Swallowing the Stars: Reboot, The Eternal Serpent!

Chapter 19: Undercurrents Raging!

The father and son were both professionals in teaching, so they didn't let Jiang Zhe look at their artistic conception again.

Because that would pollute Kang Chul, like a drop of ink falling into a glass of water, and Kang Chul might even gradually forget the word "fast".

All they could do was let Jiang Zhe sit by the pool, get soaked by the splashing water from the waterfall, and try to regain his previous state.

Jiang Zhe knew perfectly well that it was unlikely.

The same process of water droplets splashing down, that wonderful artistic conception will never be reproduced again. At that time, it was entirely due to the right time, place, and people working together.

You can even exaggerate the situation at the time—

The old man used the Water Element's Cold Qi to seal off the surrounding space, but a single water droplet happened to merge into it, then disintegrated the overall structure from the inside, shattering the frozen space. The collision of the two sparked a higher level of charm.

(Heavy fog!)

Ultimately, how to interpret it is a matter of "different strokes for different folks."

Just like how Luo Feng later glimpsed the mysteries of the gene level by observing the laws governing the operation of celestial systems.

The "Tao" is hidden in the universe and nature; whether you can discover it depends on your own understanding.

Sitting there, watching the splashing water droplets pass before his eyes, Jiang Zhe's heart remained as still as a mirror lake; he could not see a trace of the "slow" charm he once knew.

All signs indicate that he can't go back!

It is no longer possible to combine the contradictions of "fast" and "slow"!

Jiang Zhe wasn't particularly upset, as this was within his expectations, and he accepted the result calmly.

"Fast and slow are two opposing things that are difficult to combine. It will be most appropriate to consider it after I have grasped the laws in the future. At the current level of understanding, focusing on the path of 'fast' is the most correct and advantageous choice."

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhe ended his sitting still, stood up, picked up his spear, aimed at the water droplets splashing everywhere in the air, and thrust out a series of spear thrusts.

With each strike, he pondered the essence of "speed," consolidating and perfecting it, each shot faster than the last, leaving trails of silver afterimages in the air.

quick!quick!quick!

If you were standing opposite Jiang Zhe at this moment, you would find that it was a bizarre speed that left you unable to react and unable to muster the will to fight back!

In the evening.

Jiang Zhe discussed his artistic conception with his grandfather and uncle, and also made a request that was difficult to fulfill.

"I want to see more of the artistic conceptions related to wind, thunder, and light, just videos will do."

Making this decision is a small gamble.

Jiang Zhe is betting on which faction's subordinate rules his physique is more aligned with.

The concept of "fast" clearly falls under the time-based category, with wind, thunder, and light all embodying extreme speed.

Choosing any three of them represents the most correct growth path that embodies the concept of "speed".

If his physical attributes lean more towards the time-based type, then it will naturally be like adding wings to a tiger, equivalent to a junior high school student previewing high school knowledge.

But what if fate plays a cruel joke on him, and his physical attributes after reaching the planetary level are one of the five elements of the spatial faction...?

"I can afford this sunk cost. When the time comes, I'll turn my efforts to the field, and the artistic conception will be a thing of the past."

While Jiang Zhe was pondering, the old man and his eldest son exchanged a glance, both seeing regret in each other's eyes, before considering Jiang Zhe's request.

The old man agreed, "If it's just footage, no problem. But if you want to see them in actual combat, our Jiang family will have to pay a much higher price."

"Grandpa, for now, all we need is for them to show us the video that conveys the artistic conception."

The old man raised an eyebrow.

At present?

He didn't dare to reply, afraid that he would lose his entire fortune if he uttered a single word. He pretended not to hear and pulled Jiang Chengbo aside to make arrangements.

Jiang Zhe then took the "slag" back to the cave to cultivate genetic energy.

The father and son quickly finalized their plan. Jiang Chengbo called his third son, Jiang Zhe's father, and asked him to log into the War God Palace and post a bounty.

The Jiang family is offering 20 billion Hanxia coins to acquire video recordings related to the three artistic conceptions of wind, thunder, and light. They sincerely invite all war gods to submit their work, and a reward will be issued once the recordings are approved.

20 billion!

This is no small sum, even for the gods of war.

Killing a low-level lord-class monster yields materials that can only fetch 5 to 30 billion, but that requires risking your life.

Now, all you need to do is record a video and you can get 20 billion for free. Nobody would refuse that.

Given the size and influence of the Jiang family, as members of the wealthy HR alliance, no one would think they were joking.

Furthermore, is he toying with the global god of war?

Neither Hong nor Lei Shen dared to provoke such public outrage!

The announcement of the high reward immediately ignited the atmosphere in the virtual world's War God Palace.

