however, the demonic qi in the Demon Suppression Abyss was too thick, unsuitable for such breakthroughs, but with resources after leaving, it would naturally succeed.

The Poisonous Widow’s bloodline talent wasn’t top-notch, but fortunately, she met Qin Tian.

Qin Tian continuously supplied toxins suitable for her constitution, greatly advancing her toxin techniques and making her control over spider silk more and more refined.

Now she’s among the top talents in Tier Five, and due to the concealed nature of her poison ability, her threat in the shadows far exceeds the direct battlefield.

The ones progressing the fastest were undoubtedly the Barbarian unit under Terreda.

They didn’t rely on Spiritual Energy, but fought purely with their physiques, and in the demonically dense Demon Suppression Abyss, they were the least affected.

More importantly, they could draw totem tattoos with the blood of powerful creatures to enhance their abilities and awaken new powers.

Now, many warriors had tattooed flame totems using the blood of demons from the Infernal Demon Sea, not only strengthening their physiques but also mastering various flame combat techniques, exponentially increasing their combat power.

Even the oldest recruit, Old Ghost, saw a turning point.

The Tier Six Soul Master never allied with any force and thus lacked resources, with a weak foundation, and had nearly exhausted his potential after painstakingly reaching Tier Six.

To advance further required continuous resource accumulation, but as a lone wolf, Old Ghost had neither money nor channels, freezing his strength for years.

However, Qin Tian didn’t lack such resources—the Spirit Space was filled with soul elixirs and Treasure Materials.

Just a few elixirs increased Old Ghost’s Soul Power by one level; exhausting all resources could easily boost him by two more levels.

With the strength under him increasing daily, Qin Tian’s own Evolution Points were also skyrocketing, everything seemingly moving in the most ideal direction.

Yet, a few observant individuals gradually noticed that the intense furrow between the commander’s brows was not fading but rather deepening, with an unspeakable worry always lurking in those deep eyes.

…

The wind outside the tent swept sand and gravel over the canvas, making faint sounds.

When the Poisonous Widow entered with a tray of food, she found Li Qi standing in the tent.

Today she wore a neat short outfit, the recent battles had trimmed some of her former plumpness, making her features even more exquisite, and as she bent to place the meal, the curve of her waist was breathtaking.

“Boss, dinner is ready.” She placed the warm food box on the table, her gaze sweeping over Li Qi in passing, with a faint, barely noticeable probe.

After placing the meal, she didn’t leave as usual but stood beside Qin Tian with her hands down, fingers gently twisting her clothes, her eyes continuously glancing towards Li Qi.

Qin Tian, seeing her act this way, couldn’t help but laugh: “Alright, stop pretending here.”

He looked at Li Qi and then the Poisonous Widow: “What you two want to ask is the same, so I’ll just say it all at once.”

“Thank you, Boss.” The Poisonous Widow immediately smiled, moving to sit on Qin Tian’s other side and considerately refilled his empty cup with hot tea.

Qin Tian’s gaze fell on the Poisonous Widow, marveling at how this single woman, with her looks and figure drawing attention, could stand firm and even rise to captain status in the Hundred Hunt Star Thieves, a place of survival of the fittest, relying not only on remarkable strength and that daunting poison ability.

Her inherently astute and lively nature and skill at reading people must have been significant aids.

He thought he had buried his worries deeply, but Li Qi and her sharp senses had still caught on.

Qin Tian sipped his hot tea, the warm liquid sliding down his throat, as he looked at the two and slowly explained: “In these days, have you noticed anything strange about the demons?”

Li Qi and the Poisonous Widow exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads: “No.”

Qin Tian wasn’t surprised. The subtle fluctuations in the demonic qi were imperceptible to ordinary Spiritualists, only detected by the demons themselves or someone with a unique physique like him.

He put down the teacup, cutting to the chase: “The demons are becoming agitated. But this agitation is different from the total frenzy during the demon tide; it’s more like a ravenous beast catching scent of prey, both irritable and greedy with excitement.”

Li Qi’s brow furrowed instantly. He prided himself on keen observation, yet was oblivious to the anomaly Qin Tian mentioned.

Then he thought, perhaps the Chijin Battlegroup’s recent actions had been too successful, each encounter crushing the enemy effortlessly, leaving the demons no room to breathe, so who would notice if they were more agitated than usual?

“Are you suggesting that something is happening in the Infernal Demon Sea?” the Poisonous Widow asked softly, her fingers clenched slightly.

Qin Tian’s eyes turned grave, slowly shaking his head: “It’s hard to say. It could be a new demon tide or perhaps a precursor to some other change.”

If it’s a demon tide, established response mechanisms are in place across battlegroups, so there’s not much to worry about.

However, the most troublesome issue right now is this “unknown”—why does the demonic qi fluctuate? Where does the demons’ agitation stem from?

The unknown is what is most frightening.

“So what should we do next?” Li Qi asked solemnly, a note of heaviness in his tone.

Qin Tian took a deep breath, speaking deliberately: “Prepare thoroughly. I have a feeling that the final decisive battle might not be far away.”

The words “final decisive battle” caused both Li Qi and the Poisonous Widow to shudder, a trace of shock flashing across their faces simultaneously.