Jeremiah's appearance was no surprise to Tendo.
He had sensed the other man's presence long before boarding the ship.
At the same time, Tendo was well aware of the purpose of his appearance.
Although Jeremiah and his group were ostensibly in a hostile camp to their own, the hostility of the factions didn't equate to the hostility of their relationship.
Compared to the 'Iceberg faces' of the Star Frost Faction, who were devoid of any human touch, Jeremiah undoubtedly leaned more toward his former 'partners.'
Therefore, upon learning of Tendo and the others' arrival, Jeremiah had long wanted to catch up with them.
As for the Star Frost Faction?
Tendo figured that since they could form a colossal entity like 'One of the New Federation's Four Great Families' with the Frost Tone Faction, there was no shortage of rational and far-sighted individuals within them.
They certainly had ideological differences with the Frost Tone Faction, but they never intended to wipe the Frost Tone Factionout or engage in a mutually destructive struggle.
Because that would only make the greatly weakened Frost Tone Family a feast for the other three great families.
Therefore, although the Frost Tone Faction and the Star Frost Faction seemed to be fighting fiercely during this period, in reality, both sides were extremely restrained.
Thus, it was difficult to say that Jeremiah's appearance wasn't an instruction from the people behind the Star Frost Faction, asking him to de-escalate the tension between the two sides.
Regardless of the reason, Tendo didn't care.
Because at this point, there was basically no suspense left.
After all, even the theatrical version without Tendo ended with Jing Liuli's successful breakthrough.
And now, with Tendo's addition, success was even more certain.
[Tendo's Cabin]
The waves outside the window slapped against the hull, producing a rhythmic splash sound.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Jeremiah, Tendo said goodbye to the others and returned to his room to rest alone.
He tossed his jacket onto the sofa, sat down, grabbed the orange soda from the table, and leisurely checked his Popularity System.
[Current Theatrical Version Popularity Ranking]
[NO. 1. Tendo Simei]
[NO. 2. Jing Liuli]
[NO. 3. Caroline]
[NO. 4. Chen Xing]
[NO. 5. ...]
"As expected, the theatrical version is entirely a fan-service product."
"As long as the characters don't exhibit any obvious character collapse or other 'toxic' actions in the theatrical version, their popularity generally aligns with their popularity in the main series."
Looking at his theatrical version popularity ranking, Tendo knew that if he continued to follow the script, securing the popularity championship in the theatrical version was basically a certainty.
"The theatrical version is already halfway through. It's time to lay the groundwork for the upcoming climax..."
Saying this, Tendo turned his attention to a special function in the Popularity System: Item Enhancement.
He had already completed the Star Eclipse Eye Awakening aboard the steam train, having truly reached the 'Level Three' standard.
However, according to the standard Stars grading system, Tendo, whose base Star Energy value met the requirement but whose Star Source had not completed its Second Awakening, was still classified as a 'Level Two Stars.'
Tendo wasn't unable to undergo the Second Awakening for Vector Control; he was just waiting for the right opportunity.
After all, the Second Awakening of Vector Control wasn't difficult; the challenge lay in how to maximize the benefits of this awakening.
In traditional shonen anime, every character breakthrough is a classic plot explosion point.
The stage Tendo had chosen for his breakthrough was the concert climax of this theatrical version.
It was, in a sense, stealing the spotlight.
But considering the enemies that would appear in this theatrical version, Tendo felt it was necessary to display his 'new ability' to the dimensional audience, in addition to the breakthrough.
After all, the purpose of using the Exclusive Character Background Modification Permission to obtain Tendo Cells wasn't just to gain a 'terrifying physical adaptability.'
The 'Sage Mode' was what Tendo was truly pursuing.
"The trope of a traditional shonen anime is that the character's breakthrough must occur during the climax of the plot."
As Tendo spoke, his mind conjured up a scene in the latter half of the theatrical version: Liuli sings on stage, the villain suddenly causes trouble, and he breaks through under the gaze of thousands.
With this sequence of actions, wouldn't his popularity in the theatrical version just explode?
After using them for this period, Tendo had pretty much fully mastered his Tendo Cells.
The extreme cold adaptability in the fusion domain was just a small test to gauge the effect of his Tendo Cells.
With this in mind, Tendo directly opened a special function panel in the Popularity System: Item Enhancement.
[System Function: Item Enhancement Forge]
[Effect: Can enhance one existing system item. The enhancement effect is determined by the item's inherent quality and the number of enhancement attempts.]
[Note: Special items are excluded from enhancement. Failed enhancements may result in the item disappearing. Protection Charms can be used for protection.]
Tendo looked at the Item Enhancement Forge panel and smiled, "New abilities need a sense of ritual. Without an exclusive item to serve as a 'switch,' it feels like something is missing."
"Furthermore, letting the enemy mistakenly believe that I can only activate this ability under a certain condition is undoubtedly a very deceptive tactic."
With that, Tendo took out an item he had redeemed in Season One.
[Name: Star-Binding Myriad Form]
[Type: Cultivation Item]
[Effect 1. Star-Binding: When worn, suppresses own Star Energy in exchange for higher cultivation efficiency (Only effective for Star Energy Values below 1000).]
[Effect 2. Myriad Form: Allows free determination of the item's appearance (Limited to daily apparel).]
'Star-Binding Myriad Form' was one of the first items Tendo redeemed.
At the time, he simply changed its form into a sleep mask and significantly boosted his cultivation speed.
This allowed him to gain the absolute ability to change the ending by the end of Season One.
But as the plot progressed and his strength continuously increased, the item's effect on Tendo became weaker and weaker; aside from being decorative, it was now virtually useless.
However, this didn't mean the item had no potential.
On the contrary, Tendo felt this was one of the few 'items' that could have a massive effect on him.
After all, the item could be disguised and could suppress Star Energy, making it a perfect switch for 'Sage Mode.'
Moreover, the classic setup of 'First Form,' 'Second Form,' and 'Third Form' is an enduring trope in both anime and other visual media.
The feeling of giving one's all only to defeat the BOSS's basic form is undoubtedly more dramatic.
With this thought, Tendo directly placed the 'Star-Binding Myriad Form' into the Enhancement Forge.
[Current Enhancement Item: Star-Binding Myriad Form]
[Current Enhancement Level: +0]
[Popularity Value Required for Current Enhancement: 1,000,000]
[Current Enhancement Success Rate: 25%]
[Use Protection Charm? Yes/No]
[You have consumed 1,000,000 Popularity Value to redeem one Enhancement Protection Charm.]
"A one-in-four success rate? It's a sure thing. There's no way I could—"
With absolute confidence, Tendo decisively initiated the enhancement!
Only...
"...Seriously, this failed?"
Tendo's face instantly darkened as he looked at the large word 'FAILURE' in the Enhancement Forge.
Having been smooth-sailing and dominating the Stars world, he hadn't experienced the taste of 'failure' in a long time.
"Heh, a little interesting."
Tendo's mouth twitched slightly, and then he initiated the enhancement again!
FAILURE!
Enhance!
FAILURE!
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