Chapter 171: X-Rank Hero

When the monster swarm appeared in the sky, many people in Yinshuang City witnessed it. The situation was finally resolved by the sudden appearance of an enormous tornado, which shocked everyone. Even top-tier heroes like Jing Xin and Black Dragon were astonished, unsure how to even describe what they had just seen.

After the event, rumors quickly spread throughout Yinshuang City that an X-Rank hero was responsible. 

This rumor became a huge source of motivation for the city’s heroes. For the citizens, it felt like a stronger, more powerful protector was watching over them. In short, the immense tornado that wiped out the monster swarm gave the people of Yinshuang City newfound confidence. 

In many parts of the city, people were chanting and celebrating, shouting about the X-Rank hero.

Not long after, the Star Alliance officially released a statement, confirming the speculation that there was indeed an X-Rank hero in Yinshuang City.

However, even the Star Alliance wasn’t entirely certain about this. 

While X-Rank heroes were affiliated with the Star Alliance, due to their immense power, they operated freely and were not subject to direct oversight by the organization. As a result, the Star Alliance did not always know their exact whereabouts. But given the magnitude of that devastating attack, only an X-Rank hero could have possibly been behind it.

After the initial anomaly outbreak, the citizens of Yinshuang City were gripped by fear. 

But once this event unfolded, the belief in the existence of an X-Rank hero restored their confidence. 

The Star Alliance saw this as a positive development. Even though the information wasn’t entirely accurate, the boost in morale among both the citizens and the heroes was too valuable to ignore. For the Star Alliance, this was an opportunity that needed to be seized, even if it might turn out to be a lie.

The so-called X-Rank hero didn’t just have an impact on the ordinary citizens and heroes, it also affected the anomaly creatures. 

Mid- to small-scale battles were occurring throughout Yinshuang City. Once news of the X-Rank hero spread, many of the anomalies became fearful, leading to a noticeable drop in their combat effectiveness. The heroes eliminated them more easily. Some of the faster monsters retreated underground to avoid conflict altogether.

As a result, Yinshuang City entered a temporary period of calm.

***

After Shi Ji met up with Lin Xinyan, they contacted Xing Yuxiu and Chi Yang.

At that time, both were still engaged in battles. Chi Yang was handling things smoothly, but Xing Yuxiu had run into some trouble. With no other heroes nearby to help, he had to rely solely on his own abilities. 

Eventually, Chi Yang arrived to help, and together, they managed to defeat the anomaly.

Though Xing Yuxiu was stronger than Chi Yang, his luck wasn’t the best. He always seemed to run into particularly tough monsters, which often left him in tough spots, much to Shi Ji’s amusement.

Later, the Star Alliance issued a notice that all anomalous energy in the city had vanished, likely due to the rumors of the X-Rank hero. 

While they checked in on the heroes, they also reminded them to remain vigilant, as the monsters could return at any time.

The four of them eventually met up and decided to have a meal at a temporarily opened restaurant.

“Ah… finally over,” Xing Yuxiu sighed as he slumped over the table.

Chi Yang quickly poured cold water on his optimism, “It’s only temporary.”

Xing Yuxiu shot him a glare, “Why do you have to be such a jerk, Chi?”

Chi Yang just laughed in response.

Lin Xinyan chimed in, “We really have to thank that X-Rank hero this time. If it weren’t for them, the monsters might have kept attacking us. Even if we’re strong, fighting nonstop would eventually wear us down.”

Shi Ji was sitting casually, and after hearing Lin Xinyan’s remark, he said, “So X-Rank heroes aren’t that impressive after all.”

For a moment, everyone turned to look at him.

Out of the three, Xing Yuxiu’s expression was the most peculiar, full of open disdain. Shi Ji’s arrogance was starting to get on his nerves, and it was getting hard to ignore.

“You really think you’re the strongest in the world, huh? You’ve dissed A-Rank Divine Hunter, S-Rank Blade, and now you’re casually talking down on an X-Rank hero. According to your worldview, heroes must be completely worthless, right?”

Shi Ji, unaffected by Xing Yuxiu’s disdain, calmly replied, “Not really. You can’t be that absolute about it. Xinyan’s great.”

“Tch! So what you’re saying is, aside from Lin Xinyan, every other hero is useless?”

“Yup.”

“Yup? Shi Ji, you’re getting cockier by the day.”

Shi Ji was speaking from his own self-perception, and honestly, Xing Yuxiu wasn’t entirely wrong either. In reality, both of them had their points.

Seeing the two banter, Chi Yang joined in as well.

“S-Rank heroes may only be one rank below X-Rank, but the gap between them is massive. All X-Rank heroes are General class, and their strength is on a completely different level compared to S-Ranks. That strike we saw earlier is the best example of that. And the legendary O-Rank hero? It’s most likely to come out from the X-Rank heroes.”

Lin Xinyan turned to Shi Ji and said, “With how laid-back you are… You really should change that. If you’d taken the time to learn about the Star Alliance’s hero policies earlier, you wouldn’t be so broke now. Since you’re planning to become a professional hero eventually, you really have to do some homework beforehand. I won’t comment on how you feel about Divine Hunter and Blade, but X-Rank heroes aren’t as simple as you think. You should take a closer look at them. What if you run into one someday, and your reckless mouth gets you into trouble? Your wristband has all the info on X-Rank heroes. You should take some time to read it.”

Since the food hadn’t been served yet, Shi Ji figured he might as well use the time to browse through the information on his wristband.

Shi Ji never paid much attention to anything that wasn’t money-related. So while skimming through the X-Rank hero data, he barely glanced at the details. He flipped through faster and faster.

According to Lin Xinyan, many S-Rank heroes’ personal information remained confidential, including their appearance, which was often a complete mystery. The same went for X-Rank heroes. 

The files Shi Ji was browsing contained only brief descriptions, without any images. So his initial impression was just a string of words, which he promptly forgot the next second.

After browsing through the X-Rank hero information, Shi Ji casually flipped over to the S-Rank section. It didn’t take long for him to find that little brat he always teased—Jing Xin.

Jing Xin actually had a photo in her file. The innocent face displayed there was undeniably pleasant to look at. Delicate and sweet, it gave off such a soft vibe that Shi Ji couldn’t help but feel the urge to pinch her cheeks.

Since there was way too much info to go through, Shi Ji quickly skimmed and closed the file.

To him, becoming a professional hero under the Star Alliance only required paying attention to the hero benefits. 

As for keeping track of all the different heroes? 

He didn’t have the time for that. Whether they were S, A, B, C, or even X-Rank—if he didn’t like them, they’d just have to deal with it. If they deserved a beating, they’d get one, no questions asked.

After the rumored appearance of an X-Rank hero, Yinshuang City finally calmed down. Not a single new anomaly appeared for the rest of the day.