Chapter 53: Arrogance Requires Capital

“Doctor, come take a look at this child.”

“Hmm? The innate star can reach the maximum level—Yun Meng, where did you even find this kid?”

“Just picked him up on the road.”

“…”

“Tian Dao,” the voice continued, “after days of observation, we’ve all agreed—this Stellar Plan is still far too dangerous for you.”

“After all, with the talent you’ve already shown, even without the so-called First Stellar Core, you could still become a powerhouse that countless others look up to. So why risk it? Why enter a plan with a mortality rate exceeding 90%?”

“Will it make me stronger?”

“.Yes. But only if you survive first.”

“Then I’ll join.”

“Why?”

“Doctor, if I die in this plan, then clearly I’m not the powerhouse you claim I am. But if I truly am that kind of warrior, then I won’t die in this operation. So I’m going—because if it fails, it won’t be because of anyone else. It’ll be because… I was too weak.”

“I see.”

“Tian Dao, have you decided on your Stellar Core?”

“As the first trial subject in the entire Stellar Plan, I’m granting you the rare privilege of choosing your own core.”

“Give me… the [Eyes].”

“Why the Eyes?”

“Because I want to stand at the highest point, see the farthest distance, and… uncover the true nature of this world.”

“Good.”

Watching the footage of young Tian Dao—knowing full well the danger of the Stellar Plan, yet stepping forward without hesitation—and hearing his words: “If I were truly strong, I wouldn’t die in the surgery.”

The dimension audience’s perception of Tian Dao as the “peak power level of the series” only deepened.

He wasn’t just stubborn. He wasn’t just confident.

He was born strong.

“So even knowing the risk… you still have absolute faith in yourself? Haki Ten, you’re terrifying.”

“Standing at the peak, seeing the farthest horizon—what the hell are you planning, Haki Ten?! Save some of that dramatic flair for the rest of us!”

“Dude, you were already pulling this level of cool as a kid?”

“Tian Dao-sama, I’m your dog!”

Amid the fans’ excited taunts and playful awe, the memory cut to one month after Tian Dao’s Star Core Surgery.

Now, the boy lay quietly in bed, his eyes wrapped in bandages. Today was the day he’d finally remove them—time to check the results.

“Doctor.”

As the Doctor arrived, the medical staff around him stepped aside.

“How’s he doing?”

“Doctor, our observations confirm that little Tian Dao has fully adapted to the Star-Eclipse Eye. The bandages can come off.”

“Good.”

With his own hands, the Doctor carefully unwrapped the bandages from Tian Dao’s face.

The camera zoomed in.

Unlike the taller, more mature version seen in The Prequel of the Stars: Embers, this Tian Dao was still undeniably young—soft-faced, with a hint of baby fat. Not yet handsome, but undeniably endearing.

His eyes remained closed.

But as the lens drew closer, slowly, they fluttered open.

In an instant, the entire room dimmed.

Only one thing filled the screen—the piercing, otherworldly cerulean eyes, glowing like twin stars in a dark sky.

And then, the Doctor’s voice echoed from off-screen:

“Tian Dao… how do you feel?”

“Perfect. Because… I’ve finally seen the world as it truly is.”

As his words settled, the screen exploded into a new perspective—the world through Tian Dao’s eyes.

A dazzling, vibrant realm unfolded before the viewers: a kaleidoscope of shimmering star energy, flowing like rivers across a cosmic canvas.

This was the truth.

The memory ended.

The screen went dark.

Then, a single line appeared in the center, overlaid with a haunting tone:

“Arrogance requires capital. And Tian Dao was born with it.”

When the scene returned, the camera had shifted—now from Rongshan’s point of view.

The screen showed Tian Dao, face blank, fingers trembling slightly as a sphere of black energy—Hei Cang—gathered at his fingertip.

The audience felt Rongshan’s terror.

They felt the suffocating pressure radiating from Tian Dao—like a force of nature, real and undeniable.

He’s going to die. He’s going to die.

Rongshan stared at the forming Hei Cang, his heart gripped by invisible hands, ready to stop at any moment.

