"You’re full of shit!" A refined iron staff suddenly appeared in Jia Fang’s hand. The aura of a First-Layer Earth Martial Artist surged out like a tide. "Lin Xiong, a piece of trash like you wants to condemn me? You’re courting death."
As his voice fell, Jia Fang suddenly swung his staff. BOOM! Potent energy exploded outward. The terrifying Profound Qi cleaved a massive fissure in the hard granite floor. The crack spread, rapidly closing in on Lin Xiong, threatening to smash him into a bloody pulp with a single blow.
"Heh." Lin Xiong gave a cold laugh, and his battle saber suddenly flashed out.
CLANG!
The sound of metal clashing rang throughout the hall. In the next moment, Jia Fang was sent flying back in a sorry state. The webbing of his thumb split open, and his staff was flung into the air. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with disbelief. His body slammed into the rear wall, creating a large crater. Amidst the billowing dust, he fell wretchedly to the ground.
"You... You’ve broken through to become a Second-Layer Earth Martial Artist... How is that possible?"
He coughed up fragments of his internal organs, his eyes wide with shock. He couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
’Why? Why is Lin Xiong—the man even the Soul Master Tower said was incurable and only had ten days to live—not only alive and well, but has also broken through to become a Second-Layer Earth Martial Artist? Why?!’
Lin Xiong sneered. Before everyone’s horrified gazes, he stomped on Jia Fang’s Dantian. PFFT! Profound Qi erupted chaotically. Jia Fang, a First-Layer Earth Martial Artist and the esteemed Vice Commander of the City Guard, had his cultivation completely destroyed. He was now a cripple.
"Jia Fang, as the Vice Commander of the City Guard, I don’t have the authority to kill you. But since you’ve committed such evil, I will destroy your cultivation. After I’ve dealt with everything here, I will hand you over to the City Lord’s Mansion to determine your crimes." Lin Xiong’s gaze was cold. After breaking through to become a Second-Layer Earth Martial Artist, he had the confidence to do this. This was a world where strength was paramount. With his power as a Second-Layer Earth Martial Artist, no one would dare say a word about him crippling Jia Fang.
This was also the reason Jia Fang had dared to move against Lin Xiong earlier. If Lin Xiong had truly become a cripple, the City Lord’s Mansion wouldn’t have said much even if Jia Fang had killed him. A minor reprimand was nothing to fear.
THUD!
Steward Gou, who was standing to the side, was so frightened that he collapsed onto his backside, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Lin Xiong.
Lin Xiong shot him a look of disgust. "Men, take this son of a bitch away. After this is over, hand him over to the City Lord’s Mansion for judgment."
"Also, arrest Wang He and the others. Conspiring to murder a colleague is an unforgivable crime. Take them away, interrogate them under torture, and uncover the conspiracy behind this."
"Yes, sir!"
With the situation now clear, the hundred or so officers present knew what to do. A large group immediately swarmed forward and seized Wang He and his men.
"No..." Wang He, who had been so imposing just moments before, now screamed in terror. As City Guard officers, they knew all too well what "interrogation under torture" meant. It was a fate worse than death.
Lin Xiong said coldly, "Wang He, I advise you all to think carefully. If you confess all of Jia Fang’s crimes, you might still have a chance to live. Otherwise, it’s perfectly normal for a few people to die during an interrogation under torture."
The old Lin Xiong had been a total pushover. But after experiencing such dramatic ups and downs, he finally understood a principle: in this world, if you didn’t want to be devoured and wanted to die a good death, strength alone wasn’t enough. You also had to be ruthless. Only then would others fear you and not dare to harm your loved ones.
A series of commands were issued quickly, and under Lin Xiong’s direction, the situation was rapidly brought under control.
Just as Lin Xiong had arranged everything...
"Report!"
Suddenly, a City Guard squad leader burst into the hall. He was stunned by the scene inside for a moment, then dropped to one knee and announced loudly, "Reporting to Commander Lin, a patrol team has discovered that the Wang and Zhou families are urgently gathering a large number of Martial Artists, severely threatening the peace within the city."
"The Wang and Zhou families are gathering a large number of Martial Artists? Do you know what it’s about?"
"Reporting to Commander Lin, our investigation indicates that two direct descendants from the Wang and Zhou families got into a conflict with a student named Ye Xuan during the Xingxuan Academy’s final exams. Their cultivation was crippled. The Patriarchs of the Wang and Zhou families were enraged upon hearing the news and are preparing to mobilize their Martial Artists to go to Xingxuan Academy and demand justice."
"What? Ye Xuan?" Lin Xiong shot to his feet. "So, it’s you, the Wang and Zhou families. How dare you cause trouble for my benefactor."
"Men!"
"Here!"
"Mobilize all City Guard soldiers! Assemble immediately and follow me to Xingxuan Academy."
"Yes, sir!"
At his command, the City Guard assembled swiftly. An undercurrent of tension surged through Blue Moon City, ready to erupt at any moment.
「At this moment, in the Wang family estate.」
Patriarch Wang Hai and several elders were looking at Wang Fei, who was wrapped head to toe in bandages with only a breath of life left in him. Their faces were filled with rage.
"Outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous! That Ye Xuan from the Ye family has some nerve! If we don’t kill him, where is the Wang family’s honor? Where is our dignity?" Wang Xuan cradled his son, Wang Fei, his eyes bloodshot. His expression was as furious as a lion’s.
