Beggar Cultivation System

The screeching of five Ivory Scorpions echoed. It was grating to the ears, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

But only two individuals were shaken up.

As the Water Attributed Falcon returned to its normal size after being thrown back by the small human, it hurriedly stood behind Don, its beady eyes staring at the monsters around them in great fear.

"Hey! We should get out of here!" Don shouted at the flying mount behind him. The scorpions were slowly making their way toward them, and if they didn't escape, they would surely be pierced by those sharp tails and devoured by those terrifying teeth.

Although his Master had said they should stay and fight these beasts, Don wanted to leave. He knew this battle was going to be one-sided. He was already at the 2nd-Step Foundation Building Stage, but he wasn't confident he could defeat these scorpions.

Bluetooth nodded.

Don then jumped onto the falcon's back, and with a flap, they took off. However, before they could ascend, black venomous stingers shot toward them!

"Sh*t! Dodge!" Don shouted in fear. The Water Attributed Falcon instinctively used the Shrinking Technique. A bright light enveloped the falcon as its body shrank. This sudden change caused Don to fall to the ground, barely dodging the stingers above.

"This is bad."

Do I really have to fight? Don thought as he stood up. The falcon landed on his shoulder, tucking its head inside its wings. This was all up to him now. The Master had tasked them with staying and fighting the monsters around them.

But could he do it?

"If the Master believes that I can, then I can!" Don clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Since escaping had failed, he would stay and follow his Master's orders.

He began mobilizing the Qi around him, gathering it as he activated the Essence of Fighting. This was his first Fighting Technique, and finally, he would be able to use it in battle. Ever since his sparring match with his Master, he had been hoping to test this Technique on someone else. Though he hadn't expected to use it on monsters, they would still serve the purpose.

Hopefully, he wouldn't die fighting them.

"Bluetooth, if we can't run, then we'll fight," Don said to the bird perched on his shoulder.

Bluetooth shook his body, refusing to lift his head.

"Master believes we can handle these monsters, so that means we can. I want you to transform back and help me," Don Blanc said. Still, the bird remained adamant, even diving inside the kid's clothes.

A frown appeared on Don's face at this, and as the Ivory Scorpions closed in, he decided to fight alone.

"Then come at me!"

With a shout, he charged at the nearest enemy!

The Ivory Scorpions around him were the weakest kind, standing at the same height as him, but their terrifying appearance made Don feel immense pressure.

However, confidence surged in his heart. He believed in his Master.

With a shout, his speed increased, and he appeared right in front of his opponent!

"Take this!" Don pulled back his fist before sending a full-strength punch!

With a loud bang, a figure was sent flying.

After rolling across the sand for a few meters, Don pushed himself up and somersaulted into the air. A sharp pain spread across his chest—it was burning and numbing at the same time.

Gasping for air upon landing, he saw the Ivory Scorpion he had confronted sprinting toward him.

"Yeah, I can't deal with this sh*t! Master is wrong! I have to run!" Don shouted in fear as he turned and bolted away.

...

Meanwhile, behind a rock large enough for cover, Apollo shook his head as he watched his disciple running away from the five black scorpions.

"He will learn, hopefully," the beggar mused.

These Ivory Scorpions were weak and had many weaknesses, which was why he had purposely set this up so his disciple would have a chance to defeat them. But it seemed like Don needed to play tag with these monsters to realize that his fear was holding him back.

If Don just stood his ground and fought instead of running, he would figure out that he could hold his own against them. The kid didn't even need to worry about the venom—with just a simple circulation of Qi, the venom would instantly disappear.

The only thing Don needed to worry about was the speed of their tails and how he was going to blow their heads off.

After watching his disciple run and dodge the Ivory Scorpions for a few more minutes, Apollo began his journey toward the settlement.

He was not in a hurry. If fate allowed it, maybe he would arrive just in time—before something even more horrible happened there.

"Should I break through along the way?" Apollo muttered, the surroundings blurring as he walked using the revised version of the Simple Movement Technique. It was just a thought, but he felt like he could do it.

Usually, he would sit cross-legged and close his eyes to break through, but now he felt like he could cultivate while doing whatever he wanted. It was one of those 'shower thoughts' that always popped into his mind. There were many of them—like, what if he combined all of the explosive techniques in his arsenal to create a technique akin to a nuclear bomb?

No, what if he created a nuclear bomb technique derived from all of his techniques? A nuclear bomb with sharp water blades hurling at lightning speed. A nuclear bomb with the Simple Sword Technique embedded in it—so that once it exploded, the entire area would be struck by millions of sword slashes. What if he…

Apollo's mind began wandering off into even crazier ideas, and only when he started planning how to create a nuclear bomb that could affect the entire planet did he finally stop. Shaking his head, he started cultivating while making his way to the settlement.

Unrefined Qi followed after him, entering his body and circulating based on the pattern of the revised version of the Simple Breathing Technique. By now, as long as he had knowledge to base it on, he could revise this breathing technique into a much stronger version. This helped him save his Alm Points for a much better option.

However, something was bugging him—he felt like he was cultivating a tasteless bread. It was dry and simple.

And this feeling became even stronger after his cultivation finally broke through to the 4th-Step Qi Condensation Stage.