Enlightenment

Three hours later.

"Davis!" Claire arrived outside the Emperor's room.

Davis, who was standing outside, clearly looked as if he were waiting for his father to come out.

He thought he would be able to see his father achieve a breakthrough rather quickly in one of the three cultivation systems, but it seems like his father entered closed-door cultivation since it concerns the advancing of the soul.

Advancing in Soul Forging Cultivation requires almost absolute silence with peace and serenity, but it is still possible to make a breakthrough in the midst of a battle only under certain conditions.

After all, emotions play a huge and vital role in Soul Forging Cultivation.

"Mother... father is currently…"

"I heard, what's the situation now?" Claire had a worried expression on her face.

"Everything is fine for now, at least." Davis slightly shrugged, "We can only wait for my father to come out..."

The two stayed silent after that and waited for ten minutes, which seemed rather long.

As Claire felt fidgety, she glanced at Davis, who looked slightly worried the same, so she said, "Alright Davis, you can go do whatever…"

Suddenly a majestic aura spread with luminance brightening the entire room that Logan stayed, overflowed outside before quietly subsiding down as if it the light never appeared in the first place.

Davis and Claire rather had solemn expressions on their faces.

After a minute, Logan walked out with a worn-down expression on his face while his posture was slumped dejectedly.

Claire immediately went to hold his palm with a concerned expression on his face seeing that her husband had walked out sadly.

"I failed..." 

A soft voice echoed from Logan's mouth, rather meek for his stature as the Emperor.

A bright luminance surrounded Logan, which subtly started healing his wounded soul. Claire emitted the temporarily blinding luminance as she also trained in Sacred Luminance Mist.

Sacred Soul Healing is the ability that a person comprehends when one reaches the Third Stage; hence this ability is the third layer that is recorded in the manual.

"Don't worry, dear. You can definitely succeed the next time." Claire tried to comfort.

"It's useless..." Logan muttered again. He dropped his head down.

"Why?" Claire asked, not understanding his meaning.

Logan looked at her, his eyes reflecting her confused expression and uttered, "Heart Demon..." 

Claire realized but was not surprised.

She knew that Logan lost his family and hadn't completely freed himself from its clutches yet. He still hadn't fulfilled his vengeance because of those two Heads of the Noble Families who ran away. This matter had been heavily weighing down on his heart ever since then, blocking him from having a breakthrough.

Claire suddenly blinked. She realized that she hadn't seen show his worry out, perhaps, just to keep others from worrying for him.

Claire immediately felt extremely guilty that she wasn't intimate with him during the three year rebellion period. She bit her lips and just embraced him. She didn't opt to say anything, just staying like that while all she felt that she could do was just provide some warmth for him.

Davis just left, giving them the time for them to talk alone.

======

Three days later.

Davis became ready to cultivate his Body Tempering Cultivation. The first two stages in Body Tempering Cultivation were extremely easy for the Imperial Family to cultivate. 

Why?

It was because they had plenty of resources to temper the body. It also became easier for them to cultivate to the Third Stage of Body Tempering Cultivation because of the loot gained from the rebellion. 

The Royal Loret Family lost more lives than their wealth. It was such an irony that many people even formed conspiracy theories that the current Emperor Logan Loret, had plotted this whole scenario.

However, conspiracies were just conspiracies. Without evidence to even form an anchor, they would be quickly squashed under the fist of strength.

Davis went to meet his father to consult whether he should make his first breakthrough in Body Tempering Cultivation so soon, after all, he was just five years old.

"Father, is it okay for me to cultivate in Body Tempering Cultivation now?"

Logan thought for a moment before replying. "Most children only start to cultivate Body Tempering Cultivation only when they are ten years old, after all, Body Tempering Cultivation involves extreme pain when cultivating it. It requires extreme resilience. "

"However, I won't stop you from cultivating it but.. are you up to the task?" Logan asked with a sharp voice.

Beatings?

Davis's small sapphire eyes flashed!

Physical abuse was etched into his bones, but since his father was asking for proof...

"My previous life was filled with pain, both mentally and physically, I am sure that I am up for the task, father..." Davis said with confidence etched on his face.

"Good, that's my son!" Logan nodded and smiled proudly, but his eyes suddenly flashed while a kick abruptly landed on Davis out of nowhere, sending him flying.

"Garghh~" Davis flew out and rolled on the floor miserably. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he held his stomach, his pupils twitching in pain.

He instantly tried to stand up but couldn't, no matter how he attempted!

