Ivan would probably not believe that Ricky got an incomplete spiritual meridian; however, such rumor
could not be just some gossip that circulated among the common people. If the rumor was true, then
that would mean Ricky's spiritual meridian was definitely damaged before.
Spiritual meridian could be the strongest part of a warrior, yet it could also be the weakest. It could
make or break a warrior. On the other hand, the spiritual meridian itself was so fragile that a strike with
just a little applied force could destroy it. Over the years, warriors had come up with ways to protect it
from getting harmed, though those protective measures would still fail at times.
But Ricky could make it today with his spiritual meridian--despite it suffering from a big blow--together
with his mysterious manual thanks to the incredible gift he had obtained. Without it, he would have
faced deeper problems and his life would be at stake. Nevertheless, this incredible gift could not be
possessed by just anyone.
Knowing how powerful that gift was, Ivan had his eyes on it. He believed that if he took it from Ricky, he
would be the best warrior with casting and martial arts skills in the Realm of Wildness. Even the top
talents from the Realm of Wildness could not compete with him and should a challenge be issued, he
would not break a sweat at all.
'Ivan looks pretty powerful. It seems that he spends as much time and energy on martial arts as he
does on casting, ' Ricky thought to himself. 'And the warrior that followed him may be even more
powerful than Ivan. This battle is going push us to our limits.'
At this time, the man behind Ivan began to make their move. He walked towards Ricky, Ivan following
suit in a steady pace. The two men surrounded Ricky and Ivan made no gesture to stop what was
happening.
He had seen Ricky's power. He had felt it within the tremor in his muscles and the air that went through
his lungs. Ricky emanated power wherever he went even when he was trying to keep it low. Ivan knew
that beating Ricky was an extremely difficult task to overcome, let alone killing him. If he was honest
with himself, there was a big chance that it was him who might end up dead.
As cowardly as it might seem to other warriors, Ivan and the other man decided to fight Ricky together.
Two against one. It wasn't the most honorable strategy, but if they won, who would care about how they
did it? All the people would remember was the fact that they beat Ricky and nothing else. Ivan could
care less about his reputation. What mattered was the gift and how he could take it from Ricky. If he
could just get his hands on it...
"They have both reached the ninth grade of Blood Purification. And they're not rookies, either. Looks
like things are going to get ugly for Ricky," several people commented as they watched the scene
unfolding before them.
"Indeed, it is impossible for Ricky to challenge two warriors of the ninth grade of Blood Purification no
matter how strong he is now. A warrior reaching the ninth grade is no ordinary warrior, as it means he
reached a level that greatly sets him apart from average warriors. The ninth grade isn't an easy feat,
after all."
"Yes, there may be only some slight differences between the seventh grade and eighth grade, but it's
an entirely different story between the eighth and ninth grade. The gap is so apparent that an eighth
grade normally wouldn't stand a chance in a fight."
"Although, I have to say, Ricky is not an easy opponent either. He would still be able to land a strong--
possibly deadly--blow to one of his opponents. Sure, he might lose in the end, but he is definitely not
going down without a fight. Whatever happens, though, it will be good for us since we won't have to
deal with whoever loses here. There will be one less strong opponent to battle."
......
"Come on!" Ivan shouted as he made the first move. He leaped, flames covering his right feet, and
aimed a fiery kick towards Ricky.
At the same time, Ivan's follower also struck. He moved as fast as Ivan and threw a punch across
Ricky's face.
With two strikes coming at him at different directions, Ricky had nowhere to hide. He only had one
option and that was to withstand both hits.
Ricky readied himself for the blows. He channeled the Fourth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining
Formula and made sure every inch of his body was reinforced with power. The people watching the
fight gasped as they felt sheer power emanating from him while his two opponents gritted their teeth,
trying to ward off the invisible force.
Despite Ricky's strength, he still found it difficult to fight two warriors who reached the ninth grade of
Blood Purification. He could exchange blows and defend himself from some of the lethal ones, but after
a few rounds, his body started to feel heavy with every move. Since he had to deal with two strong
opponents at once, his energy was drained faster than normal. He took a step back, trying to catch his
breath.
Ricky was well aware that with his sixth grade of Blood Purification, he could fight with two or three
warriors of the eighth grade of Blood Purification. Now that he reached the seventh grade, he was
expecting that he would be able to fight two warriors of the ninth grade with relative ease, but it was not
the case. As much as he hated to admit it, beating the two was proving to be difficult.
