The legendary warrior novel Chapter 50

Untouched magic encased in ancient ice of five hundred years lay in front of Ricky; its towering height dwarfed his own figure and basked him in a luminous glow. He rested a hand on its hard surface as the relic's inborn light seeped through his thick skin and illuminated the redness of his blood and flesh underneath. Short puffs of white clouds came out of his breath as he exhaled, readying himself for the activation of his Devouring Skill.

Tendrils of wild winds started to circulate the area in dizzying speeds the more he focused on mobilizing his ability. The beginnings of pallid mist engulfed his body, growing thicker and thicker by the minute as he voraciously absorbed the dormant power beneath the hard shell of the iceberg. Prickling cold devoured the warmth of his temperature, robbing him of any solace to counter the freezing atmosphere. It permeated into the deepest depths of his being as it instilled inside his bones and racked him in endless shivers.

"T - The Quincentennial Magic Ice … Its power is r-r-really outstanding!" exclaimed Ricky, managing to squeeze out his words of awe through gritted teeth.

The agony of having the frost stop his blood's circulation turned his face into an unhealthy shade of white and dyed his lips to a sickening hue of blue. It was torture; one that he had willingly dived into, especially when he knew that the outcome of withstanding such unbearable pain thrilled him more than anything. He was determined to reach the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula, and for that to be attained, he needed to form this numbing power into his own.

He grunted and spasmed as another surge of tremors washed over him. If it were not for his strategy in transferring the acquired energy directly to its new home in the Devourer Zone, he would have been reduced to an iced carcass as soon as he had absorbed a small portion of the magic.

He tried to move, and with great difficulty, his nearly paralyzed fingers took the Body Refining Pill from his pocket and raised it to his mouth, swallowing it as soon as it dropped. He had saved it specifically for this moment, knowing that the Pill would produce the best possible result when taken during the process of refining.

It took a staggering six hours for Ricky to conclude the whole process, the ice melting away as soon as he finished. He could not deny that there were occasions where trepidation tempted him to succumb to his impatience and need for a break from the misery. There was no shame in admitting that he had to fight against his weaknesses; he was still human after all, and his perseverance and greed were enough proof of validation for that aspect.

Sighing in relief and content, Ricky began stretching his limbs in preparation for another gruesome trial. "Good! It's time to start the refinement now," he muttered, standing upright as he wrapped up his last set of warm-ups.

He proceeded to take a meager part of the seized mana from the Devourer Zone and poured it into his regained spiritual meridian. It flowed ceaselessly in his bloodstream, filling up every crevice like liquid pulsing to grant him the chance at rebirth until he felt the magic settle inside him.

It was by no means a comfortable adjustment. It was excruciating, more so compared to the prior experience he went through. Perhaps, it was a given, what with the magic being tremendous to the point where even a warrior at the intermediate stage of Blood Purification might not be able to stand it. As a warrior stuck in the eighth grade of Skin Refinement, Ricky was understandably in a lot more torment that most would not even dare endure in their lifetime.

He felt as if he had reached the last level of hell. Trapped not in a blazing inferno, but in the unforgiving, frigid air of a vast icy terrain with no salvation in sight. Bare, trembling and barely competent in holding himself together after being torn apart mercilessly again and again. He could not relax for the slightest instant, certain that he would not be able to keep himself upright if he did so.

Overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of trembles that shook him to the core, Ricky felt he did a wise decision by transferring the power back to the Devourer Zone earlier. It seemed to be the right decision, seeing as it would have caused him to meet an untimely death if he had stopped it a bit later.

He gasped, the immense anguish immediately released its suffocating hold and effectively disengaged him from any fatalities he would have gotten from stubbornly continuing on.

He allowed himself to unwind, and within an hour, gooey substances started emitting from the pores of his skin. It was a good sign; it meant that the impurities in his body were being rejected.

Thus, indicating that he was growing tougher and stronger, and that the purer his flesh became.

He progressed using this tactic; consuming the high-class power bit by bit and stopping before he was inundated and rendered incapable.

He could feel his durability rising after every passing second, so he permitted himself to increase the amount of magic he ingested in accordance to his level of tolerance.

Refinement had gone easily with another source to depend on for boosting the action. The thought made him giddy with pride and satisfaction, fully conscious of the great feats he was achieving at present.

And so, after a grueling two days, Ricky had completed his refinement at last.

Thankfully, Heather had delivered his meals consistently during his training, hence helping him replenish much-needed energy for the ruthless and exhausting tasks he performed, as well as the water to clean his body.

Following the accomplished goal, Ricky risked fearlessly plunging into another test once more as he gobbled the Sacred Blood Crystal.

The artifact contained the flames and energies of the blood essence of one of the innate ritual beasts; the Sacred Blood Lion, and although it might already be diluted, it remained in its position as one of the most formidable items in the empire.

Fortunately for him, the refinement for the Magic Ice took place not too long ago, rewarding him unexpectedly with immunity to its scalding fire.

As his refining for the Sacred Blood Crystal initiated at this command, he commenced the second mental cultivation method of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula simultaneously, intending to reach the Second Degree of the Formula.

Everything went smoothly and naturally, his hard work paying off after winning all battles of resilience within himself. He had fulfilled his mission of procuring the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula.

Overtaken with happiness and anticipation to test out his results, he activated the cultivation method of the Second Degree of Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. In a flash, his body turned into a light tint of orange. It wallowed Ricky in delight as he felt the rush of adrenaline from the freedom of wielding such massive force.

What he was currently was definitely no weaker than that of a warrior at any inferior stages of Blood Purification. He may even possess the right qualifications to challenge any opponents at the intermediate stage.

