Chapter 154: The Spring Approaching the Steam Capital

"Alright, Leidon, you may return home now."

"Still, as a welcome gift for your joining Faint Light, I’d advise you to consider replacing your household servants once you get back."

"They might not directly affect you, but they can influence your wife and daughter."

"Once suspicion takes root, it’s far harder to uproot than to prevent it from planting in the first place."

Tian Dao’s words landed like an ice cube dropped into boiling water—Leidon’s pupils contracted instantly.

A flicker of cold, lethal intent flashed in his eyes, so fleeting it might have been imagined.

After a moment of silence, Leidon regained composure. "Understood, Tian Dao-sama. Thank you for the warning."

Then, hesitantly: "And my daughter… and Yu Chen?"

Tian Dao waved a hand dismissively. "That’s no concern. Yu Chen may be many things, but one thing he excels at is manipulating emotions."

"You know how it is—love-struck women are always difficult. The more you resist, the more determined they become."

His tone carried a casual, almost teasing edge, layered with the weary wisdom of someone who’s seen it all before.

But of course, that remark never reached Dimensional Audience.

Had it done so, Tian Dao’s Seal would’ve added yet another label to its collection—this one a mockery of a title: Theoretical Master, Practical Novice.

After all, some people had already ascended to the upper tiers, while Tian Dao remained as unyielding and cold as a log left in the dark.

What right did he have to lecture others?

Yet as he spoke, Tian Dao’s expression shifted—his smile vanished, replaced by a quiet, knowing gaze.

"Therefore, it’s better to guide than to block. Let her be. Just make sure Yufemia doesn’t catch wind of your trail."

"Indeed, in certain circumstances, I’d even say you could subtly assist Yu Chen."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Leidon stared into Tian Dao’s eyes—eyes that seemed to pierce through time and see the future.

His throat bobbed once.

After a few seconds, he nodded slowly, voice low. "Yes… I understand."

"When all is settled, Yufemia will ‘accidentally’ die at Yu Chen’s hands. No one will know the truth."

Though Tian Dao remained silent after those words, no reply was needed.

Sometimes, silence is the answer.

And refusal to deny is, in itself, confirmation.

Seeing how swiftly Leidon grasped the meaning, Tian Dao leaned back into his chair, eyes drifting toward the clock across the room.

He spoke with a tone as warm and casual as an old friend sharing stories over tea.

"Alright, Leidon. It’s late. You should head home."

"After all, if I’m not mistaken, your recent habit of staying out all night has already begun to trouble your wife."

"Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent her servants to keep an eye on you."

Leidon rubbed his temples with a sigh, shaking his head in mock resignation.

He looked every bit the affectionate husband exasperated by his wife’s petty jealousy.

But Tian Dao knew the truth.

In the original timeline, it was precisely this very devotion—this soft spot for his wife—that had become his fatal weakness.

And the one who delivered the final blow?

Not some enemy.

Not a rival.

It was the very family he’d spent his life trying to protect.

Irony, indeed.

Leidon’s identity was a stolen one—crafted through cruelty and deception.

Yet, over years of pretending, the Stellar Beast’s high-tier Intelligent Species had come to believe he was truly Leidon.

He’d grown real feelings for the people he only claimed as family.

Tian Dao didn’t care whether that was wise or foolish.

It didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that keeping Leidon around served his purposes—benefits outweighing costs.

Now, thanks to Tian Dao’s warning, Leidon understood far more than he had before.

With genuine gratitude, he bowed. "Thank you, Tian Dao-sama, for your guidance this evening. If there are no further orders, I shall take my leave."

"Go. Be careful on the way."

"Thank you, sir."

As Leidon exited, the mansion fell once more into stillness.

Tian Dao gazed out at the moonlit night, a quiet smile playing on his lips.

"A creature as cold and proud as a predator… yet, without realizing it, has been bound by the chains of human affection."

"Leidon… you’re quite the character, aren’t you?"

He rose, stretching his arms, joints popping softly.

Season 2 had now passed one-third of its course.

Though some events had shifted slightly, the core arc still followed the original path.

So if Tian Dao’s prediction held true, the moment he captured Vivian—after deliberately letting Chen Kong and Liu Ma escape—those two should now have already encountered their most crucial mentor in Season 2.

