Swallowing the Stars: Reboot, The Eternal Serpent!

Chapter 15 Zha!

The fields on both sides of the railway have become barren, with weeds growing taller than half a person.

The village was dilapidated, with broken walls and ruins.

The roars of beasts rose and fell, and huge, brutal figures could be vaguely seen in the village.

Jiang Zhe, carrying a sack on his shoulder, surveyed the surroundings, his eyes filled with a sigh, revealing a look that seemed out of place for someone his age.

They quickly calmed down, their curiosity overwhelming them, as if what had just happened was merely an illusion.

"Forty years ago, I could travel by train, and I also carried a hiking backpack and a gun, traversing the wilderness and seeking the Tao in famous mountains and blessed lands..."

The old man walked ahead with his hands behind his back, looking somewhat forlorn. Suddenly, he shook his head and gave a wry smile.

"Why am I telling you all this? You haven't experienced it, so it's hard for you to empathize with me..."

"But, Xiao Zhe, remember this: when you have the ability, you must quell the beastly chaos and reclaim the lost land for humanity. We cannot be trampled on by beasts!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Zhe replied, "Grandpa, just watch, that day will come."

"Haha, I'll be watching. The future is yours."

It was visibly that the figure in front of him looked much more relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and he had "already passed through ten thousand mountains in a light boat".

"The old man truly saw hope in me," Jiang Zhe thought to himself.

But Jiang Zhe's answer just now was suspicious. He had his own ideas and wouldn't just act impulsively after his grandfather's words and rush to organize the extermination of monsters after advancing to the planetary level.

When will the Beast King and Beast Emperor be killed?

How do we deal with the remaining henchmen?

There are explanations for all of these.

Otherwise, should we just wait for these martial artists to have some free time and watch them fight amongst themselves?

Let them access the universe?

Wouldn't we need to buy Earth first, so that it has a legal status in the universe?

Many things are interconnected, and a single move can affect the whole situation; everything must be done step by step.

As Jiang Zhe pondered, the old man walking ahead suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and gestured with his chin towards the shade of a tree not far away.

"Xiao Zhe, here's a job."

Jiang Zhe looked in the direction of the sound.

It was discovered to be a large, yellow-scaled python coiled around the snake's body, estimated to be over ten meters long, as thick as an adult's thigh, and as large as a small car.

The old man wanted to test him, "Do you recognize him?"

"Yellow-scaled python, non-venomous, larger than its kind, adept at constriction, with astonishing strength and speed. The one in the distance is estimated to have the strength of a junior warrior."

"Good, your studies are very solid." The old man nodded approvingly. "It's probably at the peak of a junior warrior. I need you to kill it. Can you do it?"

"No problem," Jiang Zhe said confidently.

"Don't use mental power, use martial arts techniques."

"Know."

"Use the mace I gave you."

"Can."

Jiang Zhe readily agreed, but his strange tone made the old man feel increasingly uneasy.

Jiang Zhe weighed the golden mace in his hand, found a suitable center of gravity, and suddenly unleashed a burst of strength, transmitting it to his arm so that his muscles bulged, and hurled the golden mace out—

The trump card!

With seven times the force unleashed, the golden mace hurled itself, creating a sonic boom as it hurtled towards the dozing yellow-scaled python.

The yellow-scaled python was awakened, but it was too late.

Golden light burst forth even in its limited field of vision!

The snake's head, the size of a washbasin, was pierced by the golden mace, and then, like an exploded watermelon, only the headless snake body remained, writhing painfully on the ground.

Jiang Zhe's lips curled up in a satisfied smile.

But not this weapon against myself.

Instead, it was only visible to him that numerous points of light surged from the snake's body.

All of it was stored in the special runes drawn on his chest.

He drew that in his spare time at Villa A8, never missing an opportunity to elevate the level of his life's genes.

The old man glared at Jiang Zhe. "You used your trump card very well. Don't use it again next time."

"Okay, I understand."

Jiang Zhe didn't feel any regret. This thing was the same as a "surprise attack" in nature, and neither of them were conventional methods.

The old man added, "You looked cool when you threw it out, but you looked pathetic when you went to pick it up."

"Um...Grandpa, is it possible that I never intended to pick it up? You just mentioned that I'm a mentalist."

Done!

My actions seem to have caused Grandpa's CPU to overheat.

……

After the minor incident, the grandfather and grandson continued along the abandoned railway.

Actually, there aren't many monsters in the vast, desolate area, and they're not very strong. Encountering a low-level beast general-level python just now was like winning a hundred dollars in a scratch-off lottery.

The monsters are intelligent and they are afraid of human firearms, so they hide in buildings where there are shelters to use.

Small county towns are a paradise for beast generals;

In the city center, beasts roam freely, and the lord is the ultimate boss.

However, even a weak "sparring squad" has its own training methods. Faced with a group of high and medium-level monster soldiers, Jiang Zhe and his grandfather learn how to efficiently kill monsters.

In summary—"Effectively dodge, strike vital points!"

Hitting vital points is not difficult.

