"Fine. How about if I make a Martial Arts Oath?"
offered the Casting Ladder when it felt that Ricky still had some doubts. It showed its sincerity by
making a Martial Arts Oath about the conditions they agreed with.
Indeed, it seemed willing to sacrifice a lot just to obtain Ricky's casting manual.
As for Ricky's side, the Casting Ladder was offering generous conditions. And these conditions were
even more valuable than Ricky's Chaos Manual.
"Sir, aren't you worried that I can become a casting master of Sage Level in one or two days? And if
that happens, Kamari will no longer be my opponent in the third round," Ricky asked bluntly. He was
moved when the Casting Ladder made the Martial Arts Oath, but he also knew that it was undoubtedly
biased in favor of the Helian Clan. That was why he couldn't help but doubt why the Casting Ladder
didn't mind helping him become a casting master of Sage Level.
"Young man, even if you become a casting master of Sage Level, it's not a guarantee that you'll win
first place in this competition,"
the Casting Ladder told Ricky with a knowing smile as if amused by his words.
"Then it's true that Kamari is now a casting master of Sage Level, huh? Otherwise, you wouldn't be so
confident that I can't win," Ricky remarked with a heavy heart as he read between the lines.
"You're right. He is indeed a casting master of Sage Level, but he won't use his full power because the
Helian Clan has prohibited him from doing that,"
the Casting Ladder confirmed at once.
"So I was right!"
exclaimed Ricky. "He is already a casting master of Sage Level. If I don't want to be left behind, I have
to agree to your proposition."
"Ha-ha! You seem confident that you will beat Kamari once you become a casting master of Sage
Level,"
noted the Casting Ladder with amusement.
"Of course! It makes no difference to me if it's martial arts or casting. I've never been afraid of any
genius at my level,"
Ricky declared confidently.
"If so, then I wish you the best of luck. I hope you can overcome Kamari,"
the Casting Ladder said approvingly after hearing the determination in Ricky's voice.
This confused Ricky because he thought it would never side with him.
Noticing the perplexed look on his face, the Casting Ladder added, "The Short Human tribe has grown
arrogant and contemptuous, for their unique talent in casting and consistent domination in the casting
competitions in the past eras has inflated their ego.
It will be bad for them if they continue like this.
If you can defeat Kamari, it will certainly be a blow to the Helian Clan, and it will humble them once
again."
"Sir, it seems that you really care about the Helian Clan,"
noted Ricky curiously.
"It's because I am connected to the Helian Clan. I cannot help but consider their welfare in everything I
do,"
admitted the Casting Ladder. "Now, if you agree with my offer, come back here alone tonight, and I'll
help you become a casting master of Sage Level."
"What if the others notice me here?"
Ricky asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. This is my world! They can't eavesdrop or spy on us here,"
the Casting Ladder reassured him.
"Okay, sir. I trust you. See you tonight!"
Ricky said.
He was now certain that Kamari was a casting master of Sage Level. If he wanted to defeat Kamari, he
had to become a casting master of Sage Level too before the third round came. And the only way he
could achieve that was to trade with the Casting Ladder.
"All right, I'll wait for you here. I can't wait to see your casting manual!" said the Casting Ladder.
After that deal, Ricky turned his full attention to casting and completed his task in six hours. He and
Kamari finished casting their weapons at the same time.
Both of them had cast swords, as it was more practical for the competition.
"Kamari must be really confident. He didn't use any power of the Sage Level when he was casting this
sword,"
Ricky remarked to the Dragon Intent Grass through telepathy.
"Maybe he just didn't want to expose the fact that he is a casting master of Sage Level now. After all,
there are saints from other forces watching the competition, and although they aren't knowledgeable
about casting, they can still sense the power of a casting master of Sage Level,"
guessed the Dragon Intent Grass.
'It seems that Ricky is a true genius in weapon casting!'
Kamari thought to himself upon seeing that he and Ricky had finished casting simultaneously.
