Infinite Potential System

"N-No!"

"Then what will you do?"

"Ah... you were looking for Mr. Rudeus, right? He won\'t meet with anyone unless they have the Alchemy ingredients he wants."

"You mean the Seven-Colored Marigold?" William asked as he flipped his hand to reveal a multicolored flower that resembled the item he consumed earlier.

It wasn\'t the real Seven-Colored Poison Marigold, but William was able to make an almost perfect replica using Arrays and the Illusion Element. Only a professional like Rudeus Velos could tell the difference, and this bulky man clearly was not an exception.

As long as I can meet with him, that\'s all that matters.

Belius approached William and inspected the flower carefully, then nodded his head. "You really do have it. Where did you find it?"

"The Revista Faction gave it to me." William replied simply.

"The Revista Faction? Then you must be..." the bulky man became fearful as he realized this was the same person that killed Marcus Rednel who was basically equal to an Ascended Cultivator.

Not only was William stronger, but he could somehow remain in Efretta, meaning he was the most powerful person in the World— not someone he could afford to offend. He bowed respectfully, then immediately contacted the Patriarch a second time.

"What is it this time, Belius? You\'ve never contacted me so many times in a single day."

"It\'s about that... distinguished guest, Patriarch Sir."

"The one that wanted to meet with Rudeus? Is he giving you trouble?"

"N-No Sir, but he has the Seven-Colored Poison Marigold. He got it from the Revista Faction." Belius chose his words carefully to help his Patriarch understand the situation.

"Oh, swell! Have him bring it to— did you say Revista Faction?"

"Yes Patriarch."

Vitruvius Velos pressed a finger to his forehead, realizing his earlier mistake. "...Did you try to send him away like I asked?"

"No Patriarch, I hope you\'ll forgive me."

"Good man." the Patriarch heaved a sigh in relief. He thanked the stars for giving him such capable subordinates. "I\'ll contact Rudeus. Let our distinguished guest stay in the Palace for now."

"But, Patriarch."

"What now?"

Belius looked back at William just in time to see a Heavenly Lightning Bolt slam into the ground at the man\'s feet. This had never stopped in the last few weeks, only pausing when William was in the Cultivation Site or while the Stealth Talent\'s invisibility function was active.

"He\'s undergoing a Tribulation."

"Right now? Then let him in after the Tribulation has ended." the Patriarch didn\'t think much of it and hung up the call.

Belius looked at William helplessly, "I apologize for our lack of hospitality. We want to ensure the integrity of our Palace."

William nodded, "I understand. As long as Rudeus will meet with me, I\'ll stay here for the time being."

William knew better than anyone that this Tribulation was different from the others and wouldn\'t end easily. It probably had something to do with its name "Punishment of Eternal Tribulations."

It was only a hunch, though.

Despite his recent fame, William had to wait three entire days before a wizened old man showed up guarded by a pair of Tribulation Transcendence Cultivators in the first stage. The lines on his forehead were many, and there was a large blotch on his left cheek that signified some sort of burn or corrosive injury.

He frowned upon seeing William, though only Rudeus\' bodyguards knew the reason. When Rudeus heard that William was carrying the Seven-Colored Poison Marigold, he was only mildly enthusiastic.

It was only when the Patriarch mentioned that the carrier was none other than William did Rudeus perk up a little. He remembered hearing something about this person before, and rumor had it that he was traveling with two beautiful women.

"Where are the— your friends?" Rudeus asked.

"They\'re Cultivating. It\'s just me here today." William replied.

Rudeus\' frown deepened. His worst fears had come to pass. "Are you sure you can\'t bring them along?"

William felt that Rudeus Velos\' reaction was a bit odd. "Have you changed your last name?"

"Huh? What would my other last name have been?"

"Greyrat, perhaps?"

"Never heard of it. Is this a family you know well?"

"Not particularly. You just remind me of someone..."

"Couldn\'t be the same person. I have a great memory and I\'ve never seen you in my life." Rudeus waved his hand in dismissal.

At least he has the Marigold...

"I\'m in a hurry so let\'s get this transaction over with. What do you want?" Rudeus asked.

William scratched his head, "Actually the Seven-Colored Poison Marigold was already used. I just wanted to meet with you."

"..."

Damnit, I was tricked! Rudeus spat on the ground, cursing his bad luck. If William weren\'t one of the top powers in the World, he would have rushed forward and knocked some sense into the boy.

William felt awkward, but he needed this Alchemist\'s resources and assistance. The recipe for the Tier 10 Suppression Pill was very difficult, but the main issue was the ingredients, many of which didn\'t exist on the Azures Continent.

The Oak-Sealing Leaf, for example, was only available in a remote area of the Velos Continent, and grew once every two hundred years. Even Rudeus in his old age had only a few dozen in his stockpile, and an entire leaf was required for the Tier 10 recipe.

"Master Riyald told me you might be able to assist with the Tier 10 Suppression Pill."

"Riyald? That old fellow is still alive? And he has another Disciple?" Rudeus looked at William with a hint of surprise.

He remembered something and smiled, "Your Master... did he send you in order to pay his debts?"

Master said nothing about owing this guy!

William sighed, "He didn\'t elaborate, what does he owe? Perhaps I can help."

"Three thousand Mana Stones, ten million Gold Coins, 16 Perfect Array Puppets, and an Advanced Beast Core."

William: (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

Rudeus: ¯\\\\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯

"When the hell did he come to owe you so much?!?" William wanted to beat up his Master for not mentioning the debt to Rudeus, did he want to settle the score using his Disciple? How shameless!

"Gambling."

"..." William didn\'t have nearly enough to afford his Master\'s debt. The Gold Coins alone were already difficult to obtain, but the Advanced Beast Core was something he had yet to see since arriving in Efretta.

"So he didn\'t tell you anything, did he?" Rudeus could tell from William\'s expression that he was just like the last Disciple, utterly clueless about his Master\'s activities. He felt bad for William, but Rudeus had no intentions of letting the debt slide this time.

"If you really can\'t afford it, then perhaps you could help out the Velos Faction?" Rudeus turned to the side as he asked, as if he was contemplating something.

"As long as I can manage it. What do I need to do?"

"Nothing too difficult. Your first task is to start a war."