Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 13: The Jiang Family's Heritage!

Clang—clang—

A train thundered across the vast wilderness. In a VIP carriage near the rear, an old man and a young man sat face to face.

Jiang Zhe, still adjusting to the feel of the S-grade combat uniform on his body, looked a little dazed. It all felt unreal—his journey as a martial artist had already begun, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

Just over half an hour earlier...

"Only ten days, and you've already completed the construction of your Xingyi flow style?" Jiang Lie raised an eyebrow, his weathered face twitching in disbelief.

Oof—my teeth hurt!

This brat completed in ten days what took me fifty or sixty years to build!

To understand this, you need to know a little about the Jiang family's secret heritage.

Unlike the complete and seamlessly integrated secret manuals of Hong and the Thunder God—where each tier builds perfectly upon the last, allowing for steady, linear cultivation—the Jiang family's martial legacy is structured differently.

It's composed of seven distinct secret techniques, each individually rated as S- or SS-class, intricately interconnected.

The ultimate form of these techniques is known as the "Six Arts." Once fully integrated, every movement achieves explosive, multi-layered power output.

Take Jiang Wu, for example. He focused on the Tiger, Bear, and Eagle styles for his primary forms, with a separate footwork method forming his foundation.

Though he had dabbled in the Chicken Step, he hadn't dared make it a main form.

His current level of comprehension couldn't handle another force type—adding more would've destabilized his painstakingly built Xingyi system.

Jiang Sisi chose the Tiger and Chicken forms as her core, building a fast, agile, glass-cannon style. Her footwork was like wind, her blades like lightning.

In short, the Jiang family's inheritance is like a determined slow learner—not the smartest kid in the room, but armed with more "stationery" and a fierce work ethic, stacking countless lower-level techniques to spark a quantitative-to-qualitative leap.

Jiang Zhe had executed this principle flawlessly in just ten days. He'd already integrated Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Dragon, and Chicken—five of the six outer "true forms." He was nearly ready to graduate.

Jiang Zhe nodded, then shook his head. "Not quite. I'm still missing 'Thunder Roar,' and the forms I do know are far from perfected."

"Bear, Eagle, and Chicken were taught to me by Second Brother and Sisi. I self-studied Dragon from the manual the past two days. And Tiger... I just picked that one up."

His matter-of-fact tone made everyone's fists itch.

Jiang Chengxiong: My own son… I can't hit him.

Jiang Chengbo and Jiang Chengying: Our nephew… also can't hit him.

Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi: Cousin… we couldn't hit him even if we tried.

The old man was beaming with pride. His expression turned radiant when he heard Jiang Zhe had been practicing the "Six Harmonies Soaring Dragon Spear." A surge of cold energy rippled from him uncontrollably.

Practicing spear techniques was a wise choice—it had a higher ceiling for growth.

After all, the Jiang family's two SS-grade manuals were:

"Six Harmonies Soaring Dragon Spear"

"White Tiger Howling Wind Blade"

The former was stronger. Mastered to perfection, the spear could unleash five times normal force output.

Even more intriguing, the spear technique traced its lineage back to Hong's "World-Ender" manual.

Old Jiang no longer had the capability to unravel those secrets himself, but his grandson Jiang Zhe… might just have what it takes.

"There's no need to touch 'Thunder Roar' yet," Jiang Lie waved it off. "It's more of a breath-control technique—like those rhythmic shouts laborers use while lifting heavy loads. It's an extra layer of the Six Arts."

Then, in a more serious tone, he asked, "So… you've really decided to go with the spear?"

"I like polearms and heavy weapons," Jiang Zhe said earnestly. "They're… mesmerizing."

"Ah, so you're the type who likes to dominate with sheer presence," the old man chuckled.

Jiang Zhe scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

He wasn't wrong. His hands had been itching lately to smash something. Using the iron whip had left a satisfying taste—it was a skull-crushing delight.

Still, it didn't quite cut it as a main weapon.

And so, Jiang Zhe had set his eyes on the king of all weapons: the spear.

Not only that, his training required building core strength in the waist and hips—perfectly aligned with the Soaring Dragon Spear technique.

Of course, he reminded himself:

"The whip is for fun. The spear is for life."

"Good! Very good! Excellent!" Jiang Lie clapped his hands, thoroughly pleased. "A spear and a whip, huh?"

"Old Wu, go fetch my two prized possessions."

"And prepare the manuals and videos for 'Six Harmonies Soaring Dragon Spear' and 'Black Tiger Whip Technique'. Upload them to a tablet—he's taking them with him."

He turned back to Jiang Zhe, adding, "Also, prepare a full set of S-grade equipment—get his measurements. He'll need it. He's coming with me to the wilderness zone."

Jiang Zhe: ???

---

Now, aboard the train to the Southern Military District, Jiang Zhe had reluctantly accepted the fact that he was about to be thrown into a field trial—with almost no preparation.

Yet… he didn't mind.

Monster hunting came with rewards.

Not monetary currency—at least not Earth currency—but something far more valuable: resources that could elevate his genetic life tier.

The sooner he completed the "Life Blueprint", the better.

After daydreaming for a while, Jiang Zhe shifted his attention to the two "treasures" his grandfather had brought. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

On the table lay two four-pronged golden cudgels, carved with rough, indistinct, seemingly unnecessary markings.

The moment he saw them, Jiang Zhe's heart skipped a beat.

From his limited experience, he guessed they might be force weapons—the energy they stirred in the air felt similar to the aura surrounding his grandfather.

Then there was the long spear leaning beside his grandfather.

Jiang Zhe licked his lips.

He could tell immediately—it wasn't a force weapon. It lacked the unique aura.

But he was certain the materials used to forge it were extraordinary.

In other words—it came from space.

Not everyone in the galaxy could afford force weapons. Even a basic tier-1 or tier-2 force weapon cost billions of Black Dragon Credits—unreachable for most.

That's why many fallen martial artists used alloy weapons, crafted from metals classified A through E, correlating to different pre-immortal stages.

This dark-silver long spear, over 2.6 meters in length, was majestic in design. It looked like a dragon embodied in a weapon.

The tail formed the pommel, the shaft was etched with dragon-scale patterns, and eight embedded gems enhanced both grip and visual power. At the spear's tip—a dragon head opened its maw, and the tongue-shaped spearpoint gleamed coldly.

A long, hollow channel ran from tip to pommel—a terrifying blood groove. Even non-lethal strikes with this thing would be devastating.

A killing tool.

Terrifying.

But… the spear was too long.

At 2.6 meters, even with Jiang Zhe's 1.8-meter frame, it felt unwieldy—unless he somehow grew to two meters tall.

Cough cough... His filial piety showed—he was already thinking about "inheriting" the weapon.

Still, compared to the force weapons—the golden cudgels—the spear seemed more like a work of art.

But no! No! No!

What truly shocked Jiang Zhe was the ornament dangling beneath the spearhead. Connected by a thick iron chain, it was a metallic pendant the size of a monkey's head.

He recognized the weapon's style—the Trophy Spear.

Except the "trophy" wasn't a skull or a weight—it was a rust-covered alchemy furnace.

Yep, a Furnace Spear.

He'd read about them in books.

And the Jiang family's most sacred cultivation resource—the one said to accelerate gene-energy development—was something called "Furnace Slag."

Coincidence?

He could feel faint energy fluctuations radiating from the furnace. Even the rust couldn't hide the mysterious symbols engraved on it.

Jiang Zhe realized, in this very moment—

he was witnessing the true heritage of the Jiang family.

(End of the Chapter)