After Don had his fill, he placed the basket near the corner of the beggar spot where Ned would later fetch it. Then, he returned inside and sat in front of the glowing scroll.
Don glanced at his Master, who nodded at him. Taking a deep breath, he touched the scroll. The mont his finger grazed the light, the scroll imdiately dissolved into particles of Qi that entered his head!
Like a waterfall drowning him in the depths of a lake, Don was plunged deep into his mind. Instantly, the world around him turned pitch black, leaving only him and the stars of Qi. Beyond this darkness, the beggar disciple could see patterns floating in the 'air.'
They were difficult to discern, but Don could understand them. As ti passed, it felt as though he could reach out and touch the patterns. In the midst of all this, his mind suddenly grew heavy as the patterns and movents in this pitch-black world overwheld him.
However, despite the overwhelming sensation, Don felt an unexplainable peace.
---
Seeing his disciple close his eyes and imrse himself in the knowledge entering his mind, Apollo couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"It's working," the beggar muttered. He already knew Don's potential, and learning the Simple Breathing Technique—the first technique he himself had learned—should be easy.
As silence filled this corner of the restaurant, Apollo grew bored. His gaze fell back on his monkey companion.
Bubba was still 'sleeping,' following the correct pattern Apollo had adjusted for him.
"I should punish him," Apollo smirked. He stood up and grabbed Bubba by the nape, shaking the monkey awake. "Wakey, wakey."
Bubba was shaken so vigorously that his whole body almost blurred. He woke up feeling dizzy, and the mont his eyes t Apollo's, a shiver ran down his spine.
The monkey began crying in his high-pitched voice, as if trying to explain that he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Hey, hey, what are you yapping about?" Apollo asked, staring straight into the monkey's eyes. "Have you done anything wrong to be this talkative?"
Bubba hurriedly shook his head.
"Oh, I see… if you deny it…" Apollo trailed off, his voice suddenly cold, his face darkening. "How dare you lie to ?!"
The shout caused all of the hair on Bubba's body to stand on end, as if he were being electrocuted. Actually, he was being electrocuted, as flashes of lightning danced from Apollo's fingers.
"Why did you touch sothing you weren't supposed to touch, huh?!" Apollo glared at his companion.
Bubba let out a cry of pain and fear. When the lightning disappeared, he lowered his head, letting himself be reprimanded.
"So, are you going to admit you did sothing wrong?" Apollo asked, feeling satisfied at seeing his companion so obedient.
Bubba nodded slowly.
"Just think about it. What if you touched sothing dangerous that could kill you in an instant? Do you think I would be happy?!" Apollo raised his voice, a hint of worry and fear creeping into his tone. "If you die, what can I do?! You'd just leave behind because of your foolish choices?!"
As his words fell, the monkey looked up at him with wide eyes. Tears began to form in those giant eyes.
Dmn, this monkey is too emotional,* Apollo thought, now certain his companion could understand him. He had only fed Bubba three Chilis of Intelligence, and now the monkey could comprehend human speech. The only thing missing was the ability to talk.
"Do you understand ? I will never live the sa life if you die!" Apollo said, putting all the seriousness he could muster into his face.
Bubba nodded his head vigorously, and by now, tears had already fallen from his eyes.
"Good. You're very important to , so don't make another mistake, alright?" Apollo hugged the monkey, and Bubba held him tightly in return. A few monts later, they pulled away. "And now, ti for your punishnt."
The mont Bubba heard the word punishnt, the tears reversed, and the sadness was replaced by fear.
He started crying again, desperately trying to free himself from the hands of the demon human!
"Hey, what's with the sudden change of emotion?" Apollo chuckled as a white light appeared, transforming into the Chili of Intelligence. "Eat this."
Soon, the monkey fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Don't worry, this is good for you," Apollo said, observing the monkey. He let his senses cover his companion and found that Bubba's cultivation had started.
If Bubba continued what he was doing for a few more days, he would reach the 1st-Step Foundation Building stage.
