Beggar Cultivation System

Apollo took the basket Ned handed him. It was already noon, and the blazing sun scorched the air.

"Can you give me another one of these?" Apollo asked. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

"That's a small matter," Ned smiled. "No need to pay. Miss Filly said to give you whatever you wanted, sir."

"Alright then, just pass along my thanks to her," Apollo said.

Ned went back inside the restaurant and returned with another basket. By now, the restaurant was bustling with customers, and people were constantly lining up outside.

With the addition of takeout, it had become much easier for patrons to enjoy their meals. They could choose to eat inside or wherever they pleased.

"How's it going? Have you resolved the issue with the lack of workers?" Apollo asked.

"Yes," Ned nodded. "Miss Filly came up with a brilliant idea. She hired more workers and divided the workload by stations. It's very systematic now—each of us stays in one area. Because of this, the speed of preparing food has increased."

Hearing this, Apollo clicked his tongue in amazement. Filly was truly impressive to have figured this out on her own. She was practically a genius for coming up with this method.

This was almost exactly how fast-food chains operated in his previous life—more workers, each with their specific station and task, all contributing to the same end product.

The Filly Restaurant was becoming more and more like a fast-food joint. Apollo wasn't sure if this was ultimately a good or bad thing, but in terms of profitability, it was undoubtedly a huge gain.

As they were talking, Apollo noticed something out of the corner of his eye: a group of people walking toward the restaurant.

The way they moved made it clear they weren't coming in peace.

Apollo glanced at the six men and immediately recognized two familiar faces: the manager and assistant from the rival restaurant. He could also sense that each of them was at the 1st-Step Foundation Building stage—they must have learned the stolen techniques.

Not wanting the peace of this place to be disturbed, Apollo waved his hand. Miniature Wind Blasts appeared beside the men and exploded instantly.

Their bodies were sent flying, rolling across the ground a few times before passing out.

The commotion drew everyone's attention, including Ned's. His eyes widened as he recognized two of the fallen men.

"Wow, why are they sleeping on the streets?" Ned muttered in confusion.

"They're probably too exhausted from fighting against your restaurant," Apollo said with a smile.

"Hahaha, I understand. It must be exhausting," Ned chuckled. "I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again—it's all thanks to you, Mr. Yoma."

"It's thanks to Filly," Apollo replied with a chuckle. He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you should get back to work."

"Okay."

Shaking his head, Apollo stepped inside his beggar spot and noticed that the glowing scroll was already gone.

Seeing this, he turned to his disciple, who still had his eyes closed and head lowered. "So he already touched it."

He didn't bother the kid and decided to wait while eating his food under the makeshift roof.

Soon, the sound of crunching echoed as Apollo ate barbecue monster meat, fried chicken, spaghetti, and scrambled eggs.

As he ate, he couldn't help but realize he was getting tired of eating the same meal every day. He wanted more variety.

"I should give them some new recipes," Apollo decided, finishing his meal.

Once he was done, he began cleaning up. That's when the kid opened his eyes and looked at him.

"How is it? Good technique, right? I created it personally, and it's the most amazing Breathing Technique you'll ever find," Apollo said, lying. The technique came from the System and wasn't the greatest Breathing Technique at all.

Don tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean, Master? What technique?"

Hearing this, Apollo raised an eyebrow. "The technique you just touched. Wait, don't tell me it didn't work? That can't be—I spent an hour creating the Instant Technique Transfer!"

"I don't understand, Master," Don said, scratching the back of his head. "I was actually waiting for you to give me the technique, but I fell asleep… sorry."

"You fell asleep?" Apollo frowned. "Then where is the technique?"

Don shrugged, clearly clueless.

Something clicked in Apollo's mind. He hurriedly looked for his monkey and saw Bubba in the corner, 'sleeping.' The monkey's chest rose and fell in slow, deliberate motions. He looked both alive and dead, his breathing barely visible.

Apollo approached his companion, spreading his senses, and discovered something unbelievable.

The monkey was cultivating! Bubba was cultivating the Simple Breathing Technique!

Although something was off in the way Bubba gathered the surrounding Qi and the pattern it followed into his body, the monkey was indeed showing a very slight improvement.

Apollo didn't know whether to get angry or not. "What's done is done," he sighed, kneeling to touch his companion's chest.

He released a subtle stream of Qi to correct the monkey's flawed pattern. The moment it was fixed, the previously negligible amount of Unrefined Qi turned into a small stream flowing into Bubba's body through his nose and mouth.

Apollo decided to wait and see. Hopefully, it would turn out well. If not, Bubba was in for a beating.

"Is he cultivating?" Don asked, staring at the monkey with wide eyes.

"Yes," Apollo nodded.

"Wow! Even your pet knows how to cultivate!" Don said in amazement. This must really be an expert—he could even teach a monkey to cultivate! "Please teach me, Master!"

"Alright, alright," Apollo said, pointing a finger. The surrounding Qi began to pull together, coalescing into a glowing scroll. "You just need to touch it, and all the knowledge about the Simple Breathing Technique will enter your mind. But before that, you should eat first."

Hearing the word eat, Don's stomach growled loudly, echoing inside the beggar spot.

"Here," Apollo said, taking the other basket and handing it to his disciple. "This is the first and last time I'll fetch your breakfast. Next time, you'll handle all these basic matters. Understood?"

"Understood, Master!" Don replied enthusiastically.