"I've moved past the eighth grade of Skin Refinement! And, I even reached the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula. Next, I'm going for the highest grade of Skin Refinement, just wait for it!" Ricky shouted in glee, triumphantly pumping his fists into the air as a show of his enthusiasm.

For his next objective, he would seek for another method to employ as he didn't want to be constrained by using only the Devouring Skill.

He finished up by cleaning himself dutifully and getting changed before he went to Grace's room.

He arrived as planned and was greeted by the sight of Heather taking some pointers from Grace as she talked about her knowledge in the cultivation method. Ricky could not help but feel a twinge of sadness in his heart, feeling the bias of female disciples having the advantage of being favored by their masters.

Noting his presence, Grace carefully examined Ricky's refreshed look and said, "Seeing you so fresh, you must've reached the Second Degree of the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula! What's more, you've completed the eighth grade of Skin Refinement. Good job!" Truthfully, she was sincere in her praise, but there was still this underlying shock that made her hard to believe what she was seeing right in front of her

She never foresaw Ricky to succeed this far within such a short period of time. She could not even begin to say what she truly wanted to relay, except that this stunt of his was indeed incredible. Beyond it, in fact.

"Yes, you're right, Master Grace. And next time, I'm going to clear the ninth grade of Skin Refinement,"

Ricky replied with a confidence that was blatantly seen in the way he smiled. Grace showed her support to his unwavering determination by patting him encouragingly at the back; a reaction that was also meant to substitute for a welcoming embrace. He nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes going past his teacher's figure and landing upon Heather's pouting face.

"Little Heather, you should be working harder. I'm really close to the top now, while you keep on lagging behind," Ricky smirked, watching her turn red in embarrassment and fury.

"Little Heather?! How dare you call me that? You're asking for death!"

She stood in rage, unconsciously stomping her feet in a childish act of defiance as Ricky only laughed at her rants.

"Hey! Stop laughing!" Heather fumed and started to throw things his way, huffing in annoyance when he gracefully dodged every object. Grace sat on a chair by the desk, already accustomed to their banters after being exposed to it daily. She calmly watched the scene unfold until she sighed, tired of their nonsense, "Now, now. Settle down, especially you, Heather. This is my room and those are my things that you're destroying."

They abruptly stilled, murmuring apologies of repentance and followed her order obediently.

As they quieted, the ambience shifted into a formal one with their topic of conversation directing towards Ricky's future plans. "It'll do you good if you can manage to make it to the ninth grade of Skin Refinement. You'll have a better chance in entering the top three if you do,"

said Grace with a nod.

"Master Grace, what are the rewards of the Outer Competition on earth?" Ricky's question was met with a pause, all three people in the room pondered over what the prizes could be.

"To be honest, I'm still uncertain since the rewards are different each time. The only thing I can assure you is that they surely won't disappoint you." Humming in brief contemplation, Heather and Ricky shared a look of excitement before he declared, "I'm looking forward to it then. I hope it'll be a good surprise!"

Beaming, Ricky was about to leave when he remembered what he had originally wanted to ask Grace for, "Oh, there's another thing I'd like to talk about, Master Grace. Can I have some metal scraps?"

Both women's eyes widened in response, Grace was about to turn down his offer when he interjected again, "They aren't useful for you anyway, please? Won't you give them to me?" He pleaded, attempting to put on an innocent look that failed to hide his mischievousness beneath.

"Why do you want them?"

She squinted her eyes suspiciously. Sometimes, she had great difficulty in perceiving Ricky's odd behavior.

"I think it's time for me to practice casting!" Ricky answered with a confident voice. Loud chortles burst out from Heather upon hearing Ricky's claim, "Seriously? You must be kidding!" she refuted, unable to hold back another set of laughter from bubbling out from her chest. "I've heard that a very special spiritual meridian is a must for casting. You don't even have a--"

She cut herself off, her gleeful smile falling into a solemn one. She regretted her insensitive remarks immediately, realizing that she must have hurt his feelings after making fun of his lack of a spiritual meridian.

"I'm sorry, Ricky. I didn't mean that," she bowed her head, apologizing profusely for her rudeness.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not angry," he soothed her, adding a joking lilt to his voice as reassurance that he didn't take any offense on any word that was said. Heather was younger than him, so in his eyes, he had grown to view her as a younger sister. Furthermore, she had always helped him in the past, and for that, he would always be grateful.

She must've felt extremely bad though, seeing as she didn't entertain his flippant tone and only hummed in cognizance.

Ricky wanted to comfort her but was distracted when Grace continued on, opting to turn into more pressing matters. "Casting is way more challenging. You must be well aware of that, Ricky," Grace stated seriously. "Even if you have a spiritual meridian, there's still a bigger percentage for failing. Imagine what situation you would be in without one.

I suggest that you not waste your efforts on it, since it would only be in vain."

"Thank you, Master, for your kind suggestion. I know that you only want to look after me. But I know myself the most. I swear that I'll succeed! Trust me, please."

Ricky burned with the fierce resolve of his will, and met Grace's gaze head-on to reflect his genuineness, "You're both right. I don't have a spiritual meridian, but so what? I still managed to get to where I am now! I won't disappoint you, I promise."

A tense moment passed, until the strained atmosphere was broken by an exasperated sigh from Grace, "Fine then, I know I can't stop you either way." Ricky let out a long exhale, appreciation gushing out of him. Seeing him so ecstatic, Grace felt the need to shatter it a bit, "You can take those scraps. But, you must pay for it. The fee is a thousand silver coins,"

Grace guffawed, taking pleasure on Ricky's dumbstruck face while Heather only smirked smugly.