Self-Defense?

Jiang Wei's gaze was sharp and piercing. Had an ordinary person been subjected to it, they would feel the suffocating sensation of a sword edge pressed against their throat, enough to haunt their dreams for nights to come. Such was the spiritual will of a formidable martial artist. When martial arts approached the divine, one's will became like a blade capable of intimidating the soul—and this was precisely what it referred to. "No," Fang Yu replied, shaking his head firmly. After all, he was a martial artist capable of slaying a Level 30 savage beast, and his spiritual force was nearly Level 30 as well, allowing him to withstand the pressure of Jiang Wei's spiritual will. The heart of a true martial arts powerhouse was as unyielding as steel; their body could be destroyed, but their soul could not easily be cowed! Moreover, the members of the Scarlet Flame Squad had long anticipated various scenarios. They had repeatedly conditioned and scrutinized their own thoughts, drilling into themselves that "a savage beast killed Xia Tao." "Hmph! No?" Jiang Wei let out a cold snort. "The instant Xia Tao died, four members of your Scarlet Flame Squad suffered an immediate deduction to your coefficient scores. And you're telling me it has nothing to do with you?" "Martial Uncle!" "I wouldn't dare hide anything from you," Fang Yu said in a low voice, his eyes reddening slightly. "We indeed had a feud with Xia Tao, and a clash broke out between us. I even wanted to kill him. But there was a reason for it—we were forced into a corner... Besides, Xia Tao's death was caused by a savage beast attack. The responsibility doesn't lie with us. "Even if this is investigated, we were acting in self-defense," Fang Yu added. "Oh? A savage beast attack? Self-defense? Speak!" Jiang Wei's expression softened considerably. "In the beginning, Xia Tao led his people to snatch our Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, which we later reported under our real names," Fang Yu said. "Then, at eight this morning in the North Cliff Mountains, the Black Ice Squad provoked a pack of wind wolves. While fleeing for their lives, they ran into our squad and several other martial artist squads... They deliberately injured civilian martial artists, using their lives to stall the wind wolves." Jiang Wei listened in silence. This matched Teacher Li's deduction and explained why Xia Tao's coefficient score had dropped. "Afterward..." "They deliberately steered the wolf pack toward us..." Fang Yu recounted the general sequence of events, using purely the truth without fabricating a thing. "Fortunately!" "I awakened my Star Aspect yesterday, and my strength surged dramatically," Fang Yu continued. "During the fierce battle against the wind wolves..." "Stop!" Jiang Wei suddenly cut him off, urgently pressing, "You just said you awakened your Star Aspect yesterday? What rank is it?" "A Middle-Rank Star Aspect, the Crimson-Scaled Snake," Fang Yu said. Fang Yu had never revealed his concealed Star Aspect. The main reason was that before becoming an Earth Martial Artist, a Star Aspect could not be directly detected except during its initial awakening... Every evaluation determined it purely through a martial artist's efficiency in absorbing star force. On the other hand, during the first stage of the awakening, when his consciousness had entered that mysterious starry expanse—and especially when his second innate divine ability, Disguise, had manifested—Fang Yu had formed many more conjectures... Across that boundless cosmos, Upper-Rank Star Aspects seemed not to be limited to just twelve kinds, and his own Star Aspect appeared to stand far above even the Upper-Rank Star Aspects. Why was his second innate divine ability Disguise? What was the reason? As far as Fang Yu knew, any creature's disguise was, in all likelihood, meant to evade enemies... Once his true Star Aspect was exposed, it might very well attract unfathomable adversaries. Therefore, from that moment on, Fang Yu had resolved that unless absolutely forced to, he would not expose the secret of his Star Aspect for the time being. At the very least, he had not reached a dead end yet. "Crimson-Scaled Snake? A Middle-Rank Star Aspect?" Jiang Wei's face first showed pleasant surprise, though a faint, barely perceptible trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes. "How many star acupoints? Roughly what Life Level did the initial awakening boost you to?" "Forty-six star acupoints," Fang Yu replied without withholding anything. "My Life Level should be a little over Level 26 now." Fang Yu knew full well that the stronger he was right now, the higher his value would be, and the greater his influence on the upcoming judgment. "Forty-six star acupoints? Life Level 26?" Jiang Wei's eyes lit up. "Are you sure?" "You can test me, Martial Uncle," Fang Yu said at once. "Good! A fine awakening!" A rare smile broke across Jiang Wei's face. "Go on." Fang Yu resumed