Bertha was looking at Ricky, clearly searching for a way to turn Andrew down. Ricky immediately
understood and gently held her waist to guide her behind him. Now, he was standing in front of her,
staring down at Andrew.
Andrew's face darkened at once. He was really upset that Bertha hadn't objected to Ricky touching her
supple waist.
"It's getting interesting. Very few people in the Casting Guild would dare to go after the woman Mr. Wu
likes. This young man from the Snow Sect is either very brave, or incredibly stupid!" an onlooker
couldn't help but say.
Ricky's defiance had already attracted some attention. Several onlookers even began to discuss this
development with each other in barely hushed tones.
*
Ricky didn't care about their judging looks at all. He stared at Andrew, who came up only to his waist,
and said flatly, "Mr. Wu, it seems that Bertha doesn't want to go out with you. I think you should just go
away. If you refuse to respect her wishes, I'm afraid this may be detrimental to the Casting Guild's
reputation."
Andrew's face became livid upon hearing this.
Because Ricky had invoked the reputation of the Casting Guild, Andrew wasn't sure how to proceed.
He had to take into account the Casting Guild's reputation and it showed that he cared about it.
Even if he wanted Bertha so badly, he couldn't take the risk of being known for marring the Guild's
reputation.
However, even though Andrew had yet to reply, the guards standing behind him couldn't stay quiet any
longer.
The two guards in gray robes stepped forward and stood intimidatingly close to Ricky. It was easy to
tell that there was murderous intent in their eyes.
"You damn kid, don't say that I didn't warn you. The Casting City isn't the right place for you twerp to be
in!" a guard at the seventh grade of Blood Purification sneered.
The guard had even rolled up his sleeves and clenched both of his fists.
"Hahaha! Is it a threat? I have no idea that the people from the Casting Guild would launch threats like
that! I was led to believe that the Casting Guild is honorable. It seems that I was wrong!" Ricky retorted.
He deliberately spoke aloud, so that the people surrounding them would be able to hear what he had
said and bear witness to it.
"Bastard! Watch your mouth!" the guard shouted. The guards had already noticed that the onlookers
were whispering to one another again, so they raised their fists and ran towards Ricky.
"Andrew, stopped your guards! Stop disgracing the Casting Guild!" a clear voice shouted at Andrew.
The guards felt a wave of spiritual energy pulsating towards them at once.
It was apparent that the energy emanated from a strong warrior of Bone Reinforcement. Both of the
guards couldn't help but draw back at once.
A woman in green who wore a veil walked towards them slowly. She was tall and slender, her long silky
hair falling to her waist. Her green clothes smelled like lotus flowers.
At every step she took, Ricky could smell her fragrance. How graceful she was! She exuded power and
also elegance.
"It's Kayla! Why would she be here today!" some warriors in the crowd shouted. Everyone present was
surprised to see her, and it was evident from the admiration in their eyes that she was a popular
warrior.
All eyes, including Andrew's, were gleaming. It seemed that he had already forgotten about Bertha.
Most would agree that Kayla's charm was more potent than Bertha's. That she attracted all the
attention at once was to be expected.
Shooting Andrew a glance, she couldn't help but feel disgust curl in the pit of her stomach. Ignoring
him, she walked straight towards Ricky.
"Young man, you're really quite clever, aren't you? You know that you can use the Casting Guild's
reputation to get away with this. But, remember. Don't cross the line, or you'll be sorry!" Kayla said
sternly. Then she left, confidently striding away.
All the onlookers stepped aside at once, creating a path for her to walk through them. Andrew followed
her for a few steps but he stopped as soon as he noticed the warning glare that Kayla sent his way.
'She seems to be quite confident, perhaps even arrogant. Is it just because she has a gift of casting?
Or because she had some connections around here?' Ricky thought to himself in disdain, looking at
Kayla's receding figure. He stopped thinking about her, turning to the matter at hand.
Even though Ricky thought that Kayla was a pretty woman, her demeanor had been quite unpleasant
to the extent that he didn't want to see her again.
"Hey, bastard, you came here to attend the Casting Appraisal, didn't you?" Andrew raised his head and
asked agressively.
"I did. And so?" Ricky sneered.
After hearing Ricky confirm this, Andrew turned to Bertha instead and said with an evil smile, "Bertha, I
really don't know whether he can pass the appraisal or not. Let's see if you can help him manage to
pass. Ha-ha!"
Then Andrew left with a self-satisfied smile. No one dared to turn him down before, especially warriors
who weren't in the Casting Guild. He would definitely make them pay for Bertha's rejection.
"Bastard, you're going to pay the price during the appraisal!" the young man in white hissed
threateningly. Then he followed Andrew and left.
'It seems that I have no luck at all when it comes to these difficult men, ' Ricky thought after Andrew
and his entourage had stormed away.
But he wasn't afraid of Andrew. He even expected to find out how Andrew planned to make things
difficult for him during the appraisal.
Ricky had never been afraid of difficulties and challenges that came his way.
"Ricky, I'm sorry. If it were not for me, Andrew would not have made you a target," Bertha said, her
voice trembling. She was on the verge of tears.
"Bertha, it's not your fault. You don't need to say sorry. We both are the disciples of the Snow Sect. We
take care of each other, alright? Do you really think that Andrew will be able to make a difference with
my test?" Ricky asked confidently.
They both decided to go back to the Casting Guild. They had lost the interest in exploring the Casting
City.
After they got back to their rooms, Ricky and Bertha didn't tell Elder Samuel what had happened.
Bertha still blamed herself for causing Ricky trouble during what was supposed to be a fun exploration.
She was afraid that Andrew would keep his word and make things hard for Ricky. Ricky tried to comfort
her again before he returned to his room, mind racing.
*
Ricky had obtained some background information about Andrew from Bertha.
She told him that Andrew was recognized as a genius in casting. He was only nearly twenty, but had
already become a casting master at the intermediate stage of Mortal Level.
'Oh? It seems that I was wrong about his age because of his height. A casting master at the
intermediate stage of Mortal Level that isn't even twenty years old! It means that he is indeed quite
gifted, ' Ricky thought.
Bertha also told him about Andrew's family background. The main reason Andrew was so conceited
and arrogant was because his father was one of the five elders in the Casting Guild, and his father was
a casting master at Spirit Level.
Aside from this, his mother was an innate spiritual king as well.
'He is really privileged that his father is an outstanding casting master and his mother is an innate
spiritual king...' Ricky thought, pacing his room. He began to get a little worried.
However, Ricky knew that it was no use worrying. It was a waste of his time.
So Ricky tried to stop thinking about him and the Casting Appraisal and focused all his energy on
cultivating his Devouring Skill further.
In fact, he still didn't know much about the Devouring Skill.
The Casting Appraisal was going to be held in only a few days' time. He really wanted to further
comprehend his Pounding Skill based on the Devouring Skill.
*
Four days passed and the day of the Casting Appraisal finally dawned.
Everyone in the Casting Guild was very excited about this great event, which was the highlight of the
year. The appraisal of casting masters at inferior Mortal Level was about to begin.
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