Chapter 4: Born Strong – Tian Dao Siming

“Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look—this is the most outstanding achievement of our Stellar Plan to date.”

In the VIP chamber beneath the underground facility, the figure known as Doctor, his face concealed behind a silver mask, spread his arms wide in dramatic flourish.

Before him, a massive, sleek holographic display unfolded slowly, pulsing with the cold glow of advanced technology.

On the screen, Tian Dao Siming was seen moving at impossible speed across a training arena—every motion precise, flawless, as if calculated by a supercomputer.

The Doctor watched the footage with quiet pride, then turned to the guests unfamiliar with the boy’s legend, delivering his introduction with quiet authority.

“Sequence 001, Child of the Stars—Tian Dao Siming. Comprehensive potential rating: S-class. Just half a year after Star Core Surgery, he already possesses the strength to defeat an entire elite tactical squad single-handedly.”

The video shifted to a combat recording.

There, a young Tian Dao, wearing his signature dark sunglasses, walked through a barrage of gunfire like it was nothing. Bullets whistled past his jacket, grazing the fabric—but not a single hair was disturbed.

Each dodge was perfectly timed, as if he could see the future.

Within moments, he had slipped through the entire squad’s firestorm, unscathed.

“Impossible!”

A noblewoman in a golden canary mask gasped, her champagne flute tilting slightly—wine threatening to spill across her silk gown.

The Doctor smiled faintly. His fingers swept across the air interface.

The hologram froze—on the perfect moment: Tian Dao executing a flawless spinning kick, knocking the final soldier unconscious.

“No Stellar Source... and yet he’s achieved this?”

“Doctor, are you certain this footage hasn’t been altered?”

Facing the doubt, the Doctor replied with calm elegance:

“I swear on my life—these recordings are untouched. No editing. No enhancement.”

As he spoke, he tapped the virtual keyboard, pulling up a complex data stream.

“Even more astonishing? This battle took place on the 183rd day after Star Core Surgery. In other words… at the time, he was still under eleven years old.”

A ripple of shock spread through the room.

Gasps echoed. Even the most composed of the elite leaned forward, their masked eyes gleaming with hunger.

Because if Tian Dao were a non-combat Stellar Envoy of Tier 1 with a Stellar Source, this entire tactical squad would’ve been outmatched—overpowered.

That meant: one Star Core Surgery had transformed a ten-year-old boy into a force capable of rivaling a Tier 1 Stellar Envoy.

If the Doctor’s claims held true… then the Stellar Plan was not just revolutionary. It was epoch-defining.

Watching the guests’ reactions, the Doctor’s lips curled into a subtle smile.

He shifted the display to Tian Dao’s biometric analysis.

The three-dimensional model of the boy was dissected layer by layer—until the focus narrowed on a crystalline core glowing with a deep, ethereal blue light, nestled at the center of his chest.

The Doctor’s fingertip hovered over the projection.

The crystal flared—blindingly bright.

“Tian Mu Shou Star Core—a legendary variant said to grant glimpses of the future.”

He paused.

“Adaptation compatibility with Tian Dao Siming… is…”

A crimson number flashed across the screen: 100%.

Silence.

Absolute, deafening silence.

And then, the Doctor’s voice dropped—soft, almost hypnotic.

“Did you know… before the Star Core Surgery, we conducted a full Stellar Energy Assessment on the boy?”

He paused, letting the words hang.

Then, with a delicate tap, a detailed medical report unfurled before them.

At the moment they saw the key figure… the room erupted.

[Innate Stellar Energy Level: S]

“Huh—”

The gasp was universal.

The canary-masked woman shot to her feet, her lips trembling beneath the mask. “T-this… this can’t be real. S-class innate energy… from natural awakening?”

The others fell into stunned silence.

Because they knew what that meant.

In the world of Stellar Envoys, Innate Stellar Energy Level was everything.

If the Stellar Source was the engine, then Innate Energy was the fuel tank.

The higher the level, the greater the capacity to absorb and wield Stellar Energy—the more power one could unleash at the same rank.

In the Stellar Envoy community, there was a well-known saying:

There are no useless Stellar Sources. Only useless Stellar Envoys.

The same Stellar Source in hands of different Innate Levels could produce wildly different results.

While some rare Stellar Sources could enhance or alter innate levels, most could not.

Therefore, Innate Stellar Energy Level was considered the single most reliable measure of a Stellar Envoy’s true potential—sometimes, the only measure.

An S-class innate energy level meant Tian Dao Siming was, by nature, a destined prodigy—someone who would have risen to greatness even without the Star Core Surgery.

Now, he had not only that unmatched natural gift… but also a Star Core so rare that even Tier 1 Stellar Envoys had never possessed it.

It was not just a leap in power.

It was a transcendence of limits.

The Doctor watched the room with satisfaction—as if savoring the masterpiece of his own creation.

He stepped forward, gently tracing the holographic image of Tian Dao with his hand, as though caressing a priceless artifact.

“Perfect natural foundation. Perfect Star Core compatibility. And an innate combat genius beyond imagination.”

He snapped his fingers.

The screen changed.

Footage of Tian Dao, still a child, facing off against a Tier 1 Stellar Envoy.

The older warrior unleashed a barrage of attacks—speed, strength, precision.

Yet Tian Dao, physically inferior in every way, dodged every blow with uncanny precision—each movement a calculated, near-perfect evasion.

“Pay attention here,” the Doctor said, pausing the frame.

He pointed to the faint blue glow beneath Tian Dao’s sunglasses.

“The ability of the Tian Mu Beast: Future Sight.

Currently, he can only predict movements half a second into the future.

But even that… is enough to allow him to overcome seasoned Tier 1 combatants—without ever possessing a Stellar Source.”

He fell silent.

Letting the revelation sink in.

Time passed.

Then, a voice broke the silence—gravelly, commanding.

A man in a griffin mask spoke:

“Doctor… name your price.”

His tone was firm. Unyielding.

But it did nothing to dampen the hunger in the room.

Instantly, the others surged forward—voices overlapping, bids flying.

The canary-masked woman yanked off her rare gemstone ring and slammed it onto the table.

“Is this Eternal Night Star enough?”

The Doctor, ever calm, shook his head.

The silver mask gleamed coldly in the light.

“I regret to inform you… Tian Dao Siming is not for sale.”

A pause.

“Though we elders may differ on many things… on this matter, we are united.”

“Wherever the path leads… we will keep this child in the ashes.”

“Because only he can carry our dreams.”

“Only he can prove to those who once betrayed us, abandoned us, mocked us… that the Ashes are not just embers left behind.”

“That they can also birth a new flame.”

“That in this new era… they can burn brighter than all the stars in the sky.”

He stepped forward, standing before the hologram.

The image of Tian Dao, frozen mid-motion, stared back.

“Today, I invited you all not only to witness the power of the Stellar Plan…”

“…but also to introduce you to the one we have chosen as our successor.”

His voice rose—fierce, passionate.

“I believe with all my heart… that under his leadership, the age of Stellar Source will end.”

“And a new era will begin.”

He turned to the room, eyes blazing behind the mask.

“Are you ready… to welcome the new age?”

“An age… named Tian Dao.”

On the screen, Tian Dao suddenly turned—his dark sunglasses glinting.

As if he had felt their gaze.

And on his lips… a faint, mysterious smile.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end