The one from Wudou Tian Du: Catastrophe—Baihu of Feather, Yu Qianxia.

And this one, he couldn’t help but feel… a flicker of interest.

Because she was, at present, the only one in the entire Steam Capital who might disrupt his plans.

After all, while she was only a Third Rank Perfection, not all Perfections were equal.

Perfection meant limitlessness.

But for some, their limit was merely another’s starting point.

Yu Qianxia was a rare anomaly—among the rarest in the past century—of the Feather Clan, one of the Five Insects of Heaven in Wudou Tian Du.

She was a Fourth Attribute S-Rank Third Rank Perfection.

Even her so-called “weak” attributes—Mental Power and Strength—were ranked A+, nearly reaching S-tier.

And with bloodline fusion from both the Feather Clan and the Fur Clan, her potential was undeniable.

In raw power, she stood between the Season 1 six-S-attribute Third Rank Perfection, Doctor, and Byron, the senior-level Stellar Envoy of the Ironcrown Family.

She was someone Tian Dao couldn’t yet challenge.

But once he completed the Above the Heavens plan?

Then none of it would matter.

He’d erase the boundary between Stellar Core and Stellar Source.

Fuse the Star-Eclipse Eye with Vector Control.

And create a true, unprecedented Perfection—something that could only ever belong to Chen Kong, the protagonist of this series.

Tian Dao couldn’t help but chuckle softly to himself.

"The Miracle Stone · Kong, capable of assimilating all, bearing all..."

"I used to think stones could only birth monkeys."

"But I never imagined a stone could birth two people."

"The imagination of the Star-Producing Team really knows no bounds."

"Otherwise, how else could one explain a Miracle Stone becoming a human, marrying a Stellar Envoy, and giving birth to a child?"

"Everything explained by the word Miracle—how convenient."

He shook his head, then turned toward his bedroom.

The first of three pivotal arcs in Season 2 had now passed.

He needed to rest.

To recharge.

And prepare for the next major chapter: Flow Calamity.

Right now, the most important thing was the approaching Flow Calamity.

Flow—as in the flow of the people.

Calamity—as in the calamity they bring.

To the citizens of the Upper City, those living in the Lower City’s Rust Iron Hell were nothing but refugees—disposable, unworthy.

When such people dared enter the Upper City, the arrogant elites saw them not as victims, but as threats—a plague to be purged.

And soon, those who would trespass into the Upper City—unwittingly setting off the storm—were none other than Chen Kong and Liu Ma, driven by desperation to save Vivian.

But what they didn’t realize?

Their actions would ignite the long-smoldering tensions beneath the Lower City.

And provoke the Twelve Brass Council’s noble lords into declaring the now-iconic line:

"This is no ordinary mob. We must strike with full force!"

—Resolution 318 of the Twelve Brass Council passed.

The citizens of the Upper City, bathed in sunlight, would never accept the sight of those who lived in perpetual steam shadows—those underground vermin—daring to walk beneath the same sun.

Even for a moment, it would be an unbearable insult.

This was the Steam Capital—on the surface unified, but in truth, split down to the bone.

But Tian Dao knew one truth.

The thick, choking steam that cloaked the Lower City?

It would be torn apart—by Chen Kong and Liu Ma’s reckless entry.

And when it broke?

The people below would finally see the sun.

Light.

Once they’ve seen it?

They’ll never go back to the dark.

Because they can endure darkness—only if they’ve never known light.

Tian Dao glanced at the calendar hanging on his bedroom wall.

He calculated the date.

Then, with quiet certainty, he murmured:

"March is coming soon."

"The Steam Capital will soon welcome its spring."

"But this year’s spring… might be a little more lively than usual."

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PS: Daily update complete. Promising what can’t be delivered is indeed absurd. Fat Tiger will do his best to stay on schedule—no excuses, no breaks. And if possible, extra chapters to repay the debt.

(Though credit has been stretched thin… still, in three months of writing, I’ve only taken one day off. Isn’t that, in itself, a kind of promise?)

Reader Q: Can you finish the debt this month?

Fat Tiger: We’re going to win.

—A declaration from a rested Tiger, ready for battle.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end