Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 19: Underlying Currents Surge

The grandfather and uncle, both experts in training, refrained from letting Jiang Zhe watch their Intent-level techniques again.

Why?

Because repeated exposure could pollute his own understanding. Like a drop of ink in a glass of clear water, their distinct Intents might overwrite his own budding realization of "speed." He could even lose that unique feeling of "slowness" entirely.

Instead, they guided him to meditate near the waterfall pool, allowing the misty droplets to soak him—hoping he could recapture that fleeting state from earlier.

Jiang Zhe understood perfectly well—it wasn't likely.

The same falling water droplets, the same surroundings, but that profound enlightenment would not return. That moment was the result of a perfect convergence of timing, environment, and mindset.

One could exaggerate and say—

His grandfather had used his "Water Element · Cold Qi" to seal the surroundings in a frozen state. And just then, a water droplet happened to fall, dissolving that sealed space from the inside, fracturing it—and in that split-second clash, Jiang Zhe experienced a higher dimensional resonance.

A stroke of divine luck!

Interpretations of such moments vary wildly—it's a classic case of "the wise see wisdom; the benevolent see benevolence."

Just like how Luo Feng later glimpsed into the genetic mysteries of the universe by studying celestial mechanics, so too did this realization stem from the laws hidden in nature.

Whether you can perceive such truths depends entirely on your own enlightenment.

—

Sitting silently, eyes fixed on the dancing droplets before him, Jiang Zhe's heart remained undisturbed—like a still lake.

But no matter how long he stared, he couldn't sense even a hint of that "slowness" from before.

All signs pointed to one thing:

There was no going back.

He could no longer merge "fast" and "slow" into a single contradictory Intent.

Yet, Jiang Zhe wasn't frustrated. He had expected this and accepted it calmly.

"Speed and slowness are fundamentally opposing forces. Trying to merge them at my current level is unrealistic. When I grasp the higher laws in the future, then I'll revisit this path. For now, focusing on the 'Speed' aspect alone is the most effective and beneficial approach."

With that, he rose from meditation.

He picked up his spear and began thrusting at the airborne droplets.

Each stab honed his understanding of speed, reinforcing it.

Faster.

Sharper.

More precise.

With every strike, his silver spear left trailing wisps in the air—phantoms of pure velocity.

Fast! Fast! FAST!

If you had been his opponent at that moment, you'd have witnessed a terrifying truth—

His speed was so unnatural, your brain wouldn't even have time to register resistance. You wouldn't even think to fight back.

---

By dusk, Jiang Zhe sat with his grandfather and uncle, discussing his progress and raising a bold request.

"I want to see more footage of Intent Realms involving wind, lightning, or light. Just videos are fine."

It was a gamble—but a calculated one.

He was betting on which lesser law his body was most attuned to.

After all, the Intent of Speed clearly aligned with the Time element. And all three—wind, lightning, and light—shared elements of extreme speed.

If his physical attributes leaned toward the Time path, then this exposure would be like a middle-schooler studying high school material in advance.

But…

"If Heaven plays a joke on me and I end up with a Space-element physique after breaking through to the Planetary level… so be it."

"I can afford this sunk cost. At worst, I'll pivot to training my domain. This Intent stuff can stay in the past."

While Jiang Zhe pondered all this, his grandfather and uncle exchanged glances, both with a trace of regret in their eyes.

But they didn't voice it—instead, they turned to his request.

"If it's just videos, no problem," Grandpa said. "But if you want live demonstrations… the cost would be steep."

"Just videos are fine for now, Grandpa."

His grandfather raised a brow.

"For now?"

He pretended not to hear that part, dragging Jiang Chengbo aside to handle arrangements.

Jiang Zhe returned to the cave with "Furnace Slag" to continue his gene energy training.

---

That night, a plan was quickly set into motion.

Jiang Chengbo contacted his younger brother—Jiang Zhe's father—asking him to log into the Wargod Palace system and post a high-profile bounty:

The Jiang Family is offering 2 billion Huaxia credits for footage demonstrating Intent Realms of wind, lightning, or light.

All Wargods are invited to submit.

Upon approval, rewards will be paid instantly.

Two billion credits.

That wasn't pocket change—not even for Wargods.

For comparison, killing a lord-tier mutant beast and selling its parts might get you anywhere from 500 million to 3 billion credits. But you had to risk your life for that.

Here? You just had to upload a video.

Nobody in their right mind would refuse.

After all, the Jiang family was backed by the HR Alliance and had real money and influence. No one thought this was a joke.

Even the top figures in the world wouldn't dare to insult or toy with all the Wargods like this.

---

The moment the bounty dropped, the entire Wargod Palace exploded with excitement.

Offline fighters were urgently called back by friends to witness this crazy announcement.

Inside a private box in the Wargod Palace:

"Old Wang, congrats! Your Wind Intent video fits the bill—you just earned two billion! Drinks on you!"

The speaker had long, messy hair and a sinister, cold face, yet his grin seemed out of place.

The man called Wang smiled and nodded.

"It shouldn't just be me buying drinks. Brother Li, your Light Intent also qualifies, right?"

Li shook his head.

"Forget it. I don't need the money—and I don't want the Jiang kid benefiting from my footage."

Wang's smile faded.

He realized the second half of the sentence was the real reason.

