A Cultivator in the World Dominated By Awakeners

Oliver and the others immediately stood when they heard the loud roar of those exhaust pipes.

Naturally, they were filled with curiosity about this famous Southeast Asian woman who had built her own power while still being the same age as them.

Soon, Oliver saw several black sedans pull up in front of the house. Most were older models, but one was a Mercedes—the most luxurious in its class.

A tall, broad-shouldered man with tanned skin and blond-dyed hair stepped out of the Mercedes' driver's seat.

After getting out, he quickly opened the rear door, revealing a very young woman sitting inside.

She was, of course, Asian, with black hair cut just past her neck.

Compared to most Southeast Asian women, she was taller—perhaps around 165 cm—about the same as many European women.

Her skin was smooth and fair, more like that of East Asians such as the Chinese or Japanese. Perhaps she had some Chinese blood, as there was a faint trace of it in her features, though her Southeast Asian aura was still stronger.

Her outfit was nothing unusual—long jeans and a gray shirt with the collar slightly open.

She had a face that could be called sweet, and it looked even sweeter when paired with her indifferent expression, giving people the urge to tease her.

At first glance, she seemed like nothing more than a beautiful city girl.

But when Oliver met her black eyes, he felt as though his thoughts started moving on their own, without his will.

He could immediately sense danger from her.

As a manifestation, he felt especially vulnerable before her.

After all, his Willpower was essentially split three ways—between his real body and his two manifestations—and it was impossible to channel all of it into this one form.

"I didn't expect her to be so beautiful… totally my type," Edward murmured in surprise, startling the others.

Henry actually looked a bit flustered and said, "Edward, don't you dare provoke her. Plenty of men have tried flirting with her, only to meet a bad end…"

"Come on, maybe she'll be interested in me. And honestly, were those other guys as handsome as I am? If she's normal, she'd only want someone better," Edward replied, making Henry roll his eyes.

Fortunately, the woman was still far enough away that she probably hadn't heard.

Henry then stepped forward to greet her.

"Welcome, Lestari," he said.

The woman merely glanced at Henry briefly before looking toward the three Europeans inside the house.

"So these are the ones seeking my help?" she asked.

"Yes, they're Edward Rothschild, Oliver Whitemoon, and Rebecca Rothschild…" Henry introduced them.

Surprisingly, her gaze lingered on Edward for quite a while. Her eyes were fixed on his face.

Edward seemed almost incredulous. But when he looked into her eyes, she turned her gaze elsewhere.

Even so, it still pleased him, and he wondered if she might actually be interested.

"Edward, you and the others should step outside. Let Oliver and me speak with her. After all, we're the ones requesting her help," Rebecca said suddenly.

Edward was clearly caught off guard at being asked to leave, but when he looked at Oliver, the latter seemed to agree.

Although Oliver was the only one who truly needed her help, he couldn't just exclude Rebecca, since she had been involved from the beginning.

Edward left with Henry.

As he went out, Lestari glanced at him again briefly.

The door closed behind them. Lestari's subordinates didn't attempt to enter, simply waiting outside.

"Miss Lestari, let's sit and talk," Rebecca said.

Her tone was polite and naturally respectful—an acknowledgment of the other woman's considerable power.

Lestari took a seat across from Oliver and Rebecca.

Her eyes shifted back and forth between the two.

This time, Oliver felt he lost out to Edward—this woman clearly found Edward more interesting than him.

Still, he had to admit Edward possessed a charm he didn't—an aura of nobility and refined high society upbringing.

"What do you want from me?" Lestari asked.

"Oliver, you should explain it to her," Rebecca prompted.

Oliver nodded. "I heard you can control corpses as if they were alive. Can you also retrieve their memories?"

"Oh…" Lestari's lips curved into a strange smile at that, making both Oliver and Rebecca narrow their eyes slightly.

Rebecca spoke up. "From what I know—according to records from Chaotic World—soul power is one of the most mysterious abilities. If a person is alive, it's entirely possible for a soul power user to extract all their memories by controlling them like a puppet. But what about the dead?"

"The dead and the living are no different to me. The dead have simply lost their souls—and my soul can serve as a replacement," Lestari replied.

"But doesn't a dead body no longer function?" Rebecca asked with genuine curiosity.

"The difference between my soul and yours is that mine can continue to exist without a body, while yours would shatter if your body were injured or your heart destroyed. Even if a corpse's body doesn't function anymore, it's still better than having no body at all. The truth is, I'm not 'controlling' the dead—I'm possessing them with my soul."

She paused to take a breath and sip the cold drink that had been prepared on the table.

"What you don't know is that even if someone dies and their soul is destroyed, there's still a Soul Core that can never be broken. It remains in the corpse forever—perhaps even in a grain of soil if the body has long decayed. What I possess is that Soul Core. The Soul Core holds everything from its owner, including their memories.

"Yes, even if I possess a corpse, I can obtain its memories. But I rarely bother, because it drains my soul power and mental energy, to the point that even my physical body becomes exhausted. Processing another person's memories is a heavy burden.

"If I'm helping someone else, I usually let them process the memories themselves, so I don't know what they're looking for. In other words, privacy is guaranteed when using my services—people can search for whatever memory they want without me knowing. I'm just the channel, using my soul power to help another's soul enter the corpse's Soul Core."

Hearing this, Oliver grew excited.

She really could retrieve memories from the dead—and even better, she could let him search them himself, without her knowing what he was after.

Of course, that didn't mean things would be simple—because the corpse he had brought was no ordinary one.

"Can you possess the corpse of a being far stronger than yourself? This one was a Cultivator, possibly at the Sky Master Realm or even higher," Oliver asked.

Rebecca's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected the corpse he meant to be that powerful.

She had assumed it was just an ordinary dead body.

Naturally, she was now curious where he had obtained such a corpse.