Infinite Potential System

When Marcus' mouth was unsealed and he was able to speak again, he looked at William and asked carefully, "Are you going to let me go now? You've already taken my Soul Strength and my dignity, what else do you want?"

Marcus was currently incredibly weak from losing his Soul Strength. Even a gentle kick from Charlotte might spell death for the old man if it hit the right spot.

William thought for a moment. It's like the System said, he's too dangerous to be left alive... what should I do?

The answer presented itself in the form of a stray Superior Tribulation that glanced off of William's shoulder and pierced through Marcus' forehead cleanly. With a dull thud, Marcus fell to the floor, stunning everyone present silent.

"Is he... dead?" Carl asked while Charlotte rushed forward to heal Marcus. William helped too, but their combined efforts weren't enough. Marcus was dead, and with no Soul Strength he wouldn't even leave behind a soul.

William didn't know what to say. As if it were a gift from the Heavens, his problem was solved, though he felt bad for the old man that had been unlucky enough to meet him.

The other Revista Faction members that had arrived long ago were infuriated, and even the Patriarch clenched his fists in anger. The only thing preventing him from approaching William and punching him in the face was the boy's unbelievable strength.

How can someone be so strong? That was an Ascension Realm Cultivator, even if he hadn't consolidated his strength yet, he was the real deal!

The same thought was on the minds of many others present, but William and his group didn't give them time to think about it too much.

"Since Marcus has turned over his Technique, I was wondering if you could tell me where to find Rudeus Velos?" William asked the most important-looking person in the area, the Revista Faction's Patriarch.

"I..." the Patriarch had to do his best to conceal his anger. Between deep breaths, his scowl turned into an ingratiating smile as he spoke, "I heard that Rudeus Velos issued a request for the Seven-Colored Poison Marigold, our Faction happens to have one, perhaps he would meet with you if you buy it from us?"

William's expression brightened as another Supreme Lightning Bolt bounced off his body and created a deep gash in the ground at the Patriarch's feet, "You're giving us a Seven-Colored Poison Marigold for free? That would be great, your hospitality is appreciated!"

The Patriarch's smile stiffened as he jumped back to avoid the Lightning, "Y-Yes, I suppose."

Of course it's not for free, but how can I tell you no when even the Supreme Tribulation can't harm you?!

William smiled back and said nothing, waiting patiently while the Patriarch ordered one of his Faction members to retrieve the requested item. With shaky hands, the subordinate brought William a bright golden marigold that changed colors depending on how the light reflected off of it.

-Acquired Seven-Colored Poison Marigold: +6250 PP

William stored the Seven-Colored Poison Marigold in one of his specialized Space Rings and nodded, watching as the subordinate scurried away at high speed with a terrified expression. He didn't want to be hit by William's Superior Tribulation like Marcus was; he'd die in an instant.

"Is there anything else?" William asked with a smile.

He wants more?!? What more can the boy need from us? the Patriarch frowned and looked at his friends. After a moment of realization, the man eventually asked. "Did you want to visit our Cultivation Site as well?"

"I'm glad you offered. We weren't planning on it, but now that you've said something, how can we refuse?" William's smile widened.

"..." the Patriarch could clearly tell that this was William's intention from the beginning. He nodded to a different subordinate next to him, who bowed slightly and beckoned for the group of friends to follow him.

The Palace gates were opened, and the group was led inside to the main throne room. On the left wall, the Revista Faction member twisted a painting to the side to reveal a small button which he pressed after waiting exactly three seconds.

A click was heard, the wall sliding to the side to reveal a long and dark tunnel only large enough to fit one person at a time. With each few steps, a new set of torches on the wall would light up one after the other.

Before William could enter, a Superior Lightning Bolt crashed down from above and destroyed the roof of the Palace in an instant. Seeing that William refused to wait until his Tribulation was over to use the Cultivation ground, the subordinate could only grit his teeth and continue into the tunnel.

William saw with his Navigation Talent that the tunnel continued for only three kilometers, but he couldn't see the end because of the various twists and turns. There was a large squarish room at the end with nine structures in the center, but for some reason his Talent was hazy as if it were being obstructed.

How can this be? It's just like when Riyald turned off my Forcefield Talent in the Gravitas Ruins, but this is just a radar. System?

-Your Talents can still be countered under certain conditions. They're not invincible.

William nodded. He didn't have to ask more to understand what the System meant. He continued walking with the group until they reached the room his Navigation Talent saw. The nine structures turned out to actually be nine statues of five beautiful women and four handsome men that emitted a special type of Mana or Spirit Qi, William couldn't tell which.

Not only was the aura of the statues odd, but there was a small pool of green water roughly a meter in diameter that William's Navigation Talent couldn't see at all! It seemed this pool was even more conspicuous than the statues themselves, and even his Superior Tribulation lost its target amidst the combined auras of the nine statues and green pool of water.

-Discovered shrine of the Poison Element: +5000 PP

"We're here," the Revista member said, "Please take off your shoes and sit cross legged in one of the statues. After that, your Cultivation can proceed as usual."

The group did as instructed— except for William who remained at the entrance— while the Revista member stood to the side to watch. Seeing this, William frowned and waved with his hand in a shooing motion, to which the subordinate had no choice but to comply.

Usually those in the Cultivation Site would be closely monitored to prevent any damage to the area, but they each valued their lives more than the state of their Cultivation Site. They could only hope that the group wouldn't cause any trouble.

"This place is amazing!" Yuming exclaimed as he circulated his Cultivation Technique, finding it roughly ten times more efficient than before. He had only just reached the Golden Core Realm during William's travel across the Continent, but if he could Cultivate here for a few days, he might just break through to the Nascent Soul Realm!

Charlotte, Carl, Tia, and Gunther felt the same way. They could sense the strong Poison Mana in the environment, but it was pure and not dangerous at all. Not only that, but the special Mana could be converted to the other Elements with ease!

It was truly a Cultivation Holy Ground!

"William, aren't you going to Cultivate?" Carl asked from afar?

William was still standing at the entrance and hadn't moved from his spot even after the Revista Faction member left. What was he waiting for?

"Ah... I suppose I can Cultivate a bit, but I'll need to break through first." William said as he broke through to the sixth level of the Golden Core Realm under the eyes of all his friends. From the sixth level, William broke through again, then a third time to the seventh level.

As his strength increased, he had to push the Seal Element's suppression further and further to keep his mere existence from shattering the World into pieces. Thankfully, the increased Cultivation also meant stronger Magic, which held a delicate balance for a while, the Seal Element slowly losing ground.

His friends couldn't see any rapid advances of his Golden Core considering his Stealth Talent, but they could sense that William's pressure became stronger and stronger over time. After he reached the ninth level of the Golden Core Realm and pushed it up once more, his Golden Core and the Seven-Colored Poison Marigold appeared from his body and each spun through the air wildly and merged.

-The Host has acquired a secret special advancement item. Advancement replaced with an improved Heavenly Golden Core.

Instead of reaching the first level of the Nascent Soul Realm, William's Golden Core underwent a qualitative change, turning a vibrant rainbow color matching the seven colors of the Marigold, flashing from one to the next out in the open.

His friends couldn't possibly Cultivate under these conditions, having been pressed to the ground completely by William's overwhelming aura.

-Cultivation: Golden Core 10 (0/400000)