Chapter 169: Xu Jingming's Tier! Turns Out He's Tier-3?

"Captain, what's the situation on Xu Jingming's end?"

In front of the Fierce Tiger Society private martial arts hall, Zhang Tong and the others, who had come up empty, hurriedly and anxiously asked their captain, Cai Ju.

The Jin Ning City Public Security Bureau had long issued a strict order: the Tianming Sect branch must be completely eradicated.

For this purpose, they had finally found these two leads that might help them locate the branch.

But unexpectedly, this had actually alerted them, causing one lead to be lost.

If the lead on Leng Chang was also lost in the pursuit, then the difficulty of finding the now much more vigilant Tianming Sect branch would greatly increase!

"He said on the phone that he's already found Leng Chang, but we don't know what the situation on the ground is actually like."

Cai Ju's expression was solemn. "Let's head over now and assist Xu Jingming in the operation."

As the captain, Cai Ju also understood the severity of the matter.

With a grand wave of his hand, he led his team members into the special vehicle and sped off rapidly toward the Blue Sea Tech Park.

"That's the boss of Blue Sea Tech Group? His aura is quite strong."

"He's also a peak Tier-2 ability user. Among those corporate bosses, very few have that kind of strength."

"Indeed, he should be the strongest corporate big shot in our Jin Ning City, right?"

"......"

When Blue Sea Tech boss Leng Chang appeared at the exhibition, he immediately drew hushed discussion from Lin Qingyuan and the others.

Just from his outward appearance, with his slicked-back hair and sharp suit, Leng Chang did indeed have a powerful aura.

Far better than the several pot-bellied corporate bosses present, by who knows how many times.

In fact, quite a few current students at Jin Ning City's ability universities—

All regarded Leng Chang, the corporate boss who possessed peak Tier-2 strength and controlled a massive enterprise like Blue Sea Tech, as their aspirational goal.

Lin Qingyuan was naturally one of them; otherwise she wouldn't have specially pulled strings through her uncle's connections to attend the exhibition.

Her greatest ideal was to reach peak Tier-1 upon graduation, then enter her uncle's company to work.

After accumulating enough experience, she would start her own company and replicate Leng Chang's path to success.

'Once Jingming graduates from Magic City University, he'll probably have this kind of powerful aura too, right?'

Subconsciously,

Lin Qingyuan's gaze drifted toward Xu Jingming, comparing the two of them side by side.

However, she was surprised to discover—

That Leng Chang, whom she had always regarded as her goal, even her idol—

Before Xu Jingming, seemed to suddenly lose all his charm, his radiance gone.

"Hm?"

Lin Qingyuan blinked her phoenix eyes, somewhat puzzled.

Although Xu Jingming came from Magic City Ability University, he was still only a freshman.

Whether in strength or in life experience, he was far inferior to Leng Chang.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't be having such a strange feeling.

But right now, Xu Jingming, casually standing there, actually had an even stronger aura than Leng Chang, that business magnate!

When Lin Qingyuan saw Xu Jingming's clear, limpid eyes, she finally found the reason.

It was the gaze!

Xu Jingming's and Leng Chang's gazes were utterly different!

Just like a carnivore versus a herbivore.

Even a newborn fierce-beast cub would dare to eye an old water buffalo that had been grazing for over a decade as prey!

And right now, in Xu Jingming's gaze toward Leng Chang, there was a gleam as if looking at prey.

Prey?

Lin Qingyuan found her own thought absurd.

Yet the next moment, she heard Xu Jingming's deep voice ring out:

"Class monitor, you all step aside for a moment. I have something I need to handle."

"Step aside? Step aside from what?"

The puzzled Lin Qingyuan had just spoken when an overwhelmingly powerful aura erupted violently from Xu Jingming's body!

Crackle-crackle~~~~

Accompanied by the dense sound of arcing lightning and thunder, dangerous yet resplendent golden Lei Ting coiled around his body.

As if subjects cheering and leaping in welcome of an emperor's arrival.

The next moment,

Under Lin Qingyuan's shocked gaze, Lei Guang flickered, and Xu Jingming vanished from the spot in an instant!

"Boss Leng, long time no see. How come you haven't been out and about lately?"

"Master Wu is as sharp as ever. With Master Wu around, probably no one can threaten you, Boss Leng."

"Of course. Master Wu's strength is in the very top tier of our entire Jin Ning City."

"......"

At the exhibition entrance, seeing Leng Chang arrive, the bosses all crowded around, wearing polite, conversational smiles.

As for the bodyguard beside Leng Chang named 'Wu Hang', plenty of people greeted him as well.

After all, this was no ordinary bodyguard, but a powerful mid-Tier-4 ability user.

