Beggar Cultivation System

Apollo stopped in his tracks, his mind and body entering a state that made him forget everything else. The Qi that had been following him surged stronger, and he was instantly drowned in it.

This is great, Apollo thought as a smile formed on his face. He simply let the Qi do its own thing. The unrefined became refined, and as it circulated, it strengthened his body, cell by cell. It was refreshing—like taking a revitalizing bath. And this sensation extended to his mind, making him unknowingly spread his senses.

New thoughts emerged, especially about how he was going to break the barrier between the Qi Condensation and Core Creation Stage.

With small explosions happening inside his body, the Qi then entered his spinning core below his navel. It nestled inside, strengthening and solidifying it further.

After what felt like an eternity, Apollo opened his eyes.

The sensation of getting stronger was truly amazing. No matter how small the progression, as long as he could feel it, the beggar would never stop enjoying it.

Apollo raised his hand, and his new strength surged. He hadn't physically transformed into a beast, but his control over Qi had become more efficient. Not that he really cared—his Qi control was already better than anyone's in the first place.

But the biggest change after his breakthrough was the thickness of Qi inside him. It still flowed freely like water, but its purity was far greater than before.

"My Techniques should be much stronger," Apollo muttered. With these new changes, his Techniques had also evolved. Raising his hand, he created a simple Fire Burst—the latest revision of it.

Instead of exploding right away, the two-meter burst of fire hovered in front of his hand. There was no heat coming from it, as if it were just a visual effect. Apollo had revised it so that the Technique would appear harmless unless he intentionally made it dangerous. Even an ordinary person could hold it without burning their hands.

Apollo stared at the fire for a moment before mobilizing the refined Qi from his core. The core below his navel spun as Qi circulated throughout his body before surging out to strengthen the Fire Burst.

Suddenly, the Fire Burst almost tripled in size, and Apollo nearly lost control over it as intense heat seeped out. Fortunately, in just a fraction of a second, he managed to stabilize the Technique.

"Interesting." Apollo smiled as he sensed its strength. If before, his power could match that of a Core Creation Stage cultivator despite only being at the 3rd-Step Qi Condensation, now that he had reached the 4th-Step, he felt like he could take on a Soul Manifestation Cultivator.

And he wasn't even using his strongest Technique.

After assessing his new upgrade for a while, the Fire Burst disappeared into particles of light.

"Time to save my future disciples!" Apollo said as he began walking toward the settlement.

One of the reasons he had joined Don on this journey—and even suggested it—was because he needed more disciples. Disciples willing to embrace a new identity, an identity that would be forever engraved into their lives and souls. He couldn't just take anyone, though; they had to have the heart to follow him. Apollo refused to force anyone to become a beggar against their will.

The more disciples he had, the more Alm Points he would receive. But to truly benefit from this, he would also need new Beggar Spots around Belthias City.

As he walked using his Simple Movement Technique, Apollo began imagining a future where Alm Points came from the right and left. "I can't wait!"

However, his dreams were interrupted after he passed a giant rock.

Apollo stopped in his tracks before slowly turning around to look at the massive rock. The sound of grinding metal against metal echoed, grating to the ears and making anyone who heard it uncomfortable.

"Oh, what do we have here?" the beggar muttered as he noticed that the air was moving strangely on the side of the giant rock.

It was like looking at water being disturbed.

Apollo spread his senses and 'saw' that a giant light brown centipede was crawling on the rock. The monster was in its invisible state, staring at the small human with its red eyes. It was waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Upon 'seeing' the beast, Apollo raised his hand toward it. The light brown centipede didn't seem to realize that its cover had already been blown, but when the beggar raised his hand, the monster sensed a threat—though it couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Apollo watched as the centipede slowly began to escape the scene. However, he wouldn't just let this monster get away. With a thought, the Fire Blast materialized, and not even a second passed before it disappeared—already swallowing the giant rock along with the dozens of meters-long, light brown centipede.

A strong explosion echoed, sending wind and sand flying in all directions, creating a chaotic mess. The powerful shockwaves pushed the sand around the area.

As dust clouds covered his vision, Apollo lowered his hand. He focused his thoughts, and the surrounding Qi guided the wind to blow the dust clouds away.

With precise control, manipulating the wind using the Qi in the area was just a piece of cake. Apollo didn't even need to have the Wind Attribute to perform feats that Wind Attribute Cultivators could.

As the dust and sand cleared, the beggar whistled. The giant rock had been blown into smithereens, leaving behind only lava where it once stood. He even spotted glass on the lava and scattered around it.

The centipede, on the other hand, unfortunately didn't manage to survive the explosion.

After testing the strength of the Fire Blast, Apollo casually shrugged his shoulders before continuing his journey.

Along the way, beasts popped out as he entered their territory—centipedes, scorpions, snakes, rat-like monsters, and more. They emerged from their hiding spots to hunt the beggar. But Apollo was leagues above them, and they ended up dead in one punch or one Technique.

Apollo realized just how strong he really was. He didn't even need to use his Cultivation that much, and killing these monsters—ones that could give Qi Condensation and Core Creation Stage cultivators a hard time—was like killing a bird. Too easy for him.