Once they had prepared everything, Ricky, Mordechai, Claire, Ella, and Amelia headed for the inner
region where the Misty South Palace was located.
However, Ricky didn't expect that Lloyd would ask Shirley to escort them to their destination.
Lloyd told them that the forces after Ricky wouldn't send warriors at the Sage Level anymore because
of the Misty South Shadow, but they might still send upper spiritual emperors or demi-saints to hunt him
down.
He insisted Shirley should accompany them as their bodyguard, and in that way, he wouldn't need to
worry about Ricky and the others.
But despite Lloyd's wishes, Ricky didn't let Shirley join their journey. He instead brought her into his
Chaotic Fire Zone, where she could spend her time cultivating.
It didn't even occur to Ricky to keep the Chaotic Fire Zone a secret from Shirley. He trusted her
implicitly.
And then, to avoid unnecessary trouble, the five of them took a remote path and made sure to keep a
low profile throughout the entire journey.
It was also lucky that before Tina left, she gave Ricky the airship at the Demi-sage Level.
Thus, their little group of five used it to move forward.
It would probably take two months to reach the Misty South Palace based on the speed of their vehicle.
"Okay, guys. We can focus on our cultivation before we get there. We haven't fully comprehended the
Intent Spirit that we obtained from the Emperor Intent Tomb," Ricky announced.
He also gave Amelia a part of his Intent Spirit.
"Tsk! You have too many girls. Are you collecting them or something?" Claire scoffed at Ricky through
telepathy. Her voice sounded a little envious.
"It's because I'm charming. I'm sure you agree too because otherwise, you, the lady of the Mu Clan,
wouldn't have chosen to be with me," Ricky replied with a teasing smile.
"You're so narcissistic!" growled Claire as she sent him a sharp glance.
The conversation dissolved after that, and the five of them turned their attention on their cultivation.
At this point, Ricky's saber intent had reached fifty percent at the late stage, and he planned to improve
it up to sixty percent.
In that way, his saber intent would be closer to seventy percent. If a creature's Intent Apperception
reached seventy percent, it would mean a tremendous leap in his cultivation, and it could even serve
as one of his most powerful trump cards.
Seventy percent Intent Apperception or above enabled warriors to find their own way in the martial arts.
Clearing his mind, Ricky knuckled down to review the saber skills he had picked up.
He would comprehend his saber intent from these.
And since Ricky had cultivated the Shura Eight Moves and acquired some power from the Intent Spirit,
he was able to quickly comprehend the saber intent.
Time flew by quickly. The five of them were so focused on their cultivation that they didn't notice how
much time had passed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One day, the sudden vigorous shaking of their airship awoke them. The five of them immediately
stopped their training and sprang into action.
The moment they opened their eyes, they found that several figures had surrounded the airship.
Men, women, young, and middle-aged; there were so many of them.
"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Mordechai at once.
"We are here for Ricky Nan!" a young man haughtily spat out, pointing a finger at Ricky.
"Why are you looking for me when I don't even know you? Are you also after Master Paul's
inheritance?" Ricky asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.
"Only someone powerful with an excellent background deserves a spiritual potentate's inheritance. You
were lucky that the ancient arena showed up in the outer region because, otherwise, you would never
have gotten your hands on it. If it had appeared in the inner region, it would have gone to those who
deserve it.
And now, you have grown famous in the entire Middle Land. But I doubt you actually have the talent to
back that up. You don't deserve that reputation," the young man sneered, glaring at Ricky.
"Hmm… You seem to know so much about me, but I don't know you. Can't you at least tell me your
name?" Ricky asked lightly, the smile on his face never wavering.
"I am Kohen Free!" replied the young man with much confidence.
"Are you, perhaps, from the Free Palace?" Claire abruptly spoke up, looking somber.
"Of course, he is. No one else in the continent carries the family name Free aside from the Free Clan
from the Free Palace in the Misty South," the woman beside the young man freely chimed in.
"So you are indeed from the Free Palace. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at once. But before we fight,
can you tell me how you found me?" Ricky politely inquired.
The Free Palace was one of the inner region's top forces, and it had a unique structure.
Built several eons ago by a powerful warrior whose surname was Free, it only took in independent
warriors. That was how the Free Palace became the headquarters of independent warriors in the Misty
South.
Of course, its core members all belonged to the Free Clan.
And because it consisted mostly of Misty South's independent warriors, its strength was on par with the
major forces like the Misty South Palace.
After all, plenty of independent warriors were demi-spiritual potentates.
All Free Palace's members had the freedom to do whatever they wanted. That was the way how
independent warriors dealt with things.
However, Ricky knew they never killed people without a good reason.
And they usually did things fair and square.
Whenever they had their eyes on another force's treasure, they wouldn't take it by brute force. Instead,
they would offer their own treasure as a bet and challenge someone from that force.
In short, the Free Palace was a decent force of independent warriors.
"I hate that another force seems to be using us, but I really wanted your inheritance," Kohen Free
replied honestly. "Recently, I received information from the inner region's Gu Clan that you will be
traveling to the Misty South Palace from the Five-element Sect. Of course, I had to act."
"I see... Thanks for telling me." Ricky nodded gratefully, as a foul mood settled over him.
"So it's that bastard from the Gu Clan. He must have planted some spies in our sect," Mordechai
seethed.
"It seems Lucas has done so much just to cause trouble for me. I'm sure this isn't the last danger we'll
encounter in our journey. We must be careful," Ricky murmured.
"Anyway, what do you want from me?" Ricky then asked Kohen Free as he turned back to face the
latter.
"Let's have a duel! But since you are in our territory, you should follow our rules. If you win, no one will
give you a hard time in our territory. If you lose, you have to leave Master Paul's inheritance with me,"
Kohen suggested gleefully.
'We must be in the Free Palace's territory if their members had accosted us here. That means we are
close to the Misty South Palace, ' Ricky thought to himself.
"That's hardly fair, sir," he immediately protested when he heard Kohen's conditions.
"I guess you're right. I wanted to give something as a wager initially, but I don't have anything that is on
par with Master Paul's inheritance. Thus, I decided not to wager anything. But you have a point. It is
indeed unfair to you.
So, tell me, what do you want me to wager?" probed Kohen Free with a smile.
"Since you asked, I won't hold back! I heard that one of the four clans of the Short Human tribe lives in
your territory. This clan invites talented casting masters from other casting forces to compete with their
own casting geniuses every few years," Ricky said with a small smile.
"That's right. The Short Human tribe's Helian Clan is indeed in our territory." Kohen nodded.
"If you lose, I want an invitation to that competition. That shouldn't be difficult for you, right?" Ricky
suggested politely, though a sly smile pulled at his lips. "You see, I want to take part in their casting
competition, but I don't have a casting force to back me up."
"Is that what you want? My, my, you seem exceedingly confident in your casting skills," responded
Kohen Free with an intrigued smile.
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