187: Chapter 184 Past Events! Improvement in Strength

"Compare with the city mayor?" Fang Yu was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Grandfather, there is no direct comparison. I don't have the authority to directly decide a matter in Wuling City."

"The Patroller position I currently hold does not have a defined title."

"However, Xing Ye, the general manager of the Tieshan Group's Wuling City Branch, is now considered my subordinate," Fang Yu stated directly. "I can directly decide his stay or departure."

Although he wasn't sure why his grandfather was asking, Fang Yu guessed there must be a reason, so he decided to tell the truth...

Previously, Fang Yu had only told his father and the others that he had become a Disciple under a Starry Sky Martial Artist.

He had never revealed the specific authority he held.

"Deciding Xing Ye's stay or departure with a single word?" Fang Zhiyuan and Fang Pingan were both shocked.

Especially Fang Pingan.

He knew very well that as a Starry Sky Martial Artist's Disciple, Fang Yu's status might be very high, but that didn't mean his authority was massive... There was a fundamental difference between the two.

Previously, Fang Pingan thought Xing Ye kept such a low profile out of awe for Fang Yu's identity.

Now it seemed Fang Yu actually wielded some practical authority.

"Alright," Fang Pingan said. "Then I'll speak directly... This matter isn't big, but it isn't small either. Do you remember where our hometown is?"

"Shanhuang County," Fang Yu answered directly.

Fang Yu was still aware of his Family's origins... However, his Family rarely returned to their hometown; in Fang Yu's memory, they had only gone back once.

"Mhm."

"Then do you know why your great-grandfather wasn't buried back in our hometown when he passed away all those years ago?" Fang Pingan sighed softly.

Fang Yu was stunned.

Was there such a thing?

That happened decades ago, how would he know?

"You father, stop beating around the bush with Xiao Yu, let me tell it," Fang Zhiyuan frowned and said. "Xiao Yu, actually the matter is very simple. When your great-grandfather passed away back then, he left behind a large sum of money, and I was someone who couldn't handle things... Therefore, many people in the main hall of the Family grew envious of this money and came up with all sorts of excuses to borrow it."

Fang Yu listened quietly.

He had heard whispers of these matters.

"Later on, I claimed that I was a prodigal who had squandered all the money away, cutting off their thoughts," Fang Zhiyuan shook his head and said. "Because of that, I offended them... Taking advantage of the excuse that our household registration had long since been moved away, they divided up all of our Family's mountainous land and forests in our hometown."

"Even."

"They didn't allow your great-grandfather to be buried back in the hometown," Fang Zhiyuan said with a very calm expression. "Therefore, your great-grandfather was buried in a public cemetery later on."

Fang Pingan's eyes turned slightly red.

Fang Yu sighed inwardly. He could tell that his grandfather didn't take this matter as heavily... but his father had always remembered it.

Fang Yu could also understand.

His father had always had a deep bond with his great-grandfather; otherwise, he wouldn't remember his great-grandfather's dying wish so dearly.

"Dad, what do you want me to do?" Fang Yu asked.

"The mountainous land and fields in our hometown have no meaning to us, and I don't want to fight for them anymore," Fang Pingan shook his head and said. "However, being buried back in the hometown by his parents' side was one of your great-grandfather's dying wishes..."

"The current resistance comes from that group of distant relatives in the hometown, right?" Fang Yu asked again.

"Considered so," Fang Pingan said. "The Family that caused the biggest fuss back then—by seniority, you can call him 'Sixth Grandfather'. Their Family later produced quite a few people, including Senior Martial Artists and those who entered officialdom... I investigated long ago, and the one with the highest position now has reached the magistrate of a neighboring county."

Fang Yu nodded slightly. No wonder.

A magistrate managed an entire county's territory, holding immense authority.

Otherwise, logically speaking, even without him, with the passage of time and the connections his father had cultivated over the years, relocating the grave back shouldn't have been that difficult.

