Chapter 156: Praise Was the Real Trap
A month before the Sword Tomb opened, Damian finally stepped out of his cultivation room.
For the past few weeks, he had actually cultivated seriously.
Of course, he had not done it purely by himself.
He had used all kinds of pills and a little Enlightenment Tea as support.
Naturally, he still went out every Sunday for gifting day, but unfortunately, for some unknown reason, Linsey, Helena, Cynthia, and Evelyn had not appeared again after that day.
Damian had searched the inner disciple area several times, but those four treasure chests had completely vanished.
In the end, he could only sigh. "Damn. Did those four beauties run away with my gifts?"
Of course, he did not really think that.
After all, they had already given him critical rewards.
Even so, Damian was still Damian.
If the high-multiplier treasure chests were missing, he could only use whatever was available.
During the past few Sundays, he gave Vulkara several useful blacksmithing resources and gifted a few lower-multiplier female disciples as well.
The rewards were not as explosive as Akane, Raika, or Vulkara’s rewards, but they were still useful.
He had gathered quite a lot of Noble Grade pills, Noble Grade talismans, and a few decent formulas.
As for Profound Grade items, Damian had mostly stopped caring about them.
His standards had already risen too much.
Most Profound Grade items were no longer very exciting to him, so he simply gave them away whenever they seemed useful.
That also helped raise his reputation even further. By now, he did not even need to flirt as hard as before when giving gifts.
Many female disciples already knew that Damian was a shameless pervert, but they also knew he was a shameless pervert who gave real treasures.
That difference was important.
His beast, the [Iron Drake], had grown rapidly.
When Damian first received it, the little thing was only a Top-Rank Profound Grade beast.
Now, after being fed plenty of spiritual metals, ores, and whatever else Damian could throw into its mouth, it had already advanced into a Low-Rank Noble Grade beast.
Its combat strength was now comparable to a Second Stage Golden Core Realm cultivator.
At this point, the [Iron Drake] was no longer just a cute little metal lizard.
It was a real combat beast.
Damian gently rubbed the [Iron Drake]’s iron-scaled head as it slept lazily on his thigh.
"Good. With you around, at least I have a chance to fight a Golden Core Realm cultivator without immediately becoming a corpse."
The little drake lazily opened one eye, snorted, and went back to sleep.
Damian’s mouth twitched. "Even my beast is lazy. Good. Very loyal to my style."
He opened his status screen and looked at the words he had been waiting for.
Peak Foundation Establishment Realm.
Today was exactly one month before the Sword Tomb opened.
It was also the deadline Selvara had given him.
If he had failed to reach the Peak Foundation Establishment Realm by today, his future would have been extremely unfortunate.
Damian shuddered just thinking about Selvara’s gentle smile. "Thankfully, this handsome disciple survived."
He adjusted his robe, opened the door, and walked outside with a proud expression. "Master, your hardworking disciple has come to report."
---
Damian walked out of his cultivation room with a proud smile.
Selvara was already standing outside, quietly waiting for him with her hands behind her back.
The moment she looked at him, her eyes swept over his body once.
For once, Selvara did not immediately insult him.
She gave a small nod. "Good. As expected of my disciple."
Damian froze.
A second later, his eyes widened. "Master... did you just praise me?"
Selvara looked at him calmly. "Do you want me to take it back?"
Damian immediately straightened his back. "No, no. Your disciple humbly accepts Master’s rare praise."
Selvara ignored his shameless smile. "Since you reached the deadline, I will give you another mission."
Damian blinked. "Mission?"
Selvara nodded. "Go hunt a Golden Core cultivator."
Damian’s smile froze.
For a moment, he could only stare at her. "Master... did I hear that wrong?"
Selvara shook her head. "No."
Damian slowly pointed at himself. "You want me, a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, to hunt a Golden Core cultivator?"
Selvara nodded. "Yes."
Damian’s mouth twitched. "Master, are you finally tired of me?"
Selvara’s eyes narrowed. "If I wanted you dead, I would not need a mission."
Damian immediately coughed. "Fair point."
Selvara’s voice remained calm. "Your enemy in the Sword Tomb will be Nolan. He is already at the First Stage Golden Core Realm."
Damian’s expression slowly became more serious.
Selvara continued, "If you cannot understand how a Golden Core cultivator fights before entering the Sword Tomb, you will suffer."
Damian rubbed his chin. "That does make sense."
Selvara looked at him coldly. "Also, do not think I don’t know about your beast."
Damian froze.
Selvara’s gaze became sharper. "That drake inside you already has at least Golden Core level strength."
Damian’s smile became awkward. "Master, your eyes are really good."
Selvara ignored the flattery. "With that beast, you will not be completely defenseless. This mission is training, not suicide."
Damian sighed, finally realizing there was no escaping this. "Fine, fine. Your disciple will go hunt a Golden Core cultivator."
Selvara nodded. "Good. Go to the Mission Hall. I already accepted the mission for you."
Damian stared at her. "You already accepted it?"
Selvara nodded. "Yes."
Damian’s mouth twitched again. "So my opinion never mattered from the start."
Selvara looked at him. "Do you have a problem?"
Damian immediately smiled righteously. "Of course not. Master’s arrangement is wise, loving, and terrifyingly thoughtful."
Selvara turned away. "Go."
Damian cupped his hands and sighed. "Yes, Master."
With that, he left the mountain peak and headed toward the Mission Hall.
His expression looked calm.
Inside, however, he was already cursing.
"Damn it. I just finished cultivating, and now I have to fight a Golden Core cultivator."
Damian sighed deeply.
"Being a talented and handsome guy is really hard."
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