At this point, Ricky had no idea where to go. He knew that he needed to go somewhere secure, where
he could properly focus on his training. He still had a whole year before the Misty South Palace held
the selection, and before that, he needed to become stronger.
The good thing was that he didn't need to worry about the Five-element Sect, at least, for fifty years.
The fact that he had guaranteed their safety for such a long time was a load of his back.
As long as Ricky was not in the Five-element Sect, they would certainly be safe from harm.
Of course, he didn't forget to send a message back to Lloyd, informing him that he was safe and
sound. He had done this by creating a Shadowy Replication, which he tasked to deliver the said
message to the Five-element Sect in the guise of an old man. That way, nobody would even look twice
at the replication.
Ricky himself had decided to change his appearance before he left the mountain, for he knew that it
would not only allow him to move unhindered, but it would also keep him safe.
It was no secret that Paul's inheritance was in his possession, so he expected that most, if not all,
warriors would soon find out what he looked like. Everybody would undoubtedly be on the lookout for
him after all. If he didn't disguise himself, any warrior he encountered would recognize him and spread
the news about his whereabouts.
Unfortunately, a lot of people already knew what he looked like when he activated the middle realm of
the Transforming Omnipotent Skill. So now, he only had two choices. He could activate the young
realm or the old realm.
Skin masks, which could also alter his appearance, were not an option since it wouldn't fool the saints
at all, not with his current casting skills.
'I guess I should improve my casting skills. I don't have to become a real casting master at the Sage
Level, but my abilities need to be close to that level. Only in that way can I have a better understanding
of runes,' thought Ricky as he carefully outlined his plans in his mind.
"Have you decided yet? Are you choosing the young realm or the old realm?" the Dragon Intent Grass
probed inquisitively.
"Of course, I will activate the young realm! I don't want to live as an old man for a year,"
Ricky explained shortly, knowing that the Dragon Intent Grass was curious why he chose that identity.
After that, he immediately activated the young realm of the Transforming Omnipotent Skill, and a
unique force shrouded his body in an instant. In a heartbeat, his appearance began to change, and he
gradually started to shrink.
Ricky's features had changed from a handsome young man that was about five feet and nine inches in
height to a cute-looking boy, who was only four feet and twenty-six inches tall.
He now looked like a child of seven or eight years old! And as a result, the clothes he was wearing
hung limply on him, being a better fit for a young man's body than the child-like body he currently had.
"Oh, man, my clothes! But at least no one will recognize me now," groaned Ricky as he double-
checked his appearance with his mind.
"Wow! You look completely different, although your white hair didn't change at all," remarked the
Dragon Intent Grass. "I bet this will make things more interesting. Can you imagine their reaction once
they find a child that has the strength of a middle spiritual emperor?"
As if it could not handle such a ridiculous thought, the Dragon Intent Grass collapsed into laughter.
Meanwhile, Ricky ignored its teasing remarks and tore off his clothes casually. He gathered some mud
from the ground, muddied his face with it, and then left the mountain without a backward glance.
No one would guess that the filthy child in rags would be Ricky. 'I certainly owe the Old Oriental
Emperor a lot for teaching me the skill of Transforming Realm. It has been invaluable to me so far,'
thought Ricky to himself with no small trace of gratefulness.
Afterward, he found and entered a city filled with the hustle and bustle of a healthy population. He
immediately sought more information about the place.
He was shocked when he discovered that he was somewhere in the Middle Land's central region.
'I didn't expect Master Otis would take me to the central region, but now that I think about it, it's such a
good idea. No one would expect that I would come here!' Ricky thought to himself with a little
satisfaction.
He had also discovered that the area he was in was currently under the control of two forces at the
Sage Level.
One of the two forces was the Black Flaming Phoenix tribe.
To his knowledge, the Black Flaming Phoenix was an emperor beast with a powerful bloodline, and all
of its progeny possessed at least fifty percent of the Great Phoenix's bloodline. Hence, the Black
Flaming Phoenix tribe was one of the tribes which were considered to be the closest to the Great
Phoenix.
