Apollo walked out of the training room with a yawn. The book in his hand fell to the ground, disappearing in a blur before reappearing in its original position, floating atop the circular platform.
He looked around and nodded with a smile. "They're great," the beggar muttered, referring to the floating techniques. He hadn't learned the Cultivation Techniques since they required him to restart his cultivation. Instead, he focused on the Battle Techniques.
Although he only reached the beginner stage in each, his main goal was to memorize the techniques, not master them in one sitting, as that would take too long.
From the Sword Serpent Transformation to more bizarre techniques, the beggar was satisfied.
Suddenly, he remembered Gail waiting for him outside. He had probably spent about three hours learning seven or eight battle techniques—longer than he expected.
"Hopefully, she already went home," the beggar muttered, shaking his head.
Now that he was done on this floor... Apollo's eyes landed on the nearby stairs.
He could only see a few steps before they disappeared into darkness, like the mouth of a beast waiting for its prey.
The techniques on this floor were already powerful and amazing, so what about the floor above? Apollo's curiosity was piqued.
The Headmaster had said he had free access to all the techniques as a Personal Disciple. The fifth floor shouldn't be off-limits to him.
With this in mind, Apollo didn't hesitate and began walking toward the stairs. However, as he was about to pass through the doorway, he suddenly stopped.
A liquid barrier appeared in front of him.
"Oh, a barrier?" Apollo raised his hand and touched it, ripples forming as his fingers glided over the surface. "Seems like I can't ente—"
The water barrier suddenly let out a bright light, cutting off his words. The brilliance enveloped him for a moment, and when it faded, the barrier was gone.
Apollo shrugged. "Pardon the intrusion!" With that, he started climbing the stairs. At first, he could still see the steps, but as he continued, they gradually disappeared, and soon, the beggar found himself surrounded by darkness.
He didn't know how long he had been walking or how many steps he had taken, but thankfully, it wasn't an endless staircase that would drive anyone mad.
The sound of water splashing echoed as his foot hit the floor. At the same time, the entire area was subtly lit, allowing him to see the water reaching his ankles.
Apollo glanced behind him, noticing the stairs had disappeared, replaced by an endless expanse of water stretching far and wide.
The place resembled the training ground, though splashing sounds echoed with each step he took.
"Now what?" Apollo muttered in confusion. All he could see was endless water—no books, no scrolls. "Don't tell me this place is still under construction?!"
If that were the case, he'd be seriously upset.
But his words seemed to trigger something. Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the distance. When his eyes focused on the source, he saw water rising dozens of meters high.
Apollo's eyes widened. "What the f—" He couldn't finish his words as, in the next second, the giant mass of water exploded!
The powerful blast sent shockwaves through the air, and the force of the water flung the beggar high into the sky!
"Ahhh!" Apollo screamed, his body flipping dozens of times.
As his vision blurred, he heard a roar so loud that his ears began ringing, and his body shivered from the intensity of it.
A cold, piercing gaze locked onto him, but before he could process what was happening, the beggar slammed into the water-covered floor, creating a splash that shot dozens of feet into the air.
"F*ck!" Apollo cursed. The fall didn't hurt him, but being caught off guard by the sudden shift in the situation left him no time to react.
He stared into the endless darkness for a moment before another roar echoed, the intimidating sound reverberating through the area.
The beggar's hair stood on end.
What the hell is happening?! Apollo stood up, water dripping from him, but he couldn't care less. His eyes were locked on the area where the explosion had occurred.
What he saw nearly made him wet himself.
I shouldn't have entered this place! Apollo felt immense regret as those piercing cold eyes never left him.
He now understood the feeling of being an ant. No matter how talented he was or how many techniques he had learned, he realized he was insignificant in front of true power. The creature before him was something even the Ten Tail Alphadusk Shadowtail couldn't compare to!
Meanwhile, outside, at the entrance to the fourth floor.
Gail sat cross-legged beside the wall, a technique scroll resting on her lap. The third floor and below didn't have memory-erasing mechanisms on their books and scrolls, allowing students to take the techniques anywhere on the island. However, they had to return them within a set time, finished or not, or else they would face severe punishment.
