Esmeralda suddenly laughed after hearing Damian’s words. "You really are interesting, Damian."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Interesting?"

Esmeralda nodded while resting her chin lightly on the back of her hand. "Yes. Very interesting."

Her emerald eyes looked at him carefully, as if she was trying to see through him. "Honestly, I don’t really care whether everything you said just now is the truth or not."

Damian leaned back slightly and crossed his arms. "Of course it’s the truth."

Esmeralda’s smile widened slightly. "Is that so?"

Damian grinned confidently. "Obviously. Don’t you see it?"

Esmeralda tilted her head slightly. "See what?"

Damian pointed at himself with his thumb. "I’ve made a huge leap in my cultivation realm recently. Isn’t that proof enough that I really changed?"

The moment he said that, Esmeralda’s eyes shifted slightly. Now that he had mentioned his cultivation, she finally focused properly on his aura, and it surprised her a little.

Damian’s cultivation was actually higher than she had expected, and not only that, his spiritual Qi felt unusually robust and stable.

It was not the weak and messy aura of someone who had forcefully raised his realm with pills.

Instead, his foundation felt firm, clean, and powerful, as if every step in his cultivation had been built properly.

For a moment, Esmeralda became genuinely surprised. "Oh? It seems the rumors really were outdated."

Damian smiled proudly. "Of course they were. People always remember the old version of someone for too long."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as her smile deepened. "I see. That’s good then."

Damian nodded, acting as if this was only natural. "Naturally."

At that moment, there was a light knock on the door.

Esmeralda glanced toward the door and spoke calmly. "Come in."

The door opened, and the attendant from before stepped inside respectfully while carrying several sealed boxes and jade slips. "Manager, the items have been prepared."

Esmeralda nodded. "Place them on the table."

The attendant carefully placed everything in front of Damian before lowering his head and stepping back.

Esmeralda turned toward Damian. "These are the basic alchemy books, several beginner experience records, and the Low-Rank Mortal Grade Body Nourishment Pill recipe."

Damian looked at the items with clear satisfaction.

Even though they were only beginner-level things, they were exactly what he needed right now.

After all, what he lacked was not talent anymore, but knowledge, practice, and experience. "Good."

Damian directly took out the spirit stones and paid without hesitation.

The attendant carefully received the payment, while Esmeralda calmly watched the transaction from the side.

After everything was settled, Damian stored the books and jade slips into his storage ring.

Then, instead of leaving immediately, he suddenly looked back at Esmeralda and smiled. "Right, Manager Esmeralda."

Esmeralda raised her eyebrow slightly. "Yes?"

Damian placed one hand inside his sleeve and spoke casually. "As you already heard from the rumors, I always gift beautiful women something when I meet them."

Esmeralda’s eyes curved slightly. "Oh? Are you planning to gift me something too?"

Damian smiled. "Of course."

Esmeralda looked amused. "Then I wonder what kind of gift Sir Damian wants to give me."

Damian didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he slowly took out a small red token from his storage ring and placed it on the table.

The moment the token appeared, Esmeralda’s expression changed slightly.

Although her reaction was subtle, Damian still noticed it.

The token was red, cold to the touch, and had a strange flame symbol carved onto its surface.

Esmeralda picked it up gently and looked at it for a moment before her emerald eyes narrowed. "This is..."

Damian smiled faintly. "A Great Flame Sect Outer Disciple Acceptance Token."

Esmeralda looked at Damian again, and this time, there was clear surprise in her eyes.

She had not expected Damian to casually take out something like this.

Although this token was useless to someone at her level, its value was still not low.

For rogue cultivators, poor cultivator families, or young talents without backing, this token could completely change their fate.

It represented a direct path into the Great Flame Sect.

Even if it only granted the status of an outer disciple, that was still a massive opportunity for many people.

Esmeralda placed the token back on the table and looked at Damian with slight confusion. "What is the meaning of this?"

Damian smiled calmly. "Nothing much."

Esmeralda raised an eyebrow. "Nothing much?"

Damian nodded. "I know you’re already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and this token is probably useless to you personally."

Then he leaned back slightly and continued, "But isn’t the Great Flame Sect also quite known for alchemy?"

Esmeralda’s gaze changed slightly.

Damian smiled. "Maybe you can use this token to buy the loyalty of a poor genius, or you can give it to a business partner as a gift for cooperation."

He waved his hand casually. "If not, then whatever you do with it is up to you. After all, this is just a gift."

For a moment, Esmeralda looked at Damian silently before slowly smiling. This time, it was not a business smile, but a genuine one. "I see." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

She picked up the red token again, her slender fingers lightly brushing over the flame symbol. "Then thank you for your gift, Sir Damian."

Damian smiled and nodded. "No need to thank me too much. I already said I like gifting beautiful women."

Esmeralda chuckled softly. "And here I thought you were only saying that for show."

Damian stood up and smiled. "I told you, I speak the truth."

Esmeralda looked at him with amusement. "Then I will remember that."

Damian cupped his hands slightly. "Then I’ll take my leave first, Manager Esmeralda."

Esmeralda nodded gracefully. "Safe travels, Sir Damian."

Damian smiled one last time before turning around and leaving the private room.

For a moment, the room became quiet again.

Esmeralda remained seated behind the table, silently looking at the red token in her hand.

Then, after a while, her lips slowly curved into a faint grin. "Interesting..."

Her eyes glimmered slightly as she leaned back in her chair. "A man with strange rumors, sudden cultivation growth, high-quality pills, and now even this kind of token..."

She lightly tapped the token against the table and grinned. "Damian, just what kind of person are you really? And what kind of secret are you hiding?"