Confrontation

After Apollo hid behind a caravan, he found an alley where he decided to rest. The pain in his hand was severe, and he wanted to treat it as soon as possible.

Looking at his Alm points, the beggar boy couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I'm really not good at saving up."

In his previous life, because of his talent, he didn't need to worry about saving, as money kept flowing into his bank account. Only now did he realize that being wealthy also has its downsides.

He brought up his System window and bought a health potion, which cost him five Alm points.

Apollo glanced at his Alm points and noticed they had dropped from 18 to 13. From the previous 28, they were now down to 13. But buying that movement technique was worth it, he thought as the wound on his right hand started healing at a fast rate.

"Now, my clothes…" He sniffed and smelled the strong stench of blood, both his own and that of the black wolf he had killed. "Do I have to find another robe?"

Apollo searched the alley but found nothing to use as clothes. He sighed and searched the System store instead. After a while, he found what he was looking for.

**Cleaning Bead:** A common cultivation item. Once used, it will release Qi that envelops its owner, cleaning the owner's clothes and body. Needs to absorb Qi for an hour before it can be used again.

**Alm Points Cost:** 3

Do I really need to buy this? Apollo faced a dilemma. He wanted to save up so he could buy the item that would help him hide in his beggar spot, but he couldn't stand reeking of blood. He could choose to wash his clothes, but if he did that, he'd have to do it every time he fought. It would be a waste of time.

In the end, Apollo sighed and bought the item. White particles appeared in front of him before they coalesced into a white bead. He observed it in his hands for a few seconds before using it.

It let out a subtle light, and a stream of Qi emanated from it. Apollo was enveloped by the light. A few seconds later, the light returned to the white bead, and the beggar's clothes became clean. His hair was shiny, and he could even smell a flowery fragrance.

"This is good," Apollo smiled. He felt like he had just taken a cold shower. Even his teeth were clean, and his robe looked as good as new.

"I have to go back now and earn more Alm points," Apollo muttered after glancing at his remaining Alm points. There are actually good-hearted people who still give money to the homeless, and he expected that even without that Wish Me Luck item, he could still earn Alm points.

With his clean clothes and face, he walked more confidently on the street, and no one suspected that he was a beggar. Still, some curiously glanced in his direction, as he was the only kid wandering around at this hour.

Apollo had to walk for almost an hour to reach the district where his beggar spot was. Whistling a tune, he arrived at his destination. He looked around and saw that the workers from the Filly restaurant were still busy inside. The night was still young, and there were patrons eating inside the restaurant.

He walked towards his beggar spot beside the restaurant, a place most people wouldn't even glance at because it was hidden by another building unless they purposely looked at the partition.

"Finally…" Apollo sighed in relief. He sat inside the shelter he had made and decided to rest for a bit.

After a while, he went out and sat where people could see him. He then raised both hands above his forehead and started cultivating the Simple Breathing Technique. Just thinking about the strength he would gain when he reached the 4th-Step Foundation Building excited him.

Apollo took a deep breath to calm his mind. Following the pattern in his mind, the surrounding Qi began to be absorbed by him. It followed a certain path and circulated through his whole body, bathing his cells and slowly reforming them.

As peace set in, the outside world became dark, and in his senses, there was only him and the Qi.

But unbeknownst to him, this peace wouldn't last long.

…

Inside the Filly Restaurant.

The lights coming from the chandeliers gave off an opulent ambiance in the room. There were two floors inside, with the second floor designed like a balcony to observe the first floor. This was specially renovated to separate classes.

Filly was currently standing on the second floor, one of her hands on the handrail as she watched her workers clean the tables below.

A frown appeared on her face when she noticed plates with leftover food. This would never happen at 'that' restaurant.

"M-ma'am," Gail hesitatingly called out. Seeing Filly's serious face made her uncertain if she should share the news.

"Gail, what is it?" Filly turned towards her.

"It's about… the Skyline Savory," Gail trailed off.

The frown on Filly's face deepened. "Tell me."

"They put up a sign on their newly acquired building across the street. They said they are going to open tomorrow noon," Gail replied with worry in her voice.

"D*mnit!" Filly slammed her hand on the handrail, causing it to crack. "They are fast!"

"What should we do?" Gail asked.

Filly took a deep breath to calm down. I still haven't finished my research on how to further improve the taste of my food… She believed that the food in her restaurant was good enough to be considered one of the top in Klown, but compared to Skyline Savory, it was like heaven and earth.

Her chefs were also experts, so she believed that if she was going to compete with the restaurant across the street, it had to be through the uniqueness of their food.

She had to be innovative about this.

"Do you want me to sneak inside… and find out their recipes?" Gail whispered when she saw that her boss stayed silent.

"That's too risky," Filly shook her head. "After that restaurant opens, business will probably slow down. No, it will definitely slow down. I still need time to finish my research, and once I complete it, we will make a comeback."

"Oh, so are we still going to operate?" Gail asked.

"Yes, operate as usual." Filly nodded before she remembered something. "About that beggar, let's go see if he's still there. I need to let out some steam."

Hearing this, Gail's eyes lit up. "Sure!"