https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-234-The-Backward-Shadow-I-Can-t-Keep-Up-With-Even-When-I-Give-My-All/13688132/
Chapter 235: Powerful Tian Dao Cells [Double Chapter]
With the activation of Tian Dao Cells, Tian Dao immediately felt a warm surge course through his entire body.
Thanks to the Star-Eclipse Eye, he could clearly perceive the hidden injuries lingering within his frame—wounds accumulated from countless brutal battles—being gently smoothed over by this peculiar warmth. His breathing grew noticeably smoother, deeper, more effortless.
This was the true power of Tian Dao Cells: unparalleled adaptability.
They didn’t just allow Tian Dao to acclimate to extreme environments in the blink of an eye—they kept his body perpetually at peak condition. Even more, this adaptive quality significantly enhanced the fusion efficiency between his Stellar Core, drastically lowering the difficulty of his Stellar Core Awakening.
That was why Tian Dao looked down on so-called Mechanical Augmentations.
Had he chosen that path, he’d have been a natural-born candidate for perfection in mechanical enhancement—capable of adapting to any extreme augmentation without resistance.
After feeling the changes ripple through his body, Tian Dao immediately checked his current status panel.
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[Name: Tian Dao Siming (Leader of Faint Light Organization)]
[Age: 18]
[Rank: Second]
[Base Stellar Energy Value: 29,999 (Maxed Out)]
[Stellar Source: Vector Control (One Perfect Awakening)]
[Stellar Core: Star-Eclipse Eye (One Awakening)]
[Attributes: Strength S++, Agility S++, Mind S++, Vitality S++, Stellar Energy Value S++, Precision S++]
[Skills: ……]
Stellar Energy Value increased by ten thousand?
Staring at the panel, Tian Dao felt his current Stellar Energy like a flood that had finally broken through a widened riverbed—calm, powerful, and unstoppable.
The standard upper limit for a Second-Rank Stellar Envoy was only 9,999.
Even the most gifted among them, if they managed to exceed that by a few hundred points, were hailed as prodigies of rare brilliance.
Yet compared to Tian Dao now, those so-called geniuses were mere children playing in a puddle before a storm.
While they broke through their limits in increments of hundreds, Tian Dao had done so in leaps of ten thousands.
The gap between them wasn’t just vast—it was incomprehensible to ordinary minds.
Because Stellar Envoy progression worked like a snowball effect: the higher your base Stellar Energy before a breakthrough, the more explosive your gains afterward.
So while Tian Dao might currently only be ahead of his peers by roughly 20,000 Stellar Energy, the gap would grow—slowly at first, then exponentially—into hundreds of thousands, even millions.
That was why many ambitious Stellar Prodigies chose not to rush their ascension.
Instead, they held back, refining their foundations—trading short-term power for a limitless future.
And now, beyond the massive increase in Stellar Energy Value, Tian Dao’s other attributes had also surged.
S meant the absolute limit.
S+ meant a special method had shattered that limit.
S++ meant that shattered limit had been raised even further.
Tian Dao had never even seen another person with an S+ stat—let alone someone with S++.
That was precisely why Stellar Prodigies were so highly valued by powerful factions: their Stellar Cores granted them the ability to surpass the natural limits of human potential.
Even more coveted was the unique advantage they possessed—the ability to awaken their Stellar Core before their Stellar Source.
This allowed them to gain stronger baseline combat power, greater stat boosts upon awakening, and significantly reduced difficulty in achieving a Perfect Awakening of their Stellar Source.
Tian Dao did it. Chen Xing did it. Liu Ma. Jing Ruli. All of them followed this path.
In fact, among all the Stellar Prodigies, the only one who went against the norm was the protagonist, Chen Kong—he awakened his Stellar Source first, then his Stellar Core.
But Tian Dao didn’t mind.
After all, the protagonist had to walk a different road.
Perhaps this “unconventional” path was exactly the kind of surprise the production team had secretly set up for the Dimensional Audience.
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[Name: Tian Dao Cells]
[Effect 1: Hyper-Regeneration – Nearly infinite healing capacity. Severed limbs regenerate within 30 seconds. (Regeneration consumes massive vitality and Stellar Energy. Can be replenished via food. Sweet Treats are optimal.)]
[Effect 2: Peak Condition – Maintains optimal physical state at all times. Reduces or nullifies most negative effects.]
[Effect 3: Evolution Instinct – Automatically activates when facing fatal damage, temporarily breaking limits and eventually evolving a body immune to such threats.]
[Evaluation: “If the flesh has reached its limit, the best way forward is to break it.” – Tian Dao Siming]
Replenish via food? Sweet Treats best?
Having just activated Tian Dao Cells for the first time, Tian Dao was instantly hit by an intense wave of hunger.
He couldn’t help but scan the cabin for Sweet Treats to satisfy his craving.
And who, among all the passengers, would have a stash of them?
His gaze drifted naturally to the seat across the aisle.
