Infinite Potential System

Chapter 360 Rapid Improvement, Trapped?

Six Cultivators grouped together and cast a combined Poison Spell, gathering a replicated form of the poisonous miasma and spreading it around the area to obstruct his vision. Even if William was immune to poison, they could obstruct his vision and force him to reveal himself when using a detection Spell.

William smiled and dodged the slow poison Spell. Even if it covered a large radius, William had the entire Velos Continent as his battlefield if he so desired. He gathered his Mana and created a poison Spell of his own. He switched to the Poison Elemental Form and created some Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin to add to his Spell, then threw it all at once towards his opponents.

The same scene unfolded, Tribulation Transcendence Cultivators much too quick to be hit by the poison, but William's Spell was strategically sent to reduce their freedom of movement. The Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin remained in place, stretching upwards toward the sky in the same manner as the territorial boundaries.

"You can use the higher Realm's Poison?!" Anula gasped as she saw the unique effects of the Spell that were nothing like their cheap imitations. It was the real deal!

"A little." William smirked as he threw more Poison Spells to entrap his opponents in a giant cage of Poison. Unfortunately for him, there were Space Mages in the group that teleported across the wall without trouble, bringing their group with them.

William wasn't frustrated. He could have easily prevented this by opening the Domain of Space, but he was distracted by a series of System notifications not related to his current battle. Find more to read at empire

Instead of doing his best to restrain his current opponents, he could see many ethereal blue lights speeding towards him from a distance with Spirit Mode. They entered his body one by one, but rather than damaging William, he felt his strength growing.

-Your Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin is in effect: +1 Soul Strength

-Your Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin is in effect: +1 Soul Strength

-Your Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin is in effect: +1 Soul Strength

-Your Soul-Sapping...

The System panel showed William's Soul Strength rapidly increasing by hundreds per second, eventually climbing by the thousands. It seemed the Thieves' Guild had finally taken the bait, consuming the poisoned alcohol without a second thought.

To be honest, William only expected to affect a few dozen individuals, since the first to drink would clearly show signs of poisoning. No matter how much William tried to suppress its effects, this was Poison from a higher Realm.

***

One minute earlier, in the Thieves' Guild hideout.

"Alright boys and men!" the Thieves' Guild leader Barnabus shouted from the top of his lungs amidst a crowded room. His usually cold face currently sported a wide smile as he walked around on a stage with two deep green eyes, his blue eyepatch nowhere to be seen.

The poisoned kegs were in place in the center of an opera house-like room while streamers hung from the ceiling and expensive— likely stolen— silverware sat on ornate tables created by the Plant Element.

"Your leader has restored his sight after almost five hundred years, it's time to celebrate!" Barnabus shouted again as he fired a bolt of Lightning into the air, poking through the ceiling in the room while small amounts of dirt and dust fell from above.

The other thieves in the room raised their empty mugs and cheered, though some were still a bit nervous that their leader would randomly decide to kill someone. They stood up and rushed to the kegs to fill their glasses one by one.

"Huh?" one of the thieves wrinkled his nose as he poured alcohol from the tap. The usual pungent smell of alcohol was slightly suppressed, which made the thief a bit confused. What more, the keg seemed to be slightly unstable, shaking slightly from some kind of movement.

He paused for a moment, but a series of jeers from his fellow thieves urged him to finish pouring his alcohol.

"Go on! Pour the damn beer already!"

"What are you waiting for? I'll be a grandfather before you're done standing around!"

He turned his head back to the keg, but a sizzling sound distracted him once more. He looked at the center of the keg, where the usual brown color had turned black, quickly spreading to cover the entire barrel.

As he realized what was happening, the thief in front was terrified.

"It's a trap! Run!" he turned around and scrambled to the nearest exit, but it was too late.

The three kegs exploded simultaneously, spreading Soul-Sapping Necrotoxin throughout the entire room despite their small dosage and drowning everyone in a green cloud of smoke. Even Barnabus on the stage was affected, coughing and wheezing as the Necrotoxin damaged his cells.

His newly repaired eyes were damaged once more, this time becoming completely blind, while a soul-tearing pain came from his chest. If he had Spirit Mode like William, Barnabus would notice that his Soul had been split up and was rapidly being siphoned towards the East.

***

-Soul Strength: 99244

-Soul Strength: 100012

-Soul Strength: 101583

Less than five seconds after the first notification, William's Soul Strength reached over a hundred thousand points, where he felt a unique sensation that made him instinctually want to condense his soul into something else.

It was a unique feeling, as if William's soul wanted to evolve, but he suppressed it for the time being. Despite ignoring his soul, the feeling persisted and became even stronger as his Soul Strength increased.

If this is the path to Ascension, I shouldn't be hasty. William thought as he watched his opponents make preparations for another attack. His brief pause and an indescribable change to his body seemed to give them hope, thinking they had finally exhausted William.

"Now!" Anula shouted to her group, having waited for this moment since the beginning.

The thirty-eight Cultivators seemed to know exactly what to do, standing in a near-perfect circle around William and casting their Spells simultaneously. In opposite corners, Darkness Magic was used first to mimic a Reversed Darkness Domain, while Fire, Earth, and Wind Magic were the same.

The three Cultivators in front and two behind William cast a triple Element Fusion Spell from Light, Gravity, and Space Magic to create a high-speed spatial vortex around William. Since the Light Element was at play, William found his vision distorted and unable to lock onto his targets, while the gravitational pull held him in place.

Even if William were to launch a Spell from his current position, the spatial vortex would absorb all Magic and send it to the third layer of Space. What more, William may have impressive strength and speed at his peak, but he had to actively suppress himself to remain on Efretta.

The more power he released when using his real strength, the more the World and Heavens would fight to force him to Ascend. William was essentially blinded and couldn't see his opponents anymore, but he couldn't refrain from commenting.

"Impressive. You've forced me into a difficult position. Either I stop suppressing myself and Ascend, or I hold on and accept your next attack, right?" he smiled. He didn't regret playing with the group, and actually felt like he had gained something.

So, I can use Fusion Magic like this, huh? Interesting...