Beggar Cultivation System

Bluetooth was covered in light before his body returned to its normal size.

Then Don jumped on its back. "Follow us, Master," he said, glancing behind the Beggar.

Apollo nodded, and his body started to float. "Let's hurry up."

"Let's go, Bluetooth!" Don patted the falcon, who shrieked toward the sky.

"Sh*t up, you fool! You are the reason why we are in this mess!" Bluetooth's shrieks turned into words when the Beggar heard them. Apollo couldn't help but let out a small smile as the falcon flew up, followed by him.

In no time, they reached the sky, the right altitude where they wouldn't meet any flying beasts. They passed by giant sand dunes and rocky mountains, with the light from the moon casting their small shadows on the ground.

As the sand dunes passed before his eyes, Apollo couldn't help but glance at his disciple.

"You ran this far?" Apollo said with a hint of speechlessness. He used Thought Transfer to deliver these words, as the strong winds would make it hard for Don to understand him.

"I… I didn't realize how far I tried to shake them off," Don replied bitterly.

"You will receive punishment once we get back to the city," Apollo said coldly.

When Don heard this, his body shivered in fear, and the memory of his Master 'torturing' the monkey and the falcon surfaced in his mind. His Master would give them something to eat, and they would turn red all over while shrieking in pain. The pain would cause them to become erratic, borderline crazy, as they did anything to stop it. But no matter what they did, the suffering wouldn't end, and even when they passed out, they would shake from time to time with bubbles forming in their mouths.

The more he thought about it, the more afraid Don became. But there was nothing he could do besides accept his fate. "I will accept the punishment, Master."

Apollo didn't answer, his gaze focusing on their destination.

But silence didn't linger, as the Water-Attributed Falcon laughed out loud.

"Hahaha! That's what you get, you coward!" Bluetooth said mockingly, glancing at the small human on his back with clear ridicule in his eyes. "You even dragged me! If my claws weren't so tightly clinging to your shoulders, I would have fought them myself!"

It was a lie. Bluetooth had almost passed out from Don's battle against the five Ivory Scorpions. The fear of getting stung and ripped apart by their razor-sharp teeth still lingered in his mind. He couldn't even fly away, as the moment he did, their black stingers would surely skewer him alive. Fortunately, he had managed to cling to the small human's shoulder until the battle was over. And, of course, the battle didn't end without his help—as with his intelligent mind, he realized that the monsters' venom was not as strong as they thought. It was just an instinct, but it worked.

Hearing that the small human was going to be punished, Bluetooth couldn't help but feel satisfied. If the small human were stronger, he wouldn't have experienced that nightmare. And it was all the small human's fault that he had to babysit him.

As he was gladly scorning the small human's predicament, Bluetooth felt a cold gaze land on him. His feathers stood on end as he hurriedly shut his mouth and focused on the journey.

…

Apollo and Bluetooth didn't fly long before they finally reached their destination, the giant gorge welcoming their presence with its wide-open mouth.

They stopped in midair, staring at the gorge before their gaze landed on their side of the cliff.

"They… are still here," Don muttered with a gulp, unable to believe what he was seeing—even though he had already witnessed the scene before.

"They're not going to leave that easily," Apollo said as his gaze scrutinized the monsters.

The Beasts below them numbered in the hundreds, and some were as large as small mountains. He could see scorpions, snakes, and even desert geckos, though they were far from normal, as each had its own dangerous abilities.

A lot of them were big, and a lot were small, and the weakest among them had the strength to kill a 2nd-Step Foundation Building stage cultivator on their own.

Apollo spread his senses and found that the strongest among them had strength equivalent to that of a Core Creation Cultivator. This Beast was also the biggest of them all.

Translucent Thunder Rat, a very annoying beast, the beggar thought, a frown appearing on his face. He wasn't frowning because he couldn't handle this monster—he could—but why? Why had even this monster, one that even the Mayor of Belthias would struggle to defeat, fled from its hiding spot along with the weaker ones?

As Apollo pondered the reason, some of the Beasts below started shouting and shrieking, while others began fighting, eating one another as they could no longer endure their hunger.

However, even as some killed each other, none of them left the area, all too busy leaping across the gorge.

Apollo watched as some successfully made it across, while others plummeted into the depths below. Whether they survived was unknown, as even he couldn't gauge how deep the gorge was. Furthermore, he could sense something sinister emanating from within the gap.

"With their size and strength, they should be able to jump that gap… but why are they falling?" Don Blanc muttered, baffled by the scene.

"That gorge is no ordinary gorge," Apollo said, glancing at his disciple. "They can feel something from within—something that terrifies them."

"Really?" Don stared at the gorge, eyes wide. "But I can't feel a thing."

"That's because you're weak," Apollo sneered. "You couldn't even properly face those scorpions without running away first."

"That's…" Don's face turned red; he hadn't expected his master to belittle him this much. "I'm sorry."

Apollo shook his head. He was deliberately making Don feel insignificant—it would be dangerous if his disciple became too confident. Being a coward was fine; it was part of the journey to becoming strong. Hopefully, this 'cowardice' his disciple possessed would push him to become a better person—to learn from his fears and face everything, even if his legs were shaking.

A coward… Apollo let out a sigh. He admitted it—he was a coward. He was afraid to die and even to get hurt. That was why he wanted to reach the top of this world—so that he wouldn't have to fear anything at all, not even death.

Shaking his head, he noticed the Translucent Thunder Rat leaping to the other side. In midair, it unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning that burned away the invisible pressure pulling the monsters into the gorge.

Then, the rat started sprinting toward the city.

"We have to stop these monsters," Apollo said, glancing at his disciple. "You will fight."

"Eh?"