So there was this layer of connection.

"Alright!"

"Havens." Fang Yu looked directly at Havens.

"Patroller, please speak," Havens bowed slightly.

"For this matter, immediately contact Xing Ye and Wu Nian and arrange for people to handle it," Fang Yu said calmly. "I hope that before I leave for the Primal Star, this matter can be mostly settled."

"Tell Wu Nian."

"In this matter, whoever creates obstacles, don't blame me for being impolite," Fang Yu's voice was calm. "But don't use this opportunity to escalate the situation either; I just want my great-grandfather to be grandly reburied back in our hometown."

"Understood," Havens nodded.

Whoosh!

His figure moved, and he silently vanished from the martial arts room.

"Xiao Yu," Fang Zhiyuan couldn't help asking, "When are you going to the Primal Star?"

"Leaving on the 9th," Fang Yu said.

Leaving on the 9th? Fang Pingan and Fang Zhiyuan aside were both stunned. Calculating the time, it was already the early morning of the 7th. Could it be handled in two days?

"Dad."

"Grandfather, if it's fast, Havens will discuss the details with you during the day," Fang Yu smiled and said. "As long as Wu Nian doesn't want to provoke me, a minor matter like this can be completely sorted out by the 8th at the latest."

"Wu Nian? Wu Nian?" Fang Pingan murmured, his eyes widening instantly. "Xiao Yu, the Wu Nian you mentioned, is he City Mayor Wu?"

"Mhm."

The next day, which was the noon of the 7th.

Not long after Fang Yu returned home after hosting a banquet for Chairman Wang XunDao.

Wu Nian came to visit in person. Accompanying him were several members of the Family who currently held the highest positions... By blood relations, they were all distant relatives of Fang Yu.

Everything went very smoothly.

Everyone's attitude was exceptionally good... Those distant relatives were extremely enthusiastic, with very humble postures, and even proactively reviewed themselves and apologized.

However, Fang Yu didn't pay them much mind.

He saw through those distant relatives' thoughts like a torch and felt even more disgust in his heart. Naturally, he wouldn't give them a chance to leverage his influence... To Fang Yu, doing this was simply to satisfy his father and grandfather.

As for the Fang Family? What did that have to do with him?

On the evening of the 7th, Fang Yu hosted a separate banquet for Senior Brother Dong Xin.

"Junior Brother."

"I really didn't expect that after muddledly spending a few years in Tieshan Group, when things came to a head, no one could be relied on, and I actually ended up troubling you," Dong Xin said with considerable emotion.

Fang Yu smiled.

What Dong Xin spoke of was precisely the trouble he had encountered not long ago... The general manager of the Tieshan Group's Wuling City Branch whom he followed, General Manager Yan, had his backer collapse shortly after taking office and was subsequently transferred away.

As an Earth Martial Artist, even if General Manager Yan lost his position, he wouldn't have it too bad... Meanwhile, Dong Xin, who had entered the Audit and Inspection Investigation Team under his orders, had long since secretly offended a large group of people within the city branch.

While General Manager Yan was around, these people dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak out.

Following General Manager Yan's departure, Dong Xin naturally faced all sorts of harassment and retaliation... In the end, it was Fang Yu who ordered Tang Kui to contact Xing Ye for help, allowing Dong Xin to safely pass the hurdle.

At least, no one dared to openly cause trouble anymore.

"Senior Brother, between us brothers, there's no need to say so much," Fang Yu shook his head and said. "If not for Senior Brother, I wouldn't have risen so quickly later on."

The two of them had a good relationship since childhood.

Furthermore, if Dong Xin hadn't recommended him to Senior Martial Uncle Jiang Wei, back then Fang Yu would have found it very difficult to get the Huguang Elite Contract.

"Haha, that's because your talent is good. What counts that little help of mine?" Dong Xin said with deep emotion. "If Aunt Bai could see your talent, strength, and status today, who knows how happy she would be."

