Chapter 93: High Profile
"Me?!? Look at you! You're younger than me, not even a Cultivator, and we are fighting equally!" Yu Ren lost her composure.
How can this guy tell me that I'm a monster? Does he not know how to talk to a lady?
Yu Ren ate another Mana Gathering Pill. "You should give up. I have plenty more of these. Eventually you'll run out of Mana."
William scoffed. "I'm already out of Mana, why don't you give up?"
Everyone that heard William was confused. If you're already out of Mana, why are you asking her to surrender?
Yu Ren was also confused. He really is an idiot...
William knew he was running out of options, but he didn't want to give up. How can I turn this around?
He looked through his Talents that didn't require Mana.
———
Weapons:
-Common:
--Knife Throwing: D (25PP to next rank)
--Fists: B (250PP to next rank)
Physical:
-Common:
--Stamina: B (250PP to next rank)
--Reflexes: B (250PP to next rank)
--Hard Skin: A (1000PP to next rank)
--Regeneration: B (250PP to next rank)
--Strength: E (5PP to next rank)
-Rare:
--Acrobatics: B (750PP to next rank)
POTENTIAL POINTS: 132
———
My Strength Talent has been E Rank this whole time? William never noticed before, since his Fists Talent already had incredible power. What if he combined the effects of the two?
System, upgrade my Strength Talent to B Rank.
-130 PP
———
TALENT UPGRADED
Strength: (E --> D)
Strength: (D --> C)
Strength: (C --> B)
Next rank up: 250PP
———
William felt his muscles bursting under his skin, tightening and compacting like a hydraulic press. His abdominal muscles became rock solid, and his calves turned firm. The strength increase was overwhelming, but the visual difference was minimal. The audience only noticed a slight bulge under William's clothing, his robes concealing most of the change.
Yu Ren's eyes narrowed. Something about William had changed, but she couldn't tell what. This was a good chance to attack, but her sword strike from before used up quite a bit of mental energy. The expense would probably take weeks to fully recover. Another sword strike would be impossible for this match, no matter how many expensive treasures she used.
William raised his head and met Yu Ren's eyes. The girl seemed a bit nervous, despite William's claim that he had no Mana.
He sprinted forward, his speed approaching the peak of the Golden Core Realm. The spectators watched William's figure disappear, leaving behind an after image before reappearing just a few meters away from Yu Ren.
Yu Ren could no longer keep up with William's speed. She backed away, launching a series of Wind Blades meant to slow William down.
Will dodged left and right while still running in her direction, rendering her efforts practically useless. He gathered all his strength into his fist, throwing a heavy punch at Yu Ren. Her protective amulet activated to guard against the strike but was instantly shattered.
A second amulet was triggered, its strength equal to a Perfect Barrier Array. William's fist collided with the barrier, creating a spiderweb of cracks across its surface. Yu Ren's eyes bulged, not expecting even the second amulet to take damage.
She used the Light, Wind, and Lightning Elements to boost her speed and extend the distance between her and William, but it was to no avail. William's reaction time was greater than hers and he was already prepared to dash forward by the time the Mana was gathered to her legs.
Another punch was thrown, shattering Yu Ren's second amulet and triggering a third.
How many amulets does she have?!? William was jealous of her wealth.
How much stamina does he have?!? Yu Ren couldn't believe how formidable her seemingly weak opponent was. She had wasted many expensive treasures on this fight trying to preserve her image, but at this point it wasn't worth it.
She looked at one of the Elders overseeing the fight.
"I admit defeat."
The audience exploded. Miss Ren, the Yu Royal Family's descendant actually lost!
Charlotte, Elder Wen, Elder Tianshen, and some of William's fellow disciples were overjoyed. They knew William was strong, but they didn't expect his talent to be this monstrous!
-Unlocked Title: +25 PP
-High Profile (Epic): Your actions have attracted the attention of the Yu Royal Family, the highest authority in the Azures Continent. Fame +25.
William was excited about winning the match and even earning some Potential Points, but when he read the details of the new Title, his expression turned grim.
This is bad! This is really, really bad!
William didn't know what to do. The System and many others had warned him not to be high profile, but William's greatest flaw was that he didn't like losing. He would do anything to win, no matter what.
He didn't have to think long, as the scenery suddenly changed from the Arena to a familiar dark room. He was now sitting in a chair, completely unable to move.
"Didn't I warn you not to make too many enemies? How can you call this low profile?" a rough voice said angrily from behind.
"Sect Master, what should I do?" William asked carefully. Something about the situation didn't seem right.
"Nothing. You've done enough. I should kill you for this, but your unknown power continues to allude me." the Sect Master walked around the chair and stood in front of William.
He crossed his arms, "I think it's time you gave me a reason not to kill you and extract your memories."
William thought for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly stopped by a piece of text in the corner of his view.
-I suggest you not reveal my existence.
He performed a mental nod, his face pale as paper.
"Like you said, I will eventually be useful to you."
"And how can you be so sure? Right now, the Yu family probably wants to kill you. They will see it as eliminating a future threat to their rule. Even I cannot stop them for long if they are adamant, nor will I do so.
How would you handle this if you were in my situation? If you had my power?"
William spent a point to ask the System for advice.
-Say: I would convince the Yu Family that I am not a threat, rather an asset.
"I would convince the Yu Family that I am not a threat, rather an asset."
"And why is that?"
William continued to use the System for advice.
"Because I am in your Sect and can provide you more advantages as time passes. I can win competitions, defeat your enemies in war, and explore ruins you won't dare to step foot in."
Gu Dianlong spent a long time thinking about William's proposition. Eventually, his eyes gleamed and he stared William in the eyes with a determined expression.
"You're right, I can indeed use you for quite a lot. Of course, that comes with a price. After monitoring you for a while I have discovered that you are immensely talented in everything you do, except..."
"Except?"
"You're quite stupid, and that's something I am not willing to risk." he nodded to a cloaked figure nearby that William hadn't noticed before, who began weaving a series of Perfect Runes into a complex Array.
William's eyes widened with shock as the cloaked figure pressed the Array into William's left shoulder, forming a powerful Enslavement Array...