Previously on I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield...
Xue Wuyang successfully completed his mission and was rewarded with a powerful, spirit-infused spear by General Qin Tian. To further impress Qin Tian and potentially shorten their sentences, many other prisoners and barbarians eagerly stepped up for sparring matches. However, the intense atmosphere was broken when news arrived: a royal family from the beastmen, the Eternal Ice Worms, had arrived on Mingwang Planet with hostile intentions.
A hundred kilometers east of Ice Extreme Pass, the silhouette of a brand new small city was gradually emerging amidst the wind and snow.
Inside the city, it was vast and desolate, with only rows of engineering robots and large unmanned machinery methodically hoisting construction materials and pouring foundations, sketching out the outlines of numerous unfinished skyscrapers.
At the very center of the city, a dense forest of Cold Trees took root, with branches adorned with ice-blue diamond-shaped crystals.
The Cold Tree grove supported a semi-transparent, pale blue cold-proof shield, enveloping the entire small city securely, isolating the biting winds and severe cold of the outside world.
This was one of the eight satellite cities of Ice Extreme Pass planned by Qin Tian.
According to his vision, in the future, a city network will expand outwards layer by layer like a blossoming snow lotus, with Ice Extreme Pass as the core, along the east, south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest directions, eventually forming a cluster of cities covering a vast area.
For now, as funds and personnel were not yet fully in place, Qin Tian first planted Cold Trees in the core areas of these eight satellite cities to build basic protection and initially constructed a batch of simple barracks and supporting facilities to ensure that subsequent construction personnel would have a place to settle upon arrival.
Once all materials and personnel are complete, a comprehensive rapid city-building plan will be launched.
But nobody expected that before the city took shape, uninvited guests would quietly arrive.
Beside the Cold Tree grove, over a hundred soldiers from Ice Extreme Pass and Barbarian Warriors stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the front with solemn expressions, gripping the weapons in their hands tightly, with Spiritual Energy vaguely surging around them.
On the ground not far away, a few soldiers lay stiffly, covered in a thick layer of frost, their faint breaths proving they were still alive.
And in front of them, stood a group of chilling figures who had broken the peace, the uninvited guests.
At the forefront stood a tall Beastman, whose appearance was very similar to that of a human, yet carried distinct Beastman traits.
Silver-white hair fell like silk to the shoulders, the skin shone with a cold jade-like luster, and faint blue ring-shaped patterns, the racial mark of the Ice Silkworm Clan, were vaguely visible on the neck and wrists; behind him, a pair of transparent wings, as thin as cicada wings, were folded, and when they gently trembled, fine ice mist fell.
His gaze was indifferent, passing over the soldiers and Barbarian Warriors ahead without a trace of warmth.
At his sides were surrounded by many other Beastmen with icy characteristics.
On the left were more than a dozen Icefield Snow Wolf Beastmen, agile in body, with gray-white fur, erect pointy ears, and sharp ice-blue fangs exposed at the corners of their mouths.
In the center were two Ice Crystal Bear Beastmen, nearly five meters tall, covered entirely in something like polished ice crystal armor, with large, heavy paws, the claws at the tips gleaming with a chilling light, exhaling white ice mist with every breath.
On the right stood a few Frost Feathered Eagle Beastmen, with human bodies and eagle wings, the feathers on the wings as clear and transparent as ice sculptures, their eyes sharp, scanning the scene from a height.
Besides these Ice Beastmen, there were a few humans standing behind the leader of the Eternal Ice Silkworm Clan, looking respectful.
Unol, the Ice Silkworm leader, completely disregarded the soldiers and Barbarian Warriors, stepping forward, his hand stroking the branch of a Cold Tree, Spiritual Energy delving deep into the tree’s structure.
"Absorbing cold, condensing ice crystals, and also constructing a cold-proof barrier, the Human Empire actually possesses such a wonder."
Unol’s gaze lingered on the Cold Tree grove, murmuring lowly, then turned to the middle-aged man bowing beside him, asking in Beastman language, "Li, are these wondrous trees native to this planet?"
Li Jingzhong slightly bent his body, his waist bowing just right, his tone respectful: "Mr. Unol, this tree is called the Cold Tree, a rare plant unique to Mingwang Planet, and across the entire Empire’s territory, it only grows here."
"Unique to Mingwang Planet?" Unol’s eyes reflected a thoughtful gleam, then he inquired further, "Can I take them away?"
"The Cold Trees are not my private property, I cannot decide." Li Jingzhong smiled humbly, then shifted the tone, "But sir, you are a distinguished guest of the Empire, your status is high, such a small request will surely not be refused by the Empire."
"That’s good." Unol nodded in satisfaction, uninterested in entangling the details further, waved his hand, "Take these Cold Trees away."
"Yes!"
As his declaration echoed, the Ice Beastmen positioned behind him advanced towards the Cold Tree grove, their heavy footfalls shaking the ground.
Their thick arms latched onto the branches of the Cold Trees. With a surge of raw power, the frozen earth fractured, and amid the 'snap' of severing roots, the Cold Trees were wrenched from the ground, crystalline ice-blue shards scattering as they fell.
In that precise instant
"Stop!"
A furious roar erupted, startling the air. The lieutenant amidst the soldiers, his face flushed crimson, the veins in his spear-wielding arm bulging, pointed a trembling finger at the approaching Beastmen. He shouted with righteous anger, "These are the Cold Trees of our Ice Extreme Pass! Without the Military Lord's explicit permission, no one is to lay a hand on them!"
Registering the outburst, Unol turned his head. The translator device nestled in his ear relayed the soldier's words precisely. His eyebrows lifted slightly as he directed his gaze toward Li Jingzhong, inquiring, "Li, this 'Military Lord of Ice Extreme Pass' he speaks of, who might that be?"
"Sir, the Military Lord of Ice Extreme Pass is named Qin Tian. He holds the rank of Major General within the Empire and is indeed the proprietor of this particular stock of Cold Trees," Li Jingzhong responded truthfully.
"Qin Tian, a Major General." Unol's brows furrowed slightly. He then posed another question, "When compared to my esteemed friend, Inzaghi Luoho, whose standing is higher?"
"Naturally, it is Lord Inzaghi who holds the superior position," Li Jingzhong replied without a moment's hesitation. "Lord Inzaghi hails from one of the Nine Great Holy Blood Clans of the Empire. His status significantly surpasses that of a mere Major General."
