Beggar Cultivation System

Apollo made his way to the second floor, observing the mansion as he went. From his entry point, he could see a wide corridor where nobles were dining, connected by three or four hallways. Apollo avoided entering any of them, as the area was crawling with cultivators, including a 1st-Step Qi Condensation Stage expert who would certainly detect him.

Instead, he opted for the nearby staircase.

As he ascended to the second floor, he noticed giant picture frames lining the walls. Most were portraits of Mayor Klown, depicting his triple chin and massive frame nearly filling each canvas. Apollo couldn't help but smirk at the oversized paintings. The artist must have needed giant canvases, given the sheer bulk of the mayor.

He continued glancing at the paintings until one, in particular, caught his eye. This frame held a landscape of a city in ruins, engulfed in flames and littered with blood. In the center stood an untouched mansion, glowing with a solemn white light.

"Salvation," Apollo thought, amused by the painting's apparent message. What's this? Foreshadowing? he wondered.

As he climbed higher, each painting along the way displayed scenes of destruction, with either the mayor himself or his mansion emerging unscathed.

"Who does he think he is, Jesus?" Apollo muttered, shaking his head.

Upon reaching the second floor, he found himself in a wide, dark hallway. A familiar scent hit him, causing him to sniff a few times and frown. He recognized it instantly, as he'd encountered it countless times in his previous life.

To his left, beside the paintings, stood statues, suits of armor, plants, and weapons, but his attention was drawn to a room on his right.

Approaching the nearest door, he peeked inside, confirming his suspicions.

Within, a scene inappropriate for young eyes was unfolding. There were at least five people inside, three of whom were women engaged in a struggle against the "swords" piercing them. Their intense "battle" elicited grunts and moans. The scent of "blood" was so strong that even from outside, anyone nearby could smell it as if it were happening right beside them.

Klown really is something, Apollo thought with disdain. And these nobles... their standards are so low that even the commoners they despise seem more dignified.

He let out a disappointed sigh and continued invisibly down the hallway. Two or three meters from the first room, he stopped outside another. Peeking inside, he saw a similar scene—this time, involving four men and one woman.

The woman was middle-aged, almost a female version of the mayor himself, though slightly thinner by maybe five centimeters.

She had her tongue out, moving her body on top of an unconscious man beneath her. Whether he was dead or on the verge of it was unclear.

The other men placed their swords beside her face or beneath her, piercing areas clearly not meant for such a purpose.

Apollo began to wonder how they managed to keep up with her; every move seemed like they were moments away from being crushed.

The beggar looked at the men with both pity and admiration. For them to go "against" someone of this size was something that earned them Apollo's respect.

After watching the intense battle for a while, he continued his journey. Then he noticed his monkey staring back at the previous room with his head turned. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

Apollo knocked on his companion's head and glared at him. "You're still too young for that kind of thing! Don't worry, once you're old enough, I'll find you a gorilla!"

Imagining a macaque and a gorilla together, Apollo couldn't help but chuckle. He could picture Bubba running away from his 'soulmate' while begging for mercy.

Letting out a sigh, Apollo continued down the hall, glancing into each room he passed, only to find similar scenes with varying ratios of men and women. In some rooms, only men were present, and in others, only women.

It felt to Apollo like he was in a zoo, a zoo filled with hypocrites and power-hungry individuals. Well, it wasn't like he hadn't seen this before, especially at that one party where everyone wore white attire only.

The beggar ventured further until he arrived at a wide hall. Along the way, he kept extending his senses but still couldn't detect the Mayor—not a trace.

Across from him was a staircase leading to the third floor, but he stopped as his eyes landed on someone standing in the middle of the hall.

"Oh, a mini-boss," Apollo muttered, staring at the man. Although he was in his invisible state, the mysterious person seemed to be looking directly at him. Apollo patted his monkey on the head. "You go hide."

Bubba tilted his head in confusion. He'd only eaten one Chili of Intelligence, so he couldn't quite understand the order.

Apollo picked up the monkey, placed him on the floor, pointed at the man, and mimed a fighting gesture by punching his own fist.

The monkey let out a cry before running back toward the hallway.

The beggar became visible. "If you dare run, I swear I'll cook you!" he shouted at his companion, who disappeared around the corner.

"That d*mn monkey... I bet he's going back to watch that woman," Apollo muttered, shaking his head.

"A kid?" The man's voice was emotionless. He stood six feet tall, with shoulder-length black hair and entirely black eyes—no white sclera, no reflection of light. Just pure darkness.

The mysterious man wore a black hanfu robe with red lining on the edges and collar. Red smoke seeped out from him intermittently.

"Kid? Where?" Apollo looked around in mock confusion before glancing down at his feet. "Oh, you're talking about me."

"Are you lost?" the man asked.

"Nope," Apollo replied, shaking his head. "I'm here to find the Mayor. Do you know where he is?"

"Mayor?" The man repeated. In the next moment, red smoke billowed from his body. "You are not one of them."

"One of who?" Apollo asked.

"Them—the ones chosen to be saved by the Savior, our Savior," the man said, slowly approaching Apollo. The temperature dropped, making the air cold and stifling.