Descending to the first floor, Oliver saw his mother and little sister already awake. They were in the living room, where Emma was helping Sofia with her daily light weightlifting routine—something she had to do every morning to maintain her physical condition.
If she didn't, her body could become incredibly stiff.
"Mom, Emma, good morning!" Oliver greeted them warmly, clearly in a good mood.
"Good morning!"
"Morning!"
Both of them returned his greeting while he headed straight to the kitchen.
He had nothing but boundless energy.
In the kitchen, he grabbed a few fish from an old aquarium, then cut them up with a kitchen knife.
The aquarium was a remnant of their economically stable days, but the fish were ones he had caught himself during his occasional fishing trips—he sometimes stored them in the tank to keep them alive.
He fried the fish, cooked vegetables, and toasted bread.
His smile never faded, and at times he even whistled loudly.
After cooking, he prepared three cups of warm milk.
"Mom, Emma, breakfast is ready!" he shouted while arranging the food on the table.
Soon after, his mother and sister came in, slightly sweaty from exercising.
They both seemed surprised by the amount of food he had prepared.
"Oliver, isn't this a bit too much?" Sofia asked.
"Good things are coming, we shouldn't be stingy," Oliver replied as he helped her sit down.
Emma watched his actions, unable to hide a slightly strange expression at the unusual energy he was showing.
After all, he usually looked like someone carrying heavy burdens in his heart.
"Mom, you should eat more," Oliver said, adding generous portions of food to her plate.
"You're the one who should eat more. Your body needs more nutrients if your cultivation is to improve," Sofia responded, slightly helpless, though she couldn't move much to shift the food back to his plate.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Oliver replied with a smile.
As for Emma, she stayed quiet while still watching him.
Oliver began eating, though his mind was still on his cultivation. Even while eating, he tried to absorb the Spiritual Energy around him.
He ate faster than usual.
Sofia and Emma had barely started their meals, yet he had already finished his—almost as if he hadn't eaten in days, though it was really just his over-excitement.
"Oliver, if you want to get back to cultivating, you can go ahead. I'll wash the dishes after we finish," Sofia said suddenly.
She clearly understood where his thoughts were at the moment.
Hearing that, Oliver shook his head immediately.
"No, no, Mom. I've got plenty of time. You should rest after breakfast—you shouldn't do any heavy work. I'll do it," he said firmly.
Of course, he didn't want his mother doing chores.
He could wait a bit longer until they were done eating.
"Ehmm…" Emma suddenly cleared her throat.
"Bro, did you forget about me? Don't worry, I'll do the dishes—you can head back to your room," she said suddenly, surprising both Oliver and Sofia, who gave her a strange look.
Emma did help with chores, but doing the dishes wasn't something she usually volunteered for.
"What's with those looks? Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked in confusion.
"No, I just realized you're really growing up," Oliver replied, making Sofia chuckle.
"All right then, I'll go back to my room. But don't let Mom help you," he added as he stood.
"Hmph, it's just washing dishes! You think I can't handle that myself?" Emma replied with an annoyed tone.
She seemed to feel teased by Oliver.
He only grinned at her before heading to the stairs.
He returned to his room and sat down on his bed, then resumed cultivating.
This time, he fully focused on absorbing Spiritual Energy without working on his techniques.
When his entire concentration was directed at the Spiritual Energy—and he even rejected Will Energy—the absorption rate was indeed faster, though not double.
Still, he was satisfied. He felt he might break through before noon.
(Spiritual Energy: 200/200!)
After who knows how many hours, his body naturally stopped absorbing Spiritual Energy.
His eyes opened spontaneously, only to find that his Spiritual Energy had reached 200.
Right after that, he began feeling changes in his body.
Each unit of Spiritual Energy that had integrated into him seemed to now be trying to reach deeper into the innermost parts of his body.
He could see sweat pouring from every pore, bringing out hidden impurities.
Every vein in his body bulged as if responding to a dramatic rise in strength across every part of his being.
From what he could feel, there was a hidden space deep inside his body. That was where the Spiritual Energy was ultimately going.
As it entered, that space forcibly expanded—allowing it to store more energy.
And more energy meant more power.
He knew this was called the Spiritual Space, based on things he had read online.
However, with his current cultivation level still so low, there was no way for him to actually see that space.
That was only possible for Cultivators in the next realm: the Earth Master Realm—an elite class among Cultivators due to their overwhelming power.
BANG!
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from within his body. It even released a shockwave that pushed the air around him, and for a moment, the air above his bed vanished, leaving him unable to breathe.
But he couldn't care less about that.
A look of wonder filled his face as he clearly felt a massive power-up coursing through his body.
(Cultivation: Second Stage of Spiritual Master Realm!)
(Spiritual Energy: 0/300!)
(Body: Void Body!)
(Will: Spiritual Master | 73/1000 Will Energy!)
"I finally did it!" Oliver gasped, overcome with joy.
The increased energy in his body now granted him a higher combat capability and a much stronger physique.
'At this rate, I won't have to worry about going to the Chaotic World. My chances of escaping danger are way higher,' he thought.