In fact, back in the early years, plenty of people had offered high prices trying to poach Wu Hang over, but all had failed.

"Recently I've had some matters to handle over at the tower."

Leng Chang smiled and greeted several bosses, the atmosphere between them peaceful and harmonious.

But just then, a commanding voice suddenly exploded across the open-air exhibition:

"Leng Chang of the Tianming Sect! Surrender immediately!"

As the words fell, Xu Jingming's tall figure, his whole body wreathed in golden Doushen Shenlei, shot out from the exhibition grounds like a bolt of lightning and stopped not far in front of Leng Chang.

He stood there with an upright posture, gripping a 2.1-meter-long Azure Sky Black Jiao Spear, his cold, sharply black-and-white eyes looking over.

"After investigation by the Jin Ning City Public Security Bureau, Leng Chang of Blue Sea Tech is connected to the Tianming Sect. All unrelated persons, leave immediately!"

After speaking, he looked again at the bodyguard beside Leng Chang: "Please wait to one side for investigation. If you choose to continue protecting Leng Chang, you will be treated the same as a Tianming Sect follower."

Xu Jingming was never someone who couldn't tell right from wrong; if the bodyguard had no connection to the Tianming Sect, there was no need for him to make a move.

"The Tianming Sect? Leng Chang is actually a member of a cult?"

"Holy shit! No way?!"

"The Public Security Bureau people are already here — how could it be fake?!"

"......"

Everyone present had not yet recovered from the sudden turn of events.

But upon hearing the term Tianming Sect, several bosses who had originally been standing relatively close to Leng Chang were so startled that they hurriedly pulled five or six meters away from him.

Among them was Lin Qingyuan's uncle, Lin Hai.

"Sorry, I only know I'm Boss Leng's personal bodyguard. I don't know anything about any Tianming Sect."

Facing Xu Jingming's sudden aggression, the bodyguard Wu Hang was first slightly stunned.

After sensing Xu Jingming's rank aura, a cruel, mocking smile inevitably appeared on his face:

"But has your Public Security Bureau run out of people? Sending just a little third-tier weakling to investigate my boss?"

Some time ago, after the state issued the execution order, every province and city began madly spreading the cult nature of the Tianming Sect.

After this round of operations, even ordinary citizens knew about the Tianming Sect.

Wu Hang, as a fourth-tier mid-rank ability user, could not possibly not know.

And these words of his undoubtedly revealed his identity outright.

Wu Hang's voice was not deliberately concealed.

Upon learning Xu Jingming's rank, most of those present were not surprised.

After all, the other party was from the Public Security Bureau; having third-tier was perfectly normal.

But Lin Qingyuan and the others, who knew Xu Jingming's background well, were dumbfounded.

Xu Jingming wasn't actually first-tier — he was third-tier?!

"Are top-tier universities this monstrous? He's been enrolled less than one semester, and they've already trained an awakener into a third-tier ability user?"

One of them swallowed hard.

They even felt that the news hit harder than learning Leng Chang was a member of the Tianming Sect.

And Lin Qingyuan, amid her shock, couldn't help but knit her willow brows tightly.

Even if Xu Jingming was third-tier lower-rank, facing a fourth-tier mid-rank bodyguard, he simply couldn't win......

"Looks like you're Tianming Sect too. Then I'll deal with you together."

Xu Jingming at the very front of the exhibition naturally didn't know what Lin Qingyuan and the others were thinking. Seeing the bodyguard reveal his identity,

he no longer hesitated. His spatial ring flickered slightly; a black recorder appeared in his left hand, then was flung straight into the air:

"Eva, activate mission recording."

"Eva, roger."

The recorder in mid-air changed form, switching into a drone form.

Hovering in the air, it used its camera to film all the scenes below.

Humans were after all different from fierce beasts; even Xu Jingming, during a mission, could not kill at will.

Using this recorder to record the battle footage could afterward serve not only as proof of mission completion, but also as proof that everyone he killed deserved to die.

"Deal with me? Who gave you the courage to talk to me like that?"

The bodyguard Wu Hang across from him was almost amused into laughter by Xu Jingming's arrogant tone.

He snorted coldly, drew a greatsword from his spatial ring, and immediately activated his Enhancement-class C-rank ability!

His entire skin flushed red, his body suddenly swelled a size larger, his powerful physique on full display!

Immediately after,

his muscular calves tensed slightly, and in an instant he covered more than six meters, arriving before Xu Jingming, the greatsword raised high:

"Die! Blood Tiger Slash!"

Roar!

Crimson qi and blood coiled around the greatsword, and accompanied by a towering roar like that of a great tiger, he brought the blade down in one slash!