Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 15 – Stab!

The farmlands along the railroad lay barren, overgrown with waist-high weeds.

Ruined villages dotted the landscape, with crumbling walls and collapsed houses.

Beastly roars echoed intermittently, and vague, massive, violent shadows loomed within the deserted hamlets.

Jiang Zhe shouldered a burlap sack, scanning the area with eyes full of quiet reflection—a mature light that didn't quite match his age.

But he quickly reined it in, replaced by a youthful curiosity, as if that fleeting depth had been just an illusion.

"Forty years ago, I could still ride trains for leisure. I once strapped on a hiking pack, carried a floral-patterned hunting rifle, and trekked through the wilds, seeking wisdom atop sacred mountains…"

Old Master Jiang walked ahead with his hands behind his back. His figure carried a hint of melancholy, until he suddenly shook his head and chuckled bitterly.

"Why am I telling you this? You haven't lived through it—you wouldn't understand…"

"But, Xiao Zhe, remember this: once you have the power, you must wipe out the beast scourge and reclaim lost lands for humanity. We can't let monsters trample us underfoot!"

Jiang Zhe answered without hesitation, "Just watch, Grandpa. That day will come."

"Haha! I'll be watching. The future belongs to you."

The old man's silhouette visibly lightened, as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders—like a boat finally coasting past the last of the mountains.

He really sees hope in me… Jiang Zhe thought to himself.

Still, his earlier reply wasn't entirely honest. He had his own plans—he wasn't going to charge off and purge monsters the moment he reached the planetary level.

When to slay beast kings and emperors?

How to deal with the leftover grunts?

Everything needed to be done with careful consideration.

Otherwise, once the warriors ran out of monsters to fight, what then—civil war?

Let them interact with the broader universe? Not unless Earth secured legal status out there first.

So many moving pieces—all interconnected. It had to be done step by step.

While Jiang Zhe pondered, Old Master Jiang suddenly stopped and motioned with his chin toward the shade of a nearby tree.

"Xiao Zhe, got a live one."

Jiang Zhe looked over.

A massive yellow-scaled python lay coiled beneath the tree, easily over ten meters long and as thick as a grown man's thigh, forming a mound the size of a small car.

Time for a test.

"You recognize it?" the old man asked.

"Yellow-scaled python. Non-venomous, bigger than average, specializes in constriction. Strength and speed are impressive. That one looks like it's roughly peak-level Lesser Beast General."

"Not bad. Solid knowledge," the old man nodded. "It's about the peak of a low-tier general. I want you to take it down. Can you do it?"

"Easy," Jiang Zhe said confidently.

"No psychic powers. Use your martial skills."

"Understood."

"With the mace I gave you."

"Sure."

Jiang Zhe agreed readily, though his odd tone made the old man narrow his eyes in suspicion.

Jiang Zhe hefted the golden mace, tested the balance, then—muscles swelling—channeled power through his arm and hurled it—

A throw of no return!

A full 7x power burst launched the weapon with a sonic boom, whistling straight at the dozing python.

Too late, the serpent stirred.

A flash of gold bloomed in its sluggish field of vision.

The head, the size of a basin, was skewered clean through—blown apart like a watermelon. The decapitated body writhed violently on the ground.

Jiang Zhe smirked—not at the kill itself, but at the dozens of glowing light-points only he could see, flowing from the snake into a rune etched on his chest.

He'd drawn that rune back in Villa A8, making sure not to waste any chance to refine his life's genetic blueprint.

Old Master Jiang shot him a glare. "Nice throw. Don't do that again."

"Got it."

Jiang Zhe wasn't upset. That move was a gimmick, just like a surprise feint—never meant for regular use.

The old man added, "You looked pretty slick throwing it. Less so picking it back up."

"Uh… Grandpa, what if I never planned to pick it up at all? I am a Psychic, remember?"

Crap. I think I just fried Grandpa's mental circuits…

…

After that little detour, the two continued along the abandoned railway.

Despite the desolate surroundings, monsters were relatively sparse and weak in open terrain. That python, a low-tier general, had been an unexpected jackpot.

Beasts had intelligence. They feared human hot weapons, so most holed up in buildings where they could use cover.

Small towns were playgrounds for beast generals;

In big cities, they roamed in droves—lorded over by terrifying beast lords.

Still, fighting weaker monsters had its training value. Facing swarms of mid and high-tier beast soldiers, Jiang Zhe learned from his grandfather how to kill efficiently.

The key?

"Dodge precisely. Strike decisively!"

Striking weak points was easy.

A few quick pointers from his grandfather, and Jiang Zhe could carry it out flawlessly in battle.

Shield in one hand, mace in the other—true close-quarters combat.

Spine, neck, limbs, abdomen, anus… he aimed straight for the kill spots.

But his favorite was still skull-smashing with the mace.

As for dodging—his movement technique had reached microscopic precision under Grandpa's ruthless training.

—The kind where you're stripped of weapons, tossed in a tiger-cat den wearing only combat gear, and told to figure it out.

With a bodyguard this strong, things got… creative. Jiang Zhe suffered endlessly.

What? You say it's not enough to push him near death?

Come on, you think those three tubes of "Life Water" Grandpa carried were just for show?

His attitude was crystal clear: "If you're still breathing, keep fighting!"

…

The trip that should've taken two days stretched to five. They finally reached the outskirts of County No. 0177.

Jiang Zhe was still lugging that bag of soybeans.

