What happened in the hall spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone in Snow Sect knew what was going on.
Ricky had gotten a lot of attention since he became a disciple of the sect. Now that he seemed to have beaten Lean, the number two guy among the top ten outer disciples, everyone was keeping an eye on him. Everything he did might be dangerous to the different factions. Especially, the Refinement Faction and the Casting Faction had noticed his capability. They felt menace.
They noticed that Ricky had quickly grown quite powerful. They had never seen a disciple achieve so much so rapidly.
Ricky did not pay attention to the gossip about him. Why would he waste time on things that didn't matter? So he went back to his place, packed up, and headed for the snowy mountains. By midnight, he'd already cleared the gates of the Snow Sect, and kept pressing forward.
There was a reason he set out in the dead of night. If he tried to do it by day, he would have come into conflict with men from the Refinement or the Casting Factions, and he would likely be quite dead.
Heather had offered to go with Ricky to find the spot where the Magic Ice was. However, Ricky turned her down, fearing for her safety. He couldn't guarantee his own safety, let alone hers. He would not forgive himself if she were injured or dead.
Thanks to Grace's directions, Ricky arrived at one of the mountain ridges. It was an arduous journey, covered as it was by snow and ice.
There were lots of small, oddly-shaped peaks on this ridge. Not to mention a small forest.
The Magic Ice usually formed in icy water.
That gave him an idea of where to look. He looked for bodies of water that had frozen, either partially or completely.
Finally, he reached the junction between the outer and inner peaks of the snowy mountains. Beasts could often be found here, with powers like the advanced stage of Skin Refinement or the inferior stage of Blood Purification.
Being nocturnal animals, they usually hunted at night. So Ricky was extremely careful. He not only had to be stealthy, but he had to keep a sharp eye out. He cautiously climbed a tree and lay in its branches, waiting until dawn. Here, he would have a better view and could avoid being discovered.
After all, he was still unable to handle the beasts at any grade of Blood Purification. He was well aware that he was weaker, and so would not risk his life fighting them.
The beasts roaring echoed through the mountains, and the chill wind whispered in the air. Before long, the long, cold night was ending. By dawn's light, Ricky left the tree and started his search again.
Four hours later, he found a frozen lake.
Unfortunately, he discovered nothing useful but some aquatic plants in this body of water. Oh, well, bad luck.
For the next couple of days, he managed to locate seven or eight frozen lakes and found several pieces of Magic Ice. But all of them were formed within a century, which would not help his refinement at all.
He, however, did have some good luck during his journey. He managed to find fruits, nuts, and berries. He hunted a dozen or so beasts at the advanced stage of Skin Refinement successfully, as well as catching some strange fish in those pools. That was a big fortune for him.
Besides, he had made great progress in the Freezing Palm cultivation during his struggles against the beasts.
Plus, this place provided him with an excellent environment because freezing temperatures would help to improve the efficiency of his cultivation of the Palm. So far, he had already improved in the last few days and reached to the minor achievement rank.
The day when he finished practicing the Palm, he thought to himself, 'I just can't find the Centennial Magic Ice. Maybe Master Grace was wrong. Maybe no one comes here because there's no Centennial Magic Ice.'
He decided to leave when he figured this out. He didn't want to waste his time.
But right before he was ready to leave, he heard footsteps.
Immediately, he hid himself behind a small hill by instinct.
Soon, he spied a handsome man and a woman wearing white clothes and a veil.
'It's her! Xenia!' Ricky shouted silently in his heart when he recognized the woman. He was shocked.
Yes, with Xenia he had shared some unforgettable times. Ricky could not be more familiar with her. Even she was covered by a veil, it was unmistakably her.
Complex feelings surged in his heart.
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