Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 18: The Realm of Speed and Slowness

Realizing the flaws in his power-exertion technique, Jiang Zhe felt a brief wave of disappointment.

But he quickly composed himself, restoring his mind to a calm, undisturbed state. Thoughts raced through his head as he explored more possibilities.

"I need to master higher-level techniques. I have to step into the Realm of Intent!"

Intent Realm footwork, or Intent Realm spear technique—either would do!

The former would make hit-and-run tactics viable, allowing him to toy with lord-tier beasts. And during full-power bursts, it could help cover up the flaws exposed by his lack of physical resilience.

The latter would focus on one-hit kills—as long as his body could endure the initial recoil, the fight would be over in a single strike.

Jiang Zhe hadn't given up on challenging powerful enemies.

---

That night, his uncle arrived with supplies and experience packs. Jiang Zhe paused his gene energy training.

The moment he opened his eyes, he heard his uncle's deep, resonant voice from afar.

Jiang Chengbo, a square-faced man nearly two meters tall with a broad, imposing build. Just standing there gave people a sense of security and trust.

"He already reached Stage Two? It took me three whole years to get there…" Jiang Chengbo's voice was a mix of disbelief and emotion.

The old man replied with a knowing tone:

"Haven't you noticed? Little Zhe has a natural talent for body cultivation—whether it's power control or gene energy."

Jiang Chengbo nodded after some thought.

"He's like Thor."

The old man smirked.

"Stronger than Thor—much stronger. He's already achieved 10x power output."

"Ten times, huh?" Jiang Chengbo laughed. "I can't wait to witness the birth of Earth's greatest secret manual."

The old man waved it off.

"Let me compile it. Don't distract the kid. He gave me some inspiration—I've got a few ideas to work on."

"Fair. Let him focus on cultivation. The secret manual can wait."

Then Jiang Chengbo asked, suddenly curious:

"By the way, what happened to that lord-tier golden-furred ape?"

"Little Zhe killed it."

"What? So you've been training his psychic powers again?"

"No. He wanted to take down a lord-tier beast using martial means. I fetched the ape for him. He got overwhelmed at first, but turned the tables using his psychic abilities."

Jiang Chengbo looked conflicted.

"You're trying to humble him a bit, aren't you? Should've picked a pig-type lord beast. He may be just a basic-tier war general, but with 10x force, he might've barely managed using martial combat alone."

Jiang Zhe, eavesdropping:

"???"

That's when it hit him—different beasts had different power levels, even at the same tier.

Dragon-type mutants were the strongest. And humanoid lord-tier beasts could easily crush war god-level fighters.

The old man coughed.

"Let the kid stew for a bit. He'll quietly polish his spear skills to perfection."

Jiang Zhe:

"…."

He shut his eyes and pretended he didn't hear a thing, resuming his gene energy training.

"10x force is like wielding a heavy warhead. I can't use it like a suicide bomb and hope to survive. I need a launcher—something that lets me fire it and stay safe."

---

Day 11 of wilderness training.

Due to limitations, Jiang Zhe couldn't proceed to the third stage of his spear drills—"Piercing the Mirror."

That morning, he sparred with his uncle.

And promptly got demolished by a traditional spear technique called "Seven Serpent Coiling Lance."

Seven strikes in rapid succession—the spear lashed out like water, wrapping around him with each move. Just the wind from the spear's tip made his hair stand on end.

For the first time, Jiang Zhe felt his spear was more of a burden than an asset.

But he knew that was an illusion.

Even if he had a shield or a mace, the result would've been the same. His opponent's spear technique was simply perfect.

He hadn't yet reached the state of man-spear unity.

---

Later, the roles reversed—Jiang Zhe attacked while his uncle defended.

He was determined to show off the fruit of his spear training.

But once again—"Seven Serpent Coiling Lance." He was overwhelmed.

The same spear form, when used defensively, was just as monstrous. It felt like a serpent coiling protectively around his uncle, striking back at anything that got too close.

The Jiang family had many such forms—traditional martial techniques that hadn't been modernized into secret manuals.

With each sparring session, Jiang Zhe was like a sponge soaking up wisdom, rapidly advancing his skill.

As the saying goes: a barrel can only hold as much water as its shortest plank.

Only mastering stabbing wouldn't take him beyond "specialized" level. But if he brought all spear fundamentals to that level—and tied them together with his mastery of stabbing—he could reach perfection.

This wasn't a fantasy. With his uncle guiding him, he was rapidly making it real.

---

In the afternoon, Grandpa tossed wild chestnuts down from atop the waterfall.

