Chapter 64: You Call This Beach Volleyball?

Deep Blue Metropolis, Coastal District outskirts.

Three Trelan Junior High School buses roared past, speeding straight toward a distant resort hotel.

Not long after they vanished into the distance, a lone figure standing atop a hill slowly pulled out a phone from their coat.

"Target has arrived."

"Good. Proceed as planned."

After receiving confirmation, Rongshan ended the call, his expression grim as he watched the retreating convoy. Then, without a sound, he turned and vanished into the forest.

---

Coral Resort, Glowing Sands Beach

October in Coastal District burned under a merciless sun.

Tian Dao, shirtless and clad only in swim trunks, lounged on a beach chair, sipping coconut juice through a straw, soaking in the rare peace of vacation.

Beside him, fourteen-year-old Kalolin wore a modest one-piece swimsuit. Yet even in her restraint, her future elegance and striking silhouette were already beginning to emerge—drawing frequent, furtive glances from passing male classmates.

But their interest faltered. The cold, unapproachable aura surrounding Kalolin, combined with the whispered legends that swirled around her, kept them at bay.

Tian Dao couldn’t resist a smirk. "Look at the havoc you’ve caused, Kalolin. Those guys are terrified of you now."

Kalolin didn’t look up. She calmly closed the book in her hands and placed it across her folded knees.

Tian Dao, one hand holding his coconut juice, the other adjusting his sunglasses, met her gaze with playful amusement in his sapphire eyes.

Snap!

Kalolin shut the book.

"This has nothing to do with me. I merely reminded them what they’re supposed to be doing at their age."

"Ah, so this is why you’ve been sending every guy who tried to talk to you the full contents of their browsing history straight to their parents?" Tian Dao chuckled. "I mean, they didn’t deserve that, did they?"

Kalolin remained calm. "If they focused on their studies, my actions wouldn’t matter. So the real ones who need to reflect aren’t me—they’re the ones whose brains are ruled by hormones."

She tilted her head slightly. "Besides, Tian Dao… why do you even think I’m wrong? Is there something you wouldn’t want anyone else seeing on your phone?"

Tian Dao froze. His expression twitched.

"Uh… n-no. You’re overthinking it!"

He quickly adjusted his sunglasses with a smooth motion, then flopped back onto his chair with exaggerated nonchalance. But his right hand, hidden beneath the edge of his towel, clenched tightly around his phone—his fingers trembling slightly.

Kalolin, watching with quiet amusement, feigned casualness.

"Tian Dao… as the strongest artificial intellect among the Stellar Prodigies, I happen to have the highest network access level of anyone here."

She paused.

"Therefore…"

"WHAT?!"

Tian Dao shot upright, his face pale. He stared down at his phone as if it might suddenly reveal all his secrets.

Kalolin burst into a soft laugh.

"Relax, Tian Dao. Even though I have the highest network privileges… your data is encrypted beyond even my reach. So no, I can’t see anything on your phone."

"Phew!"

Tian Dao slumped back, pressing a hand to his chest. "Thank goodness… if she’d seen what’s in there, I’d be so dead."

But his reaction only deepened Kalolin’s curiosity.

"Come on, Tian Dao… you do look like you’re hiding something. You are secretly watching something you shouldn’t, aren’t you?"

Tian Dao shook his head violently, a frantic no in motion. "No! I only use my phone for study materials!"

Kalolin smiled, her cat-like eyes glinting with amusement. She didn’t believe him for a second—but she let it go.

After all, every teenage boy had his secrets. No need to pry.

Still… she couldn’t help but glance sideways at his phone, clutched so tightly in his hand, like a treasure.

After all—cats had curiosity. And Tian Dao was no exception.

Just as she was pondering whether to sneak a peek later, Chen Kong strolled over, holding a beach volleyball.

"Kalolin-ss, Tian Dao-ge! Stop lazing around—come play!"

Tian Dao and Kalolin exchanged a glance, then rose in unison.

"Oh? So you’re finally challenging me, Kong?"

"Uh-huh." Tian Dao ran a hand through his hair, slicking it into a dramatic backcomb. He took the ball, juggled it once, and smirked. "Let’s see how fast you can learn what true deadly volleyball looks like."

"Deadly?" Chen Kong blinked. "Wait—what?!"

Tian Dao just grinned.

No explanation needed.

Chen Kong wasn’t a time traveler—he couldn’t understand the weight behind those words.

But he would soon.

Because this wasn’t just volleyball.

This was a battle.

And on this merciless beach, only the strong survived.

---

Moments later—

"HAHA! Kalolin, take this! Outer-spin serve!"

"Tornado Spike!"

"Serpent Whip!"

"Tian Dao’s Domain!"

With each boastful cry, Tian Dao’s volleyball defied physics—arcing in impossible spirals, veering off course like it was guided by unseen hands. The others were left scrambling, utterly outmaneuvered.

Even more shocking?

Despite being outnumbered—facing Chen Kong, Chen Xing, Kalolin, and Isabelle in a four-on-one match—Tian Dao dominated.