his account. Upon hearing that Fang Yu had slaughtered the wolves single-handedly and ultimately slain the fiery-eyed black wolf, Jiang Wei looked thoughtful. "No wonder your coefficient score soared so drastically." Suddenly, he frowned. "Wait, that's not right! You're only Level 26. Even with saber Entering the Minute, you managed to face an entire wolf pack without suffering a single injury? "That fiery-eyed black wolf was cunning—why didn't it flee?" Jiang Wei stared intently at Fang Yu. "Martial Uncle," Fang Yu said respectfully, "at the time, I was indeed pushed into a desperate corner. Between life and death, I had an epiphany and mastered the Entering the Minute secret technique Flowing Shadow, the ultimate lethal strike of the Flowing Light Saber technique. "With that Entering the Minute secret technique, the sudden explosive burst gave the fiery-eyed black wolf no time to escape," Fang Yu explained. Jiang Wei was stunned. Before coming here, he, Teacher Li, and Associate Professor Tang had speculated that Fang Yu had most likely awakened a Star Aspect; otherwise, his coefficient score would never have skyrocketed like that. Yet, an Entering the Minute secret technique? "Can you verify that?" Jiang Wei asked in a low voice. "Yes." Fang Yu gave a firm nod. "Good," Jiang Wei said. "Continue. If Xia Tao fled, how did he end up dead?" "After slaying the fiery-eyed black wolf, we didn't dare linger and immediately set out on our return journey," Fang Yu recounted the 'truth,' a look of indignation on his face. "Along the way, we ran into Xia Tao. Not only did he try to seize our Star Jade, but he also blamed us for the drop in his coefficient score and demanded the pelt of the fiery-eyed black wolf. When we refused, he directly attacked... I was forced to defend myself. "At the time, I had overexerted my Dark Force. Even with my teammates doing everything they could to assist, we could barely hold him off. "Right at that moment, a silver shadow leopard—suspected to be over Level 30—suddenly appeared and attacked him... I took advantage of the chaos to escape," Fang Yu said gravely. "Shortly afterward, I received the notification that our coefficient scores had dropped, and that was when I guessed he had died." This was the account Fang Yu and the others had prepared. Shifting all blame completely away from themselves was unrealistic. Nor could they claim they had struck first. Therefore, they needed to frame their actions as self-defense while pinning the direct cause of death onto a high-level savage beast, the silver shadow leopard. "I see," Jiang Wei said thoughtfully. "Do you have evidence for everything you just said about Xia Tao's actions? This is extremely important." His attitude had already shifted. "During the battle against the wolf tide, it wasn't just our Scarlet Flame Squad present. I rescued two members of the Black Ice Squad, and they can testify. However, I don't know whether they'll be willing to tell the truth," Fang Yu said. "That's not for you to worry about," Jiang Wei said, shaking his head. "What about your clash with Xia Tao? Can any martial artists from other squads testify to that?" "No," Fang Yu offered a bitter smile. Jiang Wei closed his eyes in contemplation. Fang Yu tactfully remained silent. A full minute passed. "Fang Yu, I believe you acted in self-defense," Jiang Wei finally spoke, his voice quiet. "I've reviewed Xia Tao's entire dossier. He robbed and injured quite a few people; a prison sentence wouldn't have been too harsh for him... But no matter what, he is dead now. "And you are the primary suspects. "Even if I believe your statements, and Associate Professor Tang believes them... the Xia family might not." Jiang Wei looked at Fang Yu. "And even if the Xia family buys this explanation, they won't necessarily accept it quietly. "Xia Tao's uncle is named Xia Kaishan, a Level 49 Earth Martial Artist who once served as the general manager of Polar Star Group's Huanchuan City branch. He is a rather ruthless man," Jiang Wei said slowly. "Xia Kaishan has no children of his own, and his only brother has passed away, leaving behind just two sons: Xia Tao and his older brother, Xia Zhou. Xia Zhou never awakened a Star Aspect and is currently in business... Xia Tao possessed decent talent, so Xia Kaishan groomed him with great focus. "That was also what fostered Xia Tao's arrogant, overbearing temper." Those words made Fang Yu fully realize just how much trouble he had stirred up. In the eyes of that Earth Martial Artist Xia Kaishan, Xia Tao was likely no different from an only son. "Please guide me, Martial Uncle," Fang Yu said respectfully. Since Jiang Wei had come to receive him in person and shared so much with him privately, he was most likely willing to help. "Once everyone's statements are taken and an initial investigation report is drawn up, I will do my best to mediate on your behalf," Jiang Wei said slowly, "and strive to close the case as self-defense."