Wang Xuan had only this one son, who had shown astonishing talent from a young age. At sixteen, he had already broken through to the Tier One Spirit Martial Realm and was set to attend the Profound Spirit Academy in the Royal City next year. He was the family’s number one genius. After Wang Hai’s son, Wang Yue, was expelled from Xingxuan Academy, Wang Fei had the best chance of inheriting the Patriarch’s position among the younger generation. But now, all of that was destroyed.
"Damn that brat! I’ll slice him into a thousand pieces to quell the hatred in my heart!" Wang Xuan roared at the sky, his face contorted with fury.
"Brother, my condolences. Though Wang Fei has lost his cultivation, at least he is safe." Wang Hai sighed, patting Wang Xuan’s shoulder.
’On the surface, he looked quite sad and angry, but inwardly he was blooming with joy. Hahaha, that kid Ye Xuan is really something else! He actually crippled Wang Fei! With this, my son Wang Yue’s chances of becoming Patriarch have just shot up from ten or twenty percent to seventy or eighty percent! Hahaha.’
Previously, Wang Hai had been furious when Ye Xuan got Wang Yue expelled from the academy. But now, seeing Wang Fei crippled, he felt a sense of glee.
Just then, a Wang family disciple came to report, "Reporting to the Patriarch, the Wang family’s forces have assembled. Please give us your instructions."
"Patriarch, you must let me lead the team this time! I’ll make that brat pay!" Wang Xuan said sharply, his eyes savage.
Wang Hai frowned. "Brother, I know you’re angry, but Xingxuan Academy is not just any place. I’m afraid you won’t be able to control your emotions, which could put our Wang family in a difficult position. That would be bad..."
Wang Xuan looked up and roared, "Wang Hai, what do you mean by that? Hmph! When your son was expelled from the academy, you immediately mobilized the family’s power to attack the Ye family’s businesses and consolidate financial control. You think I don’t know? Now my son has been crippled, and you’re telling me to stay home? What is the meaning of this!"
Wang Hai’s expression darkened. "Brother, I’m also doing this for the family."
"To hell with your ’for the family’! Don’t you put on this phony act with me! I’m telling you, if you don’t let me go and slice that Ye Xuan into a thousand pieces today, I’ll risk it all and make your life as Patriarch a living hell!" Wang Xuan’s body trembled as he unleashed the cultivation of a Second-Layer Earth Martial Realm expert, causing the Wang family’s council hall to shake.
"Insolence!" Wang Hai’s gaze turned cold, and an even more powerful aura burst from his body. The reason Wang Hai was the Patriarch was not because of his cunning, but because he was the Wang family’s only Third-Layer Earth Martial Artist, the family’s strongest expert.
"Alright, you are both pillars of the family, and you’re both acting for the family’s sake. Why must you be like this?" The group of elders to the side spoke up.
"Wang Xuan, you are the most powerful figure in our clan’s second generation after Wang Hai. I know you’re furious, but you can’t let anger cloud your judgment."
"Wang Hai, as the Patriarch, you must also look after every member of the family."
"In this matter, we are dealing with Xingxuan Academy, so it’s not convenient for the Wang family to be too involved. However, a direct heir of the family has been crippled. If we do nothing, where will our Wang family’s honor go? Where will the dignity of the three great families go?"
"In my opinion, Wang Xuan, as the victim’s father, must make an appearance. Additionally, Wang Cong has always been cautious, so let him accompany Wang Xuan. That should be sufficient. Wang Hai, you are the Patriarch. What do you think?"
In the council hall, seven or eight family elders spoke up one after another. In the Wang family, regardless of age or seniority, anyone who reached the First Layer of the Earth Martial Artist realm could be appointed an elder and wield great power within the family. In all things, strength was what commanded respect.
"Since the elders have spoken, I have no further objections. In that case, Wang Xuan and Wang Cong will go. Wang Cong, you must remember: the purpose of this trip is to demand justice for the Wang family, not to become true enemies of Xingxuan Academy. You are only going for the boy named Ye Xuan, understand?"
"Rest assured, Patriarch. I understand."
"Hmph." Wang Xuan snorted coldly and strode out of the hall.
A moment later, the Wang family’s force of Martial Artists, led by Wang Cong and Wang Xuan, hurried towards Xingxuan Academy.
Meanwhile, a similar scene was playing out in the Zhou family. Two of the Zhou family’s experts also led a large number of their Martial Artists, meeting up with the Wang family’s contingent on the way to Xingxuan Academy.
In less than an hour, the forces of the two families had completely surrounded Xingxuan Academy.
Xingxuan Academy was located in a rather bustling area of Blue Moon City, with a great deal of foot traffic.
When the hundreds of Martial Artists from the Wang and Zhou families surrounded the entrance, they immediately blocked it off completely. The commotion also attracted many passersby, who gathered at a distance to watch. Eventually, more and more people congregated, completely paralyzing the entire area.
"What are you doing? This is Xingxuan Academy! Leave at once."
At first, the guards at Xingxuan Academy didn’t think much of it. But seeing the ever-growing crowd of onlookers, they finally stepped forward and shouted sternly.
"Hmph, what are we doing?" Wang Xuan’s face was dark as he roared, "My son, Wang Fei, was a student at your Xingxuan Academy, a man of outstanding talent! Why, then, did he return home today as a cripple with a shattered Dantian? Today, your Xingxuan Academy must give me an explanation!"