What Made Tiandao Siming Strong Wasn't the Star Source

On the third day after the Final Assessment, in Ember Base's medical room.

"Mm..."

Chen Kong painfully opened his eyes, his vision filled with glaring white light.

He instinctively tried to raise a hand to shield his eyes, only to discover that his body was submerged in pale-blue nutrient solution, covered in all manner of tubes and instruments.

"Doctor, Chen Kong is awake!"

Seeing that Chen Kong, who had been unconscious for three days, had finally awakened, a nurse from the medical team immediately called for the attending physician.

After a round of examinations, they ultimately determined that Chen Kong had not only fully passed the critical stage.

For some unknown reason, his body had not retained a single hidden injury either.

It was as if the person wheeled into the medical room back then—the one covered in comminuted fractures and with multiple severely damaged organs—had not been him at all.

Still, they were not overly surprised by such monstrous recovery abilities.

After all, no matter how ordinary Chen Kong seemed, he was still one of the Starborn.

Behind closed doors, the medical team called the Starborn little monsters.

Every last one of them had bodies so ferocious they barely seemed human.

Even so, the medical team did not dare let down their guard.

After conducting an even more meticulous and comprehensive examination on Chen Kong.

They unanimously concluded that Chen Kong was out of danger and could be moved from the intensive care unit to an ordinary recovery room.

Upon receiving this news, Chen Kong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he was currently naked from head to toe, shut inside a nutrient tank while being watched by a crowd.

Everyone said it was for his own good.

But for Chen Kong, who was already twelve and had some awareness of gender differences.

The situation was still far too awkward.

After all, quite a few of the people watching him were nurse sisters!

Half a day later, Chen Kong, dressed in a white hospital gown and supported by a nurse, arrived at the Starborn's exclusive training grounds.

As a patient recovering from a serious illness, Chen Kong should have remained in the recovery ward for some time.

But through the nurses, Chen Kong had learned that eleven Starborn had obtained Star Sources of their own.

Curious about what would happen when a Star Source and a Star Core were combined, Chen Kong had taken the initiative to ask to visit the training grounds.

"Huh? You recovered that quickly?"

The moment Chen Kong entered the indoor training grounds, Jing Liuli, who had been lazing around at the edge of the field, immediately noticed him.

Seeing that the one speaking to him was Jing Liuli, whom he rarely even saw in daily life, Chen Kong immediately said somewhat stiffly, "Yeah, I just woke up this morning."

Hearing this, Jing Liuli unusually gave up on slacking off and sat up directly from the ground.

"Since you only woke up this morning, why didn't you sleep a little longer in the recovery room?"

"You know, I went to the medical team several times before to apply for sick leave, but those awful people not only kept refusing me, they even threatened that if I dared bother them again, they'd tell Instructor Yun Meng about me trying to take sick leave. It scared me so much that I didn't dare go back even when I was actually sick."

"So why aren't you cherishing such a perfect chance to slack off? You're so weird."

Chen Kong awkwardly scratched his cheek, having no idea how to respond to Jing Liuli's words.

No matter how he looked at it, she was the strange one for constantly trying to find new ways to slack off.

Just as Chen Kong was about to say something, he suddenly realized that Jing Liuli was acting rather strangely.

She was clearly speaking to him fluently.

Yet her eyes remained closed, and crystal-clear drool hung from the corner of her mouth. She looked every bit like she was fast asleep.

Just as Chen Kong was filled with confusion, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"That's Liuli's Star Source: Daydream. Its basic effect lets her maintain deep sleep while awake. Her method of cultivation is to sleep more and dream more."

"Though I hate to admit it, this Star Source has strengthened her ability to slack off to a certain extent, because outsiders have no idea whether she's slacking off or cultivating."

Chen Kong turned toward the voice and discovered that his older sister, Chen Xing, had appeared behind him at some point. He had not noticed her at all.

His long-standing fear of Chen Xing made him instinctively lower his head when he saw her, looking exceedingly humble.

Seeing him like this, Chen Xing reflexively wanted to scold him.

But recalling Chen Kong's performance a few days ago, Chen Xing ultimately swallowed the words she had been about to say.

Then, in a rare gentle tone, she said, "Be more confident, Kong. You're no longer that useless trash everyone looked down on."

"After all, if it hadn't been for you back then, Rin and I wouldn't have been able to hurt that guy."

Even so, a person's personality could not change in a short time.

Thus, even after gaining Chen Xing's acknowledgment.

Chen Kong still could not bring himself to be confident.

Chen Xing could only shake her head helplessly before extending her hand toward Jing Liuli.

