Davis, Nadia, and Sophie didn't stay put as they discussed the Alstreim Family's shameful yet undisclosed history and the sceneries in the Purple Thunderflame Mountain. They traveled east for a while before taking a shortcut through a valley progressing north.

The map allowed them to traverse with ease as it marked the landscapes and magical beast territories. Although the inner region was marked as well, there were few marks compared to the outer region. However, it was only expected since even the Grand Elders hesitate to be ganged upon by a King Rank Species Magical Beast Clan.

Davis did indeed saw many unique fire-attributed, yang-attributed, light-attributed, lightning attributed, and even some yin-attributed magical beasts fill this mountain range, but they were all at low stages that he didn't bother with them. There were Peak-Level Lord Beast Stage Magical Beasts, but he had changed his target to King Beast Stage Magical Beasts since breaking through.

However, a sudden doubt encroached his mind.

'Mhmm... Considering that I had to absorb and refine three soul essences to breakthrough to the Peak-Level Supreme Soul Stage, I muse that I need around four Low-Level King Beast Stage Soul Essences to experience a breakthrough into the King Soul Stage...'

Davis considered as he hovered along with the others in the valley as they traversed. He had stabilized his Soul Forging Cultivation in the Peak-Level Supreme Soul Stage by refining all the remaining soul essences, leaving him with an empty stock of precious soul essences.

This made him wonder...

'Is there foundations for Soul Forging Cultivation...?'

Davis felt that there should be as the answer was most likely yes!

However, he didn't know any information pertaining to it, and even Fallen Heaven didn't have, so he just mused that his foundation was perhaps a bit higher than the norm. That would explain his prowess.

Otherwise, if his foundation were way higher, wouldn't his soul force also be proportionally stronger?

'Do I need to absorb more soul essences to increase my foundation?' Davis suddenly narrowed his eyes as he stopped, causing the others to look at him in confusion in the vast terrain.

From his previous experience, the number of soul essences he required to reach a particular level always remained the same, while it changed with stages.

Taking this into the calculation, currently, he was in the Peak-Level Supreme Soul Stage. The number of Peak-Level Seventh Stage Soul Essences he absorbed would contribute only a little in terms of increasing his Soul Forging Cultivation, requiring nine times or more, perhaps even twenty times to reach only till the peak of Supreme Soul Stage.

To breakthrough, he may or may not require a higher level soul essence, to be precise, a Low-Level Eighth Stage Soul Essence. In that case, is the latter possible?

Davis could easily afford to hunt all these Peak-Level Lord Beast Stage Magical Beasts, but he hated wasting more lives when he could just hunt four Low-Level King Beasts Stage to successfully have greater chances to enter the King Soul Stage.

Nonetheless, but what if he kept absorbing these Peak-Level Seventh Stage Soul Essences after reaching the peak? Would his cultivation rise to the King Soul Stage, or gets stuck at the very peak and increases his foundation instead?

'It couldn't be that simple, could it...?'

"..."

Davis didn't know what to think of this own speculations as he never tried it before, but it had his mind trembling with desire.

"What's wrong, Master?" Nadia voiced out.

She looked around with her senses but failed to find any threats and so couldn't help but wonder why her master would suddenly stop.

Davis shook his head, "Nothing... I just thought of something important relating to my Soul Forging Cultivation."

He turned to look at Sophie, "Do you know anything about Soul Forging Cultivation Foundations?"

"Foundations... As in the same way with Essence Gathering Cultivation and Body Tempering Cultivation...?"

Sophie knew that Essence Gathering Cultivation and Body Tempering Cultivation Foundations were quite similar, but what about Soul Forging Cultivation?

She honestly shook her head, "I don't know..."

"Figures..." Davis nodded his head as he thought of the previous problem.

If it could be said that he had no motivation to reap more lives, he had it now.

He wanted to know if the purity of his soul force would increase. If it did, it might directly correlate to his foundation being increased by one level. This was a surefire method he could rely on to know if his speculations were right!

Davis's sapphire eyes gleamed with a bit of coldness. To escape the invisible danger, he had no choice but to strengthen himself, and when left with no choice, stranger's lives didn't mean anything to him. He kept his kindness, mercy, and compassion over the back of his mind and decided to reap Peak-Level Lord Beast Stage Magical Beasts from now on!

'As for the Peak-Level Lord Beast Stage Magical Beasts we passed by already... Let's just say that they luckily escaped...'

Davis had to keep moving forward in both senses to reach their destination, not backward. He still had to reap Low-Level King Beast Stage Soul Essences, after all, and the map said that they would only be found near the periphery of the inner region, which is also where he was exactly making his way towards.

