The moment Kamari arrived, his eyes swept over Ricky critically, scrutinizing the other man's
weaknesses and strengths.
Most people considered Kamari a one-of-a-kind casting genius, and there had been no one like him in
the Helian Clan for the past thousand years. Kamari, himself, believed in his casting skills and thought
that only a few people were in his level in terms of weapon casting.
However, when he heard Ricky who was just a Demi-sage Level casting master could cast exceptional
weapons with a furnace made from his Light Apperception, he couldn't believe it at first. He thought the
rumors were just that—rumors.
Thus, he decided to see Ricky cast with his own eyes.
Kamari knew he couldn't ignore the other man, for he was a threat to him. He had to prove that he was
the most talented casting master.
Along with his pride, he also needed to uphold the Helian Clan's reputation, which depended on him
winning against Ricky. He intended to crush Ricky during the casting contest, and in that way, he could
remind everyone that he was the best casting master of his generation. People would realize that Ricky
wasn't qualified to teach anyone from the Helian Clan.
"Since you already have an invitation, we will allow you to take part in the casting contest this time for
the sake of the Misty South Palace's representative. Good luck!" Kamari declared firmly, much to the
Elder Greyson's relief.
Seeing this, it was evident that the Helian Clan's elders held him in high regard, and they would surely
let him do as he pleased.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, Kamari," Ricky uttered gratefully, cupping his hands as he inclined his head
slightly.
"Ha-ha! Elder Greyson will surely regret this decision if he knew what would happen," the Evil
Mandragora remarked with a giddy laugh. "If I were him, I won't even let you set foot near the
competition!"
"Well, I'm glad he isn't you then! Ha-ha!" replied Ricky in amusement upon hearing her comments.
"By the way, can you sense Kamari's casting level?" he then asked the Dragon Intent Grass, as his
expression became somber.
"How should I know? The casting level of an individual doesn't always coincide with the level of his
martial arts. But, if I were to guess, this guy is highly likely to be a Sage Level casting master,"
answered the Dragon Intent Grass. "And if I am right, you have no chance of winning against him."
"I hope his casting skills haven't reached that level yet..." muttered Ricky quietly.
Kamari's intent gaze remained steadfast on Ricky's figure.
"It's no big deal. I just hope you can show us your best casting skills so that everyone would see if you
are strong enough to be Wayne's master. If you fail here, you will be the laughingstock of the continent,
not my clan," Kamari responded with much derision in his voice.
"I'll do my best!" Ricky nodded grimly as the fire of determination burned in his eyes. He would certainly
do his best.
After that minor incident, the registration soon ended.
Typically, the Helian Clan arranged the participants' accommodation for the tournament. It was where
the disciples would stay and rest until the first test began the next day.
"Apart from the members of the Helian Clan, the most talented casting disciples come from the Casting
Guild in the inner region, right?" Ricky asked Amelia, who nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah! It's no wonder the Casting Guild is the apple of the eyes of all the major forces. But,
understandably all of them are talented since their members were the casting geniuses coming from
the inner region's various clans. You can say that their members are composed of the best of the best.
I think we can even say that, as far as casting skills are concerned, the Casting Guild is cut from the
same cloth as the Short Human tribe, and no other force can even come close," said Amelia.
"All the top casting geniuses of the younger generation in the whole Misty South must have signed up
for this contest. Despite that, I hope I can catch a break and finally become a Sage Level casting
master," Ricky muttered, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with anticipation.
"But don't get too preoccupied with your opponents. Aren't you looking forward to the prizes you can
win in this casting competition?" Amelia added with a smile.
"Of course! It's not a contest if the winner doesn't get a prize." An expectant smile flashed across
Ricky's face after he heard her words.
He heard that the prizes were exceedingly valuable.
Participants who could reach the fourth to the tenth rank would receive a varying amount of Heaven
Soul Stones.
Those in the tenth place would receive ten pieces of Heaven Soul Stone, while those in the ninth place
would get twenty pieces. Seventy pieces were in store for whoever won fourth place.
