Power Play

Inside the private room where Fang Yu was detained. "Legitimate defense?" Fang Yu listened to Jiang Wei's account in surprise. "Yes, that's what the preliminary report from the Martial Arts Inspection Department says," Jiang Wei said slowly. "Quite a few instructors were actually against it. They worried doing this would completely enrage Xia Kaishan—and that the fallout would be severe. "Associate Professor Tang stood her ground against everyone to get this report passed, taking on immense risk," Jiang Wei said with visible feeling as he looked at Fang Yu. "Once this is over, you need to thank her properly." "I will," Fang Yu nodded heavily. He had never expected Associate Professor Tang to champion his cause. They had no personal rapport to speak of. During the Junior-College-to-Undergraduate Upgrade assessment, she had openly opposed offering him a dedicated contract and had seemed rather cold toward him. *Perhaps she is what a truly great teacher looks like,* the thought surfaced in Fang Yu's mind. Throughout his life, Fang Yu had met plenty of teachers. Instructors like Yan Fu were far from poor educators and generally taught with diligence, but in the end, they all treated teaching as an ordinary job. Someone of Associate Professor Tang's character was a first for him. "Fang Yu, what was submitted is only a preliminary report. Even though Associate Professor Tang attached a separate explanatory statement, there's no telling whether Xia Kaishan will accept it," Jiang Wei said in a low voice. "You still need to be mentally prepared." "I understand," Fang Yu nodded. "Also, now that the preliminary report has gone up, the next step will be the formal adjudication. In a little while, I'll notify your family and Shengchuan Group," Jiang Wei said. Only after the preliminary report came out had he become convinced that Fang Yu was telling the truth, making him willing to reach out to Fang Yu's family on his behalf. "Thank you for your trouble, Martial Uncle," Fang Yu said. A short while later, Jiang Wei departed. Inside the sealed room, Fang Yu was left alone once more. *It seems my teammates held up under interrogation.* Fang Yu sat cross-legged on the floor. It was quite chilly against his skin, but he seemed not to notice as he pondered silently. *Makes sense. Everyone took part, so they have to grit their teeth and hold out. Besides... we really didn't deliver the killing blow to Xia Tao in the end.* He had to reinforce that psychological suggestion in himself over and over to withstand whatever questioning lay ahead. *Now, the first hurdle is cleared.* *Next, it depends on what that Earth Martial Artist, Xia Kaishan, decides to do.* Fang Yu's thoughts drifted. *Once Dad and the others hear the news, they're probably going to be worried sick about me.* Even so, knowing his family would worry, Fang Yu still had to ask Jiang Wei to notify them. If Xia Kaishan sought revenge, his wrath might not fall on Fang Yu alone, but on his family as well. Fang Yu doubted the man would dare make a move inside the city, but given his status and power, retribution was never restricted to brute force; there were countless insidious avenues at his disposal. *With Dad there, and with Siyue and Xiaolong signed to Star Radiance Group, their personal safety shouldn't be an issue once they know what's going on,* Fang Yu thought. He let out a long breath and worked to calm himself. "My mind is rattled," Fang Yu muttered to himself. He had to admit that facing a top-tier Earth Martial Artist like Xia Kaishan made it difficult to remain composed. *I might as well cultivate.* Fang Yu lay flat on the cold floor. Rather than trying to force his mind into stillness through concentration, he began relaxing bit by bit, unwinding completely from head to toe. This was not rest, but a unique method of cultivation. He was attempting to relinquish deliberate control over his body, bringing the circulation of his Dark Force to a halt, letting his vital energy and blood flow without restraint, and gradually releasing his command over his sinews, bones, and muscle fibers. In practice, this was exceptionally difficult. A martial artist at the Great Accomplishment of Entering the Minute had grown accustomed to controlling their body; even in sleep, they directed it unconsciously, as natural as breathing. Now, trying to relax completely only made the body tense up more easily. *Let go. Let go. As if I were already dead.* Fang Yu closed his eyes, his heart still as water. He pictured himself as a corpse, striving for that ultimate state of looseness. This was the Force-Yielding Origin-Returning Method, a technique for physical cultivation he had learned in his classes, and one of the many methods martial artists used to step into the Realm of the Inner Vista. The first step was yielding force, which Fang Yu was currently attempting. The second step was internal listening. The third step was shifting from listening to vision. Only by reaching that third step could one truly touch the threshold of the Inner Vista. Minute by minute, time trickled away. One minute, ten minutes, half an hour... Under this immense pressure, Fang Yu's inner turmoil instead settled into deep serenity. *I can't control what happens outside. I can only go with the flow.* *What I can control is myself—* Fang Yu's body gradually relaxed to the utmost. Without realizing it, he began to hear the murmuring rush of his bloodstream, the rhythmic thudding of his heart, the faint creaking of his shifting bones, and the gentle humming vibration of his fascia. *Internal listening.* Fang Yu relished the sensation. These subtle sounds within his body had always existed. In the past, Fang Yu had overlooked them, his brain tuning them out. Now, once again, he could "hear" them with crystal clarity. Fang Yu believed that if he kept at this, a qualitative transformation was only a matter of time. *** Wuling City, Ping'an Supermarket. "The inventory needs to be inspected once every day. Any food approaching its expiration date must be taken off the shelves according to regulation and moved to the discount section. As for cooked goods, do an inventory check every day before closing—" Fang Ping'an was inspecting a newly opened branch. Because the store was new, much of the staff had just been hired. Even with a store manager handling operations, Fang Ping'an still preferred a hands-on approach, dropping by for an inspection nearly every day or two. When running a business as the owner, if you weren't on the front lines yourself, it was all too easy to be kept in the dark by your subordinates. After finishing his round, Fang Ping'an stepped into the storage room, gulping down water from a bottle. *Fang Yu hasn't sent any word back for several days. I wonder how he's doing.