The night had gone by in a flash.
The next day, the square of the Purity Faction was already full of people. They all seemed to be women.
Right in the middle of the square, two huge rings had been erected.
Ricky and his fellow warriors too had come to the ring, waiting to fight any moment now.
It was no longer Agnes and her fellow Shui disciples who were put up to the challenge this day, but their companions whom they had invited.
"Gentlemen! You know that faction contests are very important to us, so please understand that there can only be one winner among the ten of you!" said the Elder of yesterday, as she ascended the dais.
"The battles among you will be fought in two groups today. First, the two groups will decide who the strongest one is among them, and then the two of them will battle it out.
Please draw first. Proceed to ring one if you draw a number, and ring two if you don't."
Soon, Ricky and the others finished the draw and were evenly divided between the two rings.
"It's a pity you're not on the same ring with me." Sherry's companion said sarcastically, as he glanced at Ricky's hand.
"You should thank God for your luck!" Ricky sneered.
"You're playing with fire. You know what? I'll make you suffer even if we're not in a same ring! I promise you that!"
"All right, gentlemen, now please battle it out in your respective rings!" The Elder instructed.
The battle began.
It was Sherry's companion with four other warriors in the second ring.
Agnes had told Ricky about the identity of Sherry's partner. He was a young master named Alan from the West Vanity Valley, a force equivalent to the Shui Clan.
Alan growled in his ring, "You'd better fight together against me, or every one of you will eat my dust!"
"You are so arrogant and conceited!" His four other opponents said fiercely, enraged by his words.
After a glance of agreement between them, they then all launched an attack to Alan. The peak momentum characteristic of the ninth grade of Skin Refinement was simultaneously condensed into the strongest offensive level and blasted at Alan.
"There!" Alan sneered at the
es haughtily and disdainfully, as if to say, "Prepare to carry him back later!"
...
"Well, I said that you should feel lucky you've never battled me in a ring before," Ricky said indifferently. "But your luck is running out."
"I'll beat the crap out of you!"
Shouting this, Alan gathered the momentum of his fist and rushed to Ricky, punching him square on the mouth.
A sneer came over Ricky's lips, and he punched Alan right back, on his mouth as well.
"You're playing with fire!" Alan said angrily, seeing that Ricky unexpectedly dared fight back against him. He curled his lip, imagining what a terrible defeat Ricky would suffer next.
"Bam!" A muffled voice shrieked. As everyone had anticipated, a figure was flung back right away with a scream and landed heavily on the ground.
But it was not who they expected to see. Everyone was dumbfounded at the sight of Alan screaming in pain on the ground. Sherry's pride froze in an instant, the smile draining off her lips.
The elders on the dais couldn't believe it either.
"Sure enough!" Only the elder woman had anticipated the outcome. She nodding slightly, pleased at the turn of events.
"Humph! None of the geniuses of the Snow Sect can stand up to him, let alone a young master of the West Vanity Valley like your little participant," Agnes said to Sherry, holding her head high. But Sherry didn't respond. Her eyes were still glazed over in shock.