"Ah, this sh*t still aches," Apollo muttered with a frown. "I need to buy a Health Potion."

But looking at his remaining Alm points made him smile bitterly. To think that he actually believed he would be able to save up for real this time. However, reality proved him wrong. From 28 Alm points, he was left with just 2.

Saving is so hard! Apollo thought in frustration. If he hadn't gone out that night, he would still have those Alm points and wouldn't be injured. But then, that woman would probably be a goner by now.

Bel Helflick, was it? She should give me a reward or something.

Apollo admitted that he was neither good nor evil. He just followed what he felt. At that time, when he saw Bel being surrounded by Duskfang Shadowtails, he had the urge to save her, so he did. Yes, he did feel regret after he was injured and had to use his Alm points. However, there's nothing he could do at the moment but earn them back.

Apollo decided not to eat for the time being and just continue to cultivate. He stood in front of his beggar spot where people could see him if they looked in his direction.

He sat down, put his hands, palms up, above his forehead, and started following the pattern from the Simple Breathing Technique.

The invitation that fell from one of the martial students from the Great Serpent Cultivation School also stated the time for the Advancement Examination, and there was only a week left before it started.

Apollo expected that by that time, he would have reached the 4th-Step Foundation Building Stage already.

And the matter of exposing his identity? He already figured out a way, but to do that, he had to earn back Alm points.

The beggar also decided that only when he completed the mission would he buy the item for his beggar spot, as the mission would award him a hundred Alm points once completed.

So f*ck saving up! Nah, I'm just kidding. Apollo took a deep breath and started gathering the surrounding Qi.

When he was about to move it within his body, he suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes and looked around the street. It was around 9 in the morning, and there were already a lot of people walking down the streets. They wore smiles on their faces while some looked disheartened for some unknown reason.

There were also Martial Students from time to time entering the Skyline Savory branch across the street.

While observing, the beggar's face became serious as he recalled what Bel had told him.

She said that only those at the 4th-Step Foundation Building and above can feel the Qi and command it according to their will. Then how come he can do it?

Apollo frowned as this was a bad sign. What if a cultivator at that stage or even higher walked in front of him and suddenly noticed that the Qi around them was moving towards him? Isn't it the same as telling them that he is a cultivator?

Exposing himself to that woman from the Helflick Family was already a risky move; he didn't want any more trouble coming his way.

This made him stand up and return to his Beggar Spot.

He sat back down inside his makeshift shelter made of trash he had found nearby. With his hand under his chin, he questioned the System.

"Hey, System," Apollo called out.

"Yes, Host?" The emotionless voice of the System echoed in his ears.

"How come I can control the Qi around me even though this feat is only accessible to 4th-Step Foundation Building Cultivators and above?" Apollo asked.

"This question can be answered by purchasing the Basics of Cultivation from the System Store. Would you like to buy the item?" The System replied immediately, its voice slightly higher than normal.

Apollo's mouth twitched along with his eyes. This motherf*cker! I only have 2 Alm points and you want me to buy that item worth a hundred?! And I'm just asking a question!

"I thought you were an emotionless entity, but your voice changes when it comes to selling your products, eh?" Apollo squinted at the interface in front of him, seemingly looking at the System itself.

The System remained silent, but the interface disappeared. This was its way of indicating it wouldn't answer.

Apollo sighed. Asking the System another question would probably be another futile effort. He was about to ask if those Cultivators who had reached the 4th-Step and above could sense that he could control the Qi around him even though he was only at the 3rd-Step Foundation Building. However, upon careful thought, it wouldn't matter, as it wouldn't be long before he reached that stage.

Apollo went back in front of his beggar spot and started cultivating again. Hopefully, no one would discover that he could move the Qi. It didn't take long for him to ignore the surrounding noise and plunge back into the deep darkness, with only him and the Qi entering his nose and mouth.

...

As the sun reached its peak, a man with a bald patch on his head stood in front of a window on the second floor of the Skyline Savory branch. He gazed at the restaurant across the street with the plaque of Filly Restaurant.

Seeing that there were more customers than usual, he couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.

"Is something wrong, Manager Fu?" Alek's voice came from behind.

"Do you know how many customers that little girl had yesterday?" Manager Fu asked without taking his eyes off the restaurant across the street.

"At this hour? They had about 10 to 11," Alek answered after careful thought. "Why?"

"Because right now, they have about 18 customers," Manager Fu said without turning back. "And now 20," he continued as he saw two customers, a couple, entering the Filly Restaurant.

"20?" Alek frowned when he heard this number. "On our opening, there were barely any who ate there, and even if they had customers following that day, it was probably just a few."@@novelbin@@

Manager Fu nodded as he also knew this fact. "There's something going on that we don't know."