"But Davis, I think the Soul Palace might have information on the foundations for Soul Forging Cultivation..." Sophie hesitantly added.

"You're right..." Davis nodded his head in agreement.

He didn't know anything about the Soul Palace. However, it was the hegemon of a mid-sized Territory according to the Fifty-Territories Map, located right below the Burning Phoenix Ridge Territory. With an obvious name like that, he felt either the Soul Palace or the four most substantial righteous powers should know about it.

He felt that he should try to do something about it after somehow meeting up with Ellia and Shirley, or at least even one of them....

*Bang!~*

Purple lighting abruptly crashed beside Sophie, causing her to go stiff as she looked horrified.

Davis smiled as he reassured her, "Don't worry. I'll protect you..."

Sophie nodded her head, her stiff body relaxing, but she still maintained her cautiousness. The peculiar purple lightning that fell here constantly interchanged between Sixth Stage and the Seventh Stage in prowess and the purple lighting that fell now was similar to an attack from a High-Level Seventh Stage Expert!

If that menacing purple lightning really struck her, she knew that only her charred corpse would remain. On the other hand, Davis didn't need to worry about his as his body's defense and might was similar to a Low-Level King Beast Stage Magical Beast, not to mention that his black lightning inside his dantian could hinder the purple lightning from causing any damage if it entered his body.

Nadia didn't even need to worry about these lightning strikes as she could easily deflect them with a wave of her hand. Even if it fell on her body, it would fail to do anything other than leaving a trace. Her prowess was seen even in the Lighting Sea.

"Sophie... I wanted to ask, but why are there no pursuers who came looking for you...?" Davis suddenly asked.

"Ah... After you had entered seclusion, I finally said that I was with you and your protector after my grandfather asked if I was safe, and then only was he rest assured..." Sophie uttered as her eyes possessed hints of avoidance.

"Mhm... I see..." Davis smiled before he continued to move forwards.

Sophie followed suit, but there was a hint of nervousness.

Her grandfather, Grand Elder Krax Alstreim, actually told her to use this chance to seduce him!

However, what was there to seduce when they had already confirmed their relationship?

When she finally responded to their constant calls through her messaging talisman, she had only said that she had been saved and was with Alchemist Davis. She didn't mention anything about them becoming closer, even now.

Instead, she was afraid that Davis would misunderstand her love for him with something she had done for merely fulfilling her grandfather's command.

"But seeing as there was no one who bothered to come or contact me..." Davis turned to look at Sophie, "I guess they really are desperate for me to take a woman from the Alstreim Family."

Sophie's eyes widened, "I... I, I did no-"

"I know, Sophie..." Davis sighed before he smiled, "I'm happy that they didn't send anyone so I can have you all to myself."

"But I really didn't follow my grandfather's words but followed my heart-"

"..."

Sophie became taken aback, belatedly noticing that Davis said something else than what she expected.

"What did you say?"

Davis reached out his hand, "I said I am happy to have you all to myself."

Sophie's heart shook as she looked at his smile, her hand subconsciously reaching out to his hand to grasp.

Davis carried on moving forward as he held her hand while Sophie hovered in the air beside him, feeling like crying all of a sudden as her eyes turned moist.

"I watched you more than you think and grew to like your natural character. Don't feel disheartened that your grandfather asked something like that of you. Even without it, you still managed to make me fall for you..."

Davis looked at her, "No?"

Tears ran down her eyes, her purple eyes glistening under the moonlight visible between the dark purple clouds.

Davis's lips widened into a contentful smile as he saw the yellow spots on her Karma Thread vanish. Her Karma Thread that connected to him was now filled with thick red-love, causing him to lay a worry down from his shoulders.

"The knot in your heart... it has become undone..."

"Mhm..."

Sophie tightened her grasp as she held him. The words he said had completely made her aware that there was no room for misunderstanding anymore. Her worries were laid to rest as she happily held his relatively big hand, feeling safe and satisfied with a wide smile on her face.

On the other hand, Davis inwardly heaved a sigh and was convinced that she finally had her worries taken away.

Back when she first came out of her room in the wooden house before the left, he was momentarily taken aback by the yellow spots of worry and anxiety present on her mostly red Karma Thread. Yes, he had invoked Karma Laws and viewed her Karma Thread that was connected to him.

To resolve the yellow spots, he had reassured her that their relationship was one of intimacy and love by cuddling and sharing deep kisses with her but still seeing the yellow spots remain had him worried.

However, without knowing what the cause was, he couldn't do anything, but after asking her what her grandfather could've informed her with their previous behavior, he thought about it before managing to find the problem.

Truly, the elders were number one at causing headaches for the young ones.