Chapter 168: Shock

"Lingyun, what is this?" Su Wanyue noticed Chen Jing's change and couldn't help but ask softly.

"It's just to prevent some rats hiding in the dark from eavesdropping!" Lingyun waved his hand.

At the same time, he was also considering in his heart that he should improve the Array in his room. Previously, due to his insufficient strength, the Array he had set up was not very strong, and the control of the Array had been handed over to Ye Xi, who had the greatest strength. However, Luo Yexi was not very familiar with this kind of Array after all; if the person who activated the Array just now had been him, Chen Jing would definitely not have felt anything unusual.

"Eavesdropping rats?" Chen Jing frowned slightly.

"For some reason lately, there have always been some little Japs coming to cause trouble for Saeko. Although we've sent most of them to Hell, they've kept a low profile for a while. But God knows if they are still watching this place!" Lingyun shrugged.

"Little Japs are targeting Saeko?" Su Wanyue frowned slightly, as if she had thought of something.

"Wanyue, do you have any leads?" Lingyun asked.

"There has indeed been such a situation recently. Those little Japs don't know what kind of madness has gotten into them; they've sent quite a few people with extraordinary strength to sneak into our country and kidnap women everywhere. Although the Dragon Group has already intervened, quite a few people have still been snatched away by them," Su Wanyue said with a frown. "However, we still haven't figured out why they are doing this!"

"Now that the little Japs have targeted you, your current situation is extremely dangerous. Those guys are dead-set fanatics who won't stop until they reach their goal!" Chen Jing's expression was somewhat ugly. "How about I send some people to protect you?"

"Sending people to protect us? That won't be necessary. For those who dare to kidnap decent women, I will send them to Hell one by one!" A flash of anger crossed Luo Yexi's eyes.

"But..." A flash of hesitation crossed Su Wanyue's eyes; it was clear she was worried about the safety of Lingyun and the others.

"Relax, don't forget, the previous batch of them were all sent to Hell by us!" Lingyun comforted her.

"But even if you, Lingyun, know experts above the Earth Tier, they can't be everywhere at once and can't look after so many of you at the same time. If those little Japs use a dispersed attack method, that would be terrible!" Chen Jing explained.

"Who said I was going to rely on others for protection!" Lingyun said with a smile. "Ye Xi, why don't you let Chen Jing and the others see your strength!"

"Sister Ye Xi's strength?" Chen Jing looked at Luo Yexi with some curiosity.

Luo Yexi smiled slightly, and then a massive force slowly spread out from her body. In just a few breaths' time, the entire room was filled with terrifying Nine Yang True Qi. Just after Luo Yexi released her power, Busujima Saeko and the others also unleashed their own power. For a moment, various different forces swirled and whistled in the room, and both Chen Jing felt their breathing hitch.

However, this situation came quickly and went quickly. After showing off their strength slightly, the women all withdrew their auras. Lingyun's Breath Concealment Technique was truly powerful; under the effect of the Breath Concealment Technique, the power fluctuations on their bodies completely subsided, and they looked no different from ordinary people.

"Heaven, Heaven Tier, how is this possible?" Su Wanyue looked at Luo Yexi and Busujima Saeko in shock.

That's right, the strength of Busujima Saeko and Luo Yexi had already stepped into the Heaven Tier, which was the Acquired Realm in Lingyun's words. When they first entered the Sword Art Online world, Luo Yexi and the other had already stepped into the Earth Tier, and they spent another three years in SAO to enrich their foundations. In the final battle against Moqi, the transmission of the World Consciousness's power allowed the two of them to glimpse a trace of the mysteries of the Innate Realm. Borrowing this opportunity, and with the assistance of the residual World Consciousness power in their bodies after the battle, they successfully ascended to the Acquired Realm.

What shocked Chen Jing and the other the most was that, among those present, Suguha, who had the lowest strength, also had the strength of the Mysterious Tier Mid-Stage. If such a lineup were placed outside, it would probably be comparable to a first-class family, just with fewer people. Perhaps as Lingyun said, they didn't need to worry about the little Japs targeting them at all, because being targeted by them was basically equivalent to stepping one foot into the gates of Hell. After all, due to some factors, little Japs at the Heaven Tier and above could not enter the country, and even if they did, they would likely be surrounded and annihilated.

"With this kind of strength, I can rest easy!" Su Wanyue let out a soft breath, suppressing the shock in her heart.

But while suppressing the shock in her heart, Su Wanyue also had a trace of undisguised loss; after all, the girls here all looked younger than her, yet their strength was so powerful.

"Hey, Great Scholar Ling, why do you also have such powerful strength!" Chen Jing looked at the calm Lingyun and suddenly felt a toothache.

As Lingyun's high school classmate, Chen Jing had silently paid attention to Lingyun for a long time. Throughout their high school life, Lingyun looked no different from an ordinary person. As a result, he was now suddenly displaying the powerful strength of the Earth Tier Mid-Stage, which really made Chen Jing feel a bit frustrated.

Seeing Chen Jing's frustrated look, Lingyun smiled and said, "You don't have to be like this; our cultivation methods are a bit different. Well, if you have any difficulties in your cultivation, you can come to me!"

"Tch, why would I go to you if I have problems with my cultivation? Whether it's Sister Ye Xi or Sister Saeko, their strength is stronger than yours!" Chen Jing clicked her tongue.

"Sister Chen Jing, don't underestimate Master. My martial arts were all taught to me by Master. And Master was very powerful before, I don't know how many times more powerful than I am now!" Luo Yexi winked at Lingyun quietly, and then inadvertently revealed Lingyun's previous strength.

"What, was Lingyun that powerful before?" Both Chen Jing and Su Wanyue looked at Lingyun in shock. Many times more powerful than the current Luo Yexi? Could it be that he was an Innate Expert before?

"So, if you, Chen Jing, want to improve your strength, letting Lingyun guide you is the best choice, because my martial arts were also given by Lingyun!" Busujima Saeko threw out another bombshell without blinking. "It should be said that most of the people here who possess their current strength owe it to Lingyun!"

"Um, can you let me be quiet for a moment now!" Chen Jing took a deep breath, indicating that she was under a lot of pressure. If what Luo Yexi and Busujima Saeko said was true, then the Lingyun she knew was a truly terrifying existence.

Watching Chen Jing look dazed from the shock, Lingyun couldn't help but chuckle. To be honest, he had never intended to hide his strength from her from the very beginning. This was the trust they had cultivated over the years; Lingyun believed his judgment would never be wrong, and Chen Jing would never do anything detrimental to him.

After coming back to her senses, Chen Jing's expression suddenly changed, and then she said to Lingyun seriously: "Lingyun, although you possess such powerful strength now, you must never leak it easily. After all, you possess such powerful strength at such a young age; God knows if there are any people with ulterior motives who will target you!"

"Don't worry, we have an extremely powerful trump card; even if someone at the Innate level wants to make a move against us, they'll have to pay a heavy price!" Lingyun's mouth curled into a mysterious smile.

"Phew, then I can rest easy!" A relaxed smile appeared on Chen Jing's face.

After knowing the strength of Lingyun and the others, she still had some worries in her heart; after all, in this world, some people would do anything to improve their strength. However, looking at Lingyun's confident appearance, Chen Jing also felt relieved. After all, Lingyun never boasted. If he said this, he most likely had some trump card. If someone really wanted to crash into them, they would definitely end up battered and bruised.