"Burning that *sshole's face was a good idea," Apollo muttered with a smile. He was currently sitting under a makeshift roof back at his beggar spot. This was the second time he'd built a roof, which he had brought with him from the Great Serpent Cultivation School.
True to his job, his driver had waited for him outside the school, and, along with Gail, they returned to this street. Gail had offered to help by providing materials, but he had politely refused. He liked the sense of fulfillment that came from doing things himself.
Apollo recalled his recent fight. Besides teaching Mahika a lesson, he had also intended to make him suffer by burning his face. With that, his Young Master Syndrome would likely drive him to run to his parents, prompting them to seek revenge. This would hopefully lead them to find Apollo sooner, a key part of his plan to complete his mission. It might seem dumb and unnecessary since he only needed to investigate the mayor's plans, but the dumber the plan, the more exciting it became.
Shaking his head, he pulled up his Status Screen.
Spirit Cultivation: None
Physique Cultivation: 1st-Step Qi Condensation Stage
Attributes: Lightning, Water
Apollo glanced at his Alm Points, which had dropped from 45 to 40 after purchasing the Basic Locator. He didn't regret it, though, as the item's function was extremely useful. As long as it was a physical object, it would emit a sound if he was near what he wanted to find. He could even input specific types of books or titles. It was like a search bar from his previous life, though he had to be close to an object to discover exactly what he was looking for.
His eyes then moved to his Spirit Cultivation. Back on the first floor of the Great Serpent Library, he had read about all the subjects that intrigued him, including Spirit Cultivation.
Spirit Cultivation focuses on the mind. Instead of strengthening the body, it enhances the mind. Cultivators who follow this path can become Array Masters, Blacksmith Masters, Soul Masters, and more. There's also another type of cultivation—Body Cultivation. Unlike traditional cultivation, Body Cultivators don't need Qi to cultivate. They put their bodies under constant stress, training each part until they gain strength comparable to most Qi cultivators. Of course, there are methods to speed up the process using herbs and medicines.
Body Cultivators can't use cultivation or battle techniques, but their bodies become so strong that they are sometimes referred to as Human Monsters. They are rare, and even Klown City doesn't have one.
Apollo's gaze moved down further until it landed on his Attributes.
In addition to Lightning, a Water Attribute had been added.
His eyes widened in realization. "Was it because of the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation?"
He hadn't even mastered his Lightning Attribute yet, and now another one had appeared. But a smile spread across his face.
Apollo wasn't sure why his other master hadn't called him for another lesson, but he didn't mind. This would give him more time to learn his new technique. With that thought, he closed his eyes and began studying the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation.
Three days later, Apollo opened his eyes, a mysterious glint flickering in them, though a bitter smile formed on his lips. "This is exhausting."
Suddenly, water droplets appeared around him. With a thought, they moved, swirling in the air. He formed the droplets into a ball of water, then shaped it into various forms.
He played with the water for a while before letting it fall to the ground with a splashing sound.
"Three days, and I've barely managed to reach this stage," he muttered, letting out a sigh. What he had achieved in these three days wasn't even worth calling a stage. It was merely a prerequisite to enter the Beginner Stage of the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation. Although he could conjure water and shape it into weapons and forms, its strength was only comparable to a weak variation of Fire Blast or Wind Blast.
At the Beginner Stage, he would be able to control water and shape it into anything he desired, from armor to weapons. According to the technique imprinted in his mind, the strength he could wield at this stage—without any augmentation like Refined or Unrefined Qi—was enough to harm a Core Creation Cultivator.
Just the thought excited him, but it was easier said than done. This was the first time he had struggled to comprehend a technique. In the past, it had taken him thirty minutes to an hour to learn a technique to the Beginner Stage. Now, three days had passed, and he hadn't made much progress.
Apollo felt frustrated, but as he thought more about it, it made sense. The technique had been stored on the highest floor of the Great Serpent Library, and he was the only one who had ever reached the fifth floor. He should have known from the start that it wouldn't be easy.
Complacency is never a good practice.
Shaking his head, he noticed Ned in the corner, placing his breakfast on the floor. His stomach growled, prompting him to stand up and pick up the basket.
"Thanks," Apollo smiled at the Filly worker.
"You're welcome," Ned smiled back. "Thanks to you, we've managed to become popular again."
Apollo glanced inside the restaurant and saw that all the seats were filled with diners. "That's good news. By the way, how did it go with the other nobles?"
Ned's smile widened. "They did cut off our meat supply, but we implemented your suggestions. Filly made bundles of fried chicken and spaghetti, and they've been selling fast. From what I know, starting tomorrow, the restaurant will have its own meat distribution."
"That's good to hear. The nobles' efforts were in vain. They must be pissed seeing that the restaurant, which was supposed to fail, is still standing and gaining more customers by the day," Apollo replied.
"Haha, yes," Ned chuckled, nodding toward the restaurant across the street. "And look at that guy—we've figured out he's the culprit behind the meat distribution problem."
Apollo turned to the Skyline Savory branch and saw the branch manager watching the Filly Restaurant from behind the door, his face filled with worry. Apollo couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha, he deserves all the stress and anxiety."
Ned laughed too. The two chatted for a while before Ned returned inside.
As Apollo was about to head back to his beggar spot, a shadow fell over him.
Looking up, he saw a bamboo hat and the middle-aged face beneath it.
"We have to train," Sir Guo said, smirking at his disciple.