"Is he really gone, Tracy? He's gone, right? Will he ever come back? Will we ever see him again?"
Alicia sobbed softly and asked, her eyes brimmed with tears. She tried hard to hold her emotions in.
The possibility of not being able to see Ricky anymore washed over her like the waves in the ocean.
"I don't know, my dear sister. Maybe we'll see him again. But please don't hold on to it too much," Tracy
replied in the same grief-stricken tone, her eyes wandering to the exact spot where Ricky once
appeared. His face flashed in her mind over and over again as she remembered every second that
they shared. One day, as life should continue, they might both be married to the people they'd love in
the future. However, they would never forget Ricky, who once saved both of them and as well as their
family from the python and other troubles. Secretly, Alicia and Tracy had the same feelings for Ricky.
They knew they had to get rid of those feelings for the rest of their lives.
Noticing his daughters' distress, Charlie turned towards them. "Tracy, Alicia… I know how you feel
about him. However, I think it would be best if you forgot about him instead. Russell is Russell. He isn't
someone who can just lead a normal life. He would never stop being a warrior for you. You are both
just another faces he'd soon forget. He is unreachable. Moping over him is of no use." Surely, Charlie
felt the affliction that his daughters were suffering through at that moment. Ricky just came out of
nowhere and rescued them. It was inevitable that such young girls would feel that way for him. But as
their father, he knew better.
"He is indeed beyond our reach. We'll never see him again,"
Tracy muttered to herself, letting her thoughts wander.
Each night was going to be a long night with his absence.
When daylight came, Ricky had already left the Water Fire City.
He was headed to a place called the Chaotic Region. It was a piece of land that was within the territory
of the Sky Manor.
Before leaving the Gu Clan, Ricky was able to hear of this place from Charlie.
As suggested by its name, the Chaotic Region was prone to chaos and mess. It was their normalcy.
Demi-immortals in that place fought one another to improve their abilities.
Rumor had it that a great chance existed within the Chaotic Region. Any demi-immortal who defeated
his enemies should be able to obtain this chance. Upon doing so, a warrior could break through his
current level and become an actual innate spiritual king!
But rumors were rumors until they were founded. However, this didn't stop the demi-immortals from
trying to unravel the mysteries that surrounded this certain great chance. Because of that particular
reason, the Chaotic Region attracted eight demi-immortals despite its lack of spacious areas.
To Ricky, it was a perfect place to cultivate his skills.
Not a single innate spiritual king existed there. He wouldn't have to worry about being discovered
through his breaths. Using his mask, the ordinary warriors would surely fail to recognize him.
Being such a chaotic place, both the good and the evil were all mixed up over there. All the dangers
with the killing and fighting filled the Chaotic Region at all times. Battling against others was one way to
toughen him up.
Most importantly, the demi-immortals. They were the strongest warriors of all in that place and Ricky
wanted to reach their level. Being in Chaotic Region might teach him exactly what he needed.
"Chaotic Region, I'm coming! I wish to improve my combat power to the likeness of a demi-immortal's!"
Ricky said to himself with a determined look. He sped up towards the direction that would take him to
the Chaotic Region.
As he was focusing on moving forward in his journey, he detected two strong breaths charging towards
him from behind. In just a matter of seconds, they were standing right in front of him.
Forced to stop on his feet, Ricky looked at the man and the woman before him, staring right back. The
man was tall and had quite a strong built. He towered over him. It almost felt like Ricky was standing in
front of a mountain as he prevented Ricky from moving forward.
'Undoubtedly, he is one strong warrior good at body refining, ' he speculated silently based on the
man's breath and figure.
The woman, on the other hand, wore a formfitting dress. Her hair was jet black and she had a rather
pretty looking face. The red lipstick she wore could certainly charm anyone that came her way.
Ricky felt that somehow, the woman seemed more dangerous. One strike from this gorgeous being and
he would be down.
"Excuse me, Miss and Mister. Have we met before? How can I be of help?" Ricky asked, bowing his
head slightly. He tried to recall any memory where he had encountered the two in front of him but
failed. Not knowing whether or not they were hostile, politeness was the best choice in dealing with
them.
"Are you Russell?"
the man asked softly.
Nodding to the question, Ricky said, "Yes, I am. But..."
