But the truth was, Ricky chose not to reveal the fact that he had purposely caused his own failures. He believed that Elder Alexander would not teach him more casting techniques and methods if he had done the tasks perfectly.
Ricky activated the Devouring Skill to its fullest. Using the Devouring Fire as a medium, he began eliminating the impurities in the casting material.
Before beginning the intricate pounding process, Ricky first mentally practiced the Pounding Skill to perfection.
Ricky was not too meticulous during the pounding process. After all, the true pre-requisite to succesful casting was not meticulousness but the intricacy of mastering the Pounding Skill and a high degree of the casting master's assimilation into the ideal realm.
This assimilation was the perfect gauge of a casting master's grasp on the Pounding Skill and his attitude during the casting process.
Ricky would have to do his utmost best in both of these aspects in order to breakthrough and become a real casting master in the intermediate Mortal Level.
'That is no doubt an inheritance from a casting master in the Sage Level! His Pounding Skill is extremely intricate! Even I could only comprehend a little bit out of that!' Elder Alexander thought, marveling at Ricky's Pounding Skill. His sharp eyes zoomed in, focusing on his movements.
'If I could be enlightened by Ricky's Pounding Skill, I might gain an opportunity to breakthrough, '
Elder Alexander thought, paying even closer attention to Ricky's progress.
As time flew by, the more Elder Alexander focused on Ricky, the more shocked he felt. He realized that Ricky was completely engrossed in his work, to the point of being able to concentrate hundred percent on his pounding. Even casting masters in the Spirit Level like him could not manage to do such a thing!
He also noticed that Ricky had applied all the pounding experiences he had learned in the three days of training, including some of the more minute details. To his growing surprise, Ricky had perfectly applied whatever he had taught him with nearly complete comprehension. He had seen nothing like it!
If Ricky continued like this, he would probably succeed in casting weapons in the intermediate Mortal Level.
"How... How can it be!?" Elder Alexander gasped in astonishment as he tried to process the idea of Ricky's miraculously fast improvement.
In those three days, Elder Alexander had understood perfectly where Ricky was in terms of skill. And from what he could see then, Ricky certainly still had a long way to go before becoming a casting master in the intermediate Mortal Level. Even if Ricky had amazing skills in casting, without months or even years of training, he could not possibly fully grasp those experiences, pay sufficient attention to the details and become a trained casting master.
Even if Ricky had concealed his true capability in those three days (as Elder Alexander suspected), he could not possibly have become this skilled!
'Or perhaps... it's really true that such a talented casting master actually exists in this world...' Elder Alexander thought, still reeling in disbelief.
But the truth was that Ricky was really an outstanding genius in casting. However, he had regained his spiritual meridian, something specifically suited for quests in martial arts and casting.
Ricky also possessed the Chaos Manual, and nobody had any inkling yet of the greatness of the most superior manual in the world.
Other than that, the spiritual meridian Ricky regained was a form of inheritance. As he grew stronger, he naturally understood and assimilated the inherited techniques. This eliminated the need for him to practice and grasp their essence all over again.
'What an astonishing talent! This is probably the reason why that casting master in the Sage Level recognized Ricky as his student but did not care too much about how Ricky cultivated the art of casting! He most probably thought that he could not teach Ricky much in the first place!' Elder Alexander speculated, his mind racing with thoughts.
He could not be blamed for being overly imaginative. It was only natural to think that way when met with Ricky's shocking capabilities.
'If this child does not die young, he will become a great man. For such a talentd warrior like him, it's better to give him what he needs to improve! He will naturally bloom and flourish, ' Elder Alexander thought.
With this, Elder Alexander grew determined to treat Ricky with genuine sincerity. Ricky would only take his offer into consideration if he put his best foot forward.
...
Ricky, immersed completely in his pounding, had no idea that just a single technique from among the many methods in his Devouring Skill could make Elder Alexander think that much. It was only his Pounding Skill, and yet the Elder was already flabberghasted!
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