Infinite Potential System

William quickly opened a portal and teleported himself a dozen kilometers away, crossing half the 13th floor in an instant. Because he had already traveled through the Dungeon once before, this method would work until the floor layout changed.

He wasn't sure if anyone else had the Space Element, so he prepared himself for battle at his exit point. He used Earth Magic to build up several fortified walls in each direction, then formed hundreds of small Earth Spikes that he stored close by.

Surprisingly, though, no other portals appeared. Even after ten minutes passed and the students without the Space Element should have caught up, there was nothing. Either the students had given up immediately, or they were lost in the process of searching for him.

William couldn't imagine it was the latter, so he checked the three tracked targets with his Hunter Talent. Their auras appeared in William's vision, and he was able to see their movements even through walls.

They're still on the 14th floor, and it looks like they're attacking something... Are they trying to force their way to the treasure? William became slightly panicked.

He wasn't panicked because the students were ignoring him, or because they didn't split off and chase him individually, but for a much more important reason.

That's my loot!

William hastily opened a portal to the stairwell, his eyes tunneled in on the third-year students. He activated the Invisibility effect of his Stealth Talent, then silently ascended the stairs.

"Huh?" someone sensed something and looked over at the stairwell.

William's reaction time was incredibly fast, and he stopped moving the moment the student turned their head. His foot hovered just centimeters above the next step, and he held his breath.

Can he see me? William asked the System.

-Your Stealth Talent is too low level. Your invisibility has reduced effects against those of higher Realm than you.

Damn, and I need to Ascend my Illusion Affinity before I can upgrade my Stealth Talent... William remained still until the student looked away. Using careful movements to avoid drawing attention, William reached the second highest step.

Some students were gathered together and tunneling through the brown block that was now only a few meters thick. They used very precise Spells from the Earth and Plant Elements, aiming to wedge a gap in between the block and shatter it from the inside.

Their efforts were not completely wasted, though they would need to put in a lot of work. The surface of the brown block was cracked from repeated attacks, but it still looked as if it would last for half an hour or so.

Of course, that all changed when William touched the 14th floor for the third time. The almost routine shaking kicked all the students into motion, most preparing for battle while a few searched for William.

Waves of Detection Spells washed over William, discovering him instantly. He tried to teleport away, but a Spatial Slash from afar swept over and destroyed William's portal before he could fully step through it.

Blood sprayed out from the upper half of William's right leg as he retracted it, having been caught up in the Spatial Slash attack. The Spatial Slash had cut into one of his major arteries, extending into his leg until it almost reached the bone.

It was the first time William had sustained a heavy injury since Ascending, and it served as a reminder that he was no longer at the top of the food chain. If William wasn't careful, even a few students in their twenties could overpower him.

Granted, they were geniuses of their city. Not only were they well above the average person in terms of Cultivation Ability and talent, but they were also two whole school years ahead of William, meaning they had plenty of experience despite their age.

While the Recovery Talent healed William's injury, the surrounding air became chaotic, and the former portal became a temporary no man's land, forcing William to change tactics and charge past the students.

His target was the treasure chest that was now almost fully revealed. Other students had jumped through the small opening and were already rushing towards the box, casting Spells that slowed each other's movements while enhancing their own speed.

With the Acceleration and Agility sub-Talents nested within the Fitness Talent, William's natural speed was many times greater than that of a normal Ascension Realm Cultivator. Despite facing dozens of students in the Initial Deity Realm, William was still almost twice as fast as most of them.

If he was able to use Wind, Lightning, or Light Magic at this point, William would have outpaced any student in the room. He took advantage of this and used his Fitness Talent to the fullest, closing the gap between him and the leading students in a split second.

He dove through the opening and rushed forward, ignoring the students' surprise as he passed them. When he was a quarter of the way down the hall, the brown block fully disappeared from view, fully opening the path to the 14th floor.

A portal that didn't belong to him opened in front of the treasure chest, but William copied the move made against him earlier and sliced the portal in half with Space Magic. Before the student could even take a step through the portal, it was dismantled from almost half a kilometer away.

Huh? Something's not right. William became confused when he realized the treasure chest wasn't nearly as close as it used to be.

Before, the treasure was only a few meters behind the brown block. So why was it now over a kilometer away?

The other students seemed to notice this as well, but no one stopped trying to get closer to the treasure chest. Instead, they worked even harder to catch up. Another portal opened in front of the treasure, but this time a spray of Spells rushed out and targeted William from afar.

Each of these Spells were focused entirely on speed and targeted William's arms and legs. Spells of the Light, Lightning, Wind, and Space Element flew towards William at a pace much greater than an early-stage Initial Deity Realm Cultivator.

Even with the Fitness Talent, William had no choice but to raise an Earth Wall to defend against the brunt of the attacks. He committed almost seventy percent of his ability into the Earth Wall, yet it was still destroyed in a matter of seconds.

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The remaining Spells landed on William's body and caused superficial injuries that healed in a few seconds, filling the students with surprise as William recovered at a visible rate.

"His regeneration is insane! What is his Magical Beast Bloodline?" one of the students exclaimed in awe.

"He's a first year, but he's already so strong? Which Family is he from?" someone else asked.

The blue-haired girl looked at William with genuine interest. He was able to perceive her tracking method, he possessed the Space and Earth Elements, his physical ability was insane, and he had merged with some sort of super-regenerative Magical Beast's Bloodline.

He was an all-rounder, through and through! While none of his individual abilities were absurdly powerful, William had clearly trained very hard to become who he was today. It made her wonder...

Is he training for the Cultivator's Induction Competition? If he's a first year... he has a long time before he reaches the limit of the Lower Bracket!

William continued to cast Earth Walls as a defense from the rain of Spells, but he didn't let up on the offense either. Every time there was a break in the offense, William would cast a Spatial Slash and destroy the portal before anyone could exit it.

He peered out from his defensive position and saw that the treasure chest was now almost two kilometers away. The hallway was extending at the same time, placing the treasure further and further from him with every passing moment.

Worse yet, there was a group of students only a hundred meters behind him, which was comparable to a millimeter of distance for Cultivators at his level. He had to make a decision immediately, or he'd be caught up and surpassed.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The space keeps extending... wait a minute! William suddenly thought of his method of movement through Great Rouge.

When he followed Vera through the city, she compressed the space between her legs to cover more distance while not appearing to move any differently than before. If the treasure chest was moving in the same manner but in the opposite method... then he should be able to do the same!

William decided to try it, compressing the space between his legs in a simple manner. Now, instead of crossing one meter per step, he could cross four. As long as he continued to funnel Mana into the Spatial compression and kept on pace, it should be sustainable!

He started to walk forward at the same pace that he did while in Great Rouge, matching the pace at which the hallway extended.