Fang Yu's eyes dimmed slightly.

The Aunt Bai in Dong Xin's mouth was naturally Fang Yu's mother, Bai Qing.

"Right."

"Fang Yu," Dong Xin changed the subject, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Today, Grandmaster specifically called me, wanting me to inquire with you... if you are willing to have a meal together? He is currently in Huguang."

"Grandmaster? Pei Fan?" Fang Yu fell into deep contemplation.

His mother's Master was named Pei Fan, who used to teach at Huguang Martial Arts University and was also a top-tier Earth Martial Artist. In terms of strength, he was quite impressive among Earth Martial Artists. Teacher Jiang Wei was his Personal Disciple.

"There's no need."

"Please ask Senior Brother to relay to the elderly man on my behalf that I thank him for his concern," Fang Yu didn't hesitate much, shaking his head as he said. "It's just that I am currently busy with my Cultivation and truly have no time to visit. Let's talk about it in the future."

"Mhm, alright," Dong Xin said no more.

He could tell that Fang Yu's mention of the future was just an excuse; in his heart, he was unwilling to see him.

Dong Xin also understood the reason.

Xia Kaishan!

Half a year ago, when Fang Yu met with an accident at the Starry Sky Base and suffered persecution, if Pei Fan had been willing to step forward, with the connections he had accumulated... and if he had gone all out to protect Fang Yu, it might not have been impossible to contend with Xia Kaishan.

It was just that Pei Fan ultimately remained silent.

Pei Fan's choice was very normal.

Back then, Xia Kaishan went mad, and Fang Yu at the time was only his nominal "grand-Disciple" whom he had never even met, so naturally there was no emotional attachment. Anyone could understand why he was somewhat unwilling to help.

Except!

The cause of yesterday bears the fruit of today... Back then, Pei Fan chose to stand by with folded arms. Now that Fang Yu had risen and become a scorching hot martial arts Genius across the entire Huguang Province and even the Xia Country, how could he still care about a "Grandmaster" like Pei Fan whom he had never met?

"In terms of status within Fang Yu's heart, Grandmaster is probably far inferior to Uncle-Master Jiang Wei," Dong Xin sighed inwardly.

Originally.

There were quite a few Senior Martial Artists among his fellow Disciples who wanted to get acquainted with Fang Yu, and many had sent messages to Dong Xin... But seeing Fang Yu's attitude clearly, Dong Xin naturally tactfully stopped speaking of it.

Dong Xin saw things very thoroughly.

With Fang Yu's current status, he didn't need to care about him at all... Being willing to treat him to dinner alone and help him already showed great loyalty and affection.

If he lacked tact and demanded other things, it would instead ruin this bond, gaining less than was lost.

On the morning of the 8th.

The grave relocation ceremony for Fang Yu's great-grandfather, Fang Tiankuo, officially took place. The journey was over a hundred kilometers, and while the scale wasn't large, it was handled extremely properly.

Fang Long and Fang Siyue asked for leave to go along.

After finishing the ceremony, the whole Family returned to Wuling City.

In the days after returning home, aside from accompanying his Family and specially hosting banquets for Chairman Wang XunDao and Dong Xin, Fang Yu did not accept visits from anyone else, and most of his time was still devoted to Cultivation.

Late in the night on the 8th.

In the underground martial arts room.

"These Tier 2 Star Power battle armor and Tier 2 Fire Scale Blade have finally been completely refined and mastered," Fang Yu sighed with emotion in his heart. It was too difficult.

According to the data Fang Yu had previously searched for.

The Star Power battle armor and weapons used by normal Earth Martial Artists couldn't be considered refined at all; as long as one simply left a Mental Energy imprint, they could be used perfectly.

But Tier 2 Star Power battle armor and weapons were completely different matters.

On their surfaces, there were countless fine patterns. These patterns allowed Fang Yu to borrow the power of heaven and earth more easily... The premise was to thoroughly understand and remember the countless pattern structures.