There, Jing Ruli sat hunched over her Dream Pillow, arms crossed, cheeks puffed, glaring out the window—still fuming from earlier.
A slow, mischievous smirk curled beneath Tian Dao’s sunglasses.
Because if he remembered correctly…
Jing Ruli’s Treasured Snacks were all hidden in the lining of her Dream Pillow.
Without hesitation, Tian Dao stood and quietly approached her seat.
“Ruli, look! There’s a glowing fish flying outside the window!”
“Where? Where?!”
Sure enough, Tian Dao barely needed to act—Jing Ruli, ever trusting, fell right into the trap.
She slammed her face against the glass, nose nearly flattened, her lilac eyes wide with disbelief.
But no matter how hard she stared, she saw nothing.
“Tian Dao, you said—”
Before she could finish, she felt something vanish from her arms.
By the time she snapped back to reality, her Treasured Pillow was already in Tian Dao’s hands.
And there he was—casually, effortlessly unzipping the lining of the Dream Pillow, pulling out a mountain of brightly wrapped candies and chocolates.
The motion was so smooth, so practiced—like he’d done it a thousand times before.
An expert thief.
“AAAAAAH! TIAN DAO, YOU THIEF!!”
Only 165 cm tall, Jing Ruli leapt from her seat in a furious rage, aiming a full-force headbutt—her classic “rocket ram.”
But Tian Dao had seen this move a hundred times.
Before she could rise, he pressed one hand down on her head like a startled hamster, slamming her back into her seat.
With his other hand, he tore open a chocolate wrapper.
The rich, velvety aroma of dark chocolate instantly filled the cabin.
Crunch.
Tian Dao chewed with exaggerated delight, his smirk wide and annoying.
Jing Ruli’s eyes instantly welled up.
As a Big Star who had to maintain her figure, those high-sugar treats were her secret indulgence—stolen from Aunt Mei’s pantry one piece at a time, carefully hidden in her pillow.
The thought shattered her composure.
She burst into tears, pounding her fists weakly against his arm.
“Tian Dao… give back my snacks… give them back!”
Seeing her cry—really cry—Tian Dao’s smile froze.
Wait… I just took one piece… why are you crying like this?!
Even if he’d tried to reason with her, it wouldn’t have mattered.
He knew he was in the wrong.
And as Jing Ruli’s sobs grew louder, more desperate, Tian Dao panicked.
He frantically shoved the remaining snacks back into the pillow, then tossed it back at her.
“Don’t cry! I was just joking! Here, here, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
But seeing the Treasured Snacks now so much fewer in number, Jing Ruli only cried harder.
Tears splashed onto her skirt like raindrops. Her round cheeks trembled with betrayal.
“WAAAAAHHHH!!”
Tian Dao’s face fell.
He raised both hands, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Okay, okay! I’m wrong! I’m sorry! I’ll never steal your snacks again!”
The fact that Tian Dao Siming—the fearless, cocky leader of Faint Light—was now pleading for mercy sent a ripple of amusement through the cabin.
Chen Xing, sitting nearby, couldn’t help but chuckle.
For someone like Tian Dao—soft-hearted beneath the arrogance—this was a rare sight.
With a mischievous glint, Chen Xing pulled out his Data Terminal and snapped a photo.
In the frame: Jing Ruli, arms crossed, eyes red, pouting like a wounded bunny.
Beside her, Tian Dao, head bowed, scribbling frantically on paper, sweat dripping from his brow.
“I, Tian Dao Siming, hereby swear I will never steal Jing Ruli’s snacks again. If I do, I shall be punished by being forbidden from consuming Sweet Treats for one full month. Is that acceptable?”
Afraid Tian Dao might back out, Jing Ruli snatched the Contract from the table, blew on it hard to dry the ink, then folded it into a tiny square.
With careful precision, she tucked it into the lining of her Dream Pillow, patting it gently to confirm it was safe.
Only then did she beam, her mood instantly lifted.
“Fine! I’ll forgive you… grudgingly.”
But as for Tian Dao?
He slumped back into his seat, utterly defeated.
Proof that walking the night path too many times… really does bring ghosts.
He never thought someone her age would still pull the classic “cry and tantrum” trick—wasn’t this kind of childish behavior supposed to be for kids?
If only I’d taken two more chocolates… this was a total loss.
Just as he was wallowing in regret, the steam train exited the borders of Steam Capital, gliding into the vast, misty expanse of the Crimson Mist Sea, where the air shimmered with a faint rosy haze.
At that moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in Tian Dao’s mind.
[Character-Specific Special Episode · Innate Strongest 2 has been completed. Broadcast now commencing.]
Tian Dao smirked, leaning back into his first-class seat like he was ready for a nap.
Curious, he decided to watch his own special episode.
After all, he was eager to see how the Stellar Production Team would justify the existence of Tian Dao Cells in a way that made sense.
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(End of Chapter)
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