She had been cultivating in this spot for three hours, and when she opened her eyes, she still couldn't see any sign of Mr. Beggar.
Gail let out a sigh. "Sorry, but I have to leave. I still need to help Filly." She spoke to the air, hoping her words would somehow reach the beggar inside.
I'll just repay the favor another time, she thought. She glanced at the book in her hands for a moment before standing up and turning toward the stairs. However, the moment she took a step, the whole floor suddenly shook!
A powerful earthquake almost caused Gail to fall, but she managed to grab the railing, steadying herself.
At the same time, a roar echoed from behind her. It wasn't loud, but as soon as it reached her ears, her whole body began trembling, as if she were standing face to face with death itself.
Wide-eyed, she turned to the fourth floor's entrance. The door was still shaking.
She noticed the guards on standby exchanging glances before one of them pulled out a talisman.
The guard held the engraved rectangle of paper in front of his mouth, whispered a few words, and it began to glow. Then, it disintegrated into particles of light, flowing in one direction, passing through the walls and into the outside world.
Seeing this, Gail knew they had used the Long-Distance Voice Talisman. The fact that they'd resorted to this item made her realize how serious the situation had become.
"You should leave," one of the guards said to the stunned woman.
"B-but Mr. Yoma is still in there!" Gail stammered, her heart racing. Knowing that the beggar was behind the door where the roar had come from filled her with dread.
"You should leave," the guard repeated, this time with a commanding and cold tone.
Gail looked at the two guards with gritted teeth before letting out a resigned sigh. In the end, there was nothing more she could do but leave the floor.
"I f*cked up," Apollo muttered, gulping as his eyes stayed fixed on the creature in the distance.
He had gotten greedy with the techniques. The old sayings—too much of anything is bad and curiosity killed the cat—were ringing true. Apollo could think of several proverbs to describe his disastrous situation, but he didn't have time to dwell on them as the creature roared once more.
The Great Serpent floated in front of him, a glowing light-blue brilliance radiating from its massive form, illuminating the entire watery expanse.
It was as big as a mountain and wide enough to cover two or three streets. The creature's body was covered in shimmering blue scales, tiny sapphires scattered across its skin, each one radiating an otherworldly glow. Its eyes, cold and bottomless like the deepest ocean trench, were locked on the beggar unblinkingly, while its long, sinuous body coiled through the air.
Water floated around the beast as if alive, twisting and swirling in sync with the creature's subtle movements.
With a mere flick of its tail, water surged, forming towering waves that nearly reached its full height. Winds whipped up as well, causing the beggar's clothes and hair to flap violently in the gusts.
Apollo gulped for what felt like the hundredth time. Compared to this monster, the Alphadusk that almost killed him during the Advancement Examination was nothing! The difference between them was like heaven and earth.
I'm just here for some techniques, not to meet a monster of this magnitude! Apollo regretted ever stepping into this godforsaken place.
He began weighing his options, though it quickly became clear there was only one: escape.
He pulled up his Status Screen to check his remaining Alm Points.
The basic locator had cost him five Alm Points. It was functional and useful, but in his current situation, he needed every Alm Point he could get!
"Hey System!" Apollo called out, still not breaking eye contact with the Great Serpent. The statue outside the Great Serpent Cultivation School almost resembled the creature in front of him—almost, because the stone couldn't capture the overwhelming pressure radiating from the serpent!
"Is 40 Alm Points enough to get me out of here if things go south?" Apollo asked, crossing his fingers.
"Try using the feature and we will find out if it's enough," the System responded in its usual emotionless voice.
Apollo's face turned bright red with anger at the answer.
"You scum! F*ck you, System! If you had a physical body, I'd beat your *ss!" Apollo shouted, his nose flaring in frustration.
The only response he got was the translucent screen in front of him disappearing into particles of light.
Taking a deep breath to calm his rage, Apollo started scanning the area for an exit. That's when he heard a voice.
"Human… you will… take… my challenge."
Apollo turned toward the giant creature, his face showing momentary shock before he snapped out of it with a shake of his head. He shouldn't be surprised that the Great Serpent could talk.