"Only one week until the trial, heh," Lou said.

Dante looked at his youngest sister, still sleepy. In the last few weeks, he was going to bed late at night. To help his clan, he would do whatever it took, no matter what the consequences.

"Yes, Sister. Just one more night with your sweet company," Dante replied.

The young cultivator walked to the small training room of his clan. With each step, the wood creaked, threatening to collapse. They had long since lacked the money to do the necessary maintenance, so Dante needed to walk slowly. He didn't want to wake his grandparents.

Dante did not blame his family for the lack of resources. More and more, the path of martial arts was prohibitive. He understood that his family did not want to submit themselves to the jobs of those who did not possess a Monster Core. It was shameful for a cultivator to labor with those unable to use Qi.

As he closed the door, he gazed into the small wooden room and sighed. For himself, Dante could use the excuse that his clan didn't have enough resources. But to the world outside, it didn't matter. Only one thing would matter on the big day. The result. Dante would have to give it his all and pray that it was enough.

So, day after day, he practiced. With no pills to purify his Qi, he knew that he often ended up training his physique more than his core. But, a player needed to play with the cards on the table.

"Are you there, Dante?"

Turning away, the young cultivator observed Lou opening the door that led to the training room. His younger sister was rebellious and loud, but very attached to Dante. Unlike the other family members, she had not yet received a Monster Core, and therefore did not yet have to work as hard as the others.

"What happened? Are you afraid?" Dante asked. He appreciated his sister's company, but he couldn't afford to lose focus. Every second could be vital to his approval.

"I'm just scared, that's all. Do you know when you'll be back if you pass the test? Do they have some kind of vacation there?" the girl asked, her eyes watering.

Dante sighed. More than anyone, it frustrated him that he didn't know how to answer his sister's questions. "I don't know, Lou. If I pass, you'll be the first person I will tell. Don't worry."

The girl agreed with her head, a little more relieved. Soon after, she left the training room, leaving her brother some hot tea.

Dante thanked his sister and returned to training. There was no time to lose.

Practicing the same routine every night, the sequence was almost automatic for the young cultivator. First, in a meditation position, Dante internalized his focus, aiming solely at his core. Forcing Qi to flow through his meridians, he then focused on the flow of energy for a few seconds.

When he could already feel his body temperature rising because of the Qi, he practiced the punching sequence he had known since childhood.

After training for a few hours, Dante laid on the ground, exhausted. He had advanced to Silver recently, so he had little Qi left after the training session. It would have to be enough on the big day.

As he stared at the ceiling, counting the holes in the tiles, he couldn't help but wonder how his life would change if he finally became a Slayer. He knew his parents were not totally in favor of his decision to go take the test. To them, Dante should stay at home and help the clan.

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But he knew the truth. Staying home and helping the clan would only postpone the inevitable. Dante's clan couldn't afford the resources to sponsor its cultivators, and didn't have enough strong cultivators to get more resources. It was an endless cycle of misery.

Should he pass the trial, it would solve everything. He would finally have the resources to take care of those he loved. The question was not whether he would pass. For Dante, approval was a necessity.

Dante pulled some medicine from his pocket. He had invested all his savings in some weak purification pills. At least on the day of the trial, he would give it his all. There would be no middle ground.

Overcome with thirst, he sipped the tea his sister had left there. The cultivator's eyes widened in surprise when he felt his Qi reacting to the drink. Dante took his eyes to the tea, and found the reason.

"That child!" he said into the void. Lou had put into the tea some purification herbs, the same ones that Dante had bought. He couldn't even imagine where she had gotten money for such a thing.

After practicing another round of exercises–thanks to his sister–Dante closed the training room and went to the shower.

When he stepped into the tub of scalding water, he felt his channels reacting to the high temperature. Feeling his energy stirring in his core, he smiled. Dante was understanding better how the flow of Qi worked. Qi, once spent, could be recovered over time. But in order for the cultivator to reach new limits, or recover the energy more quickly, it was necessary to use some material that produced the right element of Qi.

Since Dante's clan used fire Qi, a scalding bath would make him more rejuvenated than usual. Of course, he didn't have access to strong enough sacred materials to make a big difference in his cultivation. But at least it was comfortable.

After a few minutes, he left and headed toward his room. He entered the room carefully, so as not to wake his other brother. Skal must have been exhausted after another day of work in the family forge. As Dante was getting ready for bed, he found a sealed scroll on his workbench. Dante's bench was his greatest source of pride until then. He worked in his spare time as a cleaner for some of the other wealthier clans, and managed to pick up a few scrolls to study while working.

What made Dante feel more guilty about abandoning his family–albeit for the greater good–was that his pay was among the highest in the clan. His monthly earnings would make a difference. Just one more reason failure was not an option.

Dante tried to open the sealed card in front of him. When the seal did not yield with the force of his hand alone, he channeled his Qi. It didn't take long for the seal to open. Surely this was the work of his family.

When he took the scroll and read, the cultivator's hands trembled.

Dear Dante, hello. On behalf of everyone in your family, I write this letter with our sincerest intentions. Don't worry, everyone in the family is here. We kept Skal awake for a period, and Lou is–for the moment–seated.

We know that the last few days have not been easy for you. Training late at night, getting little sleep. Still, you never stopped helping us in the forge, like the dedicated young man you always were. It would be selfish of us to ask you again to give up. I know what you will think, that we are fools to live only on what we need for basic needs, without luxury. The problem, my boy, is that for us, having the guarantee of a life with little money is better than risking everything for a chance to succeed. We can't risk you, Dante. You and your brothers are all we have.

At this point, Dante was trying unsuccessfully not to wet the sheet of parchment he was holding between his hands. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

So, let's be a little selfish and insist that you accept two things. The first is our sincerest good luck. You can be sure that in the absence of resources, there is plenty of cheering for you to succeed.

The second thing, which you will probably try to refuse immediately, is what is inside the box. You know that if things don't work out, my boy, you'll always have a home with us. It may be humble and with few cultivation materials, but you will always be our Dante.

Sincerely, Mama, on behalf of all the others.

Below his mother's signature, Dante could see the signature of his whole family. Even his grandmother, who barely got out of bed, signed there.

Dante struggled to get ready for bed. For some mysterious reason, the tears kept coming out of his eyes.

In a last meditation session, Dante put the gift he had just received in front of him. Potent purification pills, for him to ingest during the week and to be in his best condition during the trial.

For the last time in that house, Dante got ready for bed. Tomorrow he would leave, for the place where the trial would be held was far away.

For him, there was no other possibility.

Dante would do his best, and his best had to be good enough.