Having decided that they should recover and improve before the enemies came, the four of them as well as Soar started to look for the most concealed corner in that Small World to hide themselves. By then, it seemed like the more time they could buy for themselves, the more likely that they would have a chance of winning. All of them knew that it would all come down to expediency. No matter how much they wanted to get more enlightening marks, they were well aware that Pearl and her men would find them almost instantly once they showed themselves.
So they thought that they might as well recharge their energies before they encountered the pursuing troops. On their way, Ricky introduced Yedda and Yolanda to Soar and Madeline. In fact, Soar had already heard about the two sisters before. He knew a little bit about their background so he got a little curious and confused as to how they ended up traveling with Ricky.
Right away, he asked Ricky about it. Ricky didn't think much about the question and promptly answered it.
However, the moment Soar found out about the whole story, he candidly began to tease Ricky about making the two beautiful girls as his women. Of course, Soar knew what he was doing. He could tell that Ricky had already gotten over Grace, and a topic like this wouldn't grate on his nerves.
After all, he and Ricky were like brothers after everything they had been through, so even if Ricky wouldn't ever bring up the topic, Soar could somehow sense how Ricky was feeling by mere intuition.
As expected, Ricky had taken the joke quite well. He simply denied it while he was torn between laughing and crying.
It was another good thing that the two sisters and Madeline were getting along quite well. For a while, everyone felt truly relaxed in their journey.
Soon enough, they found a safe and secluded place to settle down. Both Soar and Madeline found a quiet cave where they could both retreat into cultivation. Every single second mattered right then, and they could not lose any time that they had. For the faster they could acquire the equivalent power of a first-class lower spiritual king, the more secure they would be when the enemies came.
When he saw that Soar and Madeline had proceeded to cultivating in seclusion, Ricky began to prepare himself as well.
But he knew that before anything, safety ought to come as their first priority. So the first thing Ricky did was ask Yedda and Yolanda to secure the perimeters of their location. Before they could leave, however, he equipped them with runic power. He did this so that he would be able to sense if there was danger, even if they couldn't wake him up in time.
Having accomplished all the necessary tasks to secure the place, Ricky found himself a cave and prepared for the practice as well.
Overall, he had three goals in this round of cultivation.
First, he should improve and obtain the equivalent power of a second-class lower spiritual king. He truly believed that he could make it. It was already a given that he was a confident and ambitious young man. Moreover, he had vowed to become an ace genius of this time.
Ricky thought that if he couldn't have the equivalent power of a second-class lower spiritual king as a demi-immortal, growing into an ace genius was out of the question.
Second, he would like to completely integrate the Gale Zone into his body. He also wanted to make sure that this zone woul
days to find where Ricky and his companions were hiding and cultivating. Without a second of delay, she launched an attack.
At the desolated corner of the Small World, a swarm of warriors and spiritual king beasts were quickly enclosing the hide-out of Ricky and his companions. By seconds, they had managed to encircle the place with ease, leaving not a single space for Ricky and his companions to escape.
A moment later, the main force arrived as well. The four warriors who were leading the army were none other than Pearl, Bernard from the Ruin Leopard tribe, Louie from the Bing Clan, and Hardy from the Jiang Clan.
"I've been looking for you for nearly two months, Ricky. Don't you think you should come out and have a nice chat with us? We all want to see what a peerless genius is capable of," Pearl called out with a smile of triumph on her face. Wearing a blue battle suit, Pearl showed a heroic spirit that was rarely seen in a woman. She looked intimidating and confident, which could also be felt from her clear and loud voice. With that formidable army behind her, she had every reason to believe that the odds were for her and against Ricky.
"Wow, if it isn't our future top bird of the Oriental Realm! What an honor!" It was Soar who answered Pearl. "Seems like you're in hot pursuit of Ricky. Couldn't wait to bring him back to your place and produce some handsome little babies with him, huh?" Soar gave a big laugh, apparently having a little fun as he faced Ricky's enemies.
"Well, I understand that a beauty like you really wants to make full use of your genetic gifts, yet I'm so sorry that you might not be my buddy's type. But the good thing is, I like you very much. How about taking me back instead and letting me help you produce some heirs for the Luxurious Chamber of Commerce?"
Soar continued to tease Pearl while he along with Madeline, Yedda and Yolanda walked out of their caves altogether.
All of them were wearing a smile, but in reality, they came out with a heavy heart. They knew what was waiting for them—Pearl and all of the most powerful warriors and spiritual king beasts in this Small World. This was clearly bound be to a fierce battle.
"How dare you offend Pearl like this! Watch your tongue or you will have to pay for it!"