* A child traveling far away always weighed on their parents' minds. As a father, his worries were no less than anyone else's; he simply rarely voiced them. A chime rang out as an unfamiliar number called his phone. Fang Ping'an answered. "Oh? Teacher Jiang? Hello, hello! Xiaoqing mentioned you back then, and Fang Yu has brought you up many times, but I've never had the chance to visit you properly." A trace of deference edged Fang Ping'an's voice. "Fang Yu is performing very well? Thank you so much, Teacher Jiang—" At first, a smile played across Fang Ping'an's face. When he heard that Fang Yu had awakened a Middle-Rank Star Aspect and was making rapid progress in his martial arts skills, excitement surged through his chest. But right after, Jiang Wei's next words struck like a bucket of freezing water, chilling him to the core. "Alright. "Legitimate defense? He can't be contacted right now? Understood! Yes! I'll take care of it right away." Fang Ping'an suppressed the fierce anxiety gripping his heart and hung up. "Boss?" The new store manager stood nearby, visibly at a loss. He hadn't caught much of the call, only picking up vague mentions that seemed to involve his boss's eldest son. Everyone knew the boss's children were exceptionally outstanding. "Run the store as usual for the next few days," Fang Ping'an said in a heavy voice. "Keep safety top of mind, and call me immediately if anything happens." "Understood." The store manager nodded repeatedly, guessing that something serious had happened with the boss's family. Fang Ping'an didn't bother offering explanations. He sprinted out of the store, got into his car, and sped toward the municipal branch of Star Radiance Group, placing call after call along the way. *** Meanwhile, Tang Jianxin had reconnected with Xia Kaishan. "Killed by savage beasts?" Xia Kaishan skimmed the entire report in short order. "And this Scarlet Flame Squad—especially this Fang Yu—you ruled it outright as legitimate defense?" Having read it, he could no longer keep the fury in his chest contained. His eyes were rimmed with bloodshot rage, looking ready to kill. "Tang Jianxin, I gave you face and held back until now, waiting for your report. And this is what you give me? "If this Scarlet Flame Squad had simply handed over the Star Jade, would Xia Tao have died? They're the murderers! They killed my nephew!" Xia Kaishan practically roared. "And you want to release them without charges?" "Senior Xia. "I understand your grief." Hearing his outburst, Tang Jianxin tamped down her own anger, maintaining a measured tone. "However, I hope you will read both reports carefully. Xia Tao pillaged fellow students and assaulted civilian martial artists—indirectly leading to the deaths of numerous civilian martial artists. That is a serious felony. "The members of the Scarlet Flame Squad are indeed connected to Xia Tao's death. "It isn't that I want to release them without charges, but that they were not the primary responsible party to begin with. I am merely adhering to the facts, and I hope you can understand that." Tang Jianxin took a deep breath. "If you accept this report, the university will downplay Xia Tao's prior offenses. But if you do not, I will have no choice but to pursue a retroactive inquiry into Xia Tao's conduct." "Are you threatening me?" Xia Kaishan's eyes turned freezing cold. A retroactive inquiry would tarnish Xia Tao's posthumous reputation, and might even reflect poorly on him as an uncle. "I wouldn't dare," Tang Jianxin replied, shaking her head. "Hmph! The boy is dead. You think I care about a retroactive inquiry?" Xia Kaishan sneered. "Fine, Tang Jianxin. You're Huguang Martial University's Senior Year Director, and this happened at the Trainee Base, so you hold the right of submission for the preliminary report. But how the Adjudication Department ultimately rules isn't up to Huguang Martial University." *Click.* Xia Kaishan severed the call abruptly. "Fang Yu?" "He's the primary culprit." Xia Kaishan's gaze was sharp and lethal. With his experience, he could tell directly from the report that the student named Fang Yu was the one ultimately responsible for his nephew's death. The others? None of them possessed the strength for it. In truth, Xia Kaishan wasn't entirely blind to the fact that his nephew had brought this on himself. But he was a man who answered every slight with vengeance, and his boiling rage demanded an outlet. Furthermore, he had deeper considerations. *No matter what... Tao is dead, and someone must be buried with him,* Xia Kaishan muttered to himself. Over the years, battling for power, status, and treasures on the Primordial Star, he had made countless enemies in the shadows. It was only through sheer ruthlessness that he had kept those hidden foes at bay. Xia Tao was the junior he valued most. If the boy died an unnatural death and he showed no response at all, allowing Fang Yu and the others to walk free, those lurking enemies would likely see it as a sign of weakness. If that happened, the rest of the Xia family would be in grave danger. Therefore, even setting Xia Tao aside, he had to strike back. He could not simply act as though nothing had happened. Quickly, utilizing Polar Star Group's intelligence network, a comprehensive dossier on Fang Yu was laid out before Xia Kaishan in under ten minutes. "His younger brother and sister both awakened Upper-Rank Star Aspects and signed with Star Radiance Group?" Xia Kaishan zeroed in on the most crucial detail. In his eyes, wealth alone posed no threat; only martial powerhouses with the potential to grow presented real danger. "Their home is in Wuling City? "Connect me directly to Earth Martial Artist Xing Ye of Star Radiance Group."