The old man only said a few words, but Jiang Zhe was able to perfectly implement them in battle.

He wields a mace in one hand and a shield in the other, engaging in true close combat.

Back, neck, limbs, lower abdomen, anus... these body parts that are prone to causing great harm are all his targets.

However, Jiang Zhe especially loves using the golden mace to shatter skulls.

"Effective evasion" is a subtle level of movement technique, which the old man has also trained to master.

—It's the kind of training where they take off your weapons and throw you, dressed only in combat uniform, into a group of high-level beast soldiers, tiger cats.

The protectors were powerful and played dirty tricks, leaving Jiang Zhe in a terrible predicament.

What?

You say you can't feel the immense terror of being between life and death this way?

Do you really think the three tubes of "water of life" that the old man brought were just for show?

The old man's attitude was clear: as long as you have a breath left, train like there's no tomorrow!

……

What should have been a two-day journey took the grandfather and grandson five days to reach the outskirts of county town number 0177.

Jiang Zhe was still carrying that sack of soybeans.

The old man hadn't told him what he intended to use it for, and hadn't taught him any more refined techniques for generating power in the "Dragon" and "Tiger" dual forms during the journey, nor had he mentioned spear techniques or whip techniques.

By the way, Jiang Zhe didn't even use the gun in these five days; it was just a decoration carried on his back.

But the gains in five days were considerable.

Jiang Zhe felt the surging energy stored in the special runes in his chest and revealed a joyful harvest.

"236..."

"What? You've killed more than that number, haven't you?" the old man asked, turning around in surprise.

"These are monsters of the high-level beast soldier rank or higher. I am a high-level warrior, so they are considered kills of the same or higher rank as me, which is worth recording," Jiang Zhe explained.

The real answer is that only the light points gained from conquering targets at the same or higher level of life can be considered a full meal.

"Quirk!"

"Psychic mages excel at quick kills. Let's see how long you can keep up the count. You'll definitely get annoyed after a short while."

"Look over there, about 200 meters away."

"A herd of armored bulls led by a mid-level beast general. You are permitted to use your mental powers. Let's see how long it takes you to slaughter them all."

There were at least forty or fifty armored bulls in that abandoned gas station, but Jiang Zhe was not afraid at all. As long as he could use his mental power, even if the number doubled, they would be nothing.

He attached his mental energy to the round shield, stepped on it, and flew toward the gas station.

Jiang Zhe's high-profile approach instantly ignited the group of irritable old bulls. Their mooing was like muffled thunder, deafening, and they rose up and charged towards him.

But in Jiang Zhe's eyes, they were just lining up to be shot.

Fifty meters, forty meters...

Jiang Zhe unsheathed the ten S-class throwing knives tucked behind his waist, leaving streaks of silver afterimages as they sped out, piercing through the heads of the armored bulls.

What should have been a magnificent scene of a herd of cattle galloping forward turned into a chaotic scene, with cattle falling one after another like wheat being harvested, their bodies still carrying the momentum of their charge, sliding more than ten meters away.

Even the high-level beast-soldier-class armored bull was powerless against his casually thrown knives.

Even the only mid-level beast general on the field had his skull as brittle as paper under the full force of his throwing knives.

Amidst the flickering silver light and shadows, the three-headed beast general-level armored bull, its eyes dimmed in panic and fear, lost its vitality.

This is the Spiritual Master!

In the early stages, the professional advantage is too great, and it is almost a massacre when facing martial artists of the same level. Only when you reach the stage of using the domain and comprehending the laws can you narrow the gap.

To Jiang Zhe's delight, the number of light spots rushing towards him did not decrease.

In other words, the "conquest" was not determined according to his spiritual cultivation level.

I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.

Killing the three-headed beast general and slaughtering more than forty high-level beast soldiers is considered normal and cross-level kills based on his life level as a high-level warrior.

This means he can "farm points"!

After Jiang Zhe flew back spotless, the old man glanced at the time on his communication watch.

"Less than two minutes?"

"Heh, a spiritual master, you truly live up to your reputation!"

"Xiao Zhe, I'll let you have some fun for a while longer. Once training starts, don't even think about using your telekinetic powers anymore."

As expected, mentalists are going to be banned.

Jiang Zhe shrugged and spread his hands, having no objection. After all, using the power of a mentalist wouldn't allow him to train; the only gain was those "spots of light."

A general-level mentalist and a planetary-level martial artist, working together, could wipe out all the monsters in this county.

The grandfather and grandson walked openly on the asphalt road in the county town, and anyone who dared to block their way or cause trouble was slaughtered!

Kang Chul enjoyed a delicious meal!

Upon arrival at their destination, the count had reached "723", including thirty-nine beast generals.

"Xiao Zhe, remember this place. This is a safe house belonging to the Jiang family."

As he spoke, the old man walked into the unremarkable six-story commercial building and went directly to the underground parking garage. In the empty elevator shaft, after sweeping away the thick layer of dust accumulated on the ground, the outline of a cellar door was revealed.