Because his abilities—Stellar Core · Star-Eclipse Eye and Stellar Source · Vector Control—could be activated without detection.

To the outside world, it looked like just another fun game.

But inside?

It was war.

Pang!

Another miss. Chen Xing glared at the spinning ball, her face flushed with rage.

Fine. You want to play like that? Then let’s see whose Dual Stars System is stronger!

She stood. Her skin, once pale, began to glow faintly red—her body igniting with internal combustion.

This was Xueyan · Internal Combustion Technique—a star-energy art that burned her own blood to fuel enhanced strength. A body-enhancement ability.

Kalolin, too, activated her full power. Her electronic cat eyes flared with data streams, weaving an invisible network that linked her to Chen Xing and Chen Kong, sharing real-time tactical insights.

Chen Kong wanted to use his own Stellar Core and Stellar Source—but his abilities, Void Pattern and The Dreamer, were too flashy. Too revealing.

So he held back.

Just like everyone else.

Because Tian Dao, though cheating, did so within limits.

No one would suspect.

And so, the illusion remained—just a game of beach volleyball.

But was it really?

As Kalolin and Chen Xing unleashed their full potential, the two ordinary players—Chen Kong and Isabelle—were quickly forced out of the arena.

Isabelle, watching the chaos unfold, couldn’t help but gasp.

"Kong… are your friends really normal?"

Chen Kong wiped sweat from his brow, forcing a smile. "Y-yeah! They’re just… really good at volleyball."

"Really?" Isabelle stared at the scene—Chen Xing’s palm cracking the ball so hard it sparked fire. Then Kalolin, who predicted the ball’s trajectory before it even left Tian Dao’s hand.

Could ordinary people really do this?

Could anyone really hit a volleyball and make it burn?

Could anyone calculate the ball’s path in seconds using pure data?

No.

These weren’t normal kids.

---

On the 13th Station, the dimension viewers were already erupting in disbelief.

"Wait—what the hell is this? Are they playing volleyball or murdering each other?!"

"Ball speed, impact force, fire trails—no one’s going to touch this ball after this!"

"‘Killing volleyball’? So Tian Dao wasn’t joking. His ball is actually lethal!"

"Hey, guys—I just got a brilliant idea. What if we made a show called Killing Tennis?"

"Bro, Killing Tennis sounds trash. How about Tennis Prince?"

"Wait—Tennis Prince? That’s actually… kinda good. Who’s producing it? I’m in!"

---

Pang!

Tian Dao unleashed another thunderous spike. The ball, warped by vector manipulation, arced in a wild S-shape, dodging Chen Xing and Kalolin—then, just before hitting the sand—

A cat tail shot out from nowhere.

It tapped the ball perfectly—redirecting it straight to Chen Xing.

Chen Xing’s eyes flared. Her lips curled into a snarl.

She exploded into the air, legs coiled like springs.

Xueyan · Crimson Flame!

CRACK!

The impact sent a shockwave through the sand. The ball, now trailing fire, slammed into the ground behind Tian Dao—burying itself deep into the beach, still spinning, still smoldering.

Tian Dao stared, horrified.

"I protest! Kalolin! Chen Xing! You cheated!"

"Who said you can’t use your tail in volleyball? And can normal balls even burn?"

Chen Xing landed, her abs and hip muscles gleaming under the sun. "Your ball doesn’t burn. Mine does."

Kalolin tilted her head, ears twitching. "A tail is part of the body. The rules only forbid feet. Not tails."

Tian Dao groaned. "This field is too dark for players like me. When will I finally get a chance?"

He picked up the smoldering ball, gave it a few firm taps, and prepared to fire back—ready to show these cheaters what real power looked like.

Let’s see whose cheat code is better.

But just as he readied himself—

His eyes froze.

Something in the air… something off.

Without a word, he shifted his stance, muscles tensing.

BANG!

The ball exploded from his hand in a sonic boom. The air ripped apart, forming visible shockwaves.

The volleyball shot forward like a bullet—

—piercing the head of a shark-like Stellar Beast that had just surfaced from the sea.

The beast’s skull shattered like a melon, spraying blue ichor across the water.

The ball didn’t stop.

It continued, tearing through two more oceanic Stellar Beasts before vanishing into the sea—triggering a six-meter-high water explosion.

"Run! There are Stellar Beasts!"

Panic erupted across the beach. Tourists screamed, fleeing in all directions.

Tian Dao calmly removed his sunglasses, his face expressionless.

"Kalolin. Chen Xing. Kong. Take Isabelle and get out of here."

"Got it."

In stunned silence, Chen Xing grabbed Isabelle’s arm and dragged her toward the resort hotel—leaving Tian Dao alone on the sand, facing a dozen newly emerged marine Stellar Beasts.

Once they were at a safe distance, Tian Dao cracked his knuckles—crack, crack, crack.

"Attacking from the shadows, huh? You picked the wrong opponent."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end