"Maybe because they wanted the visitors to think they have such great streets that even the vendors on the side are extravagant," Apollo commented, finishing the bread in his hand.
"Those people sure are good at pretending," Big Chub said, shaking his head.
"Do you know who the visitors are?" Apollo couldn't help but ask. For the city to make such great efforts to set up their own stall just to keep up appearances for the sake of the visitors, they must be really important.
"I don't know, but if I'm going to guess, it's probably those high and mighty officials from other cities," Big Chub said while putting the table inside the handcart. Then he started sweeping the floor.
"Officials? Makes sense," Apollo nodded, understanding what he meant.
"Makes sense?" Big Chub looked up at the beggar. "Hey, don't act like you know what I meant. Haven't you only asked for basic information since we first met?"
Hearing this caused Apollo to cough.
"Hahaha," Big Chub laughed. "You should go home now, kid. It's getting late."
"Then see you in a week?" Apollo asked, taking a big bite of his remaining bread.
"You should visit me sometime. I live further down the road. Just ask where Slumstreet is; people will tell you." Big Chub said before he waved his hand and started pulling his handcart.
"Okay!" Apollo said. He watched as Big Chub's figure got smaller and smaller while the sun finally hid behind the horizon.
Slumstreet? I never knew such a place existed. Well, Apollo hasn't really explored the city that much, so there are still places he doesn't know of.
After eating all his bread, he started walking towards the training ground.
Fortunately, with the cleaning bead with him, he doesn't appear to be a beggar, as his robes became as good as new when using the cleaning bead. But he still makes sure not to attract too much attention to himself. What if some people recognize him, as he's always sitting beside Filly's Restaurant and in front of the Skyline Savory branch?
Apollo looked around while walking the street and found out there weren't many martial students roaming around.
There are only a few days left before the Advancement Examination begins, and they are probably training or cultivating to increase their strength.
Although he's joining for an entirely different reason, he still needs to train in order to complete his mission. Killing an experienced 4th-Step Foundation Building stage opponent is going to be harder when there's a possibility that the man he's going to kill has already reached the Qi Condensation stage.
How is he going to do that when he still doesn't know the details of the exam? Apollo already had a plan. That man is a man of pride and ego; he will never settle for less and he will try to reach the very top. There's a high chance that they will meet if Apollo aims for the top spot. And even if there's no chance, the beggar will create one.
As a man who became the wealthiest person in his previous life, being cunning is one of the requirements to achieve that feat.
Soon, Apollo arrived at his destination. He expected that no one would be at the training ground at this hour. However, contrary to his expectations, there were a few martial students training with each other or alone.
Some of them noticed the newcomer but only took a glance before they went back to their training.
Apollo was relieved that no one tried to approach him just so they could feel superior and bully the 'weak.' If someone did, he could use them as a sparring partner to get used to his new strength.
But it would be better if that really happened, Apollo thought before he shook his head and started walking towards the weapon rack.
He looked at each of the weapons and found that although they were made of wood, they were still carved with sharpness.
Apollo reached out his hand and took hold of a sword. His Simple Sword Technique immediately made him familiar with the wooden sword as if it were his own hand.
He casually swung it and the wooden sword sliced the air. Apollo heard a very thin whooshing sound, causing the grass on the ground to sway to one side.
Although his mastery over his sword technique was just about the basics, his strength made it seem like a completely different technique.
"This is cool," Apollo muttered with a smile on his face. "A simple sword slice can already produce this effect."
With a confident smile, he looked up from the grass, and his smile became stiff. A few meters away, two martial students were fighting with each other, each wielding a sword... a glowing sword! And when they clashed, their swords erupted in magnificent lights. Strong winds made their clothes flap and raised dust clouds in the air.
Apollo's eyes widened at the scene. "This! W-what's this?!"
Every sword clash was heavy and colorful. The beggar felt like he was watching a sci-fi or fantasy movie.
Soon the two men stopped their sparring, sweat dripping from their faces.
Even after they were done, Apollo couldn't get rid of the surprise on his face. He had felt good about himself that he could send airwaves with just a slice of his sword, but the moment he looked up, someone was sparring with glowing swords! And every attack was powerful and beautiful at the same time!
His eyes glanced at the weapons they were using, and his confidence took another blow when he saw they were wooden swords just like the one he was holding!
"Sloppy. The sword technique is not perfect, only suitable for 3rd-Step and below," someone said behind the beggar.
Apollo visibly tensed. Someone is behind me without me noticing? He slowly turned around, and a man wearing a dark grey robe and a bamboo hat was standing a few feet behind him.
"You are… Sir Guo, right?" Apollo asked hesitantly.
"Correct," Sir Guo said, his eyes glancing at Apollo. "You are not a student at any Martial School in this city. What's your name?"
Apollo's face became serious, his previous surprise completely gone.
"My name? I'm Yoma," Apollo said, using the fake name he had come up with.
"Yoma? What a very strange name," Sir Guo said, observing the kid in front of him.
Yomama is the strange one, Apollo thought but didn't dare to say it out loud.