Apollo couldn't help but smile at the thought. It would definitely look cool to have a pet that cultivates and can beat people up. What if Bubba beca so strong that Apollo could stay in his beggar spot while the monkey handled all his problems?
The thought caused Apollo's eyes to radiate with excitent.
Another goal was added to his list: a disciple to handle basic matters like begging for alms to convert into Alm Points, a monkey to fight on his behalf, and, with the restaurant beside him, personal chefs to prepare his als.
The setup reminded Apollo of his previous life, where he could laze around while his workers made him money.
"Hmm, this is going to be great," Apollo muttered. As he looked at his disciple and the monkey, he began to think about how to achieve his goal quickly.
He went back inside his makeshift roof to brainstorm. It didn't take him more than ten seconds to co up with a plan.
Apollo brought up his Status Screen to check his remaining Alm Points.
Na: Apollo Leone
Race: Human
Alm Points: 135
Spirit Cultivation: None
Physique Cultivation: 3rd-Step Qi Condensation Stage
Attributes: Lightning, Water
Companions: Bubba (Monkey)
Beggar Disciples: Don Blanc
Apollo had only bought two items after completing his last mission, and his Alm Points had dropped from 450 to 135 in no ti.
He couldn't help but sigh at how quickly 'money' slipped through his hands. Still, it was all for his goals, so he shouldn't complain.
But if he were to complain, it would be about the d*mn System and its ridiculous item prices.
Shaking his head, he opened the System Store. A translucent screen materialized in front of him.
Apollo already knew what he was going to buy—he had seen the item a few tis while browsing the store out of boredom.
"Show the Qidifier," Apollo ordered, and the mont his words fell, the screen flashed, displaying several items.
His eyes naturally went to the first item, the cheapest on the list.
"Basic Qidifier: A small and simple Qidifier. It will change the surrounding Qi within three ters, purifying it by up to ten percent and enhancing its properties."
It's basically a humidifier, but this one focuses on purifying Qi instead of air.
Apollo then glanced at the last item on the list, which cost a staggering million Alm Points.
"Planetary Qidifier: Increases the quality of Qi across the entire planet by at least a thousand percent. Indestructible and controllable only by the buyer."
The description was simple, but its effect was terrifying.
A million Alm Points for this item? Why would he even consider buying it? Apollo didn't care about the whole planet; he only cared about the things that mattered to him.
Apollo purchased the first item, which cost 50 Alm Points. When the item appeared in front of him, he felt a sting in his heart as his Alm Points dropped to 85.
But this was for his benefit.
Back at the Great Serpent Cultivation School, the Qi quality had been significantly higher compared to the outside world. Hopefully, the Qidifier he bought would replicate that level of purity.
Apollo studied the white object in his hands. It was small, just enough to fit in an adult's palm. The Qidifier was rectangular in shape with a small hole on top and two buttons in the center.
Its simple design reminded Apollo of gadgets he had often seen in his previous life.
Curious about its performance, he placed the Qidifier in front of him and turned it on. The first button was for power, while the second allowed adjustnts to the percentage of Qi purification, up to a maximum of ten percent. He pressed the second button ten tis to reach the highest setting.
The device began to emit a quiet humming sound, which quickly faded as misty smoke started streaming from the hole.
Apollo imdiately noticed a change in the surrounding Unrefined Qi.
It felt like muddy water being transford into crystal-clear liquid.
Taking in a mouthful of purified Qi through his mouth and nose, he couldn't help but smile in contentnt.
"This is great," Apollo said as he opened his eyes. "Compared to the quality of Qi inside the Great Serpent Cultivation School, this is at least twice as good."
For the first ti, Apollo felt like he wasn't being cheated by the System.
He wondered how long the device would last before needing maintenance. Bringing up the item description, he discovered additional details in the instructions.
Apparently, the Qidifier would only operate for three hours at maximum output before it required recharging.
Like the Cleaning Bead, it would recharge itself automatically by absorbing the surrounding Qi.
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