After the three Headmasters left in a puff of smoke, Apollo looked at Nathan and Mathias. "I should also get going."
He was eager to return and open his random reward box, which he had been holding off on for hours. Moreover, the System had finally issued the third mission:
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Mission: Revenge for your family.
Part-3 (Finale): Now that you’ve uncovered the Mayor’s hidden plan, it’s time to disrupt him and stop the summoning of the Demon. Kill the Mayor and avenge your family by defeating the person responsible for their destruction.
Time Limit: Eight Days
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Reward: 300 Alm Points, Random Reward Box
Punishment: Lightning Tribulation
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The time limit was shorter than previous missions, but the rewards were even greater, which excited him—though he felt a pang of fear at the punishment if he failed. He was keen to get back, open his reward box, cultivate the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation, earn more Alm Points, and raise his cultivation as much as possible within the allotted time.
"I’ll see you out," Mathias offered as he stood up with Apollo.
"No need," Apollo waved him off and pushed the door open. But as he was about to leave, a voice called out from behind.
"Wait!"
Mathias looked at Nathan in surprise, then realized what his friend was thinking. "Stop it, Nathan. It’s not worth it."
The Kleinford family leader ignored Mathias’ words and walked over to the beggar. "Let’s fight," he said, his gaze fixed intently on Apollo.
"Oh? You’re that eager to go?" Apollo asked, a smile spreading across his face.
"I realized something," Nathan replied. "We’re going to fight Klown and, without a doubt, his cultivators. But I can’t just team up with someone whose strength I haven’t seen."
"So, you’re suggesting a spar?" Apollo asked.
"Yes," Nathan nodded.
"Both of you, stop it," Mathias said from the side. "You can gauge each other’s strength when the time comes."
"I think it’s a great idea," Apollo said, ignoring Mathias’ objection. "Let’s do it."
With Nathan’s invitation to spar, Apollo saw this as the perfect opportunity to gauge his skills against a seasoned cultivator. Up to this point, he had mostly faced students with limited combat experience. While some battles had been challenging, none left him feeling entirely outmatched.
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Against Nathan Kleinford, a cultivator with countless battles under his belt, Apollo hoped he’d gain valuable insight.
"Can we use your training ground?" Nathan asked, glancing at Mathias, who could only sigh in resignation.
"Sure, follow me," Mathias said with a heavy sigh, leading the two fiery combatants out of his study.
They turned down a hallway, passing through a garden. Just as they rounded a corner, someone bumped into them.
"Ah!" A woman gasped, stepping back in surprise before sighing in relief. "You startled me, Father."
"Bel," Mathias frowned. "What are you doing out of your room? Didn’t I tell you to rest as much as possible?"
"Yes," Bel scratched her cheek, "but I heard he was here, so I wanted to go to your study and talk to him."
"It’s not a great time," Mathias replied.
"But why?" Bel pouted.
"You want to talk to this kid, right?" Nathan chimed in with a smirk. "We’re about to have a spar. You should come watch."
Bel glanced behind him, and sure enough, Yoma stood there with a bored expression. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. "Sure, I’ll watch."
"Alright," Mathias sighed, leading the way toward his personal training ground with Bel in tow. The area was a grassy field, large enough to fit two basketball courts, with sparse trees surrounding it.
"I guess Uncle Nathan is the one who suggested the spar," Bel muttered as Apollo and the Helflick family head took their positions, dozens of meters apart.
"Who else?" Mathias glanced at his daughter before clearing his throat. He looked over at Nathan and Yoma. "Are you both sure about this?"
"Yes," Nathan replied, smirking at Apollo. Besides genuinely wanting to gauge the strength of this annoying beggar, he was also itching for some petty revenge. Not because Apollo had tricked him a few times, but… well, actually, yes. That was the reason.
"This is going to be a great opportunity to learn from the experienced and the… well, old," Apollo said, his eyes fixed on the Helflick family head.
"If you’re both ready, the spar will begin in ten seconds," Mathias announced with a sigh, beginning the countdown.
"Father, who do you think will win?" Bel asked, eyeing the kid and the middle-aged man facing each other.
"If it’s based on what I know, your Uncle Nathan," Mathias replied. "But I don’t know much about your savior, so he might be stronger."
Bel didn’t respond, though a worried expression crossed her face. She recalled their first meeting; her savior had seemed to struggle against those Duskfangs. Or… was he just hiding his true strength? From what she’d heard, Yoma was titled the Personal Disciple of Great Serpent Headmaster Axton, which meant he had the skills to back it up. Furthermore, he was a Wanderer, and though not every Wanderer was powerful, most weren’t at the Foundation Building stage—they were usually at least 1st-Step Qi Condensation.
"Hey, before we start, just know I’m doing this because I care about our fight against Klown, alright?" Nathan said, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "This is just a friendly spar."
"Five," Mathias’ voice echoed.
"Sure, sure, just a friendly spar," Apollo replied with a chuckle. "But if I beat you, don’t come knocking, asking for another beating, alright?" Clearly, he didn’t see the Kleinford family head as much of a threat.
"Beat me?" Nathan repeated, as if it was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard. "Haha, alright, alright, I won’t let your words irritate me this time."
"But they already did," Apollo pointed out, smirking. "You’re just hiding it behind that smug face."
Nathan’s face twitched. Apollo’s taunts had poked him one too many times. The countdown felt like an eternity as he barely held back his desire to wipe the smirk off Apollo’s face.
"One!" The moment Mathias’ voice dropped, the temperature and surrounding Qi in the air began to churn.