Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 12: King of the Giant Clam!

A military truck stopped at the gates of the Jiang family estate, with several sturdy young men helping to unload its cargo.

The truck bed was filled with large, pre-cut sections of "white jade shells." By Jiang Zhe's estimate, pieced together, the shell would span nearly 200 meters in diameter.

Its original owner had undoubtedly been a planet-level beast king!

Clearly, this was a trophy from Grandfather Jiang Lie's latest hunt.

This wiry old man, barely five feet tall, stepped into the estate holding a hand warmer—despite the peak of summer. He looked eccentric, aloof, and difficult to approach.

Who would've thought that in the twilight of his years, this frail-looking body still held the terrifying strength to slay a beast king?

Jiang Zhe had always had his suspicions.

Back in Year 26, during the Battle of Hongze Lake, there were records indicating that his grandfather had displayed the strength of an "invincible war god." He was one of the pillars of that decisive battle.

And now, in Year 46, two decades had passed.

Ever since Jiang Zhe was born, he'd always sensed a faint chill around his grandfather.

At first, he thought maybe the old man just didn't like him.

But after spending more time together, he realized that Grandpa Jiang was actually kind and treated all his grandchildren equally.

That's when Jiang Zhe began to consider another possibility—

If his grandfather was a planet-level powerhouse capable of projecting original energy, perhaps this energy subtly influenced his temperament?

Now, having enhanced his perception through divine crystal cultivation, Jiang Zhe could faintly sense the underlying laws—and finally understood the truth.

It was ice!

A subdivision under the water-type gene energy category.

It was now certain—more than ten years ago, Grandpa Jiang had already reached the planet-level, but had kept it low-key and never made it public.

Jiang Zhe rubbed his chin, mumbling to himself, "But more than a decade has passed, and he still hasn't reached Planet-level Tier 2. Is it due to limited talent, or did something go wrong along the way?"

Behind their grandfather, Uncle One, Uncle Two, and Father Jiang were hauling in a few special leather backpacks from the truck and placing them in the courtyard.

Just like always, Jiang Zhe and his cousins gathered around, curious and excited.

Ever since they were kids, they'd loved crowding around to see the trophies their elders brought back from their beast-hunting expeditions.

Second Brother Jiang Wu was the fastest to act, quickly unzipping the bulging bags.

Inside were a golden scale the size of a human face, a half-meter-long jagged dragon horn, a red gourd filled with beast heart blood, and—most eye-catching of all—a snow-white, one-cubic-meter pearl that was perfectly smooth and round.

The third generation of the Jiang family all stared with wide eyes, dumbfounded.

Even Jiang Zhe was stunned.

No joke, he really hadn't expected to see something that looked like a mooncake stuffed with mung beans.

He already thought the "slag balm" was outrageous, but this pearl was on a whole new level of absurd.

What shocked them more was that this pearl emitted a powerful cosmic energy. It felt like it was completely condensed from pure energy!

"Haha, my dear grandkids, even I didn't expect this bonus," Jiang Lie said, smiling faintly as he looked at their astonished faces. "While chasing a Tai River Carp Dragon to the estuary, I unexpectedly encountered a King Clam."

"I immediately sensed something was off, so I struck without hesitation and killed it. This pearl was found in its body."

The grandkids' stunned expressions made the usually cold-faced Jiang Lie crack a rare smile.

Although he kept a low profile outside, he wasn't shy about showing off in front of family. Loudly, he boasted about his feat.

"This pearl is medicinal. Once we find the optimal way to refine it, all of you will get a share—it'll greatly boost your physical condition."

"And the clam shell? Each of you will get a custom-made SS-grade combat suit from it!"

How extravagant!

Jiang Zhe's mouth twitched. Only one word remained in his mind:

Insane.

You have to understand, giant clam was one of the Seven Treasures of Buddhism. Before the Great Cataclysm, it was a luxurious—no, forbidden—material. Now, they were going to use it to make armor?

Actually… that wasn't such a bad idea.

Jiang Zhe rubbed his chin, already looking forward to it.

Without a Black God Set, an SS-grade combat suit was Earth's strongest armor—assuming you could withstand the accompanying impact force from enemy attacks.

"Wait, King Clam?"

"Grandpa, if you killed a beast king, does that mean you're already a Councilor-level warrior?"

"Seriously?! A King Clam?! That's Councilor-level strength!"

The third generation of the Jiang family, who had all been in the dark, suddenly realized the implications and cried out in shock, joy lighting up their faces.

Even the composed eldest cousin, Jiang Wen—seasoned in the business world—couldn't hide his excitement.

If their family had a Councilor-level warrior, they'd gain unparalleled status on Earth!

"It's true. Calm down," Jiang Lie said, chuckling as he looked at them. "Look at your little brother—he probably figured it out long ago."

Everyone turned toward Jiang Zhe, who just smiled calmly.

Jiang Wu asked, "Zhe, you knew?"

Jiang Zhe shrugged. "Even when I was very young, I always felt a cold aura surrounding Grandpa."

"Haha, so that's the 'cold' you sensed."

Jiang Lie laughed and extended his right hand, still holding the hand warmer.

Frosty white mist began to rise from his palm, and a solid block of ice materialized before everyone's eyes.

Hiss~

"It's real! Energy projection!"

"Councilor-level! He's really Councilor-level! Hahaha—!"

…

Even though he had just returned home, Old Jiang didn't rest. Instead, he immediately brought the second and third generations to the Jiang Clan Martial Hall for a round of martial assessment.

