William returned to his room shortly after his conversation with Master Riyald and Sir Reynolds. On the way back, he noticed that the crossbows weren't as properly concealed as before.
Even without the use of the radar from the Navigation Talent, William noticed a series of minute irregularities in the wall that hinted at the presence of a trap.
Is this the effect of my new Flawless Title? he wondered. If so, then it truly did deserve its name.
With the title improving his attention to detail, not only had William's ability to identify traps improve, but so would his combat power since he could better analyze a fight. This might even help him with the Wind Dial experiments, which would be a massive time saver.
First things first, I haven't checked my Status yet.
———
INFO: ( - )
-Name: William
-Race: Human
-Age: 41
-Lifespan: 260 Years
-Cultivation: Foundation Establishment 1 (0/200)
STATUS: ( - )
-Health: 800/800
-Mana: 2500/2500
-Fame: 100
-Humanity: 98
-Attention: 1
-Soul Strength: 51
-Cultivation Base: 50/1000
———
-There are many ways to gain Soul Strength, but most of them are not known to the public. Only the large Sects like the Five Elements Sect, the Spirit Ascension Sect, and some families with long heritages know the methods to acquire more.
William nodded. What is my Soul Strength useful for, then? Should I even bother with it?
-It also increases your resistance to mental invasions and brainwashing techniques, among many other effects that you will discover over time. It's very versatile.
I see...thank you System.
-It seems your manners have improved recently, you little brat.
That doesn't mean I will just stand by and let you treat me like this! William yelled in his mind, but his face was smiling slightly. He was glad the System wasn't completely silent all the time, since it gave someone to communicate with other than his Master and the Artifact Spirit.
He looked over to Atticus, who was sleeping soundly on the floor. His intelligence had improved, but he talked like a small child and only thought of omelettes.
Perhaps he just needed to grow a little more, but William didn't want to have to create a new room if the snake's size kept increasing.
Speaking of omelettes, let's get some food and meet with Master before I'm late again.
A few days ago, William informed his Master that he was still consuming Soul Stones and couldn't meet that week. If William missed another meeting, his Master might get bored and add more traps to the residence.
He woke up Atticus to eat their meal together, then rushed off in the direction of Riyald's laboratory. There, he saw the old man tinkering with the same steam engine he was before.
"Oh, Disciple William. I'm surprised you didn't cancel this week's meeting as well. Have you finished consuming the Soul Stones already?"
William nodded, "My Soul Strength has progressed greatly Master, thank you."
Riyald returned the nod, "How about your Cultivation?"
"No change yet."
The old man shook his head with a sigh, "You need to at least set aside some time for Cultivation each night. I know you're worried about the Heavens, but that is no reason to let your growth stagnate."
William scratched his head. Riyald was right on the nose with his statement.
Will had intentionally avoided Cultivating lately, since he didn't want to pick sides just yet when he knew barely anything about either the World or the Heavens. After all, who would gamble on a popular sports team winning a tournament if they knew nothing about sports? It didn't make sense.
"Master, I'm hoping to learn more about the Heavens and the World before I make a choice."
"You can do that after you've reached the peak of your current Realm. For now, just Cultivate. Who knows, the problem might solve itself."
William nodded. Master truly had a great wealth of experience, which far surpassed his own. "In that case, can you teach me how to increase my Soul Strength further?"