Frankly, Ricky disliked anything related to the Phoenix tribe. That was why even though he had not
encountered any creature from the Black Flaming Phoenix tribe yet, he was already wary of them.
The other Sage Level force that ruled in the city was the Abstinent Sect.
That sect was well-known for the fact that the female disciples greatly outnumbered the male disciples.
All its members used the same cultivation method, and they followed a singular philosophy. They
believed that only once they conquered their emotions and became abstinent could they reach their
peak.
'Those members of the Black Flaming Phoenix tribe better stay away from me because once I see
them, I will show no mercy,' Ricky thought darkly to himself.
Besides hearing about the two influential forces, he also learned that there was another big event about
to happen. It turned out that the Misty South Palace had announced that it would hold the selection
which was open to all the warriors from the central and outer regions.
Moreover, the selection had begun.
The Misty South Palace's competent warriors had placed tokens in the most dangerous places within
the central and outer regions, and these tokens would serve as their invitations for the Misty South
Palace's selection process. Only the most skilled warriors who could retrieve those tokens would be
allowed to participate in the formal disciple selection, which would be held a year from now.
Of course, there was a rule that stated only creatures below three hundred years old were qualified to
look for the tokens. Any warriors older than three hundred years old were forbidden to help others
acquire the tokens, and any form of disobedience would be seen as an act of offense against the Misty
South Palace.
These so-called tokens functioned the way as the Territory Seal, except they would serve as invitations
later on.
It was made of special materials and made by the Misty South Palace's casting masters.
Moreover, it was rumored that as many as thirty thousand tokens were available in the central and
outer regions.
That meant at least thirty thousand talented warriors would be able to join the selection that was to be
held in a year.
As a matter of fact, the Misty South Palace had deemed it necessary to reveal where the tokens were
located. In this way, they were assured that all tokens would be found, and more geniuses could take
part in their disciple selection.
The young warriors were given ten months to look for the tokens, and the Misty South Palace would
announce where they would conduct the disciple selection in the last two months.
'It looks like I have to find a token before I can actually participate in the disciple selection,' Ricky
pondered to himself once he learned about the tokens.
"This is a great strategy. In this way, the Misty South Palace has given a chance to all warriors to
participate in their selection. And along the way, this can also serve as an elimination round, as the
warriors will have to fight over the tokens," the Dragon Intent Grass noted lightly.
"Only the Misty South Palace can get away with this rule because no force in the central and outer
regions dare to defy them," commented Ricky. "Such rules guarantee that the competition would be
fairly held. Otherwise, the candidates with stronger backgrounds would secure victory in the selection
and that would be unfair."
"Ha-ha! That's true," the Dragon Intent Grass answered, nodding.
"Well, I am going to check out the nearby cities and find more information on these tokens' locations,"
Ricky murmured to himself thoughtfully.
With that in mind, he went on to investigate several nearby cities, hoping for more news.
He soon found out that some tokens could be found somewhere in a place called Corpse Blood Devil
Land.
From its name, it was evident that the place had something to do with the Corpse Blood Devil tribe from
the devil race.
The ancestral blood power was the strongest one in the devil race, closely followed by the eight major
blood powers. Among the eight major blood powers, the Corpse Blood Devil tribe was the strongest.
When the creatures of the devil race died in ancient times, their dead bodies formed the Corpse Blood
Devil after tens of thousands of years.
Rumor had it that the Corpse Blood Devil tribe once invaded this place, but most of them had been
slaughtered. The land absorbed their corpse and blood, and that formed the Corpse Blood Devil Land.
Though it was believed to be a rumor, it had a grain of truth.
Meanwhile, the Linghu Clan owned the territory on the other side of the Corpse Blood Devil Land.
The Linghu Clan was one of the eight influential human devil clans, and their members were said to
possess the Corpse Blood Devil's bloodline.
"Hmn... I guess I should head to the Corpse Blood Devil Land," Ricky murmured to himself when he
heard the news.
Without hesitation, he turned away and headed for his new destination.
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