Even with Fang Yu's strength and Mental Energy, it took him several days to truly remember and Master them.

"Whoosh~"

With a thought from Fang Yu, a massive amount of Star Power surged into every part of the battle armor. He saw that the Tier 2 Star Power battle armor, which was originally divided into eight parts—helmet, armor, left and right leg guards, left and right arm guards, and left and right boots—rapidly extended from the edges of each component until it completely wrapped around every part of his body.

Just like nanoparticles.

Even fingers and eyes could be completely wrapped.

"This is the Star Power battle armor."

"Once activated, it provides complete protection, which is much stronger than the battle armor used by Senior Martial Artists," Fang Yu sighed inwardly, understanding that this was also to cope with the invasion of Star Power.

If it didn't completely protect the whole body.

With the flexibility of Star Power, an enemy could completely use Star Power carrying toxins to erode in through the tiny gaps of the armor's seams...

"However, the eight components of the armor itself are fixed and cannot be damaged," Fang Yu understood this point in his heart. "The other parts of the armor are the extension of the 'armor particles' inside the eight parts combined with Star Power... If other parts are torn or damaged, you can just replenish the armor particles later."

Armor particles were contained within different components.

One had to leave a Mental Energy imprint on all eight components, perceive and refine them, and simultaneously combine Star Power with armor particles in order to deploy them.

"Havens, try it!" Fang Yu shouted. "Use Tier 46 strength and attack me with a battle blade."

"Yes," Havens strictly executed Fang Yu's order.

Whoosh!

A flash of dark blade light swept across in an instant. Fang Yu only slightly sidestepped, crossed his hands like cross-arms, and met it directly, instantly feeling a massive impact... Fang Yu only stepped back two steps.

This blade strike, which was enough to kill a newly advanced Earth Martial Artist, left no trace whatsoever on Fang Yu's arm.

"Haha!"

"It's just as stated in the manual," Fang Yu smiled. "Without affecting flexibility, whether it's surface toughness or the ability to weaken impact, the Tier 2 Star Power battle armor far surpasses the Tier 1 Star Power battle armor..."

"Too strong."

"With this Tier 2 Star Power battle armor, as long as my Star Power doesn't run out, even some Tier 49 Earth Martial Artists would find it hard to kill me," Fang Yu thought to himself.

Moreover!

As Fang Yu's life level increased in the future, the defense of the Star Power battle armor would continue to rise.

"Blade!" Fang Yu grasped the dark silver battle blade in his hand once again.

Not long after, late in the night.

Inside the Wuling City Branch garrison, within a special martial arts room covering an extremely large area.

"Clang!" "Clang!"

Boom! Boom! A tall figure radiating flames all over was engaged in a fierce collision with another burly figure who was also over two meters tall and pitch-black like ink.

Weapons clashed!

The air surged.

The power of heaven and earth surged tumultuously.

Streak after streak of silver blade light carrying fiery streamers crossed the sky, ghostly and peerless, forcing that black figure to defend with all his might and retreat continuously.

How fast were their moving speeds during the clash? Even a momentary burst could reach the speed of sound.

In the blink of an eye, the black figure had already retreated to the edge of the martial arts room.

Boom!

Havens suddenly radiated light-blue light all over, his strength and speed surging instantly as the situation reversed completely, fully blocking the flame figure's crazy attack.

After another dozen or so clashes.

The flame figure flashed and retreated dozens of meters, putting away the blade!

Whoosh! The head portion of the battle armor retracted by more than half, revealing Fang Yu's handsome face with a helpless smile: "Still can't win."

"Master."

"I am a Tier 49 Martial Artist, and my Star Core is also Rank 3," Havens said in a low voice. "Master has just been promoted to an Earth Martial Artist not long ago, yet you can force me to use a Star Power secret technique."

"Even placed back in the ancient Sea Scale Civilization, you would be a top-tier Genius figure."

PS: The second chapter will be a bit late.