"You have beef with the Jiang family?"

"Not exactly. Just… competing interests."

The others at the table perked up, clearly intrigued.

Before Li could answer, a refined-looking foreign woman cut in:

"It's my fault. I'm running for CEO of Huaxia's HR division. The alliance is leaning toward backing the Jiang family instead."

Everyone looked confused.

Wasn't the HR Alliance foreign-led? Why would they give such a powerful post to a domestic clan?

"The Jiang family patriarch is rumored to be at Councilor level. The Alliance must show goodwill to secure his allegiance."

Hearing this, even Wang's smile froze.

He finally got it.

"In that case, I'm not submitting either. Between helping the Jiang family and backing my brothers, I choose the latter."

Li waved it off.

"You don't have to—"

"Don't say it. I support you guys. Besides, 2 billion? I can earn that with one expedition."

"Thanks, brother!"

They clinked glasses. Then someone asked:

"Hey, any idea why the Jiang family wants those three types of Intent footage specifically?"

"Probably for that genius kid of theirs," the woman said.

A burly man scoffed.

"You mean that punk from last month? He's barely a high-level warrior. Can he even understand such advanced material?"

"High-level warrior. Micro-level footwork. Estimated 2–3x power bursts. Those were his stats during the combat exam."

"What!? That's insane!"

"Is that even possible? It's only been like five days since then!"

"Monster!"

The room erupted in disbelief.

They all knew the Jiang family's infamous rule: no special treatment, no shortcuts.

Which made Jiang Zhe's talent even harder to accept.

Li tapped the table, silencing the room.

"Don't forget—they're only requesting those three Intent types. That confirms the kid's already grasped an Intent, and they're helping him refine it."

The mood turned serious. Everyone was thinking the same thing:

What kind of monster are they nurturing over there?

---

Hongning Base City.

In a private training room of the Extreme Martial Hall, Earth's strongest warrior—Hong—received the Jiang family's bounty update via virtual AI assistant.

"Wind… lightning… light… What's the link?"

"Interesting. The Jiang family's hiding something. But then again, who isn't hoarding ancient secrets these days?"

He chuckled.

"Send them the footage from when I fought with full power."

Lights dimmed.

Earth's #1 returned to cultivating his gene energy.

Kunlun Mountains – Valley of Death.

Dark clouds roared. Scarlet lightning tore the skies. No rain—just thunder and rage.

Inside a cave carved into a cliff, a bald, angelically handsome man read the bounty report on his tablet.

He touched his smooth head and grinned.

"That kid's already touching Intent? What terrifying talent!"

"But the more strong ones we have on Earth, the better. Just relying on me and Brother Hong won't cut it."

"Besides… his Intent aligns with mine—lightning! Shame the Jiang family won't let anyone take him as a disciple."

He snapped his fingers.

"Send them my full-power lightning blade video. Let that kid feel my speed. Who knows? He might be so awestruck, he comes crawling to me begging to be my student!"

"Hahahaha!"

---

Capital City – Platinum Han Club.

A twisted-looking youth paced anxiously around a coffee table.

When his comm-watch beeped, he snatched it up.

"Did you send the video? Did we track their location?"

"Yes, Young Master Wang. We traced the recipient to Taiyi Mountain Range. Jiang Zhe is definitely there training."

"Perfect! Then what are you waiting for? Send the location to the Glory Legion—I want Jiang Zhe dead!"

"Young Master… we spoke with them. The Glory Legion refuses. They won't go up against a Councilor-level protector.

"They've got two Councilors of their own! What's there to be afraid of!? I'll pay more! Kill every one of those Jiang family bastards!"

"Sir… our funds aren't enough. Councilors are extra. We can only afford Wargod-level mercs."

"Damn bloodsuckers!"

Eventually, Wang Li calmed down and paced slowly.

Then he remembered something—a relic his grandfather had gifted him. He'd used it before, but one was still left.

"I have it! I've got something that'll satisfy them."

"They want it in advance—in case they die during the mission and can't collect payment later."

"Fine! Come pick it up!"

—

Once off the call, the bespectacled man dialed another number.

"You'll get the item by 8 a.m. tomorrow. Confirm upon delivery."

"Also, our people have withdrawn from that African factory. You can take over now."

"Pleasure doing business."

---

That entire night, undercurrents surged around Jiang Zhe.

But he knew nothing.

The next morning, he awoke refreshed and resumed training his Intent-level spear technique.

His grandfather and uncle had already sorted and transferred the videos to a tablet.

A total of 106 clips—all Intent-level techniques.

61 wind-based

30 lightning-based

15 light-based

Among them were contributions from Hong and Thor—a surprise that thrilled Jiang Zhe.

Even his father had added footage of his own "White Tiger Wind Blade", which carried a fully realized Wind Intent.

Jiang Zhe began studying the clips one by one.

---

Meanwhile, his grandfather and uncle were quietly discussing the next step in his training.

"Dad, I know of a lord-tier beast that's perfect for Zhe to fight. It's really safe."

The old man frowned but didn't interrupt.

"In Huang County, there's a special beast king—Kui Niu King. Its underlings, those giant sea oxen, aren't that dangerous. Just right for Zhe."

"No. They use sonic attacks. Zhe's body isn't built to handle that yet."