The legendary warrior

Chapter 3 The Miraculous Medicine Pavilion

The slick, disgustingly sticky saliva fell on Ricky's trembling form.

The mistreatment and humiliation was a menace he had to endure; he was no longer their respected genius young master. Now, he was nothing more than a frail boy at their mercy, one that had lost even his cultivation base. Ricky couldn't help but let the vulnerability he felt show on public display. It was an exploitable weakness that led Hunter's group roaring with laughter.

Ricky was an insignificant pest in their spiteful gaze. Someone—no, something that didn't even deserve a beating, as the savages harbored an arrogant thought that killing him would only dirty their hands in the process.

"Oh! Right, I almost forgot," Hunter exclaimed in a cheerful tone. The two men he was with looked down on Ricky, exchanging knowing glances between each other while smirking. "There's an order from the Dominant Top Elder. They said that all disciples in the Nan Clan who had failed to reach the third grade of Skin Refinement in the next three days—" Hunter paused, smiling jeeringly at Ricky. "— shall work as miners in the clan's mine."

He gauged Ricky's expression upon hearing the news, but the boy remained unnervingly silent. Hunter scoffed before he and his men chuckled at him scornfully. As they prepared to leave, he called out to him for the last time to deliver an ominous threat. "So, loser Ricky, my 'Young Master', don't be late to the mine. If you're not there on time, we'll be the ones sending you there in person!"

...

"AHH!" A scream full of hate and loathing shook the old, thin walls of the shabby hut Ricky was living in. He refused to accept this miserable fate he was in; he wanted to deny his lack of power before the people who abused him.

He cursed as he sat with his legs crossed on top of his creaking, wooden bed, and glared at the half- cooked head of the Pig Monster with Bloody Eyes placed in front of him.

It was sent to him by his enemy, Nate, as a satirical move meant to tease and mock his current circumstances. Ricky felt ashamed; itching with the desire to burn the abominable thing into ashes. However, he knew that his pride came second to his need for the pig's blood vitality.

He had to absorb it together with the function of the renewed spiritual meridian in his body, so that he might soon be able to reach the third grade of the Skin Refinement.

Otherwise, he would be taken to the mine to do hard labor work, and be forced to come to a dead end.

Gritting his teeth, Ricky swallowed his indignity and gobbled the pig's head after tearing it into pieces.

During the remainder of the night, Ricky poured his all into refining his body and flesh. Perhaps, the joy of regaining his spiritual meridian also helped in retaining his focus during his rigorous training. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

He didn't stop until the first telltale signs of dawn broke through the early morning sky. Yet, Ricky remained unbothered as he continued to persevere until he heard the satisfying crisp clicks sounding all over his body.

It was, without a doubt, an indication that Ricky had made a breakthrough in his cultivation base.

One night—only in one night, had he managed to jump from second to the third grade of the Skin Refinement.

"This… this was way beyond what I had expected!" He regarded his newfound strength in astonishment. "What grade is this new spiritual meridian? Its speed of inhaling the spiritual energy of earth and heaven is ten times more than that of my previous one."

He was quite aware that the reason for his breakthrough was mostly due to the regain of the spiritual meridian in his Soul Sea.

"Could it be a five-star spiritual meridian?"

Ricky murmured to himself with great excitement.

In all of Stone City's history, a five-star spiritual meridian hadn't appeared yet.

This granted him a chance to sit on top of the hierarchy, seeing as those who possessed a high caliber of power were regarded as praised geniuses among the region's ruling force, the Snow Sect.

"Father, please wait for me. I will come to save you soon!" With fists closed tightly in unwavering will and determination, Ricky exclaimed his promise with confidence. The thought of being able to wield this ability with great prowess made him feel more thrilled and encouraged than ever.

...

"The Miraculous Medicine Pavilion of the Nan Clan is accessible to any disciple who had successfully reached the third grade of Skin Refinement. From there, they may also receive three Body Refining Pills," Ricky mumbled. After spending half the day for reinforcing his current level, he became lost in his thoughts again.

The three Body Refining Pills were a valuable cultivation resource; given his unfavorable situation, he needed them to survive.

