Why didn't Ricky just drop his saber at that critical moment the same way Thomas gave up his sword?
He always wanted to become a real saber wielder as well as a warrior who had his own insights about
his saber. He also wanted to develop his own unique and powerful saber skills.
If those goals were to be truly realized, there was no way he could give up his saber, which meant he
had to hold on to it even in the direst situations. His unique link to his personal weapon would be
severed otherwise. If he lost his attachment to his saber, his future training and insights about his saber
would suffer greatly and he might never reach certain top-level skills.
Moreover, he just didn't believe that the so-called Dual Shadow Punches launched by Tomas could
really hurt him in that moment.
The next moment, as Ricky exercised his Devouring Skill to its most extreme point, his body had turned
into a body of devouring energy. At the same time, he activated the power of the Sixth Degree of Nine-
degree Body Refining Formula to its full strength as well. Soon, blue light and bloody light were
intertwined around him as the energy swelled around him.
Boom! An earsplitting sound rang out at the same time. Ricky was inundated by Thomas's countless
dark Dual Shadow Punches as they produced a deafening and destructive blast.
Thomas looked at Ricky with mixed feelings of disdain and a little bit of admiration as he hurriedly
retreated to avoid the blast.
"Unexpectedly, you still haven't given up your saber, even now. So, you are the kind of man who holds
a strong belief—regarding your saber as a valuable object in your life," Thomas said disdainfully.
Of course, Thomas's admiration was hidden because he pushed it to the bottom of his heart. He
thought to himself, 'People like him, who have such a steadfast belief, are really annoying opponents. If
they live through the fight, their insights about their weapons will be deepened. They will also make
greater progress with their power, and become even more difficult to beat over time.'
Yet, despite his admiration, he didn't feel threatened anymore, and instead felt quite relieved. He had
become completely sure that Ricky couldn't survive his countless dark Dual Shadow Punches.
The punches might not be his most powerful skill. However, if any warrior wanted to resist them without
any precautions, it would be impossible, unless that person was a warrior at the top grade of Bone
Reinforcement.
Thomas had such a firm belief that Ricky should be dead. He was only at the fifth grade of Bone
Reinforcement after all, so he could not survive such an attack with just his body and no other defense.
However, before Thomas could finish that thought, a cold voice rang out abruptly, saying, "Even an
assassin is not supposed to abandon his sword, and if he does, he will no longer be qualified to use his
sword again."
Then, Thomas saw that Ricky slowly walking out of the dust cloud made from his fierce attack. Ricky
looked disheveled, but he remained in one piece.
At that moment, Ricky was in a quite embarrassing state. His robes were ragged and he was almost
naked; only his underwear remained unscathed. Moreover, there were a lot of cuts and bruises that
could be seen all over his body. He looked like he had been severely injured.
Yet, with the blue light and bloody light still surrounding him, coupled with his murderous eyes, he
looked even more intimidating despite the state of his body and clothes.
Despite the numerous bruises on his body, Ricky was not badly injured. He was still at his peak state
after weathering that attack.
How could that happen? His survival was due to his earlier precautions. He had turned his body into a
body of devouring energy. Secondly, he exercised the Devouring Skill from the Devourer Zone. That
alone was enough to weaken Thomas's attacks by a great amount. Plus, with the help of the Six
Degree of Nine-Degree Body Refining Formula, he could come out embarrassingly but almost
completely unhurt, although Thomas's attacks were still quite fierce.
"How is this possible? You should be dead!" Thomas squealed with a gulp. He was completely
thunderstruck and was finding it hard to believe his eyes.
"Since you mentioned that your attack was a dual attack, naturally, I had to be well-prepared. I'm the
warrior that would never underestimate an enemy like you," Ricky said indifferently.
"After surviving that, I think I look down upon you now. You actually abandoned your sword to launch
that attack," Ricky scolded coldly.
"Humph! Not being able to abandon a weapon is just your belief, not mine!" Thomas hissed arrogantly,
while he was staring at Ricky with his piercing eyes, or to be exact, staring his Sixth Degree of Nine-
degree Body Refining Formula.
"Maybe we simply have different beliefs like you said," Ricky replied lightly.
