Infinite Potential System

After William's evaluation was complete, the Signature ID Card was updated, and his status elevated to Excellent Cultivator. The ranking of 292 was enough to tell William that he wasn't overly high-profile, so he didn't think about it too much.

To him, it was just a matter of fact, something he had hardly even worked for.

Vera, however, was ecstatic. After William's first test, Vera already considered him to be above average. Out of the thousands of Cultivators that registered in Great Rouge each year, William was on the better end.

Recruiting fresh new Cultivators to support Great Rouge was part of Vera's job, even if she only did it a few times a year. To find William at completely random could be considered a stroke of luck.

For a newly Ascended Cultivator, William's potential was extremely high. Most of the Cultivators labeled as Excellent were those that had spent their entire lives in the Ascended Realms. They belonged to the larger Families, or loads of resources were spent to hasten their growth.

Either that, or they wouldn't Cultivate for a long time and focus entirely on their combat power.

William was different. He had progressed through the Mortal Realms and the data on his Signature ID Card suggested that he was only 23 years old!

With his strength compared to his Cultivation and age...

-Target has been charmed.

"Have you considered joining the Slightveil Cultivators Induction Competition?" Vera asked.

William heard the familiar name and instantly knew where the conversation was going. He decided to play along instead of revealing his intention, sensing some benefits a few steps ahead. Vera didn't seem to act any different besides the System's message, but William could tell from her gaze that she was doing her best to control herself.

"What's the Induction Competition?" he mimicked a questioning gaze.

"It's a challenge between the younger generation to see who is the strongest and most talented. The top performers get a few treasures of their choosing, and the number one person will have a custom Tier 8 weapon crafted for them.

There are three tiers, the Lower, Middle, and Upper Brackets, which are separated by age groups up to five hundred, five thousand, and fifty thousand. You could join any of the three, but you have the best chance of winning the Lower Bracket." Vera explained.

William thought about it for a moment and nodded his head. Everything she said up until the part about the reward was something he already knew.

"What level is Tier 8?" he decided to ask.

He understood that Tier 6 Arrays were the peak of the Mortal Realms and were derived from the Celestial Planes, but Tier 7 should be the level above that. To jump straight to Tier 8 meant that whoever won the competition would see a huge boost in their combat power, depending on its effects.

"It's based on the level of material and Arrays used, but in simple terms it can compare to someone at the peak of the Initial Deity Realm on its own. Paired with a strong Cultivator in the Initial Deity Realm, it might even be able to bridge the gap between Initial Deity and the Deity Realm." she said, her ears turning red for no reason. Find adventures on empire

William couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Initial Deity Realm was above Ascension, but to claim a weapon could directly elevate one's combat power to the peak of that Realm or to the beginning of the next almost sounded like a fantasy.

If his combat power was already above the peak of the Ascension Realm, wouldn't gaining a Tier 8 weapon allow him to instantly fight an entire Realm above him? William didn't know for sure because he hadn't gone all out since Ascending.

"It sounds interesting. Do you have a way for me to join?"

Vera nodded, shifting her weight back and forth while trying to avoid William's gaze, "If you join the staff of Great Rouge, whether that's as a guard or an Advisor like me, you'll gain special benefits that allow you to join the competition. We can even sign you up today if the necessary paperwork is completed."

William shook his head, "That kind of work isn't for me. I think I'll join a school and go from there."

Vera couldn't hold herself back, "What kind of work do you prefer? You can work on me if you want."

Damn it! She's more resilient than those other Cultivators, but spending too much time around someone makes it more and more effective.

-That's right. The effects continue to add up as long as one doesn't actively try to resist. Even if they do, any lapse in attention will progress the charming effect.

It's a good thing I have Charm Resistance then, this is a very dangerous weapon. William realized. He communicated with the System to try and turn off the Physical Charm Talent, but it was one of the few that directly affected him and couldn't be turned off.

-If you keep spending Points, I might add a function to turn off the Physical Charm Talent.

Why do I have to wait? Can't you just do it now?

The System didn't respond, which made William think it was yet another of its rules. He sighed and gained some distance between himself and Vera, then shook his head in refusal.

"Sorry."

Vera became even more embarrassed at this moment. Being nervous was one thing, but rejection was a whole other scenario. She didn't understand why she made such a statement, but William's response made her want to curl up in a deep hole.

William used this opportunity to leave, dashing out the door with a few short words.

"Thanks for the exam!"

***

"Have you found him?" Aegion asked Cerulea from the side. They were seated next to each other on a large couch while scanning the Planes for any presence of William, but their luck wasn't great so far.

There were thousands of Planes in the Ascended Realms, and Efretta had somehow broken their Technique and rendered them unable to see into the Mortal Realm for almost four days.

By the time they looked back at the World, William was gone, and his residual aura told them that he had Ascended.

"Not yet." Cerulea replied with a shake of her head. She had scanned every Plane multiple times over, but William's tracking method had been destroyed somehow, and his residual aura was scattered among every Plane in existence.

She knew for a fact that William didn't have the experience nor the capability to do this, so she guessed that he had help, and a lot of it. Cerulea considered telling her father what was going on, but Aegion convinced her not to say anything yet.

"How can there be nothing? He's barely an Ascension Realm Cultivator, how can he hide for so long?" Aegion was slightly frustrated, but he kept his calm.

"I don't know. Let's send our forces to every Plane and have them investigate. Give them a description of William and some of his key abilities. We can use numbers to find him if visual prowess can't." she made a decision in a few seconds flat.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Aegion nodded, "Good idea for once, my beloved sister. I'll start with the Slightveil Plane."