Eldest cousin Jiang Wen and Little Aunt Jiang Chengcheng were present too.

Don't think you can escape training just because you handle business. Both were still required to participate in two wilderness hunts per year to maintain their warrior credentials.

Based on seniority, Aunt Chengcheng went first.

Jiang Chengcheng, age 22. Just barely passed the threshold of junior warrior level.

As for her age… well, planet-level warriors have lifespans of a thousand years. Grandpa had lost his spouse during the Great Cataclysm, and there was no rule saying he had to remain "chaste."

Next was Jiang Wen, 25 years old. Also a junior warrior.

He'd been stuck at this level for two or three years.

Although he volunteered to manage business affairs, he was indeed the least gifted among the third generation.

You have to remember—the Jiang family had "slag balm," which dramatically boosted early-stage gene energy cultivation.

At least until Level 6 Apprentice, the effect was significant.

Jiang Zhe had tested this personally and calculated its efficiency based on the balm's true nature.

Neither of them were focused on combat. They just needed to advance their life tier gradually.

So Grandpa didn't push them hard. He gave some tips on guiding techniques and left the rest to the medicines made from dragon blood and the pearl.

Then came Jiang Wu, 23, a mid-level warrior with commendable strength amplification.

Though he looked like a black bear, broad and burly, he had inner depth and excellent comprehension.

Grandpa and Jiang Wu's father, who practiced the White Tiger Gale Blade, spent nearly half an hour helping him refine his technique.

From Jiang Zhe's perspective, Second Brother had integrated the tiger, bear, and eagle forms from the Six Arts. He could currently output triple strength, but had potential for much more.

While listening from the sidelines, Jiang Zhe quietly absorbed the nuances of the "tiger form," especially the power-exertion techniques involving the head, neck, shoulders, arms, and core.

"Tch tch, this combination of tiger, bear, and eagle really connects the upper body—fast, explosive, and capable of continuous attacks like a raging storm."

"Heh, our ancestors already told us: combine eagle and bear, and keep tiger pounces in every move... reading more boxing scrolls really pays off."

With this deeper exposure to the external "Five Arts" of Xingyi style, Jiang Zhe suddenly understood many blockages. His eyes sparkled with inspiration.

He subtly adjusted his upper-body muscles, trying small-scale mimicry of the integrated force techniques.

"Upper body—tiger, bear, eagle!"

"Mid-section—spine and hips—the power core! That's the 'dragon body' from the Six Harmonies Wandering Dragon Spear!"

"Lower body—'chicken form!' Solid, steady, agile, and precise!"

Jiang Zhe was a bit of a freak. Since receiving the martial manual yesterday, he hadn't touched the spear techniques at all—he'd only studied its force principles and already grasped much of it.

Now, after witnessing the "tiger form," he felt his understanding of the Five Arts had finally come together.

"From head to toe, unified as one—force flows smoothly. It's a complete and coherent feeling."

"Indeed—master all Six Arts, and skill will manifest naturally!"

"Even though I still lack the final internal rhythm of 'Thunder Sound,' the framework is already forming."

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect!"

…

Once Jiang Wu's assessment ended, the others noticed Jiang Zhe deep in thought and didn't disturb him. Instead, they moved on to guide Jiang Sisi.

By the time Jiang Zhe snapped out of it, their session had just concluded.

Noticing Jiang Zhe's excited expression and eagerness to test himself, Grandpa Jiang Lie smiled and said, "Zhe, come give me a basic punch. Let's see what level our family's prodigy has reached in under ten days."

Jiang Zhe, abandoning all special techniques, threw a standard punch at the testing target.

—"6,501 kg!"

Six and a half tons?

He'd gained another ton of strength in just a few days. Even his speed at cultivating gene energy was off the charts.

Peak War God level is 500 tons… Cousin, go ahead and show us what you've got...

Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi exchanged glances and sighed inwardly. How were they supposed to compete?

Was this guy even human?

This was the first time even Grandpa Jiang and the other elders had seen such a monster.

They stared blankly at the glowing red number for a moment—then broke into grins, their faces nearly splitting with joy. Jiang Zhe's father, Jiang Chengxiong, was beaming the brightest.

"Good! Excellent!"

Grandpa clapped his hands in delight. "Now try using your new force integration technique—I could tell earlier you had a breakthrough."

Jiang Zhe channeled his newly developed Five Arts integration and launched another punch.

At the moment of impact, Jiang Lie's expression changed drastically.

Caught off guard, he lost control of his icy aura, which surged outward.

Yet he didn't even notice—his eyes were glued to Jiang Zhe's movement like he was observing a rare treasure.

"To think force could be integrated like this… it's raw, but near perfect!"

—"45,966 kg!"

"From 6.5 tons to nearly 46 tons?!"

"A 7x multiplier?"

"I knew he was strong, but… 7 times amplification?!"

"That's the highest known level of the Thunder God's 'Ninefold Thunder Blade!' Sevenfold strength… and he achieved it so easily?!"

"HAHAHA—we're taking off!" yelled Jiang Wu.

…

Grandpa Jiang Lie was silently contemplating Jiang Zhe's newly integrated multi-layered force technique.

The entire Jiang family—second and third generations—were panting in excitement.

Not only did the Jiang family have a Councilor-level powerhouse… soon, they'd have their very own supreme martial arts legacy.

( End of the Chapter )