"Liuli, give me another Sweet Dream Candy."

"No!"

Liuli hugged her pillow tightly and said in a huff, "You still haven't given me the desserts you owed me yesterday, and now you want to ask me for more? I'm not giving you any!"

Seeing that Liuli was not only disobedient but even dared to provoke her.

Chen Xing sneered, grabbed Liuli by the collar, and gave her a hard shake.

Tap, tap, tap.

Under Chen Xing's shaking, colorful candies quickly poured out of Liuli's pajama pockets.

These strangely shaped candies refracted rainbow-like halos under the sunlight, looking extremely enticing.

Chen Xing bent down and picked up one of them, then stuffed all the remaining candies back into Jing Liuli's pajama pockets.

"Just one. Counting the ones from the past few days, I'll pay you back later with the organization's after-meal desserts."

"You're lying!"

Liuli sat up indignantly. "Didn't you lose all your after-meal desserts to Tiandao? What are you going to use to pay me back?"

"..."

Chen Xing's expression stiffened, and the air suddenly froze.

According to the wager between her and Tiandao, all her after-meal desserts for the next three months belonged to Tiandao.

She really could not produce any after-meal desserts.

Thinking of this, Chen Xing wore a rare embarrassed expression, momentarily unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, Chen Kong was perceptive and immediately stepped in to smooth things over.

"Sister Liuli, use my after-meal desserts."

At those words, Liuli's closed eyes abruptly opened, shining brightly. "One month!"

"Liuli, don't go too far. I only took a few of your Sweet Dream Candies, yet you want a whole month of my little brother's after-meal desserts. Do you think that's a fair deal?"

"One week at most. Otherwise, I'll find a way to pay back what I owe you myself."

Under Chen Xing's oppressive might, Jing Liuli finally relented.

"Fine, fine, one week it is. But let me make this clear first—you can't snatch my Sweet Dream Candies like this again in the future."

"No problem."

Just as Chen Xing and Jing Liuli finalized their future candy arrangement, the previously calm training grounds suddenly shook violently.

The sudden earthquake made Chen Kong, whose injuries had yet to fully heal, stagger at once and nearly fall to the ground.

Fortunately, the nurse beside him was quick-eyed and quick-handed, immediately catching him.

The earthquake came quickly and left just as quickly.

Once all the commotion had subsided, Chen Kong asked with lingering fear, "Sis, what was that just now? Don't tell me someone suddenly attacked the base?"

Faced with Chen Kong's question, Chen Xing remained silent, seemingly unwilling to answer it.

Jing Liuli, on the other hand, had no such reservations and said casually, "It's nothing. It's probably Tiandao researching his Star Source again. Totally normal."

"Huh?"

Chen Kong froze at Jing Liuli's words.

He truly could not imagine what kind of outrageous Star Source research could create such an outrageous disturbance.

"Is Tiandao's Star Source that strong? Otherwise, how could it make such a huge commotion?"

Hearing Chen Kong's words, Jing Liuli wore a strange expression, as if she could not understand why he would ask such a question.

Before Jing Liuli could speak, Chen Xing gave the answer first.

"Kong, what has always been strong isn't the Star Source. It's Tiandao."

"Because if it weren't Tiandao, I truly can't think of anyone who could develop that kind of Star Source to such a degree."

At those words, Chen Kong's face immediately filled with curiosity.

He was curious what Tiandao was doing to create such an exaggerated commotion.

Seeing his expression, Chen Xing immediately said, "Come on. Since you want to see it, I'll let you see it."

"Tiandao doesn't care whether people know his Star Source Effect anyway."

"Three days ago, he said that only the weak worried at every turn about being targeted by others, living cautiously and walking on eggshells. A true strong person should possess the confidence that above heaven and below earth, I alone reign supreme."

"So even if his Star Source ability became known to everyone, he wouldn't care in the slightest."

"Because Tiandao Siming fears no one's challenge."

Chen Kong opened his mouth slightly, and Tiandao's arrogant tone naturally surfaced in his mind as he imagined him saying those words.

"That really does suit Brother Tian Dao's personality."

Chen Xing snorted coldly at that, clearly unwilling to dwell on the subject.

After all, she had once naively believed that as long as she obtained a Star Source.

She would quickly narrow the gap between herself and Tiandao, and completely catch up to that guy.

Yet the cruel reality from three days ago had given her another resounding slap across the face.

Because after obtaining her Star Source, the gap between her and Tiandao had not narrowed at all. Instead... it had grown even wider.

PS: Even after giving it my all, I still couldn't defeat the three-update monster. A regrettable loss.

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