Dante and the slayer headed for an area of the castle that Dante had not yet passed. Although he had just been to the sapphire sect, he wondered how large the building was. Each new place visited surprised the disciple because of its size.

After passing through a few corridors, they came to a wide and ornate door. Inside the door were stairs, which led down to a descent lit by small crystals placed on the walls. After the stairs, the corridor expanded. To the front and to the sides, there were other doors that lead to large corridors. If it were not for the absence of windows, Dante would not realize that he was underground, such was the environment size.

"Come with me, please. Your destination is in the private areas," said Dante's escort, seeming to do so only out of duty, with no desire. The man clearly did not want to be there.

As they walked, Dante noticed the corridor passed through several individual rooms, which not only had their doors closed, but he also could feel some kind of Qi coming from the locks.

Noticing the curiosity on Dante's face, the slayer tried to help. "The use of these rooms can be bought for points. Each one of them has an environment rich in a type of Qi, in order to facilitate the user's cultivation."

Since the man seemed willing to tell Dante useful information, even if he had seemed uninterested before, the disciple decided to absorb all the information he could. It was becoming increasingly clear that a good dose of knowledge could be more valuable than any pill that promised miracles in cultivation. "In your opinion, are they a good expenditure of points? I haven't had a chance yet to see what we can spend them on."

"Like anything, it depends. I would say that having an environment rich in Qi is essential for those who want to become stronger, but many types of Qi are easily found in the surroundings of our academy. Take basic air Qi, for example. It would be enough for a cultivator to be outdoors for him to cultivate with some success. The halls would still be suitable for a breakthrough, however, because the Qi density is much stronger here."

"And regarding more specific Qi, can everyone really find a room that would suit them here... The idea that seems strange to me, because new types of Qi are found all the time, no?" Dante asked.

"Here at the sect academy, we have a variety of sacred materials that are, frankly, impressive. Because it's a fairly prestigious sub-sect, I highly doubt that you can't find materials suitable for many types of Qi. Disciples who don't find them readily will at most need to make a reservation."

Satisfied with the explanation, Dante continued the rest of the way in silence.

Curious, he tried to sense the different types of Qi as he walked down the corridor. Some he could, especially those that had some relation to fire. It was easier to sense and manipulate types of Qi more similar to that present in the core, after all.

"This is it. I need you to come closer, please. Even I'm not allowed to come here, normally," the slayer said, as they both came to a large door. Unlike the others, this one seemed to be completely impenetrable. Solid metal and large sapphire seals hung there.

Approaching, Dante placed his hand on a cell that was in the middle of the door. The sapphires on the door began to light up until the glow was too great to look at. Then, as if a puzzle was being solved, the door moved.

Once it was open, they walked some more. Again, Dante could not imagine how big this space was. They would have seen long ago that they had passed the protective boundary of the first floor.

"Here are the private areas for slayers. Some slayers who are helping the sub-sect here have an individual room. As well as some elders."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Since the man so far seemed friendly, Dante tried his luck. He was already sweating with nervousness, waiting to find out why he had been summoned to such a remote place. "Do you know who summoned me here?"

Dante became even more worried when he saw the man's expression. For the first time since seeing him, he found a mixture of concern and fear there.

"Kid, I can only go so far," the man said, stopping in the middle of a hallway. The lighting was much worse than in the first area, giving the room a gloomy look. "The room you need to go to is on the right," he said, showing Dante to a corridor whose end could not be seen.

The young cultivator headed toward the destination slowly, as if something was suddenly going to change. At this point, murder was no longer out of the question in the disciples' mind. He did not know what to expect.

Dante wondered if all this was related to the strange changes in his Qi. After his last trip to the infirmary, his favorite theory was that he had been given a precious pill, given his speed of recovery. Or, even worse, someone might have found out the shadowy terms of his approval.

This thought haunted him even more. Death would be a worthy end, while expulsion would be the absolute shame in the face of his family.

When he reached the door, Dante found it locked. Looking carefully, he saw that there was a small gap similar to the magic lock used on the door leading to the private area.

Placing his hand there, he observed the same thing as before. A sapphire seemed to be energized, and then it opened bit by bit.

Upon entering, Dante encountered an eerie darkness. There are very few places where there is no light at all. Even in a room with the curtains closed, bright rays always enter the room somehow. Not knowing what to do, he felt every hair on his body shiver with a long, loud "click". The door had closed.

"Hello, is anyone there?" he said in front of absolute darkness.

Deciding not to risk walking in the dark, he decided to wait.

In the distance, he heard some noises. The sound made Dante's head creak, as if someone were scratching a chalkboard.

The sound grew louder and louder.

Suddenly, a blinding light appeared in front of Dante. Although he couldn't look directly at the source of the brightness, it was possible to get a good look at his surroundings. Once again defying physical limits, the room was enormous. Long, thick pillars were arranged on both sides, making it clear how tall the room was.

"Hello again, little one," said a voice Dante could never forget.

There, in front of everything, shone a sapphire. However, this time there was no stone with an aura of energy around it. There was a kind of monster that only the legends could do justice to. A dragon.

When Dante noticed it, he had fallen to the ground, in an almost sitting position. All his anticipation of this moment proved to be nothing in the face of the terror that the unknown brought. His entire progression was at risk.

Almost instinctively, he ordered his Qi to irrigate his entire body. The pain in his channels, still present, at that moment meant only a slight noise in the song of life.

The monster was smaller than Dante imagined. The word was that dragons consisted only of monster of the highest classes - the legendary A or S. Although his knowledge was probably inaccurate, since based only on old and incomplete texts, one thing was certain. The creature in front of him could kill Dante with just one look.

"Do not be afraid. I know our first meeting was a bit... traumatizing. But first, listen to what I have to say, and you should understand," said the dragon, without moving his mouth. The voice seemed to come from inside Dante's own head, as if they were communicating telepathically.

"Not to be afraid? You say that to me now? How can I not be afraid if I don't even know what the hell you did to me? Since then, my Qi is all weird. Every time I try to use my energy I feel a sharp pain," cried Dante, letting all his frustration show in his voice.

Although the boy recognized that his offensive power had increased, the absence of his old Qi also left an emotional vacuum. For hundreds of years his clan had utilized falcon cores, and during all this time the Qi of his family members had been the same, a burning fire.

"Straight to the point, then. Ah, the young, so hasty. They never get to see the big picture, the right questions," the dragon said, sounding as if he was almost disappointed.

With a dexterity disproportionate to its reptilian body, the dragon rose from the ground, levitating. Despite two large, shining wings, they did not move. The levitation was evidently magical. Qi' work.

Taking one of its hands in front of it, it opened it and there concentrated Qi. When Dante saw the Qi that was building up there, the fear he felt gave way to anger. That damn creature had been responsible for the changes in his body, after all!

It was time to clean up the whole situation.

For better or for worse.