A Cultivator in the World Dominated By Awakeners
Chapter 33: Fourth Stage

Chapter 33: Fourth Stage

Oliver and Ivy quickly straightened their clothes.

Only after making sure there were no suspicious traces did they step outside.

Ivy looked over at a table where a neatly dressed middle-aged man was sitting.

Oliver’s first impression of him was that he seemed friendly—he was always smiling—but his aura, though not overwhelmingly powerful, was not something to underestimate.

Of course, being a branch manager of an organization didn’t necessarily require raw power, but rather strong managerial skills.

Ivy gestured for Oliver to come closer.

"Miss Wilson!" the man greeted Ivy, then glanced at Oliver.

"Mr. Page, I’m sure you already know what I came for," Ivy replied, taking a seat in front of him.

Even in front of the manager, she kept her usual indifferent demeanor. Only around Oliver did she behave differently.

"I’ve been informed," the manager said. "Since you’re the one purchasing it, you can get it for 35,000 dollars. If it were anyone else, they’d have to pay 50K. This technique is rare—our organization is the only one that possesses it, which explains the high price."

"Is this for that young man?" he asked, glancing at Oliver.

Ivy nodded briefly, not interested in formally introducing Oliver.

Just as Oliver reached into his shirt pocket for his bank card, Ivy pulled out another one of hers first.

"I’ll pay for it. Please send me a copy of the technique now," she said.

It was clear she didn’t want the payment to come from the card she had previously given to Oliver.

The manager swiftly took her card and swiped it using a portable machine held by his assistant.

"The technique will be sent from headquarters to an email address. Shall we send it to your email or his, Miss Wilson?" the manager asked.

Ivy looked to Oliver in response.

"Please send it to mine," Oliver replied, then gave him the address.

The manager noted it on his tablet.

Only moments later, Oliver received the message. He opened it quickly and began reading. The text wasn’t lengthy, but it was extremely complex—he immediately realized it was even harder to comprehend than the Order of Life.

(Technique:

Absolute Fusion Technique (0%))

The data for the technique finally appeared in his stats, marking it as his first external technique.

It was categorized as a general technique, not requiring a specific scripture to understand, unlike most others.

"Try to comprehend it. I’ll take my leave now," said the manager as he stood and headed to the upper floors, while Oliver remained focused on the technique.

Beside him, Ivy watched him curiously.

"Let’s go back to the private room," Oliver said.

Ivy tilted her head, confused.

"In there, I can absorb spiritual energy faster. And right now, I just need to gather spiritual energy to advance to the Fourth Stage," Oliver explained.

"Seriously?" Ivy looked genuinely surprised.

After all, every breakthrough for a cultivator was hard-earned.

But now Oliver was about to ascend again, making him practically equivalent to a Level 8 Awakener.

Compared to her, who relied on an army of undead and had to hunt monsters for progress, his advancement seemed incredibly fast.

"Let’s go," Oliver said, eager for the rush of power that came with leveling up.

Ivy nodded and followed him back into the room.

This time, she didn’t try to cling to him.

She let him sit on the couch while she remained standing.

Oliver closed his eyes and began drawing in spiritual energy, fully focused, not thinking of scriptures or techniques—only the flow.

From where she stood, Ivy could clearly see the tremendous amount of energy rushing into Oliver’s body.

The speed startled her.

’Even with deep understanding, it shouldn’t be this fast,’ she thought.

Minutes passed—then more. After more than two hours, Oliver finally opened his eyes. There was no outburst of force or light—only calm. That was thanks to his exceptional control, bolstered by his higher-realm Will.

He hadn’t made a dramatic breakthrough, but his stats had changed.

(Cultivation: Fourth Stage of the Spiritual Master Realm!)

(Spiritual Energy: 0/500!)

At the Fourth Stage, even his breathing slightly shook the air around him.

Power surged within him, giving rise to an almost feral urge to face strong enemies.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said to Ivy, who didn’t look the least bit tired from standing.

"Did you break through?" she asked, a bit hesitant.

"I did," Oliver nodded.

"Congratulations!" Ivy said warmly, clearly happy for him.

"Let’s go back to school," Oliver said as he stood up.

But just as he rose, Ivy suddenly took his hand.

"Can we stay here a little longer?" she asked.

Oliver couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed that after more than two hours, she still craved his touch.

He pressed her gently against the wall, happy to satisfy his hyper, beautiful girlfriend.

She was stunning after all—and he had no reason to deny his desire.

After some time, they finally returned to school, parting ways when Ivy had to go home to take care of some things.

They had already discussed how they would work together in Chaotic World. First, they would each buy a tracking device to locate one another once inside the game.

The trackers had already been ordered online and were en route to their respective homes.

Oliver would help Ivy level up. She even promised that any loot they obtained would go to him.

Once she could summon the Undead Emperor, she’d let him fuse with it.

That was something Oliver eagerly looked forward to.

If he could truly merge with the Undead Emperor, his combat power would skyrocket.

Not that his offensive strength needed much help—his void power was already among the most destructive forces.

But the Undead Emperor was on a whole different level—far beyond ordinary or even royal undead. Even his teacher had recommended fusing with the Emperor if he ever got the chance.

Of course, this required at least a 5% understanding of the Absolute Fusion Technique.

"Oliver!"

He was just standing at the school gate when Alex approached, eyeing him curiously, occasionally glancing at Ivy’s car as it pulled away.

"Where were you with her?" Alex asked, full of suspicion.

"Do you really want to know?" Oliver replied with a small chuckle.

Alex instinctively nodded rapidly.

"She confessed to me," Oliver said.

Something like that wasn’t worth hiding from his close friend.

Alex’s eyes widened in shock.

"So you’re the guy she’s into? And... what did you say?" he asked.

"I said yes..."

"No way!" Alex’s jaw dropped. "You’re dating the coldest bookworm in school now?"

"What’s wrong with that? She’s beautiful—and she doesn’t even look like a bookworm anymore. Don’t tell me you never had the hots for her."

"Ehmm..." Alex smiled sheepishly.

He couldn’t deny that Ivy was incredibly attractive now.

"Anyway, you were gone with her for a long time... don’t tell me you took her to a hotel right after she became your girlfriend. Did you... sleep with her?"

"Don’t think so dirty. We had things to take care of. Though... I did have a bit of fun with her."

Alex: "..."