Threat of begger Alliance

Noel's fist slammed straight into Lan's face—

BOOM!

Lan was sent flying, tumbling through the air before crashing onto the ground several meters away.

Noel's eyes widened in shock. "Whoa… so this is what it feels like to be a cultivator!"

His body felt stronger, faster, like he had unlocked an entirely new level of existence. He didn't wait—he dashed toward Lan at high speed and started pummeling him without mercy.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Lan barely had time to react as Noel continued beating him senseless.

Just as Noel was about to say something—

"LAN! JUST SUBMIT! SUBMIT TO MY BOSS! THEN HE'LL FORGIVE YOU!"

It was Ming, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Noel froze. Wait, what?

Lan, with a bloodied nose and swollen face, groaned, "Sto… Stop… Noel— No, no, I mean Boss! I submit! From now on, I'm under you!"

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host! A beggar has submitted to you.]

[CALCULATING REWARDS…]

[Status calculated… Power calculated… Wealth calculated…]

[The beggar has no power and no wealth.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host! You gained 12 EXP. You need 188 more EXP to break through.]

[You received 90 silver coins.]

Noel's excitement quickly turned into confusion.

"Wait… 90 silver? That's less than last time…!"

A troubling thought entered his mind. Does this mean… every time a beggar submits to me, the rewards will keep decreasing?

His face darkened. "This might be a problem in the future…"

But then he shook his head. No, no, no. I don't need to think about this now. More followers first, problems later!

His devilish grin returned. It was time to recruit more…

Noel leaned back, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, go bring more beggars."

Ming was about to step forward when—

"Wait, Ming!" Lan interrupted. "This time, I will go!"

Noel raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why the sudden enthusiasm?"

Lan coughed. "I-I just want to be useful, Boss!" And also, I need to vent my frustration on someone…

Noel shrugged. "Fine. Go."

Lan ran off, disappearing into the slums.

After some time, he returned—dragging a beggar with him.

The poor guy was shaking uncontrollably, his eyes darting between Lan and Noel like he had seen a ghost.

Lan shoved him forward. "Kneel down in front of my boss!"

The beggar immediately dropped to his knees before Noel without hesitation.

Noel blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Lan smirked. "Boss, I already taught him a lesson… so he's under you now."

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host! A beggar has submitted to you.]

[CALCULATING REWARDS…]

[Status calculated… Power calculated… Wealth calculated…]

[The beggar has no power and no wealth.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host! You gained 12 EXP. You need 176 more EXP to break through.]

[You received 80 silver coins.]

Noel stared at the notifications in shock.

Then, realization hit him.

"Wait… does this mean Lan just took out all his anger on this poor guy before bringing him here?"

Noel slowly turned to Lan, who was standing there with a satisfied grin.

Ming, watching from the side, muttered, "Boss… I think we may have created a monster…"

Noel sighed. "As long as it benefits me, I don't care."

He grinned devilishly. Now, who's next?

Just as Noel was about to celebrate his growing power—

"Boss…" Ming suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with worry. "If we keep doing this… the Beggar Alliance Head will notice."

Noel froze.

"What?!"

Before he could react—

A sharp pain shot through his head.

"Argh!" Noel clutched his temples as a flood of memories surfaced.

—

A voice echoed in his mind. "Noel, from now on, you are a member of the Beggar Alliance."

Noel's mind raced. An alliance… of beggars?

But as more memories resurfaced, he understood the truth.

The Beggar Alliance wasn't truly for beggars. The ones at the top weren't beggars at all—they were cultivators.

They claimed to protect the beggars.

But in reality?

They extorted them, taking outrageous amounts of money while doing absolutely nothing in return.

Noel's fists clenched. So the weak are being exploited even in this world… just like before.

He exhaled and calmed himself, making sure none of his thoughts showed on his face.

Meanwhile, the beggars knelt before him, waiting for his response.

He smirked. "I think… none of you will inform the Beggar Alliance about this, right?"

The beggars visibly tensed up.

His smirk deepened. "Because if you do… you know what I can do."

The beggars immediately nodded, their voices trembling. "Y-Yes, Boss! We won't say anything!"

Noel chuckled. "Good."

This time, Ming took the initiative. "Boss, I'll go bring another one."

Noel waved him off. "Go. And be quick."

As Ming disappeared into the alleys, Noel leaned back, lost in thought.

"A Beggar Alliance run by cultivators, huh? Let's see how long that lasts..."

His lips curled into a devilish grin.

This was just the beginning.