"You…you are Ricky from the Snow Sect!" Thomas said in disbelief as his pupils widened in surprise.
After careful observation and analysis, he finally figured out that his opponent who called himself
Russell was actually Ricky.
"What are you talking about? Who is Ricky?" Ricky asked at once, trying to deny the truth that Thomas
had just pointed out.
Deep inside, at that very moment, Ricky was shocked, though. He had been very careful for a long time
and believed he hadn't exposed anything about his real identity. How could Thomas figure that out?
As a keen observer, Ricky soon noticed that Thomas was staring at his Sixth Degree of Nine-degree
Body Refining Formula.
"I see now. So, my Body Refining Formula was exposed. It appears that the assassins from the
Endless Shadow are all quite familiar with my cultivation method," Ricky said in a hardly audible voice.
"In my future battles, I'll be careful to use my Body Refining Formula much less frequently."
"Ricky...you are definitely Ricky. That Body Refining Formula with such strange colors is your special
cultivation method. What's more, you are actually at the second grade of Bone Reinforcement. You
didn't really hide your power at all!" Thomas said slowly and firmly.
Although he said it in such a steady voice, he still found the situation quite unreal. As far as he could
tell, a warrior that could defeat someone three levels higher than him was a real miracle.
Nevertheless, the Shadow King had once told Thomas, and the other assassins, that Ricky was able to
challenge those that were two levels higher than him. He was a rare genius, not only in the Realm of
Wildness, but also in a realm larger than the Realm of Wildness.
The Shadow King had also reminded them that, if Ricky defeated someone three levels higher than
him, they should not be surprised, because that was highly possible.
'Oh, my god! If I hadn't been informed about you in advance, how could I believe that a genius who can
defeat someone three levels higher than him really exists?' Thomas thought in disbelief as he shook
his head violently.
"You're right. I'm Ricky, the same Ricky who has been hunted by the Endless Shadow for a long time,"
Ricky said indifferently. He was no longer trying to conceal his identity. "My power is at the second
grade of Bone Reinforcement, and I never took any pills that could hide my power."
As he said that, he also took off the human skin mask on his face.
"So you have been wearing a human skin mask. No wonder the Endless Shadow and the forces from
across the Realm of Wildness have failed to find any trace of you after they have been chasing you for
months," Thomas said as he gasped with his eyes wide open. "They could never figure out that you've
changed your face."
At the same time, as an experienced assassin, Thomas gradually managed to calm himself down. He
knew that there was a fierce battle waiting for him. His inner turmoil would do nothing but hold him back
in the coming battle.
Of course, he had the obvious greed blazing in his eyes to possess everything Ricky owned.That greed
overflowed in him, and he just couldn't hide his it any more.
"I have no other option. If it hadn't been for this human skin mask, I'm afraid I might not have made it to
this point. I'd have been dead meat due to the countless types of brutal corporal torture waiting for me
at the hands of the Endless Shadow," Ricky said with a grin.
After that, he put his mask back on.
"You know what? You know who I am now, so there's no way you can get out of here alive," Ricky
added with a wicked smile.
"Ha-ha, what makes you so confident? Is it just because you have the Body Refining Formula and you
survived from my previous attacks?" Thomas sneered and laughed out loud.
Ricky was really formidable. Thomas could not deny the fact that Ricky was the most formidable genius
across the four continents. Yet, at that moment, Thomas also believed that his power was somehow
not inferior to Ricky's.
"No, it's based on the fact that we have different beliefs," said Ricky firmly and clearly. "More
importantly, based on the fact that I'm still way more powerful than you."
"I've heard that you are extremely arrogant. Now I can see that what they said is quite right!" Thomas
said flatly. "Today, your arrogance, your belief, and every other thing you have will come to an end
here."
Looking right into Ricky's eyes, Thomas continued, "I, Thomas, will be the one who will put an end to
your entire existence in this world."
As he finished speaking, his momentum was already being exuded violently from his body. His black
spiritual energy instantly swept over the area and all around his body. Ricky immediately detected a
strange odor wafting up from Thomas.
"Ricky, you are a genius who defeated someone three levels higher than you! So, I will now show you
why I had the courage to give up my sword so quickly, while you wouldn't dare to give up your saber,"
Thomas said sharply.
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