Although the Free Palace was a force to be reckoned with, it still showed immense respect towards the
Helian Clan. They even went so far as to give up the southeastern area they had occupied earlier to
the Helian Clan.
The reason for this treatment was simple. Many powerful warriors of the Free Palace were independent
cultivators, and because of the Free Palace's relationship with the Helian Clan, these warriors were
more likely to be invited elders of the Helian Clan.
The invited elders of the Helian Clan held a high position and had status beyond others.
They could have their weapons cast for free and could also make use of the rich cultivation resources
provided by the Helian Clan. In the entirety of the four continents, the Short Human tribe was said to
have the richest and the most advanced cultivation resources.
All those resources were made available to them as long as they helped the younger generation of the
Helian Clan in their cultivation and also swore to protect the safety of the Helian Clan to a certain
extent.
This was because the Short Human Tribe was not adept in cultivation.
Therefore, they were willing to provide the cultivation resources to the invited elders who stayed loyal to
them.
The cities in the territory of the Helian Clan were usually bustling. Some came to cast weapons, some
came to observe the casting and wanted to comprehend something in the casting conception, and
some who were casting lovers came to worship the Short Human tribe because of their amazing
casting skills.
Apart from the usual crowd, the Helian Clan's invited geniuses from various casting forces to attend the
casting competition made the cities more lively than normal.
High in the sky, many airships were making their way to the cities, carrying masters from famous
casting forces in the interior region. They were arriving with their own geniuses to attend the
competition.
It was the hot topic of the warriors in every city at the moment.
Occasionally, some of them would also mention Wayne, and that he was Ricky's apprentice.
As soon as Ricky and Amelia arrived, the two of them entered the Massacring Zone and immediately
sensed Wayne's aura, hoping to meet Wayne in secret.
Unfortunately, he was imprisoned in a remote palace which was being guarded strictly with powerful
restrictions. Even though Ricky had activated the Massacring Zone, he still couldn't enter the palace
without anyone noticing.
"It seems like the Helian Clan has yet to make a final decision on Wayne because of the status of his
grandfather. Obviously, they would settle the matter as soon as the competition is over," said Amelia.
"That seems to be the case. I have to defeat all the casting geniuses of the Helian Clan in this
competition," Ricky exclaimed in a firm tone. "That is the only way to eliminate the influence of his
apprenticeship under me."
"It's going to be extremely hard. The top geniuses of the Helian Clan are said to possess the strongest
casting talent in all four continents," said the Dragon Intent Grass.
"Anyway, try your best."
"Hmm. I wonder if any of their younger generation's geniuses has reached the Sage Level."
Rocky looked grim. "If any of them has reached the Sage Level, things will become really troublesome
for us," he said, sighing heavily.
This time, in addition to the casting forces, the Helian Clan had also invited saints from top forces as
guests to watch the casting competition.
The Helian Clan held these casting competitions to show off their casting skills to these top forces.
And once these top forces personally witnessed the high casting skills of the Short Human tribe, they
would automatically show respect to the tribe.
Naturally, the saints of the Misty South Palace were invited as well.
This time, the saint who had come on behalf of the Misty South Palace was Kolton.
He was definitely one of the top among the great saints. Hundreds of years ago, he had reached the
late stage as a great saint, merely a step away from the peak state.
'Kolton is pretty famous and is a powerful great saint from the Misty South Palace. I hope he can speak
for me when the time comes.' Ricky hoped.
Although he had arrived in the city earlier than most, Ricky didn't show up until the day before the
casting competition began. By this time, most geniuses from other casting forces had already
registered.
The registration counter was situated in the main city square.
As soon as Ricky appeared, he immediately attracted the attention of the crowd.
"Isn't that Ricky? White-haired Ricky?"
"Yes! With that signature white hair, there's no mistaking it."
"How arrogant is this guy? Even at a time like this, he has dared to step into the main city of the Helian
Clan."
"He has always been arrogant, otherwise he wouldn't have accepted Wayne as his disciple."
"But it is true that he has extraordinary casting ability. According to news from the Misty South Palace,
he can condense the furnace with his strength and even refine the casting materials at the Demi-sage
Level."
"I have heard it as well. They say that he succeeds in a single casting, and the weapon he cast is
perfect."
"Is he participating in the competition as well?"
"Since he is here now, it's very likely!"
"Let's see how the Helian Clan will react."
Ricky, on the other hand, merely turned a deaf ear to the murmurs around him and headed straight to
the registration counter in the square.
But before he could reach the counter, he was surrounded by disciples of the Short Human tribe.
"Are you Ricky?" one of them asked fiercely.
"I am," Ricky answered in a low tone. "This is not the hospitality I was expecting. Are you stopping me
from signing up?"
"Ha ha! What a joke. You don't deserve to be our guest!" another disciple of the Short Human tribe
sneered. "You humiliated our tribe."
"Even though you are a core disciple of the Misty South Palace, you will not be able to leave so easily
this time."
"Oh. So, that's how it is. But you know, although Wayne is my disciple, we are more like friends..."
Ricky tried to explain.
He really didn't want to clash with the Helian Clan outside the competition.
"Also, I have your invitation here. According to the rules of the Helian Clan, anyone, even the devils,
can participate in the casting competition as long as they have an invitation,"
Ricky said as he took out the invitation and held it up for the disciples to see.
At the sight of the invitation in Ricky's hand, the disciples' eyes went wide in shock. They looked at
each other in obvious confusion. As far as they knew, none from their tribe gave Ricky any invitation.
But what Ricky said was accurate. The Helian Clan indeed stipulated that anyone who had the
invitation could participate in the competition.
However, their hatred for Ricky exceeded their compliance with the rules.
"Humph! Even if the invitation is real, it's quite obvious that you stole it from another warrior."
"Arrest him! Take him to the leader!"
As soon as the words were spoken, several disciples of the Short Human tribe took their stance to fight
against Ricky and Amelia.
If Ricky was not backed by the Misty South Palace, they would have killed him on the spot.
Ricky sighed. At this point, he had no choice but to meet them head-on.
"Looks like it was just Ricky's wishful thinking that he could ever participate in the competition," the
warriors around him commented.
"Yes, if it weren't for the fact that he is a core disciple of the Misty South Palace, the Helian Clan would
have slaughtered him right here, instead of arresting him."
"Either way, this is going to be a good show.
I heard that Kolton of the Misty South Palace is here as well."
Ricky was helpless. He did not want to cause a mess, but he could not stand still and wait to be
arrested either.
"You guys, step back!" an old voice called out at that moment, drawing everyone's
attention.
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