Infinite Potential System

William nearly choked at Yuhe's comment. He had been targeted during his entire Cultivation career, and even before that when he was still a normal human.

"Trust me, I understand. That's no excuse for how you're acting right now." he said. "Do you plan to do nothing forever? Do you want everyone to surpass you before you make a move? This is the perfect time to practice!"

William wasn't trying to convince Yuhe for nothing. The more individuals that became followers for their group, the better his chances of upgrading the Noble Prowess Talent were. Yuhe wasn't registered as a follower, and he felt that she probably had some abilities that would make the climb easier.

Yuhe laughed in derision, "I doubt any of you will catch up to me because I decided not to fight a few weak Bosses. This doesn't even count as practice to me; What could I possibly learn from it?"

How arrogant can one person be? Damn... William had only spoken to Yuhe for a few minutes, but he was already annoyed. It was obvious she wouldn't listen to anyone on the same level as her, so...

Mere moments passed before William made a decision. He created a tightly compressed Comet Pellet with massive amounts of Earth Mana, then casually pointed it towards the opposite wall where no students were located. Since this Spell would be used on the 15th floor anyway, there was no harm in showing it off earlier.

Yuhe looked at the Spell and laughed, "Is this your version of strength? You've got to be kidding me. What can you do with a ball of dirt?"

William smirked, "Are we betting on it?"

"What's there to bet? You're a Commoner, you don't have anything."

William paused for a moment, pretending like he had to think hard about what Yuhe would want. In reality, he had something in mind right from the start. He knew based on Yuhe's character that she'd only follow his group under a few conditions.

"Duel me. If I win, then I'll do whatever you want for a week. If you win, then join our group and listen to my orders while we climb the Quake Dungeon. Outside of the Dungeon, you can keep doing your own thing."

Yuhe looked at William suspiciously. That seems like a very unbalanced deal. If I win, I could tell you to die, and you'd do it?"

"Well, I'm very confident that I'll win. You don't stand a chance." William replied honestly.

William wasn't joking in the slightest, nor was he trying to intimidate Yuhe. Considering the level of First Year students so far, William knew that they couldn't even compare to the version of him that only used the Earth and Space Element.

Obviously, since he was in the Quake Dungeon and doing a Quest for the System, he was supposed to be only using the Earth Element, but they had already cleared the tenth floor. According to the System, he could use whatever Elements he wanted as long as he didn't ascend to the next floor.

I have no intention of using anything other than Earth. My abilities aren't restricted here like in the Filem Academy, so I should be able to make the best use of my upgraded Physical Talents.

"Ha! We'll see about that. Let's duel!" Yuhe's wide smile caught William off guard. Continue reading on empire

Either she was severely underestimating him, or everything he had shown so far was enough for her to think she could win a fight. Everything would be obvious once the battle started.

William had no intention to take their duel lightly. He planned to make the absolute best use of his Earth Element right from the beginning. He walked to the opposite side of the Boss Room while the rest of the students cleared the way, then waited for Yuhe.

"I'm ready!" she said from afar.

William nodded, "I'm ready."

Felmus stepped forward, "Then I'll count you off! The duel begins in..."

He waved his hands in the air animatedly with each call, "3...2...1... Start!"

William melded into the ground beneath him and activated Earthen Assassin, filling the room with a thick cloud of sand that perfectly matched the color and tone of the surrounding area. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all layered with several centimeters of sand that stuck in ways that defied gravity.

In just a few seconds, the entire room had become several meters smaller on each side, preparing an ideal environment for William while the other students had to dig themselves out.

"Cough! Cough! What is this?" several students coughed and held special cloths against their faces that would filter the air and make it more breathable. Only the Earth Mages like Nihlo were able to breathe normally, their bodies automatically filtering away the dust particles that were mixed in the air.

Yuhe, the target of William's Spell, found herself almost completely blinded by the sand. She tried to climb out of harm's way without using Magic, but one attempt was all she needed to discover that it was impossible for the current version of her.

"To think you'd push me into using this on our first exchange!" Yuhe yelled out while she pulled a small brown ball out of an incredibly luxurious purple and gold Space Ring. While it looked like one of William's Comet Pellets at first, he could sense with Mana Mode that its Mana Signature was much stronger.

She crushed the brown ball in her hand, causing a noise like shattered glass to spread throughout the surrounding area. In an instant, the Domain of Earth opened and swallowed up a majority of the sand that limited her eyesight.

It wasn't William's Domain, rather one that belonged to Yuhe. Or maybe, it wasn't Yuhe's Domain but another that was stored for temporary use? The thought filled William with more questions than he had answers.

System, what is that?!?

-It seems to be part of an Innate Ability. It might explain why she hasn't used Magic up until now. Maybe she's been storing it inside of these glass storage devices for later use?

You don't know either? That's surprising.

-It's new-age technology. I know many things, but recent developments are not my expertise. It hasn't been long since we reached the Celestial Planes, it'll take a while for my information to catch up.

William wanted to ask more about the System's information gaps, but the small shift in his attention gave Yuhe an opening that she had already begun to exploit. William's Earthen Assassin Spell was being devoured by the Domain of Earth, which made it incredibly difficult to maintain its functions.

If he stalled for even a moment longer, Yuhe's Earth Domain would actually overpower him. His mind worked quickly to come up with a solution.

What should I do? The easy answer would be to open my own Domain and clash with hers, but will that really give me an overwhelming advantage?

He hesitated slightly, allowing Yuhe's Earth Domain to press forward and take up more territory. She laughed maniacally while pressing the boundaries of the Earth Domain into William like a giant wall, forcing him out of its range while it continued eating his Spell.

"Hahaha! How's this for a duel!" she yelled out with glee. It wouldn't be long before William lost control of his Spell and he had to concede to her. She couldn't wait to have another slave to follow her every beck and call, even if it was for only a week.

It was a nasty use of Earth Magic, and it made William realize that he couldn't be stingy. With a single thought, William opened his own Earth Domain and stopped Yuhe's advance. In an instant, the tide of battle was turned and William found himself ahead once more.

Yuhe and the rest of the students looked at William with surprise. She couldn't believe that he had a Domain of Earth atop all the other abilities he had shown so far. Could it have been awakened when he Ascended, and he only just now learned how to use it?

It made sense, but Yuhe wasn't deterred by the sudden appearance of another Domain. She crushed a red ball this time, opening a Domain of Fire atop the Domain of Earth.

This Domain was chosen for specifically one reason, which she had practiced hundreds, no, thousands of times in her Family's courtyard. When William spread sand over the Boss Room, Yuhe had already been thinking about using this combo.

The Fire Domain turned all the sand that she hadn't claimed with her own Domain into glass, but she kept the heat up until said glass actually melted into a puddle. Her own Earth Domain changed formations, not choosing to directly clash with William's, but to instead shape the environment of the Boss Room.

Yuhe's Domain ended up several meters above the Boss Room, while William's was below it and an earth/glass slope formed in between them. When the superheated glass melted, it sloped downwards into William's Domain and forced him to retreat even though his own Domain was stronger.

It was a masterful use of Domains, and Yuhe was somehow able to achieve it.

Hmm, I guess I'm going to have to get serious...