"Lad, there's no doubt that you are a casting genius! It only took you half a year to transform twenty
percent of runes into holy runes,"
said the Casting Ladder with awe and a hint of disbelief.
"At this rate, you can become a casting master of Sage Level in less than three years on your own."
"Three years?"
Ricky repeated, pursing his lips into a frown.
Three years sounded too long.
"Well, yeah. If that's too much for you, don't forget that top talents usually need dozens of years or
more. I'm afraid your expectations are too high,"
responded the Casting Ladder when it noticed the displeasure on Ricky's face.
"What about Kamari? How long did it take him to become a casting master of Sage Level?" Ricky
asked.
"You can't compare yourself to him. The disciples of the Helian Clan have been cultivating on me since
childhood," the Casting Ladder reminded him gently. "And besides, Kamari has also cultivated on the
999th floor.
I suspect that if he relied on his own comprehension, it would take him around five years to become a
casting master of Sage Level. With that in mind, I can say that you are the strongest casting genius I
have ever seen."
"I'm honored to hear that, sir. However, if I didn't get the incredible opportunities that I have had, I
would not have improved as much,"
Ricky humbly replied. "I am curious, though. From the way you talked, I can tell that you still have much
confidence in Kamari."
"The Short Human tribe is the best at casting, after all,"
admitted the Casting Ladder, sounding amused that Ricky noticed such a thing. "I trust their talents to
prevail. Otherwise, even if I wanted your casting manual so much, I wouldn't have dared to offer such
conditions."
"Ha-ha! So you are that confident in the Short Human tribe! It's touching, but I won't surrender so
easily,"
responded Ricky. He didn't feel bad that the Casting Ladder didn't seem to believe in him, for he
believed in himself already. "In terms of casting, I believe I'm superior to the Short Human tribe."
"Ha-ha, let's wait and see. Now, you're going to turn all the runes on your body into holy runes."
The Casting Ladder wasn't offended by what Ricky said. Instead, it only chuckled and redirected their
focus once again.
In the next moment, the two opposite powers were released at the same time in the vortex space.
One was the negative environment power of the Casting Ladder, while the other was the positive
environment power. These two powers immediately fused and encompassed Ricky.
He struggled underneath the pressure mounted by the negative environment power, and when he
resisted, the positive environment power poured into his body. In an instant, his perception of casting
exponentially increased.
At the rate he was going, Ricky figured that a year of cultivation in this place had the same result as
cultivating for one hundred years outside.
'No wonder Kamari became a casting master of Sage Level before the age of fifty, '
Ricky thought, nodding to himself.
'I heard that even a mediocre person can become a casting master of Sage Level after cultivating on
the Casting Ladder for a hundred years. Seeing this, that rumor seems to be accurate.'
Then, Ricky threw all his hesitation into the air and immediately entered the state of cultivation.
"You can forget everything in this place and simply concentrate on your cultivation," the Casting Ladder
intoned wisely.
In the next breath, Ricky felt another force emerge, and this new force stirred movement within his Soul
Sea. His mysterious axe pulsed excitedly.
"Is this the original energy?" Ricky muttered, his brows creased in confusion.
"Oh? I didn't think you would recognize it," remarked the Casting Ladder with surprise.
"Anyway, you're right. It is indeed the original energy of casting, which is essential if you want to turn all
of your runes into holy runes overnight. If you don't have it, even a perfect cultivation environment
cannot help you."
"This is awesome. Thank you so much, sir!" Ricky responded gratefully.
At this point, he knew that no matter what the purpose of the Casting Ladder was, it was sincere in
helping him cultivate. It wouldn't have offered the original energy of casting otherwise.
"If I had to guess, I'd say the Casting Ladder must have two reasons to help you. First, it probably
wants to use you to humble the Helian Clan, who has become too arrogant through the years that
they've been unmatched," the Dragon Intent Grass revealed through telepathy.
"The second and primary reason must be because it values your talent and wants to befriend you. It
hopes to sow good seeds, just in case the Helian Clan or members of the Short Human tribe offend
you in the future. That way, it could step in and help them.
Aside from those two reasons, I can't think of any other reason why it offered the original energy of
casting to help you. And you should know that if it helps you with the original energy of casting, it won't
cause any negative after-effects on you.
You can use other methods to turn your runes into holy runes overnight, but all of them will surely have
negative effects on you."
"I don't hate the Short Human tribe, nor do I want to hurt any of them. I only came here because I want
to learn casting, and most importantly, I need to save Wayne," replied Ricky.
"Ha-ha, you're just saying that because you received all these benefits from the Casting Ladder," the
Dragon Intent Grass teasingly remarked.
"Ha-ha!" Ricky burst into laughter as well.
After that, he put his full focus on his casting. He absorbed the original energy of casting and began to
cultivate like crazy in the exceptional environment provided by the Casting Ladder. He could feel as his
runes quickly transformed into holy runes.
Meanwhile, the Casting Ladder also continued infusing power into Ricky, which helped him achieve a
breakthrough.
In this way, by midnight, all of Ricky's runes had been condensed into holy runes.
It was at that moment that Ricky became a real casting master of Sage Level.
'Finally! I have become a casting master of Sage Level!'
Ricky thought to himself, feeling pleased and proud at his achievement.
After he had absorbed the original energy of casting, his progress exponentially increased, and it only
took him a few hours to become a casting master of Sage Level.
"I knew the original energy of casting is amazing, but it's even better than I expected!"
But despite Ricky's happiness, he knew that his journey to be the best was just beginning. He couldn't
be complacent so soon.
"Now, your body has to work on assimilating the original energy of casting that you have absorbed. You
also have to comprehend the casting experience of Sage Level. Otherwise, you will be a casting
master of Sage Level by name only,"
the Casting Ladder instructed.
"You may begin now. I'll wake you up before the third day."
"Thank you very much, sir."
Ricky then entered the state of comprehension. In the following days, it wouldn't matter if he could not
comprehend too deeply. What was more important was understanding his own holy runes.
Only in this way could he contend with Kamari.
At this time, Elder Graysen and some of the saints of the Helian Clan were gathered in secret. Kamari
was with them as well.
"Elder Graysen, I have to admit that Ricky is not simple as he looks," confessed Kamari with a somber
expression. "If it weren't for my casting experience of Sage Level, I would have failed today.
I need your permission to show my true ability in the third round. Otherwise, I will lose to him."
Hearing Kamari's words, all the saints around fell silent.
"Kamari, please ask Elder Westin and our chief first. Your safety is still our priority,"
Elder Graysen answered.
"Yeah, let's see what the chief wants first!"
The other saints nodded in agreement, looking satisfied that Ricky might finally be dealt with.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and the Casting Ladder finally woke Ricky up.
Just as Ricky expected, he didn't gain a deep understanding, but he at least had a good grasp over his
holy runes.
"This is a marvelous occasion! I have cultivated a casting genius of Sage Level!"
the Casting Ladder joyfully declared.
"But remember, don't intentionally improve your casting realm in the next few months. You have relied
on external force to become a casting master of Sage Level this time, so you need to consolidate and
comprehend it deeply first.
Also, the original energy of casting can not only help you improve your realm. You need to work on that
on your own."
"I understand, sir." Ricky nodded, taking the Casting Ladder's advice to heart.
"All right, you should start preparing for the third round. I hope you can defeat Kamari and put the
arrogant Helian Clan in their place,"
it added later on.
"Ha-ha, sure! I will do as you wish,"
answered Ricky with a smile.
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