Beggar Cultivation System

"That daughter of his is really something—like father, like daughter," Elmo said with a chuckle.

"I'm not surprised," Axton replied, a small smile on his face. "She's the most talented in the entire city. She can already enter the Void, though I'm not sure to what extent. But she was already capable of it when she was still at the 3rd-Step Foundation Building stage."

"The Void, huh? I remember I only achieved that state when I was at the 1st-Step of Qi Condensation," Elmo said, his tone serious. "Are you thinking of sending her to that place?"

"Probably," Axton smiled mysteriously before his expression turned cold, and his eyes glinted. "But before that, we should fix this 'problem' of ours."

Elmo laughed upon hearing this. "Actually, it's expected. We are a thorn. I'd probably do the same if I were insane."

"Let's just wait a bit longer. We can't act unless it's necessary," Axton said, watching the participants display their Techniques on stage.

They spoke quietly, avoiding the use of Telepathic Messages, purposely keeping their conversation private.

On the other side of the seats, the Mayor of the city, Klown, was talking with the representative of the convoy. He suddenly fell silent for a moment before starting to run his mouth again.

As Martial Students displayed their talents on stage, some couldn't conjure their Techniques—likely because they had only barely achieved the Beginner Stage, or perhaps they weren't focused enough, resulting in their failure in the Advancement Examination.

They were so close.

Soon, another person came up on stage, wearing an outfit that exuded mystery. However, compared to the other mysterious person in a white mask, this half-masked individual wore shabby robes. His small stature made them question his age. Some tried to peer through his mask but failed, as their senses couldn't penetrate his aura.

Axton and Elmo were also curious, so they attempted the same. However, nothing surprising emerged—just an average-looking young man with black hair and black eyes, clearly not someone from an influential background. But they didn't care about such mundane details. The participant's small stature compared to his peers was actually normal, something seen everywhere.

But what happened next made the two exchange surprised glances.

"Master Axton, it seems we'll have a fight on our hands for this one," Elmo said, his eyes filled with excitement.

"He's using a technique from my School, so it's only right that I have the first say, don't you think?" Axton asked.

"Hmm, makes sense. I'll give you the first word," Elmo sighed, then glanced at the instructor who was watching the current participant with burning eyes. "What about him?"

"Water and Fire don't mix," Axton said. "Unless one is a fool, who would choose him?"@@novelbin@@

Elmo laughed aloud, causing the Visitors to stare at him in confusion.

...

Apollo walked up to the stage, all eyes on him, but he didn't feel any pressure. He was already used to this; being under the gaze of a crowd was essentially second nature to him. As someone who frequently stood on stages or in front of important figures, he would be more nervous if there were no people around.

At the same time, he could feel prying eyes trying to see past his half-masked face. Most of these attempts were deflected, but the beggar could sense that three individuals managed to break through the defense of his mask.

As expected, Apollo thought. Fortunately, he was prepared. His face was already different, thanks to using a contact lens to change the color of his eyes. Before he went up on stage, he spent five Alm points to buy an item that could change his appearance. He had essentially morphed into another person, though he chose to keep his height the same.

However, the effect of this item would only last for an hour.

The Headmasters must be among them, Apollo thought as he reached the platform. He stood in front of the Instructor, who nodded and asked what Technique he was going to demonstrate.

"Hydra Mirage," Apollo said, and Master Popo stepped aside.

Apollo began gathering Qi from the surroundings, the amount enough to summon winds. He absorbed it through his mouth, nose, and pores. Like a vacuum, it entered his body in an instant, and when it came out, it was already mist that scattered across the stage.

The mist dispersed as quickly as it had formed, and two Apollos appeared at his sides.

Hmm, was this good enough? Apollo knew it was, but… looking at his clones, he felt like it wasn't enough. He was only participating in this event for the sake of his Mission, and after that, he would return to his beggar spot, start cultivating, and earn Alm points. He would also eat free, good food from Filly's restaurant.

However, Apollo could feel there was still room for more clones. Curious, and no longer afraid of attracting attention now that his appearance was completely different, he let his intrusive thoughts win the battle against reason.

Furthermore, the others had displayed two Battle Techniques while he was only going to show one. Their performances might be more impressive than what he was about to do, right? With this in mind, Qi entered his body once more, mist emerged, and when it cleared, eight more clones materialized around him. Including himself, there were now eleven half-masked men on stage.

At the Beginner Stage of the Hydra Mirage, it was possible to make the clones move, which he did to demonstrate that he had truly reached this stage.

The clones began performing acrobatics on the stage—tumbling, backflipping, and somersaulting. Suddenly, he had an idea. To make it more interesting, he had them move in a choreographed manner. They moved in unison, their steps and claps creating a rhythmic sound that echoed through the mountain.

Apollo followed the beat with his head, choreographing a Hip-Hop-Cheer dance routine he had seen in his previous life.

The sound and the steps made some of the onlookers bob their heads as they watched the scene with fascination. They realized that the clones were definitely dancing. Although there was no music, the claps and steps were purposefully timed to create a cheerful beat.

In the end, the clones gathered and threw one of them into the air. Then they immediately dispersed, letting the body fall in the middle of them, where it exploded into a water splash, acting as the group's dramatic finale.

Nice! Apollo smiled from ear to ear.