Infinite Potential System

The trip that would typically took William less than an hour to complete had already approached its second hour, and things weren't looking good.

While the sky remained in its eternal evening state, William's mental clock told him it was the middle of the night, which meant any Magical Beasts with a nocturnal sleeping pattern would be more active around now.

He didn't understand how a Plane with one time of day could have nocturnal creatures, but there were clearly more important things to think about.

Across his walking path laid several deep impressions thirty plus meters in size, created just recently and the prints resembling the paws of a gargantuan bear. Worse yet, there were several similar sets of tracks nearby that varied in size and couldn't belong to the same creature.

Upon identifying the tracks, William promptly stopped moving forward and concentrated on the Life Element, using his Navigation Radar to scan the path ahead for more tracks. As one of his earliest methods of detection that he'd possessed since he was a non-Cultivator and its status as a non-combative Element, he hoped it'd be the least painful.

He winced slightly as his mental command to the Life Element stressed his Sea of Consciousness. Regardless of the Element's purpose, the simple action was enough to cause slight pain. He pushed through, choosing to accept some pain in exchange for awareness of potential enemies.

Life Mana poured through his Greater Mana Points, extending the range of his detection Spell to a hundred kilometers. Once it was cast, William gradually decreased the Mana flow until his Sea of Consciousness stabilized, then kept the Spell active at its minimal state. If he kept the output just like this, William could at least move around while keeping the Detection Spell active.

The vitality of some common Grass Snakes in the Golden Core Realm appeared first, but William knew they couldn't be the source of the tracks. They slithered across the plain towards a small patch of exposed clay, rolling around to bask in the evening sun for warmth.

To a Cultivator at William's level, they actually seemed somewhat cute. Even Atticus looked back and forth in excitement, but William's current mental state forced him to cut off their mental connection temporarily. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

-Imagine that. The footprints don't belong to the snakes. You know... the things without feet!

Ah, yes. I can't talk to Atticus, but you can still harass me all day. I didn't forget about that. William wanted to complain as he scanned the next area, but he kept his thoughts to himself this time.

Near the edge of his detection range, the Life Element highlighted the vitality of six massive bears with pale blue and white fur. Two of which were fully grown adults, their heads reaching several hundred meters into the air while four smaller bears followed close behind.

[Bestiary] Evening Sun Prairie Bear: +1 PP

Given that William had hardly any

———

BESTIARY: (1354/70950 Beasts Encountered)

Name: Evening Sun Prairie Bear

Family: Biome Bear

Element(s): Light, Darkness, Earth

Lifespan: ?

Drops: Padded Fur, Luminous Claw, Luminous Fur, Luminous Claw, Superior Beast Core, ???

Cultivation Range: Golden Core - Solar Deity

Info: A Subspecies of the Prairie Bear, the Evening Sun Prairie Bear has grown to channel both sunlight and moonlight simultaneously to empower themselves within the ever-dim Slightveil Plane. Don't judge them by their size, their speed is greater than their strength.

———

William cursed as his Cultivation Talent told him they were at least all in the Initial Deity Realm. None of their Cultivations were revealed, meaning he'd have to face six Magical Beasts in the Middle Stages at the very least if they noticed his presence.

The creatures didn't possess the Space Element, so William thought about trying to sneak past them with a quick portal. The only thing that stopped him was his Sea of Consciousness and the fact that his Detection Spell would probably fall apart the moment he tried to make a portal.

In the end, William decided to do things the old-fashioned way and go around the Evening Sun Prairie Bears. He took a wide path roughly one hundred kilometers out of the way of the Magical Beasts, keeping them barely within his detection range the entire time.

Afterwards, William's trip back to Great Rouge was quite smooth, only having to dodge one more Initial Deity group of Magical Beasts before reaching the city gates. He checked in with the guards, then immediately headed towards a medium-sized home near the entrance.

This wasn't William's home, nor was it one belonging to a friend, rather something else entirely. Hanging from a short awning and positioned next to a grey button was a sign that read "Cultivator's Taxi Service", which was of great importance at the current moment.

He walked to the front of the building and pushed the button, which rang a few bells inside. The soundwaves were as piercing as a morning alarm clock, relentless and extremely unpleasant. Despite several Tier 4 Arrays designed to block the noise, William was able to hear every tone from his current position, which was enough to threaten his Sea of Consciousness once more.

He covered his ears and took a few steps back, praying that the other party would dispel the alarms and answer the door quickly.

Whether the person that lived here was a novice Array Master or deaf, William didn't know.

Maybe it was both.

A slit opened up in the door and a pair of aged eyes became visible from the other end. A moment of silence passed as the old man scrutinized William. The man's eyes flashed several different colors as multiple Elemental Detection Spells swept over William before he responded to William's ring.

"What do you want?" his voice was gravelly.

William pointed to the sign, "You run a taxi service? Can you take me to Treymon, Please?"

"Hm. Straight to the point, I see." the man blinked twice before the slit in the door closed. On the other side, sliding and clicking noises could be heard until a series of locks were undone and the door opened.

The old man's full body was in view then, revealing a clean-shaven gentleman with a maroon bowler hat and a nub for a left arm. Under the missing arm was a hospital-style crutch, while the right arm carried a thin suitcase the size and width of a notebook.

"I assume if you're here you have the cash to afford it, right? Six Spirit Jades, please." the man skipped introductions and followed William's example.

William was taken aback. Are my ears still buzzing from the alarms, or did this old guy just say six Spirit Jades?

Why was a simple taxi service more expensive than several nights at a hotel?!?

"That's too much..." William didn't want to waste even a single Spirit Jade, no matter his condition.

The door closed instantly and the locks clicked several times a second, "Then go somewhere else. Bye."

"Wait!" William called out, to which the door opened once more. In a split second, he decided to forgo his funds in exchange for the expensive taxi service.

"Are you going to pay me? I'm not lowering the price." the door opened for a second time, though the man's hand hovered over the frame as if he was ready to close it at any opportunity.