Before Ricky even got to finish his words, the man instantly launched a strike directly towards him. It
was a normal punch that headed towards Ricky's face. A simple strike.
However, Ricky felt that it was by no means a weak punch. He sensed that it contained strong energy
which was as powerful as that of a furious animal.
Immediately, Ricky's eyes darkened and his face grew serious. He focused all of his strength and
violently made it circulate in his body. He was ready to fight. Clenching his fist, he transferred all of his
strength into his hand and reached out to resist the man's punch.
When his fist collided with the man's punch, Ricky realized that he had made a totally wrong move.
The moment his fist touched the man's a gush of extraordinary pain flowed throughout his body like a
tsunami. This unfathomable force traveled inside Ricky's body, crushing every vessel, organ, and flesh
inside of him.
It was the first time that such immense pain was inflicted to him by others. In his past battles, he was
the one causing unbearable pain to his opponents. At that moment, he was stunned in disbelief.
Before he was able to steady himself, Ricky was knocked back a few steps. Blood streamed out of his
mouth. Meanwhile, his hand kept shaking uncontrollably due to the man's unbelievably strong strike.
If Ricky had guessed correctly, it was not even half of the man's ultimate strength.
'That was intense. This man is incredibly strong. He must have already reached the peak of the fifth
grade of Bone Reinforcement! He could even be in sixth grade!' Ricky thought, still in a state of great
shock.
Despite the amount of power this man had displayed, Ricky felt no fear. Deep down, he didn't feel the
need of killing these strangers. He had also noticed that the man controlled his power so that his punch
wouldn't kill Ricky. He surmised that these two strangers were not the enemies.
The shock and surprise on Ricky's face weren't half as intense as those of the man and woman's. They
exchanged looks that were difficult to decipher.
Confused with the strangers' reactions, Ricky thought to himself, 'They seem to be more shocked than I
am. How weird."
He thought for a while and made a guess. It could be that these two came from the Water Fire City, as
they knew him by his fake name, Russell. What the man did was probably to test him if he really was
the same Russell who was able to face someone of a level that was thrice the high.
They turned to Ricky with very respectful gestures.
"Russell, call me Tyson. It's a pleasure to meet you. Forgive me for what I had to do just now." The
man's apology sounded sincere to Ricky.
"And my name is Kristen," the woman introduced herself as well.
As they had successfully shifted the atmosphere to friendly, Ricky decided to forget what the man did.
He also knew he wasn't strong enough to fight him just yet. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm Russell, but I
guess you already know that. I come from a small sect in the West Desolate Land. I am here to
cultivate my abilities."
'A small sect from the West Desolate Land?'
Kristen thought to herself, suspicions starting to creep into her mind.
"I'm pretty sure you already know why we're here," Tyson said playfully. He, on the other hand, didn't
think much about Ricky's origins. He had already calmed down and even had a smile on his face while
talking to Ricky.
"According to one of our men, someone who was able to defeat a warrior far stronger than him had
appeared in the Water Fire City. We asked around and now here we are. I've tested your ability and I'm
one hundred percent sure that you are more than just a genius who could beat someone stronger than
you. Indeed, you are the supreme genius in all the Heaven Wood Land!"
Tyson's excitement only grew.
"I appreciate that, Tyson. But if I were the same man you speak of, how come I wasn't able to dodge
your attack?" Ricky replied, a sly smile playing on his lips.
Recalling how Tyson mentioned about "one of their men", he reckoned they hailed from a big
organization. They definitely had spies all over the Water Fire City. Only a large scale organization
could afford such manpower.
"Oh, Russell. Have you forgotten that you're just at the first grade of Bone Reinforcement? To tell you
the truth, Tyson's punch is strong enough to defeat most warriors in the fourth grade,"
Kristen interrupted, giggling to herself.
"She's right! To me, you are a super genius! Don't be so modest, man! Otherwise, I'd have to throw
some more punches your way just to prove so,"
Tyson laughed.
"Ha! Fine with me!" Ricky joked back. "So, why did you guys want to talk to me? I'm pretty sure finding
out who I am wasn't your ultimate goal."
At that very moment, Ricky's tone was serious. The air shifted.
Both Tyson and Kristen nodded at each other, as if in agreement. At the same time, they responded,
"You're right. We are from the Royal Sky Guard."
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