Many people who weren't online were called on by their friends to quickly log on and check out the bounty.

Inside a private room at the Ares Palace.

"Brother Wang, congratulations! The Wind Artifact perfectly matches the Jiang family's requirements. You've gotten two billion for free. Remember to treat us to a meal after you get it!"

The speaker sat in the main seat, with long hair flowing down his back, and a strange smile appeared on his gloomy and indifferent face.

The man surnamed Wang, who was mentioned, smiled and nodded, in a good mood. "I can't just treat myself. Brother Li, you'll have a share too. Doesn't your artistic conception of light and shadow meet the Jiang family's requirements?"

The man surnamed Li shook his head. "I'll pass. I don't need the 20 billion, and I don't want the Jiang family to benefit from my video recording."

The man surnamed Wang became serious.

It wasn't a matter of lacking money; he knew that the second half of Brother Li's sentence was the key point.

"Brother Li, do you have a grudge against the Jiang family?"

"We have no personal grudges, but there is a potential competitive relationship."

Everyone at the banquet cast intrigued glances. Just as the man surnamed Li was about to explain, the white lady next to him spoke up first, "It's my problem."

"I want to compete for the position of CEO of Hanxia Kingdom, but the alliance is now more inclined to give the position to the Jiang family."

Upon hearing this secret, the puzzled look in everyone's eyes deepened.

It should be noted that the HR Alliance is dominated by foreign conglomerates, and they would never hand over the position of CEO of Hanxia Kingdom to a large domestic family.

Vinina explained, "The head of the Jiang family has displayed the strength of a councilor. The HR Alliance must make a statement and win over this powerful force."

"Then I won't release the video." The man surnamed Wang suddenly realized that he had to choose brotherhood over doing favors for the Jiang family.

"Brother Wang, you don't need to—"

"Brother Li, stop talking. Of course, I support you guys. Besides, 20 billion is just the harvest from one trip to the wilderness. I don't even care about it."

"Um... thanks, bro!"

"With our relationship like this, saying thank you would be too formal," the man surnamed Wang said reproachfully, then asked curiously, "By the way, Brother Li, Sister-in-law, do you know what the Jiang family uses these three types of artistic conception videos for?"

Vinina said, "It's probably for that little genius from the third generation to use as a reference."

During the banquet, a burly man resembling a bear asked doubtfully, "Is he the one who caused such a stir last month? Is he now at the advanced warrior level? Can he even understand such high-level techniques?"

Vinina said in a deep voice, "High-level warrior, microscopic movement technique, about 2 to 3 times the force, this is the approximate data from his martial arts combat assessment."

"What? It's fake, right?"

"Could it be fake news? Is the Jiang family deliberately releasing it to save face?"

"The martial arts combat assessment is on August 1st. In just five or six days, what kind of insane talent does he have?"

"monster!"

The people around the table gasped in surprise.

They all knew about the Jiang family's bizarre family rule, which is why they found Jiang Zhe's talent unbelievable.

The man surnamed Li tapped the table with his fingers, instantly silencing the noisy atmosphere in the private room.

"Don't forget, the Jiang family is responsible for specifying the types of artistic conception, which means that kid must have come into contact with artistic conception, and these three types of artistic conception help him to perfect his own artistic conception."

Almost none of those who can become War Gods are fools; they are all pondering, and the private room fell silent.

The man surnamed Wang tried to ease the tension by saying, "Brother Li, sister-in-law, how's Awei doing lately? He's the offspring of two war gods; his future martial arts talent might even surpass that of the Jiang family's brat."

When talking about their only son, Li Yao and Vinina both smiled.

……

Hongning Base City.

In a training room at the headquarters of the Ultimate Martial Arts Academy, Hong received a report from the virtual intelligence core, learning about the bounty offered by the Jiang family.

"Light? Thunder? Wind? Is there any connection between the three?"

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

"Interesting. I've long suspected that the Jiang family is hiding some secrets, but who hasn't received some legacy from ancient civilizations? Keeping it hidden makes them seem petty."

"Send a copy of the video of me going all out to the Jiang family."

After giving the instructions, the lights in the training room were turned off, and the strongest person on Earth continued to cultivate genetic energy.

……

Kunlun Mountains, Death Valley.

The sky was dark and thunder rumbled, but no rain fell; only scarlet lightning continued to strike.

Inside a cave on a cliff, a handsome bald young man flipped through a report sent by his assistant, scratched his head, and revealed a pure and innocent smile.

"Has that little guy already grasped the essence of the art?"

"This talent is truly terrifying!"

"However, the more powerful people on Earth, the better. We can't rely on just Hong Ge and me. Besides, the Thunder Intent... has an unusually high compatibility with me! It's a pity that Old Jiang just won't budge and won't agree to anyone taking his grandson as a disciple."

