SWNOVELS Chapter 33 Execution
"Sword-light, three swords in one!"
Brandishing the long sword surrounded by white energy, Jim instantly made three golden sword blades that began to fuse in mid-air. A sharp and powerful sword-light was formed. Jim came with full force to Ricky.
He had all the killing intentions in his mind. He summoned all the power he can muster in his final blow. The powerful cultivation methods concentrated in his sword-light.
Despite the display of strength in front of him, Ricky remained unfazed. A mix of determination and excitement was evidently seen behind his black eyes. His fighting spirit remained unwavering. He channeled his inner strength and summoned the power of First Degree of the Nine-Degree Body Refining Formula in his right arm -- he was ready to retaliate.
Ricky's spiritual energy started taking shape. A fierce tiger started to take form behind his back. The resounding roar of the tiger was heard -- a sign of Ricky's true strength.
"Whiz Fist!" Ricky shouted as he clasped his fingers together to form a fist. With all the energy he could summon in him, he went for the golden sword-light.
Crash! The next few moments were hazy. The sound of golden iron reverberated throughout the whole area. The clash between sword-light and the tiger's roar created a dramatic ripple it could practically tear the whole space apart.
The fight between Jim and Ricky was neck to neck. Ricky's red fist and Jim's sword-light blade were locked into a stalemate.
This, however, only lasted a short while. A cracking sound was heard after a short moment had passed.
It started out as something small, a minute chink in the sword of light. But the cracks started growing. More and more started to appear in the blade and it spread until the sharp sword-light dissipated.
Jim was in disbelief. He was fearful, even. He couldn't fathom the scene unfolding before him. Ricky was pleased with himself. All his hard work paid off. With a cocky smirk, he revved his power further and concentrated in his red fist.
BANG!
An explosive boom resounded in the whole field. The sword-light from the golden sword dimmed and the sword flew right out of Jim's hand.
Ricky did not even give Jim a chance to recover. He immediately struck his chest like a bolt of thunder.
Jim did not even lift a finger to defend himself. Was he strong enough to combat Ricky's punches? Definitely. But he was dejected after seeing his most powerful sword-light shatter into millions of pieces. His will to continue fighting was depleting.
Pow! Jim spat out large amounts of blood from his mouth as he was thrown in the ground with a loud thud.
Ricky was not taking any chances. Without missing a single beat he used Jim's long sword and mercilessly pierced him through the chest.
"You..." Jim struggled to form words as he tried to look at Ricky, who was remorseless. He spat more mouthfuls of blood as he struggled through the stabbing pain. With his final breath, Jim attempted to lift his finger to point at Ricky, as if trying to squeeze in one final gesture.
"Killing you with your own sword is the only mercy I can give you," Ricky muttered ruthlessly.
He was having none of it. He learned never to show mercy ever again in the face of his enemies. He knew that if he were to fail today, he would not have that chance again.
Ricky shifted his gaze to the three disciples. They were going to be his next kill.
"Run!" These three people scampered and ran away from Jim as far as possible.
The three of them knew how powerful Jim was. They all knew how strong he was for he was one of the top ten outer disciples in the Snow Sect. He was also the genius who understood sword-light. But despite all that, Ricky still managed to win the battle.
"Since you guys are already here, you don't need to leave,” Ricky sneered. He was on a roll. He attacked head on and killed Connie's disciple in a single blow.
Unlike any other regular disciple, Jim was one of the top ten outer disciples of the Snow Sect. This was definitely going to leave an impact. If the Snow Sect were to find out that Ricky killed Jim, the consequences would be unimaginable.
With the help of Heather, Ricky managed to kill all three of them in three hours.
He finally accomplished all his purposes for the Iron Blood Trial.
The next thing to do was wait for the time to pass and go to the Sacred Blood Pond to obtain the crystal.
Ricky did not take the black dots of his kill for today. Instead, he gave them to Heather. He found it pointless in taking more, he already had enough -- seven hundred, to be exact.
Ricky and Heather decided to trudge through the dense forest. They found it best to spend their time to recuperate and restore the energy they spent.
Finding a good spot, they both found a resting place near a giant tree. They practiced controlling their breathing to pass time.
"Ricky, what kind of cultivation method are you using?" Heather inquired, finally being unable to repress her curiosity.
"Of course, if you find it uncomfortable telling me, you don't have to. I'm just curious,” Heather added. She realized that she shouldn't have asked him anything so she immediately retracted her question.
"Well... since you're so adamant to know, then there is no reason for me to keep the answer from you." Seeing that Heather was fidgety and nervous around him, Ricky broke into a grin to make her comfortable, "This is a body refining cultivation method called the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula!"
"The Nine-degree Body Refining Formula?” Heather murmured thoughtfully as if she had heard of this cultivation method before.
"This cultivation method is only suitable for people who don't have spiritual meridians though. I don't really understand why they want to steal this cultivation method from me." Ricky smiled as he wondered. What he did not realize was that those people from the Snow Sect had no idea of him using the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula at all.
Even if they did, they wouldn't actually believe it. Unless they could test it out themselves.
There was still one question bothering Ricky, though. If the Nine-degree Body Refining Formula really was only suitable for those who lacked spiritual meridians to learn, then why was he able to learn it himself? He definitely possessed a spiritual meridian.
In the end, Ricky could only ascribe this occurrence to the unique attributes of his new spiritual meridian.
"It's only suitable for people who don't have spiritual meridians? I" Heather was surprised after she heard what Ricky said. She looked at him apprehensively and said, “So...so you..."
"That's right. I'm a guy who doesn't have a spiritual meridian!" Ricky smiled at her.
"But... how is this possible?" Heather shook her head hard, trying to fathom the thought. How could it be possible for him to be at the eighth grade of Skin Refinement if he didn't have a spiritual meridian?
"Hahaha. If you really find it hard to believe, then maybe you can test it out yourself!" Ricky laughed and placed his head in front of Heather.
The results were inconclusive. Heather surely couldn't test Ricky's renewed spiritual meridians out. Three days passed by in haste. The Iron Blood Trial had finally concluded. The people who had been hunting fierce beasts in Lion King Mountains range returned from their training.
Ricky and Heather also planned to return. However, both parties decided it would be best if they went back separately.
This was Ricky's request, because he did not want Heather to get into trouble. If Harald and Connie saw that they were together, they would also put a target above Heather's head.
Ricky leisurely left the mountain range and upon seeing Grace waiting for him he smiled slightly. Seeing that Ricky was still his usual self, Grace breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Although Ricky was just a normal disciple, Grace considered him as her own special personal disciple.
Harald and Connie were also present. Their eyes instantly darkened upon seeing Ricky.
“Jim and Johnny are trash. They could not even complete this one simple mission!" Harald screamed in his heart. He then glared at Ricky with hateful eyes as a warning for Ricky to stop being so cocky. Regarding the spiteful glare of those two people, Ricky merely gave them a mysterious smile and then walked over to the inspector of Lion King Castle.
'I cannot even imagine what kind of expression Harald and Connie will have on their faces when they find out that Jim and Johnny won't be returning.’ Ricky thought smugly.
"Andy, seventy-one dots!"
"Alan, eighty-three dots!"
"Jimmy, one hundred and thirty dots!" ......
The inspector of Lion King Castle had already begun checking amount of dots on the ironwood of those who had finished the trial and returned.
"Blue Water City, Agnes, three hundred and twenty dots!"
Upon hearing this, the people around broke into excited murmurs and whispers.
Three hundred and twenty dots, which definitely would make her a formidable competitor for first prize.