Infinite Potential System

William probably wouldn't have noticed the Mana if not for his Cultivation, which enhanced his vision to exceed a thousand kilometers at the Soul Formation Realm. As he used the Earth Element to dig underground and inspect the familiar Mana closely, William suddenly had a realization.

System, is what I'm thinking true?

-Most likely. I'm only ninety-five percent confident, though.

William nodded, not bothering to question the missing five percent.

He continued to tunnel underground, even passing through layers of molten lava until he neared the edges of the World's core, where he was eventually met by a thick wall of Mana that resembled both the wall of Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin in the Velos Continent and the rays of Mana that connected the Greater Elemental Veins to the Superior.

Damn it, I can't break in with my current strength. William gnashed his teeth as he realized he was looking at a tight group of Laws that consisted of every Element.

Wait, not every Element. William noticed a few holes in the wall that seemed out of place. If he had to guess, these were probably the six Elements whose Superior Cores had already been absorbed.

He leaned forward and peeked through the holes, careful not to physically touch any of the Elemental Laws that would probably kill him in a heartbeat. Beads of sweat not related to the heat developed on his face as he failed to see anything inside, forcing him to lean closer and closer until he was almost touching the wall of Laws.

Finally, William saw a cocoon made of thick chains about two meters in height and one meter around. All external light was blocked by the wall of Laws, so he couldn't see what was inside the cocoon, but a red glow from the inside made him pull back and maneuver around the core in a circular motion until he was on the opposite end.

Repeating the same motions as before from the other side of the core, William saw a pair of red eyes that smoldered like the embers of a nearly extinguished campfire, their dull brilliance making him unsure of if the figure was alive, dead, or sleeping.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

It really is her. William concluded as he compared the weak Mana signature to the memory of the past. They were almost the exact same, meaning this woman was most likely Efretta, and her real body at that.

-Efretta's body double was supposed to return to her after roughly a million years, which is why I guessed long ago that her real body was located somewhere on this World. I suspect the body double came back a hundred and fifty thousand years early because of what happened in the Velos Continent ten thousand years prior.

William nodded. Can you tell what condition she's in?

-She's weak, but alive. Ascended Cultivators can't survive long periods of time in the Mortal Realm, which is why this World is the perfect prison for her. The Mana quality here is too weak to support their natural body functions, meaning they have to tap into their own reserve to survive.

William looked at the cocooned figure once more. Even if he could only see her eyes, he could tell at a glance that she was both a beautiful and fierce woman. That said...

How did she get sealed here? During the memory, even her body double dominated this World in a matter of months! I can't imagine someone would be able to fight her by themselves. System, she was your Eighth Host, right?

-She was still too weak.

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The pair of eyes shifted slightly, drifting idly until eventually locking on William. A slight glimmer appeared briefly, before the eyes returned to their previous dullness.

"ѠƝშT𐋐Я𖼜 Λ𐋐ѠᰄՐⳜშƝ." she said in the same language as the Order and Chaos Element communicated in.

William was about to ask what Efretta said when a refined and elegant voice that wasn't his own erupted from his lungs. "𐋐Я ᔕ𐋐შɮᔕ Ր𖼜შᰄⳜᔕЯ."

A hoarse laugh filled with ridicule resounded from within the chains, jostling them slightly. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Efretta glanced around at the unusual state of her prison, realizing that it was much weaker than before. "How much time has passed?"

Again, William was interrupted by the Order Element, though it didn't use the Language of the Elements this time. "Eight hundred and eighty thousand years."

"Hm. What about their status?" she asked.

"We don't know."

"The Heavens?"

"Functioning."

"A shame." the pair of red eyes closed for a moment. "Have him release me and I'll help you take care of them in a few thousand years when I recover."

William could have taken control from the Order Element a long time ago, but he chose not to because of a simple message from the System.

-Forgive her rudeness, she doesn't mean it.

Just the fact that the System had to justify Efretta's actions made William release any trace of suspicion in an instant. Before, he felt that the person caged in front of him might not actually be Efretta and that it was just an imposter acting as her, but the System rarely apologized or admitted to its mistakes.

In this scenario, just that one sentence was enough for William to believe that this was truly Efretta, so he allowed the Order Element to speak through him for the time being.

"I don't have control. I can't force him to do anything, much less release you." the Order Element replied through William's body.

"What are you waiting for? Just possess him and get on with it, he'll have to listen at that point. He's one of mine anyway, and I know the limits of their ability more than anyone."

One of hers? One of her what? William asked the System, but it didn't respond. Instead, William felt a subtle tone rising from his throat that was completely different from both the Order Element and his own voice.

It was as if he was an instrument, and a single, eternal note was being played at an incredibly slow pace. Somehow, even though his mouth only opened a single time, entire sentences left his mouth.

"There's no need to treat him this way. He's been actively working to free you, yet you still want to hurry and even dare to propose Integration. I taught you better than this."

Hearing a voice that had been separated from her for almost a millennium, a single tear formed at the corner of one of Efretta's eyes. She nodded simply as she replied, "Yes Master. It's been so long and I have become impatient."

Master? William asked.

The System chose to respond this time.

-I've been called many things. Teacher, Master, System, Leader, Trainer. They're all the same.

What about what she said earlier? You didn't answer me! William frowned.

"Silly boy. You still don't understand Master well enough. Just because Master can answer every question you ask, doesn't mean you should ask even the simplest questions. You should be able to deduce the intent behind my words." Efretta responded instead of the System.

"Did you read my mind?" William asked carefully.

"No, you transmitted your thoughts directly to me by mistake. Have you just learned Thought Transference?" Efretta's eyes blinked as if surprised that William could qualify as a Host.

She continued, "No matter. Since you're unwilling to deduce it yourself. I'll tell you just this once. There are limits to your strength because you are one of mine. You were created by me.

Indirectly, you are my child."