Infinite Potential System

"Good Evening, how may I address you sir?" a free-spirited woman approached William and Vera from the side, her eyes fixed on William's facial features in an unsettling manner.

"I'm running low on time, forgive me." William bowed slightly and ignored the woman.

A few seconds later, a slight breeze from William's right-hand side caused him to turn his head. What greeted him was a middle-aged man who promptly leaned in and sniffed William's hair.

"Mmm, you smell nice." the man said.

"Gross! Get away from me!" William pushed the man to the ground and hurried away with Vera.

Even while using the Space Element to increase his step distance, William couldn't fully prevent the civilians from reaching out and clawing at his clothes.

He had to ask the System to disable the Attack Reflection and Forcefield Talents just so the Cultivators wouldn't be seriously hurt in the process, but by the time he reached the nearest market, his Illusionist's Cloak was in tatters and his legs exposed a large amount of skin.

"What the hell was that?!?" William grumbled angrily.

Vera looked over and wanted to comment on William's physical appearance, but she held back, "I don't know..."

-Your non-Ascended Talents are slightly weaker in the Ascended Realms, so the Stealth Talent cannot completely conceal your presence. Once you've been noticed, Talents like Physical Charm apply.

-Physical Charm is an X-Rank Talent, and Cultivators at and below the Ascension Realm are especially susceptible to your appearance. Those above the Ascension Realm will still find themselves affected, such as Vera who is on the verge of breaking into the Initial Deity Realm.

So, I've become a beacon of beauty because my Stealth Talent can't hide me anymore? I guess I'm just too handsome then. What a shame... William made it sound like a joke, but he felt slightly concerned about his future.

It would be best to Ascend his Stealth Talent as soon as possible, but he couldn't see the requirements until a week had passed. The System said it was dangerous to Ascend Talents right now, and William did not intend to ignore this warning.

The market also wasn't a safe place for William, but the System was constantly feeding him information contained within the booklet given to him. He learned that he could freely release his aura if he felt threatened, as long as no one was seriously injured.

The moment that the man in his fifties approached William with ill intent in his eyes, he studied the man's Cultivation and released a precise amount of his aura and directed it outward, forcing his target to their knees. At the same time, he allowed a hint of the aura to leak out and target the onlookers.

The man felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over his head, instantly returning to his senses. He leaned forward on the ground and performed a deep bow as he apologized profusely to William.

"I'm sorry, Ascended Cultivator, I don't know what got into me."

William nodded and moved on, finally unrestricted. A few guards arrived to question William, but Vera explained the situation and William wasn't punished. He was able to proceed through the market and a guard even offered to join the escort to prevent any further issues.

Hmm, these guards have a lot of free time.

-They're doing it to gain your favor. It's obvious to them that you are more talented than the average Ascended Cultivator, and they believe that sticking close to you will elevate their position.

Eh, everyone has an ulterior motive. If they want to help me out, I won't stop them. William shrugged as he asked the System to keep feeding him information.

William had to admit that knowing the rules was an incredible advantage. As long as he had the moral high ground, he could get away with anything!

With Vera on his side and a guard protecting his rear, William attracted even more attention than usual, but few dared to approach him. Only those in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm felt confident enough to exchange words, but no one tried to touch him.

What do you think about this, System? Too high-profile?

-You'll have to secure some benefits to succeed in the Celestial Planes. You'll have to find a delicate balance between drawing attention and remaining low-profile to achieve greatness. I'd say it's a pass.

William nodded in relief.

He scanned the market for the items needed to Ascend his Resistance Talents, spotting an Antitoxin Stone, some quicksilver ore, and even an Advanced Electro Core. The only problem was that he couldn't afford them at all!

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The Antitoxin Stone went for 9 Spirit Jades, while Quicksilver ore was a single Spirit Jade. Most expensive of all was the Advanced Electro Core, which went for a whopping 80! One had to know that William had yet to earn a single Spirit Jade, and only the most common Items were worth Mana Stones.

"Do they sell Superior Calming Liquid or Memory Stones here?" William asked out loud to anyone who was listening.

"Memory Stones are usually sold at auctions, but Superior Calming Liquid is too rare and useful. You'll have a hard time finding someone that's willing to sell a vial." Vera explained.

The guard jumped in, wanting to offer his piece, "I've heard that Treymon auctions are a great place to find Memory Stones."

William nodded. Treymon again. It seems like I'll have to earn some money and visit their auction at some point.

"I already said that." Vera frowned at the guard, finding his interruption annoying.

Only Ascended Cultivators with potential for Excellence could catch her eye, and the guard is merely average. If it were up to her, she would kick the guard out and escort William by herself. She didn't even think about her duties back at the office, all of which had been placed on hold.

William noticed that Vera was being weird again, but he didn't say anything. He silently decided not to raise his Physical Charm Talent ever again, unless there was a serious need to do so.

After surveying the first market and gaining a good understanding of the Slightveil Plane's economy, William moved on to the next. He found a few other items of interest, but the fact that he couldn't buy them left him feeling extremely poor.

Thankfully, he could still afford the cheaper hotels, which still only charged 50 Mana Stones nightly. With the World Efretta constantly providing Mana Stones that he could take out at any time, William had no issues paying this fee.

"Uh, you don't have to escort me anymore." William said to Vera, who was awkwardly standing by his side. The guard had since left him, but even when he went to check in with the hotel staff, Vera was still there.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Oh, uh, okay." Vera blushed with embarrassment and hurried outside the building. William felt slightly bad, but he had no intention of staying the night with a woman he had just met. Especially not one that treated him poorly in the beginning.

He preferred someone like Charlotte, who didn't care what one's social status or upbringing were.

Tomorrow, I need to earn some money. William thought as he laid down to rest.