Beggar Cultivation System-Chapter 285 : Meeting the Crazy again

Don tried to cultivate once more. Closing his eyes, the surroundings dimmed. Qi, like fireflies, appeared and was drawn toward him. Yet, the moment he attempted to inhale them, a wave of fatigue washed over his body.

Confused, he opened his eyes, scratching his head.

"What's the matter?" a voice startled him. Turning toward the sound, he saw his Master staring at him.

"M-Master," Don hesitated. "It's just that… I tried the Simple Breathing Technique in my mind and succeeded after the first circulation. But when I tried another circulation, I felt extreme fatigue that prevented me from inhaling the Qi."

"Oh?" Apollo raised an eyebrow. That can't be. This is only a basic technique; why is he having a hard time? he thought. "Do it again."

"Okay," Don nodded. Following the order, he attempted to cultivate again. But, as expected, the Qi refused to enter his mouth or nose, as though he were out of air.

"What do you feel?" Apollo asked, noticing his disciple's struggle.

"Out of breath," Don admitted.

"Hmm," Apollo placed a hand under his chin, deep in thought. Why is Don struggling? He couldn't figure it out, so he instructed Don to try again while spreading his senses to observe his disciple. "I see. I get it."

"Please enlighten me, Master," Don bowed his head.

"No need to bow," Apollo waved a hand dismissively before explaining. "It's your mind. It can't handle too much Qi at once. Try inhaling slowly and in moderate amounts. Don't gather too much, or it will tire your mind. I'm not sure why this is happening to you, though. I never had an issue with this technique."

"All right, I'll try," Don nodded and, following the suggestion, closed his eyes once more.

After a while, he opened them, letting out a sigh of relief. "It works. But won't my cultivation speed become slower?"

"It will, but probably not by much. Don't worry about it; you can stay here and focus on your cultivation," Apollo assured him.

"Thank you, Mas— Wait, I can't," Don stood up abruptly, his face filled with worry. "I still need to go back and save them!"

"How?" Apollo's calm question hit Don like a cold bucket of water. He shut his mouth and lowered his head.

Apollo sighed. "If you go back now, you'll only get yourself killed. Cultivate for two weeks, and then I'll let you go back."

"B-but… their lives are at stake," Don whispered.

"If you go now, you'll die—and so will they. Wait two weeks. There's a chance they'll still be alive, and you'll have the strength to exact your revenge. It's your choice, not mine. I'm not losing anything," Apollo said nonchalantly with a shrug.

Hearing this, Don gritted his teeth before letting out a heavy sigh. "You're right, Master. I should focus on my cultivation. Only when I achieve something will I be able to take revenge."

"Good to hear," Apollo smiled.

Don was about to sit down and continue his cultivation, but his Master had other plans.

"From now on, every time you cultivate, you'll sit there," Apollo pointed to a spot in plain view of the passersby. "You are my disciple and part of the Beggar Sect. From now on, do your daily job—beg there while you cultivate. Just place your palms above your forehead; that should do it."

"Beg?" Don repeated, glancing at Apollo's attire and the state of the place, which was even worse than the previous slum. Realization dawned on him—his Master was pretending to be a beggar while secretly being an expert cultivator. Out of respect, he should do the same.

"I'll do it every day from now on, Master!" Don declared.

"Good. Then beg now," Apollo smiled, watching his disciple sit in full view of the public.

Suddenly, a notification appeared in the corner of Apollo's vision:

"You received 0.4 Alm Points!"

This is the work of the Automatic Alm Points Producer Apollo bought from the System. His Alm Points had already increased from 85.8 to 86.2. Every hour, he would receive 0.4 Alm Points.

With passive income flowing in and his disciple begging for him, he expected his Alm Points to rise even more by the end of the day.

He stared at Don for a moment before standing up and heading toward the street. "Guard this place while I'm gone," Apollo said to Don as he walked off in a certain direction.

...

There were only a few fountains in Belthias City, and Apollo was heading toward one of them. As he ventured through the streets, he couldn't help but shake his head after reading the new name of the city on a newsboard.

Belthias? Whoever thought of that name was something else. Combining the names of Bel and Mathias, the father-daughter duo, had resulted in a unique combination. Apollo was amazed and, at the same time, wondered how they had managed to change the city's name so easily.

From what he knew, Mathias had to report everything to the empire, especially the hideous plan of Klown and his death. But it seemed the empire had acted quickly, approving both the new mayor's position and the city's name change.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Not even a month had passed, and the new position had already been officiated.

Apollo's thoughts wandered as he walked, eventually arriving at a fountain—the same fountain he had drunk from after transmigrating to this world.

The area was bustling with people. Some couples were being lovey-dovey, while others, clearly single, mourned their solitary status.

Without paying attention to the looks he was receiving, Apollo walked straight toward the fountain and jumped in! His body splashed into the water, sending it flying everywhere.

An unfortunate young couple nearby was drenched, the woman even slipping to the ground. Fortunately, her partner caught her, and the two locked eyes, gazing deeply into each other.

The man leaned closer, lowering his head to deliver a kiss.

However, just as their lips were about to touch, a shout from the fountain shattered the romantic moment.

"Ah! What the f*ck are you doing here?!" Apollo burst out of the water, causing another splash. He stared in disbelief at someone emerging from the water with wide eyes.

"We meet again, haha," the person laughed. He had sparse white hair, almost bald, big round eyes, a goatee, and only three or four teeth left in his mouth. The old man was wearing a black-and-white hanfu robe—the signature colors of the Great Serpent Cultivation School.

"Zhang the Great," Apollo muttered through gritted teeth. He would never forget this old man; this was the same person who had written those d*mn books in the library. And although Apollo had defeated Crazy Zhang in the Yomama fliptop battle, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were now equals.

"Hey, why do you look like that?" Crazy Zhang nudged Apollo with a smirk. "Are you here to bathe too? This fountain is public, you know. Everyone can enter. Don't worry—no one else seems to like cleaning themselves here. I haven't seen anyone join me in years."