Grandpa hadn't told him what it was for, hadn't taught him advanced Dragon or Tiger force techniques on the road, and hadn't even touched on whip or spear combat.

Come to think of it, Jiang Zhe hadn't drawn his gun once—just carried it on his back like a prop.

But the gains over those five days were immense.

He could feel the potent energy stored within the rune on his chest and smiled at the haul.

"Two hundred thirty-six…"

"What? You killed way more than that!" Grandpa turned, surprised.

"Only counting monsters above high-tier Beast Soldier. I'm a high-tier warrior now—only same-tier or higher kills count."

The real reason?

Only victories over equivalent or superior lifeforms yielded enough light-points to matter.

"Weird quirk," Grandpa muttered.

"You Psychics are built for fast kills. Let's see how long you keep counting before you get bored."

He pointed into the distance. "Over there—two hundred meters out."

"A herd of Ironhide Bulls, led by a mid-tier general. Go ahead and use your psychic powers. Let's see how long you take to clean them up."

In a run-down gas station ahead, dozens of armored bulls milled about.

Jiang Zhe wasn't fazed. If he could use psychic powers, even double the number would be nothing but fodder.

He infused his shield with psychic force and launched into the air, riding it straight toward the herd.

As expected, his high-profile approach enraged the bulls. Their roars shook the air like thunder, and the whole herd charged.

But to Jiang Zhe, they might as well be lining up for execution.

Fifty meters… forty…

Ten S-class throwing knives shot from his waist, each a silver blur, punching through bull skulls like paper.

A moment ago, the herd was thundering forward. Now, it looked like wheat being cut—bull after bull collapsed, momentum flinging their corpses forward.

Not even the mid-tier general could withstand his psychic-powered blades—its skull shattered just like the rest.

Three generals died in a flash, eyes dimming with fear still in them.

This was the power of a Psychic.

An overwhelming advantage in early stages—massacring peers with ease. Only when domains and law comprehension came into play would the gap begin to close.

What made Jiang Zhe happiest?

The light-points kept flowing. That meant the Conquest system judged him by his warrior level, not his psychic one.

Killing three generals and over forty soldiers—all counted as same-tier or higher kills.

He could farm points!

After wiping out the herd, Jiang Zhe floated back down, spotless.

Grandpa checked his watch. "Under two minutes?"

"Heh. Psychics live up to the hype."

"Xiao Zhe, enjoy the power while you can. Once training starts, forget about using psychic powers."

Yep, psychic skills were getting benched.

Jiang Zhe shrugged. Fair enough. Using them didn't train his body anyway—only netted those precious light-points.

With a Psychic and a planetary-tier warrior on the same team, they could flatten every monster in the county.

They walked down the city's main road unchallenged.

Any monster that dared stand in their way—slaughtered.

Jiang Zhe was having a blast.

By the time they reached their destination, his count was at 723, with 39 of them beast generals.

"Xiao Zhe, remember this place," Grandpa said. "This is one of our Jiang family safehouses."

He led Jiang Zhe into an unassuming six-story commercial building, down to the underground garage. Clearing away years of dust from an elevator shaft, he revealed the outline of a hidden cellar door.

No lock—just lift it by the edge. The iron door was 40 cm thick.

Inside, the safehouse was spacious: living room, training room, storage, five bedrooms, and best of all—a generator. Power was precious in 2056, even base cities rationed it.

The walls were reinforced with metal plating. Unless some burrowing beast got extremely unlucky, they were secure.

"Rest an hour, then meet me in the training room. Time to begin your formal instruction."

"Got it, Grandpa."

Back in his room, Jiang Zhe dove into Life Blueprint, using up all his stored light-points before erasing the rune on his chest.

…

In the ten-meter-square training room…

He began with the Chicken Step Form. Grandpa nodded, even asking him about certain subtle techniques.

Among the Chicken, Bear, and Eagle forms, Jiang Zhe had mastered them all—maybe even surpassed his grandfather. His punch test results had proven it.

After Chicken Step, he practiced the Yin-Yang Stance and the Three Essence Stance once each.

Is he going to teach the gene-origin energy cultivation methods? Jiang Zhe wondered.

After his bloodline upgrade, those techniques had become ineffective. He'd only skimmed the manuals.

"Xiao Zhe, you still don't get it, do you?" Grandpa said.

Huh?

"Practice again—until you understand what I'm trying to teach."

Jiang Zhe obeyed.

He did another run of the active Three Essence stance…

Then shifted into the static Yin-Yang stance, like a tree standing firm.

That's when it clicked.

Looking down at his legs, and recalling the Chicken Step, he understood.

"Grandpa, you mean I need to focus more on my legs—build a solid foundation."

A smile spread across the old man's face. "Exactly. You're a quick learner."

"These may be energy-guiding techniques now, but they originate from traditional martial arts stance training—true foundational skills. There's a saying: 'Train the stance for three years before anything else.'"

"Our family's two SS-level manuals—White Tiger Wind-Cutting Blade and Six Harmonies Dragon Spear—each rely on strong foundations."

"The blade emphasizes upper-body force, needing solid roots, hence the Yin-Yang stance—stand like a tree, draw life like one."

"The spear is all about footwork and hip movement. For that, the Three Essence stance is ideal. There's a lot to it. Let me show you."

He demonstrated the stances, even using a training spear to illustrate the paired techniques.

That was the lesson for the day.

After the explanations, Grandpa left Jiang Zhe to train on his own.

( End of the chapter )