"Wow, you're already done? It's no wonder you are the number one casting genius in the continent!"
Ricky praised him sincerely.
"You too, man!"
replied Kamari.
When the time was up, all the participants withdrew from the Casting Ladder and handed over the
weapons they cast to the saints invited by the Helian Clan.
These saints would determine the quality of the weapons they cast and choose the best.
Before long, the organizers of the contest had the result in hand and were about to announce it.
They would choose the best one hundred out of nearly one thousand participants. Naturally, the rest
were eliminated.
Out of those one hundred, ten would also be chosen, but that would only be a temporary arrangement.
The top ten participants' real assessments would be carried out after the second and third rounds.
"It's a pity that you'll be one step behind me,"
Kamari said to Ricky telepathically as they waited for the result to be announced.
"Isn't it too early to jump to conclusions? The final result hasn't even come out. Don't be too
overexcited, or you might eat your own words,"
Ricky replied nonchalantly.
Honestly, he considered admitting defeat, but only if Kamari used the runic power at the Sage Level.
But the other man didn't. And even if Kamari was a real casting master of Sage Level, Ricky still
wouldn't back down so easily. That was how confident he was.
"I only came to that conclusion because I believe in my casting,"
answered Kamari. "If I can't even be confident in that, then I don't deserve to be called the number one
casting genius in the Misty South."
"Let's agree to disagree and let the result speak!"
Ricky declared with as much confidence as Kamari. He wasn't about to cower before the other man.
Soon, the result came out.
A member of the Short Human tribe came forward and announced the rankings of the participants.
Brent from the Casting Guild came in sixth place, and Melissa came in fifth. Tommy claimed fourth
place, while Veronica went in third place.
When the time came for the second place to be announced, the short man paused for a moment.
At this point, all eyes were focused on Ricky and Kamari, as they were all curious which one would win.
After all, Ricky was such a promising new casting genius, while Kamari was the most talented casting
genius in the Misty South.
No one seemed to notice that the announcer looked unhappy, except for the saints who missed
nothing.
"The second place, no one!" the short man finally yelled out, much to the surprise of everyone listening.
"What? Did he say no one won second place?"
Shocked murmurs quickly erupted through the crowd.
Since nobody came in second place, it could only mean one thing—both participants had won first
place.
That meant Ricky was on par with Kamari.
They had all expected Ricky would win second place, so they were astounded that he was comparable
to Kamari. None of them ever dreamt of anyone being on par with Kamari.
After all, Kamari had been regarded as the number one casting genius in the Misty South since the day
he was born.
Over the past decades, many casting geniuses in his generation had challenged him, but he easily
obliterated anyone who stood in his way to the top.
In terms of casting, Kamari was like a giant mountain who could put pressure on the other casting
geniuses until they were down on their knees. They could not even raise their heads to look him in the
eye.
Of course, most of the people from the other forces were thrilled at the development. How could they
not be? They had been waiting for a long time for someone who could go head to head against Kamari.
They were excited that the person, who had always beat them, finally met his match.
The short man didn't announce the first place anymore since it was quite obvious anyway. And besides,
as a member of the Short Human tribe, he hated the result and was, therefore, not in the mood.
Compared with the shock and excitement of the warriors from other forces, the members of the Helian
Clan looked sullen and disconcerted.
Kolton was the happiest. He didn't expect that Ricky could compete against Kamari.
In the background, the members of the Casting Guild were discussing how to win Ricky over, and so
were the other casting forces.
Elder Graysen's face looked thunderous. Although he already knew the result before it was announced,
seeing the happiness on other people's faces irritated him even more.
"What a pity!" Ricky grumbled quietly. He had hoped to win first place, and he didn't expect that he and
Kamari would end up in a draw.
"In this case, I think Kamari's extensive experience as a casting master of Sage Level has played a big
role,"
the Dragon Intent Grass mused helpfully.
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