Chapter 35: Stellar Source Awakening

“Holy crap, the aura on this guy!”

“You’re the challenger, seriously? Wow, you’re so confident—what’s with the overconfidence?”

“Can you even win, huh, old man?”

Watching the scene unfold, the audience in Reality World Station 13 didn’t question Tian Dao’s bold declaration. If anything, they found it perfectly in character. Ever since the very first episode of Stellar Prelude: Embers, Tian Dao had cultivated an indelible impression—an innate, undeniable strength that felt preordained. That image was now sacred: Tian Dao could die, but he could never lose. Especially not in a humiliating, clownish way. For if Tian Dao lost, his entire persona would shatter.

In the Stellar Realm, Coral Knight’s expression beneath his helmet slowly darkened.

“Am I the challenger…?”

He reached behind his back and slowly withdrew the massive, two-meter-tall, shell-like shield he’d been carrying all along.

Crack!

The shield slammed onto the hard concrete of the parking lot, instantly fracturing the ground into a spiderweb of cracks—proof the pavement couldn’t bear its weight. Yet Coral Knight had carried it effortlessly, moving with ease. His physique was nothing short of extraordinary.

Holding the shield in both hands, Coral Knight stared calmly at the distant Tian Dao.

“…Child. Let me, as the challenger, see what you’re really made of.”

With those words, he lifted the shield and brought it down with immense force.

Boom!

A flurry of jagged coral spines erupted from the ground, bursting outward like living vines, racing toward Tian Dao at terrifying speed.

But Tian Dao didn’t flinch. Didn’t dodge. He stood motionless.

At the very moment the coral tendrils reached within five meters of him—

Tian Dao stepped forward with his right foot.

Crack!

The concrete shattered beneath him, sending shards flying. In the chaos, three massive, one-meter-tall stone slabs shot upward from the ground, forming a sudden wall between the oncoming coral and Tian Dao.

Ordinary concrete? Of course, it couldn’t hold back the Stellar Energy Coral conjured by a Second-Rank Stellar Envoy like Coral Knight.

But in a flash, the black stone wall—like soft tofu—was sliced cleanly through. The coral spines surged past, aiming straight for the back of the wall…

And missed.

Because Tian Dao was gone.

Vanished.

"Hey, old man," a voice echoed from midair, "what century are we in? Still playing these childish tricks?"

“Get serious. Or you’re gonna lose badly.”

Tian Dao materialized like a ghost, appearing directly above Coral Knight.

Coral Knight’s pupils snapped tight. He hadn’t seen Tian Dao vanish—or reappear. But instinct took over. He raised the massive shield high, shielding his entire body in a full defensive stance.

Tian Dao didn’t hesitate.

A whip-like roundhouse kick, crackling with air pressure, lashed out and struck the shield dead-on.

Boom!

The impact sent a visible shockwave rippling outward. The force was staggering—enough to send the towering, two-meter-tall Coral Knight, clad in heavy coral armor and a Second-Rank Stellar Envoy, staggering backward. He took three, four steps back, each footstep cracking the ground beneath him, leaving behind four small craters.

Only after the fourth impact did he finally stabilize.

Meanwhile, Tian Dao landed lightly on the ground. He brushed off a few loose stones from his shoulder, as if he’d just finished a casual game, not a brutal battle.

On one side: Tian Dao, calm, composed, almost bored.

On the other: Coral Knight, visibly tense, eyes narrowed in focus.

Undoubtedly, in this first exchange, the Second-Rank Coral Knight was thoroughly outmatched—both in results and in momentum.

And that result left the viewers outside the Dimensional Screen utterly stunned.

“Damn, we’ve switched maps already, and Tian Dao’s still this dominant?”

“Level 1 kicking Level 2? Is this even fair?!”

“Okay, neither side has pulled out their full power yet, but from the look of it… the old man really is the challenger.”

From afar, Yun Meng, who had been quietly smirking throughout, finally couldn’t hold back a smirk.

“Coral,” she said, “I told you—Tian Dao’s different from everyone else.”

“If you keep holding back, and don’t start taking this seriously, then the test outcome might actually be exactly as little Tian Dao predicted… you’ll lose both face and pride.”

Coral Knight didn’t react. No anger. No frustration.

He slowly rose to his feet and effortlessly lifted the shield, now half-buried in the ground.

This time, he switched from two-handed grip to a single-handed hold. His free hand reached behind him and drew out a one-meter-long, cross-shaped trident fish spear, its prongs glinting under the light.

He leveled it at Tian Dao.

“Child. Be careful. I’m going serious now.”

Tian Dao shrugged, unfazed. “Took you long enough.”

Even after being dominated just now, Coral Knight felt an unexpected surge of joy.

Because the stronger Tian Dao looked, the safer the girl would be in the academy.

And if Tian Dao could actually beat him—when he was fighting at full power—then Coral Knight would finally be free from worry.

He never feared Tian Dao being strong.

He feared only one thing: Tian Dao not being strong enough.

Sincerity was always the ultimate weapon.

And so, even facing the current most popular figure in the Stellar Universe—Tian Dao Siming—audiences didn’t resent Coral Knight. Instead, they were quietly drawn in.

“Honestly, the side characters in this series are just as good as the protagonist. I actually like this guy.”

“This is what a true knight should be!”

“Wait… why do I suddenly think Tian Dao’s the villain?”

As Coral Knight fully committed, his Stellar Energy value began rising visibly.

It climbed—fast—until it reached 2100 points, then stabilized.

At the same time, the tiny coral spines covering his body shifted from white to a deep, unnatural purple, glowing faintly. Clearly, they were laced with poison.

“Oh? So you’re finally using your Second-Rank Stellar Envoy Awakening ability?”

Tian Dao’s expression shifted from casual to alert. A spark of real interest flickered in his eyes.

Because if he didn’t start taking this seriously now, this so-called “test” would end in a boring, one-sided slaughter.

Through her voice, the viewers outside the Dimensional Screen finally understood the true divide between Second-Rank and First-Rank Stellar Envoys.

It wasn’t just about the 1,000-point baseline Stellar Energy threshold.

That was merely the threshold—the entry requirement.

To truly cross into the Second-Rank tier, a First-Rank Stellar Envoy had to achieve a Stellar Source Awakening.

- One Awakening → Second-Rank

- Two Awakenings → Third-Rank

- Three Awakenings → Fourth-Rank

So while the rank system seemed simple on the surface, the gap between each level was far greater than most imagined.

Coral Knight, as a Second-Rank Stellar Envoy, had awakened his Stellar Source—Sea Thorn Coral—with the ability to infuse his attacks with toxin.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end