"Send him a video of me going all out, let that kid see how fast my Thunder Blade is. Maybe he'll be impressed by my spirit and come to me to become my apprentice."

"Hahaha……"

……

At the Buckingham Club in Kyoto Base City.

The young man with a sullen face paced anxiously around the coffee table.

The phone rang, and the young man grabbed the communicator from the table, answered it, and asked anxiously, "Has the video been sent? Have you located their address?"

"Young Master Wang, the video has been sent. The recipient's location has been pinpointed to the Taiyi Mountains. We can confirm that Jiang Zhe, a third-generation member of the Jiang family, is cultivating there."

"Hahaha!" Wang Li grinned maliciously and roared, "Then what are we waiting for? Send the location to the Glory Legion, I want Jiang Zhe dead!"

"Young Master Wang, I've spoken with them. The Glory Legion has refused to take action; they are unwilling to engage in a direct conflict with a councilor-level powerhouse."

"Damn it! Don't they have two councilors? Are they afraid of a newly promoted old dog? I'll add more money! Add more money! Kill all these scum who dare to steal my Wang family's property!"

The male voice on the other end reminded him, "Young Master Wang, we don't have enough money. We can only hire a War God level expert. Councilors are a different price."

"Damn it! These vampires! Vampires!" Wang Li cursed.

After his anxiety subsided, Wang Li said, "God of War... God of War will do. That bastard isn't even at the War General level, he'll be easy to kill. Go and contact a God of War who's willing to take on a job."

"Young Master Wang, actually, the Glory Legion already has two War Gods in place, staying in City 009. They just don't want to take action against Jiang Zhe, who is under the protection of a councilor."

"Unwilling? Are they truly unwilling, or do we lack sufficient leverage?"

The male voice from the communicator watch reminded them again: "Young Master Wang, after killing Jiang Zhe, they may not be able to escape from the enraged councilor-level expert. So this is their money to buy their lives."

"Relying solely on a small amount of Hanxia coins is far from sufficient!"

He advised, seemingly out of kindness, "Young Master Wang, why don't we wait a little longer? This is really too difficult. When will Jiang Zhe be able to go to the wilderness alone..."

Wang Li immediately rejected the idea, saying, "No, things could change in the meantime! Who knows when we'll have another chance? Besides, that bastard is a mentalist; once he advances to the intermediate-level warrior level, it'll be very difficult for us to kill him."

"And he is now a high-level warrior, a mid-level general-level mentalist!"

The male voice remained silent for a dozen breaths before asking, "Young Master Wang, what other bargaining chips do you have to sway these two war gods?"

Wang Li paced anxiously, panting heavily.

Suddenly, he remembered a treasure his grandfather had given him a few days ago, but since he had used it before, this one was left over.

"Yes! I have a treasure! I guarantee it will satisfy them."

"Young Master Wang, they asked for it in advance because they were afraid that if they died on the mission, they wouldn't be able to collect the debt from you."

Wang Li gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, come to me right now and get it!"

……

After hanging up Wang Li's call, the middle-aged man with glasses found a number in his contacts and dialed it.

"The items you requested will arrive by 8 a.m. tomorrow. Remember to inspect them."

"And that production line in Africa, our people have already left, you can go and take over immediately."

A laugh came from the other end: "OK, happy to cooperate!"

……

Unaware of the undercurrents that raged throughout the night, Jiang Zhe woke up refreshed in the morning.

Continue to hone your skills to the highest level.

The old man and his uncle had already organized the video and imported it into his tablet for him to view.

There are a total of 106 videos.

This includes movement techniques and weapon skills at the realm of artistic conception.

Wind-related imagery accounts for more than half, totaling 61 items; thunder-related imagery accounts for 30 items; and the remaining dozen or so items are light and shadow-related imagery.

Surprisingly, some of the messages came from Hong and Lei Shen, which delighted Jiang Zhe.

Of course, there were also those whose fathers practiced the "White Tiger Wind-Calling Blade," grasped the essence of wind, and gave their sons a boost.

Jiang Zhe began to review each item one by one.

On the other side, the father and son of the Jiang family talked about how to train Jiang Zhe.

"Dad, I know of a Lord-level monster that's perfect for training Xiao Zhe. There's absolutely no chance of anything going wrong."

The old man frowned slightly, but did not stop his son from speaking.

Jiang Chengbo continued, "Right in Huang County, there is a special monster king—the Kui Niu King. The sea cows under its command are not very dangerous, which is perfect for Xiao Zhe."

"No, they are good at sonic attacks, and Xiao Zhe's physical condition can't withstand it."

(End of this chapter)