Ricky sauntered up to Doug, who hadn't recovered from the fear that Ricky's strike had brought him.
"Hey, Doug, do you remember when you said that you would consider me as your boss if I could
withstand three moves from you?" He prompted Doug point-blank.
Hearing Ricky's words brought Doug back to his senses.
"This is unbelievable. I lost?!"
Doug muttered to himself in disbelief.
However, even though he found it hard to believe, he had no choice but to accept it and do as he had
promised.
He struggled for a while as he weighed what he should do next, and when he made up his mind, he
said to Ricky,
"Don't worry. I'm a man of my word. From now on, you will be my boss, and I will run errands..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Ricky interrupted him with a laugh.
"Ha-ha! You're too serious, man. I was just joking. I can't believe you took my words seriously," he
uttered.
From the beginning, Ricky had no intention of taking Doug in as his follower. He just used Doug to
prevent the other disciples from picking on him. He had gotten what he wanted, so it was about time to
let Doug go as well.
After all, he had just joined the wood branch.
Meanwhile, the warriors present fell silent when they heard Ricky's words.
The last thing they had expected was for Ricky to act so graciously, as they had all thought that he
would give Doug a hard time given the situation.
Some of them thought to themselves,
'Ricky is not only talented and strong, but he is also gracious and broad-minded! Maybe he and Ashley
will be a good match with each other.'
Some of them even began to discuss among themselves. "This guy is awesome. I'm looking forward to
what else he will achieve after this!
Perhaps, he can become the holy son in the near future."
"Now, we know that Ricky definitely deserves our respect!"
In the martial world, seniority did not dictate superiority or respect. Everything depended on the
individual's strength, regardless of that person's age, background, or personality.
Since Ricky was more powerful than them, he demanded their respect.
A person's strength was the only thing that mattered.
No matter how kind-hearted or broad-minded Ricky was, he knew that these people wouldn't respect
him if he weren't this strong.
"Thank you. I didn't think you'd let Doug go but thank you for that," Ashley mumbled to Ricky through
telepathy once she had recovered from her surprise.
"We both are members of the wood branches now, so it's only right that I spare him. However, I'm sorry
but you can't get what you want," Ricky answered her with a meaningful smile. Obviously, he knew that
Ashley had wanted to use Doug to give him a hard time.
"Don't get ahead of yourself! I think Guillermo will likely come out soon,"
Ashley responded with an equally serene smile.
It was like they were competing for which of them could fluster the other first.
Of course, Ricky was his usual unflappable self, and the smile on his face widened in response.
"Oh, is that so?" he retorted, chuckling with amusement.
After a while, Doug also came out of his trance.
He turned to Ricky with grateful eyes and cried out sincerely, "Thank you, Ricky! Thank you!"
At this moment, he began to genuinely admire Ricky. He didn't think that Ricky had said that just to look
good to others since there was no need for him to do that. On top of that, he sounded really sincere.
"Ha-ha! Don't mention it. After all, we are both the member of the wood branch," Ricky answered Doug,
patting his back lightly. At this point, a voice suddenly rang out, taking everyone's attention.
"No wonder our vice leader went through so much just to bring you here. You are not only powerful but
also broad-minded. I'm impressed." The voice came from a handsome young man, who was clad in a
white expensive robe, with an impressive crown on his head.
"It's Guillermo!"
All the disciples present bowed respectfully when they saw the young man.
"So this guy is Guillermo?"
Ricky inquired telepathically.
"Yes! That's him!" Ashley replied enthusiastically.
"I didn't expect that you are this in demand. Guillermo is considered a peerless genius, and even he is
attracted to you. But how come I never noticed that you are this enchanting before?" Ricky teasingly
replied.
"Humph!" Knowing that Ricky was making fun of her, Ashley let out an unwomanly snort and didn't
reply anymore.
She knew that she would never win an argument against Ricky because he was so much more
eloquent than her.
Thus, it was better to ignore him.
Meanwhile, Ricky also greeted Guillermo politely, cupping his hands in front of his chest.
"I'm honored to hear that," he replied regarding Guillermo's earlier statement.
"You are too modest, Ricky," Guillermo retorted jovially.
