historical

Reva was actually already prepared with a gift to give to Damien. But on second thought, when she learned about his interest in entering the Gateway of the Gods, she decided to give him something else.

At the same time, she also felt satisfied seeing his reaction though she knew Damien was simply playing along.

The longer she spent time with Damien, the more she found that it was relaxing to be with him and forget about all the unnecessary things for a while.

Seeing his charming smile, she would feel her day getting brightened up as well. Now, she wanted to genuinely know more about this mysterious man before her who had a strange aura around him.

Sometimes he acted happy, sometimes mischievous, and sometimes solemn as if he had already endured enough sufferings in his life, thus appearing even more mature than his age.

His eyes always looked like it was seeking something and his actions seemed as if he was racing against time, especially when he showed no hesitation at all to express interest in entering the Gateway of the Gods even after knowing the survival rate.

She wondered why a genius like him would have to even risk so much just to have a chance at increasing his cultivation or finding treasures that one may not even necessarily come upon.

And no one can even tell if the world on the other end of the gateway would still stay the same as the one before. What if it becomes even more dangerous? What if there are no more treasures? Or what if one can't even cultivate in peace there?

She knew Damien already thought about all these questions and factors. But still, if he didn't mind it all, then either it would mean he was the crazy type of doing anything and taking all kinds of risks just to increase his power quickly, or he had no choice but to become powerful fast.

Reva had no idea which case it was. But one thing she knew was that Damien was no idiot and not the type to jump into things without careful thought.

She was sure an extraordinary genius like him could in fact, take things easy compared to other practitioners. Considering his growth, she had no doubt he would grow up into a terrifying powerhouse that could shake the whole continent with just his name.

In fact, in her perspective, Damien would surely surpass even her father in the future though she had no idea how much time it would take.

There were cases where some practitioners broke through fast in the lower realms of cultivation. But as they cultivated to higher realms, some faced bottlenecks that they could never breakthrough due to many factors, including geniuses.

Unlike the lower cultivation realms, breaking through to the upper cultivation realms was dependent on many factors like talent, potential, comprehension of laws, and understanding of The Ethereal Way.

But she was worried whether he would be fine after entering the gateway. She wondered if she was feeling worried because she needed him or because it was something else.

"Reva, you are entering the gateway as well, right?"

Damien's voice broke her away from her thoughts as her gaze focused, "I am not sure. I do want to go, but I don't know if the risk is worth it," Reva said with a contemplative expression.

Damien looked directly in her eye and said, "Don't worry. If you enter together with me, I can protect you,"

Seeing the sense of calm and ease in his tone, Reva for a moment believed that he was really capable enough to protect her.

She then slightly shook her head as she said in a casual tone, "I haven't grown so weak to require protection from my disciple."

Damien chuckled, "You don't have to feel embarrassed about it. Who said me protecting you meant you are weak? You can protect me as well. An equal partnership, you might call it," He said with a wink.

"You!" Reva didn't know what to say about his cheeky attitude. In the end, she felt like he wanted her to join him to enjoy her protection.

She had never seen a man demanding protection from a girl, especially when that man was a genius and had good enough status in the whole empire. Usually, such men would act chivalrous and brave before women in hopes of impressing them to the point that they would give false promises to fool the girl.

But Damien not only appeared chivalrous but, at the same time, the exact opposite as well, to the point that she felt her head muddled thinking about it.

Still, somewhere in her mind, she felt as if he wasn't joking.

However, even though Damien's words sounded casual, he meant what he said. After all, his real prowess does not include only his cultivation. Why couldn't he protect Reva when he had an undead creature stronger than her as his slave?

Still, thinking about the gateway, Damien felt that he would have to go hunting for a Heaven Ethereal Realm beast since he wanted to be more prepared and have a good backup once he enters the gateway.

A Peak Level Sky Ethereal Realm beast indeed was incomparable to a Heaven Ethereal Realm beast. But the problem was how was he going to kill one?

He thought about the Forsaken people and wondered if he could use their help to kill one. He didn't want a Low-Level Heaven Ethereal Realm beast but stronger.

He knew most wouldn't even dream about killing one even if they were one or two levels stronger than a Heaven Ethereal Realm beast since ethereal beasts inherently had higher combat prowess.

But he knew the Forsaken might demand something from him as well if he was going to ask for such a big favor. However, that was food for thought, and he decided to think about it later since he still had time.

Reva's brows drew closer as she asked, "And even if we agreed on such a partnership, do you think we all will be arriving at the same place once we enter the gateway?"

Damien's mouth turned into an 'O' shape as he realized that he didn't think about that fact yet. He simply assumed everyone would be arriving at the same place, considering it was just a simple teleportation portal.

Reva continued, "Our ancestors had said that they arrived at different places, but with the help of tracking talismans, they were able to find each other. But still, the tracking talismans only work till a certain range, after which it wouldn't work unless they come within range."

"Wouldn't that be more dangerous then? If everyone got separated, then it would be riskier to face the potential dangers out there," Damien questioned.

Reva nodded her head, "That's why it would be better not to venture deeper till everyone regroups. It's said that there aren't many dangers unless they venture too deep where there might be potential treasures and powerful ethereal beasts. My ancestors only met those dragons after they went in too deep. But even with such dangers, who would waste this once-in-a-lifetime chance? Following The Ethereal Way means one must follow arduous paths fraught with dangers to cultivate beyond their limits truly. "

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense. This sounds exciting and dangerous at the same time," Damien said with a hint of excitement in his tone, and then he looked at the sky becoming a bit darker than before, "Oh, it's getting late already. Let's continue with our alchemy discussion."

"Uhm...before that, I have something to ask," Reva said in a soft voice that seemed to melt Damien's ears as he never heard her speak so demurely.

With a curious expression, he leaned forwards with his arm on the table and asked, "What is it, teacher?"

Reva partially opened her mouth and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Tomorrow, can you teach me to cook a certain dish?" Her expression seemed calm without much change, but Damien could notice the mild bashfulness in her eyes.

"Is that all?" Damien asked in a surprised tone.

Reva slightly winced as she felt embarrassed, seeing how her request didn't even seem much to Damien while she had to muster up the courage to ask something like that from him. Even if she considered him as her friend, he was still her disciple officially.

And even if Damien taught her to cook a dish before, it was because of his own suggestion and not hers.

After he taught her to cook her favorite dish, she secretly would try to cook on her own and eat while immersing herself in her happy memories. It was a new habit that she formed recently because of Damien, and she became fond of that habit.

So, she couldn't help but feel like asking his help for the next best dish she wanted to learn.

"What did you think I was going to ask?" Reva asked in a mildly pettish tone.

"I thought you were going to confess to this committed man," Damien said with a wide grin.

"You! How shameless...I would never," Reva said in an aggrieved tone.

Damien slightly laughed, "Haha, relax...I am joking."

However, his lips slowly arched into a subtle smile as his eyes focused on her enchanting azure eyes, "But who knows...the future is never set."

Reva's gaze became blank, and before she could say anything, Damien already picked up one of the scrolls on the table and started talking about the medical formulas, making Reva smother her words and listen to him.

However, as she looked at him from the side, her mind was still fixed on what he just said before.