It's unlocked; you can just grab the edge and lift it up. The iron door is at least forty centimeters thick.

The safe house was large, with a living room, training room, storage room, and five living quarters. Most importantly, it had a generator, so it was bright and airy with electricity.

It's important to know that the apartment buildings in the base city are still under a "limited power supply" policy, and even in 2056, power shortages will not be uncommon.

The walls of the safe house are made of metal plates. Unless you're extremely unlucky and happen to run into a burrowing monster, you'll never encounter a safe house.

"Take a one-hour break, then come to the training room, and I'll begin instructing you."

"Okay, I understand."

After returning to his room, Jiang Zhe began to focus on cultivating the "Blueprint of Life," consuming all the accumulated light points and then erasing the runes drawn on his chest.

……

In the training room, which is ten meters long and wide.

Jiang Zhe first demonstrated the "Chicken Step" once, and the old man nodded in satisfaction, even asking him some details.

Of the three true forms—chicken, bear, and eagle—Jiang Zhe believes he has done the most perfect work, even surpassing the old man's level.

This has already been proven in front of the punching power testing machine.

After explaining the "chicken form," the old man had him practice the guiding exercises twice more, once each for the "Two Elements Stance" and the "Three Powers Stance."

"Is this going to be about the Gene Energy Cultivation Method?" Jiang Zhe wondered.

After his bloodline level was raised, the guiding technique no longer worked for him. He only skimmed through the two manuals after taking them back, without studying them in detail.

"Xiao Zhe, don't you understand?"

what?

What should I know?

Seeing Jiang Zhe's confused look, the old man shook his head and said, "Practice it again until you understand what I mean before you stop."

Jiang Zhe did as instructed.

First, walk through the moving pile "Three Talents Pile".

Then comes the static stance, the "Two Elements Stance" that stands like a tree.

But when he got here, Jiang Zhe suddenly stopped, looked down at his legs, remembered the "Chicken Step" and understood his grandfather's intention.

"Grandpa, do you mean I need to work harder on my legs and make my lower body more stable?"

The old man smiled and said, "That's right, you're a promising young man."

"These two are now guiding exercises, but they originated from the stance training of traditional martial arts. They are the foundation of a set of martial arts, and there is a saying that 'to enter the field, one must first practice stance training for three years.'"

"Our family's two SS-level secret manuals, the White Tiger Wind Blade, emphasizes upper body power and requires a strong root, so the guiding technique I paired with it is the Two Elements Stance, which requires a firm and continuous growth like a tree."

"As for the 'Six Harmonies Dragon Spear,' spear techniques! In addition to the spear techniques on horseback, you must pay attention to footwork, coordinating your steps with your waist and hips. The 'Three Talents Stance' is a perfect match for spear techniques. There are many intricacies involved, which I will explain to you one by one."

The old man demonstrated stance training to Jiang Zhe and brought out a long spear, explaining the techniques from several spear manuals.

That's all for today's lesson.

After the old man explained the key points of the two stance training exercises, he left Jiang Zhe to ponder them on his own in the training room.

the next day.

In the morning, we hunted monsters using martial arts techniques.

The old man would clear the area beforehand to ensure that each battle only had about twenty high-level beast soldiers and a leading beast general-level monster.

The count has accumulated to "813".

At noon, I practiced "Life Blueprint".

Jiang Zhe attempted to condense a second star on his right shoulder, and the progress was about 20%.

In the afternoon, we learned the power generation techniques of the two true forms, "Dragon" and "Tiger".

By nightfall, Jiang Zhe will be able to master them perfectly and reunite the five forces.

According to the values ​​displayed on the punching power testing machine, the force multiplier has reached 10 times!

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Xiao Zhe, I can't teach you how to generate power with your body."

"Here's my final guidance—it's time for you to find your own 'Xingyi' (形意)."

"You are still within my 'Form and Meaning' framework. Ten times should be my limit, but not yours."

"You must forge your own path and surpass me!"

Day three.

In the morning, they hunted monsters using martial arts techniques.

At noon, I practiced "Life Blueprint".

In the afternoon, we learned whip techniques.

But the old man only encouraged Jiang Zhe to learn about it and use it as a secondary weapon, while the main focus should still be on marksmanship.

Even now, he has never used a gun.

Fourth day.

In the morning, we hunted monsters.

At noon, I practiced "Life Blueprint".

In the afternoon, after much anticipation, I was finally able to learn marksmanship!

At this moment, Jiang Zhe finally understood how to use that sack of soybeans.

First, a 5x5 area is marked out in the training room. He stands in the center of the marked area, and soybeans are scattered around him. Then he needs to crush the soybeans with the tip of his gun.

Four thousand words, but I'm experiencing writer's block; I'm not very good at writing in the wilderness.

I have a lot to write about, but my instincts tell me that this part of the story needs to move on quickly and can't drag out the pace.

I'm torn between these conflicting ideas, and it's making me really upset.

Looking at the few sentences I had written in the outline, I fell into deep thought. I thought it would be easy to write, but who knew it would be so difficult to transition.

(End of this chapter)