"I saw how you fought, and I must admit that you are incredible. In fact, your performance made me
itch for a fight, and I am hoping that you are having the same thoughts as me right now. Would you
care to go a few rounds with me?"
"Ha-ha! You are right. That's exactly what I was thinking!" Ricky replied with a laugh.
Doug, who was his opponent earlier, was not strong enough to satisfy the urge to fight within him.
Guillermo was more powerful than Doug, so Ricky thought that he could use Guillermo to test his real
power.
"That sounds great, but the square is not a good place to fight. How about we go to the Combat Space
instead?" Guillermo suggested.
His respect for Ricky grew when the latter agreed to fight him without any hesitation. Indeed, this guy
seemed valiant and as strong-willed as him.
"This way, please!" Ricky said politely.
And then he gestured for Guillermo to follow after him.
The Combat Space was an area where spiritual emperors could compete against each other with
abandon.
Powerful saints had created it in the void using the blessing power, which made it stronger than a
normal battle ring.
If they fought on an ordinary battle ring, they could not give their all because their attacks could
damage the place even if it were protected by arrays.
Before long, Ricky and Guillermo arrived on a Combat Space belonging to the wood branch.
It seemed that the news of their battle had spread, as a myriad of people were already waiting around
the Combat Space.
Even disciples who were upper spiritual emperors and elders who were demi-saints were waiting for
them to start fighting.
The volume of people who had turned out was incredible! But it wasn't surprising at all since one of the
competitors was most likely to be the holy son, while the other was brought here by the vice leader
himself.
"Who do you think will win this battle?" The whole place was abuzz with noise, as the crowd discussed
the upcoming match with one another.
"I think Guillermo will probably win this battle. Rumor has it that he is a three-star lower spiritual
emperor," a disciple said.
"Some even say that his fighting capability is even stronger than a three-star lower spiritual emperor!"
"That's might not be accurate. After all, you were there when Ricky and Doug fought each other. You
saw that Doug is no match for Ricky, which means that Ricky is on par with the three people who are
most likely to be the holy son," another disciple retorted.
"Did our vice leader bring this white-haired young man here?" an elder who was a demi-saint curiously
asked an upper spiritual emperor.
"Yes. According to the warriors from the Red Potentate Roc tribe, he is a genius who can challenge
someone at a higher grade than him at the Emperor Level. There is also gossip that Ricky was once an
incredible demi-spiritual emperor!" the upper spiritual emperor replied.
"What?! Did you say he used to be an incredible demi-spiritual emperor? No way!"
The elder gasped in surprise. Clearly, he was taken aback by the information he had just received.
"Ricky, leave Ashley alone. She is my girl, so you better back off! I am very outspoken about this
matter, so I am letting you know that any man who tries to make a move on her is my rival.
You and I are disciples of the same branch, so I don't want any conflict between us. Just stay away
from her, and there won't be any trouble,"
Guillermo sternly warned Ricky through their telepathic link.
"Ha-ha! It seems that you are a very devoted lover!"
Ricky laughed carelessly, for Guillermo's words didn't faze him one bit.
He continued, "Warriors should not fear anything, and I can't give up just because you asked me to.
So, we'd better solve this through our fists.
If you beat me here today, I give you my word that I will stay away from Ashley."
"Are you purposely provoking Guillermo so that he would fight you with his full strength?"
the Dragon Intent Grass asked incredulously as it let out a laugh.
"Actually, I have two reasons why I'm doing this. First, I want to know how strong these three
candidates are. The holy son has great power within a sect, so I'm aiming to become the holy son.
Before that, I'd like to test how my competitors are. The second reason is that I'm curious about the
limits of my strength,"
Ricky confessed.
"I hope that you will keep your word.
However, if you get hurt during this fight, don't take it against me. After all, you are the one who
suggested this,"
Guillermo told Ricky with a grave expression.
He sounded a little aggravated, and all the serenity and amusement had been wiped off his face.
"Of course!" Ricky replied immediately.
Once the duo reached an agreement, their momentums surged up and clashed against each other.
Their energies battled, flowed, and writhed as opposing snakes filled with deadly electric currents.
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