'They probably won't give me the Body Refining Pills that easily. I'll have to fight them, ' He deduced, frowning in disdain. 'No, even if I win, there's no guarantee that I'll get the pills. After the fight, I have to escape from this clan. Otherwise, after Gilbert and his son know that I have reached the third grade of

Skin Refinement, they definitely would try to ruin my cultivation base again—all to make me work at the mine.'

"I'll have to escape," he whispered to himself in contemplation.

Despite his musings, his feet unfailingly carried him towards the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.

It was a quick journey that took him less than fifteen minutes to arrive, with the site located on the west side of the Nan Clan's courtyard that was only a small distance away from Ricky's run-down hut.

His entry to the esteemed property went far from unnoticed, as he had already expected.

After all, he was infamous among the whole Nan Clan. His nicknames such as "Loser Ricky" and "Traitor" were ones that spilled from gossiping mouths every time someone had caught sight of him wandering around.

Sneers and words of ridicule flitted through the tense atmosphere; all aimed directly at his unwelcome presence.

"What the hell is he thinking? Is the loser here to get the Body Refining Pills?"

"You're talking nonsense! Our 'Young Master' Ricky came here to…smell the fragrance of the Pills!"

Guffaws and endless mockery from the disciples of Nan Clan felt akin to shrieking hyenas in his ears.

Still, he pretended to be oblivious and went straight inside the Pavilion.

"Look, the former genius is really going inside!"

"Let's bet on how the Traitor will get kicked out!"

"I'm telling you, he'll be beaten and thrown away like a pig head! Haven't you heard that our current young master, Nate, considering their former brotherhood, sent him a big pig head last night? Isn't it hilarious?"

A shadow fell over Ricky's face as he continued on his path. For now, he was useless against their sarcasm and judgments, but he believed that he would someday be able to avenge himself.

...

"I am here to get the Body Refining Pills!"

Ricky declared with conviction to the two burly men who were responsible for distributing the coveted item.

He estimated the men's spiritual meridian grade, and assumed that they both possessed a one-star. A low grade, and as a result, they were both stuck in distributing the pills despite their ages being over thirty years.

"You're just a piece of garbage without a spiritual meridian! Don't you come here just to mess around, otherwise I don't mind teaching you a good lesson in accordance to the rules of our Nan Clan." The guard closest to Ricky snarled at him threateningly.

Without warning, Ricky had raised his hands and choked the man tightly like a ferocious tiger's claws enclosed on its prey's neck.

Then, with a loud thud, he dropped him directly on the ground.

He stepped hard on his ugly, fat face without any hesitation hindering his movements and retorted menacingly, "If I'm a loser, what are you?"

The pressure of his foot increased, and the man screamed in pain. "You've survived for more than thirty years, yet you're here being trampled underfoot by youth like me."

The burly man wasn't able to utter a single word as his eyes betrayed his prominent fear for the boy above him.

How could he have thought that the renowned loser had the power to defeat him? He didn't even have any resistance to fight against the dishonor the one-sided battle was giving him.

"Give me the damn Body Refining Pills, or I'll kill him now!"

Ricky demanded, regarding the man's other companion with a cold anger brewing behind his frightening glare.

"Alright! I'll get the pills immediately!"

The other burly guard scurried to find the bottle hastily, shivering upon sensing the former young master's steely gaze watching his back as he did so. After reaching for a bottle of pills behind the counter, the man passed it to Ricky without a second thought.

The bottle had ten Body Refining Pills, and according to the rules of Nan Clan, Ricky could only take three. Though, he could only keep that fact whispering at the back of his mind, having lost the nerve to even speak to the young boy.

After having accomplished his initial mission, Ricky kicked his captive away and walked out of the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion. His main priority now was leaving the Nan Clan, and he had to do it as soon as possible.

As for the disciples around them, they were completely dumbfounded.

The power that Ricky briefly displayed was one that could only be attained by someone reached the third grade of the Skin Refinement. They were at a loss, wondering how a loser without a spiritual meridian could have achieved such a feat.

Still, their disbelief was meaningless. With no courage to even muster, the crowd, overwhelmed by Ricky's prowess, was left gaping.

If it weren't for their curious sights settling on another subject of interest, their prying eyes would've never left Ricky's receding figure. Because there, in the distance, came a good looking couple of a young male and female, walking hand-in-hand as they slowly approached the Miraculous Medicine Pavilion.