Chapter 101: A Special Side Story of Tian Dao

[Reality World, Half a Year After the First Season of Stellar Prodigy]

Since the conclusion of Stellar Prodigy Season 1, the series' popularity had skyrocketed like a rocket, rapidly climbing across the 13th Station.

The journey of Chen Kong—from a timid boy at the beginning to someone who, driven by an unyielding sense of justice, courageously stepped forward to protect the weak—left a deep impression on the Dimensional Audience.

And then there was Tian Dao: consistently powerful from start to finish, culminating in his final, self-sacrificing act for the "Perfection Ending," which burned itself into the hearts of viewers.

So when the audience assumed the production team would only begin building hype for Season 2 months before its premiere...

They were utterly unprepared for what came next.

Half a year before Season 2 was set to launch, the team dropped a bombshell:

"Stellar Prodigy: Side Story — Innate Strongest — Coming Soon!"

Alongside the announcement came a single, mysterious character poster.

Though the central figure was shrouded in black, only a faint silhouette of a child and a snowy backdrop visible, the details were unmistakable.

And within seconds, fans across the 13th Station had already guessed the protagonist.

After all, among all the characters in Stellar Prodigy, who truly deserved the title "Innate Strongest"?

Tian Dao Siming, without a doubt.

Chen Xing? Maybe, barely.

As for Doctor—the enigmatic masked man—though he was mysterious and had a solid fanbase...

He wasn’t quite that iconic yet.

So the conclusion was obvious.

No question.

This was the side story of the Season 1 fan favorite—Tian Dao Siming.

And then, one week before the side story aired, the full poster was revealed.

A silver-haired child stood alone in a blizzard-laden field, untouched by wind or chaos.

The background was blurred into a dreamlike haze, forcing all focus onto the child’s still form.

Though young, his expression held no trace of childish innocence or romantic idealism.

Only a serene, almost divine calm—and an eerie, wordless detachment.

That innate aura of otherworldly uniqueness made it impossible to ignore:

Even as a child, Tian Dao already radiated something profoundly extraordinary.

Something powerful.

Something different.

---

[Reality World, Side Story Premiere Day, 8:00 PM, 13th Station]

Under the electric anticipation of thousands of Dimensional Audiences,

the side story titled Innate Strongest began.

The screen opened on Yujin Base during a heavy snowstorm.

Snow fell silently, blanketing the steel exterior in white.

No wind. No sound. Just stillness.

"Little Tian Dao… Why are you out here all alone?"

Soft footsteps crunched through the snow as Yun Meng stepped out from the Embers underground core, emerging onto a stone step.

She held two steaming cups of coffee in her hands.

The tear-shaped birthmark beneath her right eye stood out vividly against the pale snowlight.

"Because… the world after snowfall… feels a little easier to bear."

Tian Dao, seated on the step, took the warm cup from her.

His voice was calm, steady.

Yun Meng smiled, then sat beside him, stretching her long legs forward.

"Still not used to these eyes, huh?"

"Mm."

As he spoke, the scene abruptly shifted—into Tian Dao’s first-person perspective.

To the ordinary eye, the snow was monotonous.

But to Tian Dao?

The world exploded into a swirling, kaleidoscopic storm of color and motion.

Stellar Energy—vivid, pulsing, multicolored—flowed through the air like living entities, weaving through space in intricate patterns.

Around Yun Meng, a radiant aura of Stellar Energy coiled and pulsed with every breath she took.

Her presence disrupted the ambient energy field, causing the colors swirling around Tian Dao to twist, clash, and spiral—like a fever dream of abstract oil paintings.

Just one person like Yun Meng was enough to overwhelm his senses.

Imagine, then, if the scene were a subterranean lab filled with dozens of Stellar Prodigies and experimental Stellar Beasts—

the sheer sensory overload would be unbearable.

No wonder he preferred the snow.

Who could endure a constant barrage of hyper-saturated, abstract art playing on loop in their mind?

But Yun Meng clearly understood.

She subtly suppressed her own energy field, then handed Tian Dao a pair of special sunglasses.

Changing the subject, she said,

"Little Tian Dao… Is it true the Stellar Beast Science teacher said you finished the entire Stellar Beast Encyclopedia in just three days?"

"Yes."

His answer was as flat as ever—like stating the sky was blue.

As if mastering an entire encyclopedia in three days was nothing more than a casual afterthought.

But Yun Meng wasn’t so calm.

Her eyes sparkled with pride.

"Wow! Our Little Tian Dao is incredible!"

She laughed. "I’ve seen that book myself—its thickness alone is enough to crush a man’s spirit. Even if you gave me three months, I don’t think I could memorize it all!"

"...".

Tian Dao’s eye twitched.

His ears turned faintly red.

His expression betrayed a rare, visible discomfort.

He clearly wasn’t used to being praised like a child.

But Yun Meng only grinned wider—eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

She was deliberately teasing him.

Just as she opened her mouth to say more…

A sudden rustle echoed from the distant pine forest.

[ALERT! Stellar Energy signature detected at base perimeter!]

The alarm shrieked through the silence.

From the trees, a creature three meters tall stumbled into view—a grotesque, starfish-like being, its five limbs torn and bleeding.

Blue ichor dripped onto the snow, sizzling as it burned through the white.

"It’s a wounded Deep Sea Lasher."

Tian Dao spoke without hesitation.

His tone was certain.

Not just memorized facts—this was knowledge, fully internalized.

He didn’t just know the name.

He understood the beast.

Before anyone else could move, Yun Meng raised a hand, stopping the others from rushing out with weapons.

She stood, preparing to handle it herself.

But then—

Tian Dao stood too.

"Yun Sister… let me deal with it."

"Alright."

As the rest of the Yujin Organization members stared in disbelief, the young boy walked forward—calm, deliberate—toward the towering beast.

The Deep Sea Lasher turned its many eyes toward him.

Then, with a guttural roar, it bellowed in fury, trying to scare him off.

But Tian Dao didn’t flinch.

He kept walking.

As if the monstrous creature before him were nothing more than a harmless pet.

His unshakable calm, his utter lack of fear—

it wasn’t arrogance.

It was certainty.

And that quiet confidence sent a shiver through the beast.

In that moment, the Deep Sea Lasher felt the threat.

And then—

as Tian Dao stepped within striking distance—

it struck.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end