Transcending Dreams
B2 - Chapter 81

“… Who’s your master?” William stalled for time. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going on. As far as he knew, having an avatar meant the spirit beast or cultivator had ascended.

Lord Paddlington clearly had not… right? It also didn’t escape William that the turtle before him had no basic status floating above him.

It just made everything more confusing.

“She wishes to speak with you herself,” the probably-fake turtle crawled to the side, leaving the middle of the hall open.

He stiffened, the Qi disappearing from his hands to evenly spread throughout his body. [Force Multiplier] might be needed sooner than expected.

“Thank you for showing respect, Young Master. There is no point in looking threatening in front of someone like my master.”

Another reason William doubted this was Lord Paddlington in any form. He had never seen the turtle do anything but float. Nor was it so polite, but he didn’t know how it acted around Sophia, so he couldn’t draw any conclusions from that.

He waited, half expecting the avatar to appear without warning. Nothing happened after a minute passed. “Has your master decided not to meet me?”

“Forgive my mistake, Young Master. Please wait a few more seconds.”

This definitely wasn’t Lord Paddlington. The turtle looked right, but its personality was one of a butler.

Those doubts were immediately shoved to the back of his mind when golden stairs shimmered into existence. Golden, with abundant red accents.

A figure slowly formed at the top of the stairs, on the carpet that was colored red in the middle, different from the pale gold on the sides. It was Sophia, or rather, her supposedly corrupted avatar.

She certainly didn’t look corrupted at first impression. In fact, she had a presence that was frighteningly similar to when Sophia, the true-form version, sent her will from the plane above to speak to him.

William watched her warily as she sauntered down the stairs while smiling at him sweetly. He wasn’t sure what he was more confused by: the saccharine smile or the fact that Sophia looked nothing like the brief flashes he saw in the gate.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Sophia stopped at the lowest step. “For far too long. How long was it, Paddy?”

“I lost track after five thousand years, master,” the turtle replied with a bowed head.

“Hm, I didn’t think it was that long. Even I lost track.”

He listened to the back and forth with increasing doubt. No matter how suspicious this was, he was starting to lean toward the side of Lord Paddlington—his Lord Paddlington—being mistaken about the corruption. Luckily, there were a few ways he could test this.

William commanded the system to show his traits. The most innocuous information it had.

Traits:

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N/A

He moved the blue text to the side, making it plainly viewable to both Sophia and the turtle.

“What’s that, Young Master? Traits?”

William’s hope that they wouldn’t react was immediately dashed when the turtle addressed it plainly. The way Sophia’s eyes lit up made everything worse. He needed to reevaluate.

Instead of assuming they were ‘fake,’ William had to prove it before he took action. This was not only to make sure he wasn’t making a massive mistake but also to ensure Sophia’s avatar was truly limited in power.

“Oh! That’s similar to the system I created for myself before I ascended!” Sophia took a few steps toward him, stopping when she noticed his unease. “You really are meant to come here. A proper heir.”

That put up a red flag in William’s mind. For some reason, he couldn’t see Sophia ever calling him an ‘heir.’ It sounded like something Daoist Chen would say.

In short, a true native rather than a transmigrator like Sophia.

“What do you mean, Senior?” William pretended he didn’t know who she was. Since this avatar seemed to have no memory of their previous encounter, it would be better to play along.

“When I used to rule this plane, I created some techniques that were unique in comparison to what others possessed. This system was one of them. Tell me, did you get any of my other creations with it?”

“… Unfortunately, I didn’t,” William said with disappointment, watching her reaction closely.

“That won’t do,” Sophia declared. “My heir should be able to rule over the pitiful empires and sects. You’ll be gifted a few heaven-tier martial skills.”

“Really?” William had come to a judgment. “An empire has been a thorn in my side, Senior. This will help me show them not to mess with me! Earth will regret their actions.”

Since the avatar acted like a typical cultivator by throwing out rewards as a sweetener, he would act the same and have some created grudge. It worked. Sᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Earth? It must be a new empire that formed after my ascension.”

This was the second time she mentioned ascension, likely to impress him. It was too bad it was ineffective, especially after all the red flags she displayed.

William had mostly been eyeing Sophia ever since she appeared. Now, with a decision made, he started to study the turtle. That’s when he noticed something strange.

“They are a fairly new empire, Senior. It’s an honor to meet one such as you,” the sweet smile on Sophia’s lips grew at his praise. “The same applies to you, Lord Paddlington.”

“Your words are appreciated, Young Master.”

William would strike the turtle first. It never looked away from Sophia, even when replying to him. He recalled when it had asked him a question about the system, and while it was in the corner of his eye, it hadn’t looked away even then.

This could be out of respect for its ‘master,’ but he was starting to suspect that Sophia wasn’t real. As in, this wasn’t the corrupted avatar but rather a projection created by the fake Lord Paddlington.

William knew it was still a massive gamble to take, but if—stress on the word if—he was wrong, there was a decent chance he could talk himself out of it. On the other hand, not taking this gamble could be the end of his life.

“Follow me,” Sophia turned to return to the stairs. “It seems you might need more immediate help if an empire is after you.”

“Yes, Senior,” William gave a slight nod, keeping track of the turtle in the corner of his eye. Its head was following Sophia even now. More importantly, it didn’t move from its spot.

He walked forward, keeping pace with Sophia’s stride. He did his best to keep his expression in a combination of awe and excitement, doing everything he could to crush the nerves bubbling underneath.

William only had one thing on his mind: whether he should use the Elemental Gauntlet or [Force Multiplier].

The gauntlet was an unknown factor, which could be disastrous if his expectations for it weren’t met. As for [Force Multiplier], it was reliable and predictable. The issue was the penalty that would hit if he was forced to use it twice to survive.

William's eyes twitched before he punted the idea of using the Elemental Gauntlet as far from his mind as he could. Even thinking of it was peak stupidity. Reliability and extreme power were the keys in this situation.

His foot landed parallel to the turtle’s body. It was now or never.

Qi surged through his body as [Force Multiplier] activated.

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