Time slowed.

A single drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.

It traced a path down his cheek—then fell.

Plip.

It hit the scorching ground.

Instant vapor.

Tick.

The sound echoed like a death knell.

And then—on Rongshan’s trembling vision—the Hei Cang bloomed before him like a corpse flower.

A blossom of death.

“Run!!!”

Just as the black energy was about to pierce Rongshan’s skull—just as life slipped away—

A roar tore through the air.

From the side, Claude’s mechanical eye erupted in sparks.

His neural circuits, overloading, ripped through the fear that had paralyzed him.

His body lunged forward—just in time to shove Rongshan aside.

The Hei Cang passed through the space where Rongshan had stood.

But it didn’t stop.

Claude was now its target.

Boom!

Rongshan turned.

In slow motion, Claude’s body—still half in Kong state—began to disintegrate.

Like a film played in reverse, metal plates and wires scattered into the air.

In an instant, the Hei Cang had sliced off a third of his body.

His upper and lower halves were severed.

Thud.

His upper body crashed to the ground.

The exposed abdomen revealed severed circuits, sparking blue electricity in frantic bursts.

He was dying.

But even as his life bled out, he saw Rongshan still frozen—stunned, helpless.

With his last breath, he screamed:

“Run! Now!”

And then—Tian Dao, expressionless, brought his foot down.

Crack.

Claude’s mechanical head shattered—shards flying like glass.

A sound so clean, so sharp, it made the audience shiver.

Tian Dao raised his head.

His eyes locked onto Rongshan.

That single look—cold, empty—snapped Rongshan back to reality.

No hesitation.

He scrambled up, crawling, stumbling, fleeing—anything to get out.

Die. Die. Die. Move faster!

Rongshan reached the supermarket door—so close.

But he hated how slow he was.

His eyes, once filled with arrogance, now held only one thing: the raw, desperate hunger to live.

He didn’t want to die here. Not like this.

But before he could even step outside—

A voice, calm, mocking, rang behind him.

“Now you want to leave? Too late.”

The screen cut to Tian Dao.

He stood there, a faint smirk on his lips, watching Rongshan’s panicked, ridiculous escape.

He raised a hand.

Another Hei Cang formed at his fingertip—ready to end it.

Just as he prepared to strike—

A familiar voice cut through the air.

“Alright, little Tian Dao. That’s enough. That one’s still useful.”

Tian Dao turned sharply.

Yun Meng stepped out of the firelight.

Beside her, the Coral Knight carried the unconscious Chen Kong.

And then—Kong’s sister, Kalolin—had appeared, silent and unassuming, as if she’d been there all along.

Tian Dao froze.

He understood.

He released the Hei Cang.

Rongshan—alive, trembling—was allowed to flee.

A moment later, Tian Dao sighed, exasperated.

“So you’ve all been watching the whole time?”

“Seriously, Yun Meng—if you’d said something earlier, I wouldn’t have even started.”

Yun Meng gave a half-smile.

“How can you say that? If it weren’t for you, little Kong wouldn’t have made it.”

Tian Dao snorted.

“Yeah, right. That’s just a setup. You all planned this. Only me and Kong were the ones in the dark.”

He kicked the scattered remains of Claude’s body—metal shards flying.

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

“Boring. Let’s go.”

Watching Tian Dao’s back disappear into the distance, Yun Meng tilted her head, voice soft with pride.

“Wasn’t he terrifying when he went all serious?”

The Coral Knight stared after him, nodding slowly.

“He has the right to be arrogant. In all my years in the Stellar Envoy world, I’ve never seen—nor heard of—anyone like him. Not even the current Chairman, hailed as the strongest of our time.”

Yun Meng nodded, eyes glowing.

“Yes. Tian Dao was born to change the world. I knew it the moment I met him.”

She looked at the Coral Knight, pride in her voice.

“Tell me… how did you meet him?”

“Oh,” she said, brushing a hand through her hair, “nothing special. I was just walking down the road… and suddenly, I found him.”

“…”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end