Painful, it became extremely painful for him in his abdomen. It hurt like hell!

'Yes... I almost forgot this body isn't used to pain.' 

Davis instantly realized that he confused this with his past life. His calm mind was still able to think under intolerable pain, perhaps because of his Low-Level Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation.

"What? That's it? You couldn't even take a single hit? You should just give up Body Tempering Cultivation!" Logan shouted furiously.

'I should not be doing this, but it seems that he relies on his previous experience as a mortal in this world. That won't work, I have to teach him the ways of this world as a cultivator.' Logan thought as he narrowed his eyes.

"No! I can stand up!" Davis cried.

Tears automatically cascaded down his cheeks upon receiving such an injury for the first time.

Davis struggled to stand up. He spat out his bloodied saliva and, after two tries, managed to stand up with his legs wobbling as if it would be unable to support his negligible weight.

"Come!" Davis shouted.

Logan's eyes flashed at his son's resilience. He didn't think that Davis would manage to stand up. It was unexpected to him.

"Good then because I'm not going to stop till you give up..."

The one-sided beatings went on for about ten minutes. 

Every part of Davis's body received injuries except his life jewels. The floor was full of fresh bloodstains. It was such a hardcore training that it didn't even make him feel the pain of his past.

"It's fine if you give up now, Davis...."

Logan looked at his son's battered silhouette. In fact, he had been holding back a lot. One single punch of his fist was enough to explode his son into smithereens, and even he didn't feel like continuing anymore, afraid that he would really cause his son to die.

These injuries were nothing as he could always heal it with a capable healing pill, but that didn't mean that he was willing to harm his own son. However, he said that he wouldn't stop until his son said so, and there was still no sign of his son giving up.

It put him in a tough spot as he wanted to respect his son's or rather the determined soul in his son's body.

Logan silently gulped as he inwardly sighed, 'My child... What have you experienced in your previous life to be this stubborn? Endurance is something built over time... You must give up now!'

"No! Ple.. please continue!" 

Davis thought that he had to show more resilience and determination so that his father will approve of him to be able to cultivate sooner. After all, the sooner, the better! 

Besides, the notes had written it all. 

Body Tempering Cultivation is about endurance! The more you could endure, the more breakthroughs a person could experience in Body Tempering Cultivation!

Endure the pain and conquer it! This is what it means to temper one's body!

As for paying back this debt, he could do that after he has grown up.

Secretly, Davis started to hold a grudge against his father, albeit a healthy one.

'Please give up, if you get any more thrashings, I'm not sure that I will be able to escape Claire's wrath.' Logan made a wry face inwardly.

This situation where both didn't want to stop continued for about five more minutes.

"It's enough, Davis. You can now give up." Logan had enough of Davis's determination, any more, and he was sure that he'd be ignored by Claire again for who knows how long if he doesn't give up.

Besides, his son's figure completely made him hold back his punches as much as he could, to the extreme, but even then...

"N... no, plea... con... continue." Davis's face was injured fully. He had lost more than three teeth while his left cheek had slightly caved in. His arms and legs were trembling, but he still had determination etched on his face. He couldn't see what was in front of him anymore as he was rather feeling dizzy.

Logan dropped his battle posture and made a wry face as he felt his heart ache, "Why do you try so hard?"

Davis tried to make his trembling feet stable. 

He looked at his father's blurred face as he creased his eyes, "I jus... want to... protect... every... one I love. I..." He panted, "I want to protect mother, protecc... Clara, and even... you, father. For that, I need... strength as soon as possib..."

Just when he was about to finish saying his heartfelt emotions, his eyes inadvertently closed as he found himself collapsing.

Logan made a dumbfounded face while he watched his son collapse and muttered, "Protect our family? Protect me? A five-year-old child protecting me?"

Logan suddenly started laughing out loud in an uproarious manner.

'I am so ashamed of myself.'

'I am so lost in hatred and arrogance that I forgot about my family's safety! Hahaha!'

Logan shook his head.

'The regret I had for letting those two ingrates escape has caged me in, and I'm so shallow to focus my mind on those two!'

The instant Logan realized that he started releasing a majestic aura filled with sacred luminance illuminating the room. It was just a moment. He instantly made a breakthrough to the Adult Soul Stage.

The Fourth Stage in Soul Forging Cultivation!

'Thank you, Davis. I was able to realize what's more important to me...' Logan smiled at his son with a grateful expression on his face.

He finally had his last wall of caution against his son's abnormality break!