Such was the power of the ninth grade. Even if the warrior himself was not as talented as he was, he
should not be underestimated. After all, the warrior had reached the peak of Blood Purification.
'Maybe I've underestimated the warriors of the ninth grade a little too much, ' Ricky thought to himself.
But Ricky was not the one to panic. He fought with a cool head, making up strategies along the way,
trying to figure out the best way to land his blows without suffering a fatal counter. He also had a trick
under his sleeve--his trump card. He was not worried about losing because he had a different source of
strength. He may not be a ninth grade, but he had regained his spiritual meridian and the Chaos
Manual.
One moment, his opponents thought Ricky was already faltering, but the next, Ricky was coming on to
them with eyes as sharp as his resolve. His opponents wavered for a second, and he took that
opportunity to use his Fifth Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.
Boom! Boom!
But, at this very moment, the Ragged Iron Pagoda transformed again. The windows alight with Beast
Fires suddenly opened, appearing in front of them in all its glory.
The open windows were big enough for any warrior to enter.
"It's open! It's open! The Beast Fire is mine now!"
Soon, the attention of all the warriors was drawn onto the Ragged Iron Pagoda. Their eyes were wide
with wonder, greed, and everything in between.
Wasting another second was not an option. Immediately, most of the fighters raced to the windows of
the pagoda's first floor. It took less than a minute for over twenty windows of the pagoda's first floor to
be filled with fighters.
And after these fighters got in, the windows immediately closed. The fighters were so close to the
Beast Fire that they would either succeed in collecting it or end up burning to death with no escape.
"Damn it! What unfortunate timing. How could this Ragged Iron Pagoda open at this time?" Ivan hissed
as he watched the fighters cramming themselves into the open windows.
He had to make a choice. If he wanted to get the chance to take the Beast Fire, he must give up his
fight against Ricky. But this might be his last chance to kill Ricky and take his gift.
Ivan already had one Beast Fire, however, getting more of something so precious was one of his goals,
too. He couldn't settle with just one. The more Beast Fires he got, the more power he would possess.
Besides, could he really take the gift and the mysterious manual from Ricky after killing him? There
was no guarantee. Ricky might have kept his cultivation and manual in his mind, not written it on some
paper or beast hide. Ricky was smart. Surely, he wouldn't leave his cultivation and manual lying around
his dead body if someone managed to kill him, right?
Ivan knew the odds of him getting Ricky's gift was against him, so he decided to go for the Beast Fire
instead.
Otherwise, he ran the risk of not getting any Beast Fire since all the warriors here were after the same
thing and the Beast Fire would run out by the time his fight with Ricky was finished.
With a wink at Andrew and the others, he turned around and headed for the tower.
They understood his signal and tried to get out of the fight at once.
What they didn't expect, though, was that Ricky would get in the way. A mocking smile went up to his
lips as he stopped them from running towards the pagoda. Seeing what Ricky just did, Pompeo also
went in front of them to stop them in their tracks.
"Ricky, what are you doing? If you keep me here, I'd miss the opportunity to get the Beast Fire, and so
will you," Ivan said coldly as he glared at his opponent.
He could not believe that Ricky would stop them than get his share of the Beast Fire. And even if Ricky
didn't care about it, Ivan doubted those four guys behind him felt the same way. They wanted the Beast
Fire, too. He was sure of it.
"Of course, I want it. But they must stay, or you and I will not get the Beast Fire today," Ricky replied
with a sneer as he pointed to Ellen and Tyler.
Ellen and Tyler shivered whenever they looked at Ricky. Ever since that day they almost died in his
hands, they couldn't shake off the feeling of cruelty that he emitted. Even though they tried hard to hide
it, they were still terrified of him.
Ellen then turned to Marcel and stared at him with puppy eyes.
Resisting the urge to scoff and roll his eyes, Marcel turned to Andrew and Ivan instead. It was obvious.
She was just a cheap chick and he was not the least affected. He didn't care for her at all. The decision
was up to Andrew and Ivan.
"Ricky, come on! Do you really want to waste time with me here?" Ivan exclaimed in horror, his eyes
reflecting a little bit of panic and anger.
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