Ricky's loud announcement echoed in the cave. At once, everyone held their breath as they were overcome with shock. They all turned to stare at Ricky with wide eyes, not knowing how to react or what to say. As what he said settled in, their feelings of shock were replaced with buzzing excitement.
The cave was completely engulfed in silence until Zenith burst out and said, "Good boy! That's exactly what I've been expecting from you! You've made a fabulous decision!" He stretched out his arm and pat Ricky heavily on his shoulder. Then he added, "Only ambitious men are qualified to be strong warriors!
You are an amazing genius, so don't ever waste your clever brain. You must be ambitious enough to go ahead in the martial arts world. I'm more than pleased to hear this announcement! It proves that you have greatly laudable ambition! I'm so proud of you, boy!" Zenith could not help but smile as he praised Ricky.
"Thank you for your support, Chief Zenith!" Ricky said. Then, he turned to the others. "Today, the Misty South Faction ceases to exist as the Misty South Palace comes into this world!" he said, his tone full of confidence and determination.
"That is music to my ears, Ricky! Don't worry about the follow-ups. The other elders and I will take care of them. We will run the Misty South Palace well! You can just concentrate on your cultivation and practice. Don't bother yourself about handling the affairs of the palace," Elder Evan said with a bright smile on his face.
"Yes, Elder Evan is right. Even though we are old and stiff, we still have the ability to manage a palace well. Ha-ha!" another elder echoed in agreement.
"Thank you very much. I'm deeply grateful for your support, elders," Ricky replied gratefully as he slightly bowed his head towards everyone. He let out a sigh. Their supportive attitude was very much a relief to him.
Ricky had always been an ambitious man, and he wanted to do more than just establish the Misty South Palace. he had always planned on turning his own organization into one of the top forces in the world. That was why he tried to establish the Misty South Faction with such intense determination right from the very beginning. Now, being able to turn his faction into a palace was an extremely important marker of progress.
But there was one thing that concerned him the most; he was afraid that he would have to spend too much time and energy maintaining and managing his organization. In that case, he would have a hard time concentrating on his cultivation. Zenith was just one negative example. He became so engaged managing the Snow Sect that he also became entangled in the power struggles. Ricky was afraid that the same might happen to him.
So originally, his plan was to establish the larger force once he became much stronger.
But now that Elder Evan and all the other elders supported him and promised that they would be the ones to take care of the Misty South Palace, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Finally, there was nothing for him to worry about anymore. He was now certain that his palace would stand firm and have a place in the Snow Land with the help of six powerful demi-immortals.
What was more, Zenith, an innate spirit, stood behind him too. He was sure that Zenith would be really helpful to him in handling many difficult situations.
In spite of all this, Ricky knew that it was still not time for him to rest easy. There was still much weight on his shoulders. For one, he was afraid that the innate spirits from other places would come to the Snow Land in order to take his spiritual space tool from him once they found out that he had returned. But now was not the time for him to share this concern with the others.
"Ha-ha! You see, we have six old men to help you with the business in Misty South Palace! However, we do not do charity, so you will have to pay us. How about this? When you grow stronger, find us more Treasures from Heaven and Earth to extend our lives. We are not innate spirits, you know, and sooner or later, we are going to pass away, unless we somehow find a chance to become innate spirits. We want to live much longer in this world, you know? Ha-ha!" Elder Evan and other elders laughed.
"Of course, elders! I will definitely do that. You have my words," Ricky replied in a sincere tone. "If possible, I will find the great opportunity that would help you become innate spiritual kings! I will try my best to do that. You can count on me!"
"Oh, such sweet words! We are so pleased to hear that! Thank you so much. We look forward to the day when you finally bring us that chance," Elder Evan exclaimed with joy. The other elders also echoed his excitement. Ricky's sincere promise brought them happiness. They were glad to see that Ricky was indeed a grateful man. After all, it was always pleasing and rewarding to help those who were grateful.
In hindsight, it did not really matter to them whether or not Ricky would succeed in his promise. It was enough for them that he was righteous enough to actually make the promise and mean it.
"Hey, are you still worried about those innate spiritual kings from other places?"
Zenith asked, the concern in his tone heavy. As an experienced innate spirit, he had the capability to see through people, and he seemed to detect Ricky's worries through his eyes.
"Yes, Chief Zenith. You can always see through me. That's exactly what I'm concerned about the most for the time being. I just don't think they will give up easily and stop chasing after me. I still have the spiritual space tool, after all. It is what they are really after, and I'm sure that once they find out that I am already back here, they will definitely flood into the Snow Land. That's big trouble waiting to happen," Ricky replied with furrowed eyebrows as he nodded.
"You can rest assured and not worry about it anymore. I will not have supported you in announcing the establishment of the Misty South Palace if I cannot control everything, but now that I have nodded, that means that I have everything under control," Zenith exclaimed with absolute confidence. "All you need to do next is to announce to the whole Realm of Wildness the establishment of the Misty South Palace! Don't you worry about other things."
Zenith's confident claim surprised everyone, including Ricky and Elder Evan. All of a sudden, they found themselves at a loss for words again. Of course, they trusted Zenith, but they were curious beings, and they had a lot of questions itching to be answered. Where did Chief Zenith get his confidence from?
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