This competition was truly on a different level. After all, the Casting Guild only gave a single Heaven
Soul Stone to the grand winner of their casting contest. With that in mind, the two contests couldn't be
any more different. There was a vast gap between their levels.
As for the three major prizes, the Helian Clan prepared even more lavish items. The third-place would
get a zone full of casting materials from the Helian Clan.
Obviously, that meant more than a hundred pieces of Heaven Soul Stone.
The prize for the second place included three zones full of casting materials and the privilege of
cultivating on the Casting Stars of the Helian Clan for months.
The grand winner would receive an abundance of casting cultivation resources, and he would get the
opportunity to cultivate in the ancestral land of the Helian Clan.
Based on the rewards for the first and second place, the Helian Clan seemed to place much
importance on this casting competition.
However, the previous competition had always had members of the Helian Clan as the grand winner
and second place.
The highest honor attained by the disciples of other casting forces was third place, and most of them
had not even reached the fifth place.
In this way, the Helian Clan always ended up with the most valuable prizes. They weren't afraid to give
out lavish rewards since it always ended up with their members, anyway.
Of course, none of the other forces could question this because the Helian Clan's members had won
fair and square. They could only blame themselves if their disciples weren't good enough to win.
"Hmm... I wonder what would happen if you won first place and gained the right to cultivate in the
Helian Clan's ancestral land..." remarked the Dragon Intent Grass in a mischievous tone.
"That will surely be interesting!" Ricky responded with a smile.
The casting competition consisted of three parts. Most participants were usually eliminated in the first
round.
On the huge square, thousands of casting tables had been set up, with one disciple occupying each
casting table.
Elder Graysen and the saints from other forces made themselves comfortable on the clouds over the
platform, and each one had their eyes trained on the ongoing contest.
The first round was simple. The participants only needed to create a weapon at the Demi-sage Level
within ten hours.
That was a piece of cake for Ricky, and he doubted that he would even need ten hours to do that.
But for the other casting geniuses, it was not quite a walk in the park.
'Since they only gave us ten hours, I think only a fourth of this batch would pass to the next round, '
Ricky surmised after hearing the instructions.
"Casting a Demi-sage Level weapon in ten hours isn't as simple as you think. Not everyone is as
talented as you, after all. If I were to guess, I think less than a fourth of all the participants would pass,"
the Dragon Intent Grass guessed, disagreeing.
At this time, most of the participants had a grave look on their faces.
"The test begins now!" a member of the Short Human tribe declared aloud.
With these words, the contest finally began.
Most people watching had their eyes fixed on the top geniuses of the Helian Clan and of the Casting
Guild.
Some were also checking Ricky out.
They wanted to see how Ricky made a furnace with his Light Apperception, even though he was a
mere Demi-sage level casting master. And although the test had started, the top casting geniuses
participating in the test couldn't keep their eyes off Ricky.
They studied every movement he made while they, themselves, were doing their task, which wasn't
difficult for them to achieve. After all, they had ten hours.
It was a shame that things didn't go as they expected.
Seeing that it was just the first round, Ricky had no intention of showing his real skills.
Instead, he crafted his weapon slowly and used a lame Pounding Skill. This confused the surrounding
warriors, and they began to gossip with one another. "Did the rumors exaggerate this guy's casting
skills?" a warrior muttered, sounding incredibly perplexed by what he was seeing.
"This is just the first round, so let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe he doesn't want to show his real
skills yet," another warrior retorted. "Ricky must have something up his sleeve, or Wayne wouldn't have
taken him as his master. After all, Wayne is an arrogant casting genius in this era."
'What an interesting fellow! He is purposely acting like an ordinary caster. But he won't be able to do
this for long because the second round will be more difficult, ' Kamari mused.
"Look at those fools! They're so disappointed with your performance. Ha-ha!" the Dragon Intent Grass
pointed out.
"Let them be. I don't plan on showing my trump card unless I have no other choice," Ricky responded
with a smile.
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