Jiang Zhe stood thigh-deep in the pool beneath it, trying to pierce the falling chestnuts amidst crashing water. This tested his thrusting precision, waist power, and footwork—exactly why his grandpa had chosen this waterfall for training.

By now, he had completely forgotten about fighting lord-tier beasts.

He was immersed in sharpening his technique.

---

Day 21 of wilderness training.

Jiang Zhe's spear finally broke through his uncle's defensive serpent coils. The silver spear tip stopped just a centimeter from his uncle's forehead.

Jiang Chengbo didn't flinch, trusting his nephew's control completely.

"Unbelievable! Less than 40 days into martial training, and you've mastered perfect footwork and a complete spear technique… It'd crush the morale of most fighters. Even I feel like a fool in front of you."

Yes—perfect-level footwork too.

Thanks to countless sparring matches, where he had to use the environment to dodge, counter, and retreat, he'd unknowingly stepped into mastery.

For psychic users, grasping perfect-level footwork and refined control came almost naturally.

"At this rate, you might surpass me within a year or two," Jiang Chengbo admitted.

Jiang Zhe smiled. "But I'm still part of the Jiang family. It's you and Grandpa who taught me—our glory belongs to the family."

Jiang Chengbo paused—then burst out laughing.

"Well said! Glory to the Jiang family!"

---

"I believe in you. You'll surpass Hong and Thor—become the next legend!"

"Didn't you want to fight lord-tier monsters? I know a few that are perfect for practice. I'll have your grandpa fetch a few for you."

He patted Jiang Zhe's shoulder, ignoring the death glare from the old man nearby.

Lord-tier pigs or not—they're still lord-tier.

Jiang Zhe was fired up.

This time, with perfect footwork and a complete spear technique, he was ready.

"I lost once—I reflected. I dare challenge again. A warrior afraid to defy limits is doomed to mediocrity."

"Uncle understands me. Grandpa? He just threw me into hell mode from the start."

The old man interrupted:

"Zhe still needs to grasp Intent-level techniques. He's not scheduled for real combat with lord-tier beasts just yet."

Then he shot a warning glance at his eldest son.

---

Jiang Chengbo quickly changed the subject:

"Right, Intent-level spear techniques! Come, Zhe, let me show you mine."

Wait, what? Watch Intent-level spearwork? Sure.

Jiang Zhe nodded.

Then his uncle struck—a single, downward spear sweep.

The sound sliced through the air like a blade, making his ears ring.

It looked simple—but Jiang Zhe nearly suffocated under the pressure.

The silver spear felt like a mountain crashing down. Jiang Zhe was frozen in place, watching helplessly as the "mountain" fell.

But the strike veered just enough—shattering a nearby stone instead.

Jiang Zhe caught the scattered fragments mid-air with psychic power, tossing them into the pond.

"Tch. Psychic users can do anything." Jiang Chengbo smiled, shouldering his spear.

Jiang Zhe was still stunned.

Then Grandpa said, "My Intent is similar. Watch closely."

He thrust his spear slowly—it looked soft and harmless.

But Jiang Zhe felt like he was freezing solid. Cold wind invaded his limbs, paralyzing his movements.

Just then, a single drop of water broke the effect—like shattering a mirror maze.

In the aftermath, only one thing remained clear—a shooting star crossing the darkness.

It was fast, yet slow, with a rhythm that defied logic.

Jiang Zhe instinctively thrust his spear, mimicking that sensation, blending it with the form etched into his muscle memory.

A perfect silver arc sliced through the air—piercing right past Grandpa's spear, aimed straight at his forehead.

The old man finally looked shocked.

He had seen many Intent types—wind, fire, lightning—but never anything like this.

Fast yet slow—a contradiction made real.

"You think it's slow like a replay—but it's just too fast for your brain. You can't react in time."

Jiang Chengbo watched, dumbfounded.

"What kind of Intent is this?"

The old man finally caught the spear tip—too late.

A thin line of blood dripped down his forehead.

"Ha! Excellent! What an amazing Intent!"

Moments later, Jiang Zhe came back to his senses, a little uneasy.

"Grandpa, I…"

"It's fine! I wish you'd do it again." The old man grinned. "Now, tell me—how well did you grasp it?"

Jiang Zhe frowned, thinking.

"I think… I retained about half of it."

He tried again—but only the speed remained.

"Where's the slow part?" Jiang Chengbo cried out.

The old man sighed.

"Still Intent-level, just missing the contradiction. But that speed alone is terrifying. Don't pressure yourself—we'll help you recover the full feeling."

"Now… name your Intent."

Jiang Zhe thought for a moment.

"Time. Let's call it Time Intent."

The old man repeated the name, eyes glowing.

"Time… yes. That's perfect."