As expected, Dante woke up when the first rays of sunlight invaded his room. This time, he was prepared when Sabrina came knocking on his door. Together they went downstairs to have their first meal of the day, and then they went to slay some monsters.

This day and the following ones passed with a certain similarity. Dante and Sabrina hunted from morning until early afternoon, and then Dante would immediately cultivate.

So that neither Dante nor Sabrina's development would be impaired, they agreed that each would choose the place where they would go after the monsters every day.

While Dante prioritized different types, so that he could quickly develop his core, Sabrina opted for places with as many monsters as possible.

In all their time together, Dante would still have to see something that could be a challenge to her. Even D-class monsters were quickly slaughtered by the seemingly endless shadow hands.

On the tenth day of the cycle, Dante and Sabrina stopped in the foyer to look at the point ranking.

"I'm doing better than I thought," Dante said, seeing that he was in position 162, with 950 points.

Sabrina had climbed voraciously, and now occupied rank 8, with an impressive 4100 points.

"I think you are very well placed. You have to take into consideration that your focus is not on points, but on rapidly evolving your cultivation. When the time comes to reap the rewards, I'm sure it will be great."

"Speaking of which, how is your cultivation going? A while ago you said you weren't far short of gold."

As if Dante had spoken in the devil for devout Catholics, Sabrina quickly looked out over the lakes, grabbed Dante by the sleeve of his T-shirt, and went to a corner where there was no one.

"Since we killed those two, I've caught people overhearing us several times. I think we should talk about these matters only in private, just in case," Sabrina said.

"I know a place we can go," Dante said thoughtfully. Although he could not take her to his special room, he judged that the mere corridors of that area would be safer than anywhere else he would have access at that time.

On the way, Dante managed to draw a few sighs from Sabrina. She, like him, marveled at the grandeur of the rooms and corridors they passed.

When they arrived near the point where Dante's special room was located, he spoke up.

"It should be safe enough here. The room I train in is usually nearby, but I'm afraid you can't go there yet," Dante said with a look of disappointment. Isaac had not yet given him permission to bring other people with him.

Nodding her head, Sabrina said, "So, here's the deal. With a few more points I can buy a sacred treasure powerful enough to serve as the basis for my ascend. However, combat with monsters is still beneficial for my cultivation. Although much less than you, cultivators evolve much more easily when combat is involved, even more so against monsters. The only downside is that it's been a while since anything really challenged me, so when I want to ascend, I'll probably need to look for some slightly stronger monster."

Dante felt guilty that he couldn't help Sabrina. He would give her the monster essences if it would help her, but they were his only source of points, and he was already behind enough.

"How much longer do you think it will take?"

"I think another three weeks or so," Sabrina said, determination permeating her voice.

Thoughtfully, Dante led Sabrina to the exit and they said their goodbyes. It was time for him to cultivate again.

He thought about suggesting that they just go to the place that was most favorable to her, but he couldn't afford it. In these 10 days he had passed from Silver IV to V, but it was easy to notice that the speed of his progress was slowing down, just as Isaac had said it would.

The day before, Dante had finally managed to stabilize his core, forming a pure base of solar fire Qi. He could already tell the difference. The circulation of his Qi was much more fluid.

As he walked through the door of the training room, he knew that today he would begin to really study the paths that Isaac had indicated. It was time for him to choose which one to follow.

The environment that awaited him was anything but usual. The density of fire Qi, which had been increasing according to Dante's progression, was non-existent. Darkness seemed to engulf him.

He only did not despair because he could feel, at the end of the hall, Isaac's Qi. The master was certainly hiding the true strength of his Qi, but there was something about him that brought a different feeling to Dante.

It was as if all the other Qis that Dante had felt in his life were an imperfect surface. Some resembled cracks, while others seemed to have some dirt on them. Either way, they were incomplete.

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In Isaac's Qi Dante could not identify any of these defects. It was as if he was looking at a pristine crystal, whose mere existence defied the standards of other cultivators. He wondered if one day he would discover how strong Isaac really was.

Forcing himself to remember the opportunity in front of him, Dante didn't flinch in the face of the darkness that plagued him. Circulating the Qi in his body at full throttle, he felt when his skin began to emit a faintly glowing light, which was enough to illuminate his surroundings.

As Dante walked, however, the torches were lit, as if his step made some device trigger them.

Passing the wooden arena in which they normally cultivated, he continued forward to where he felt the Qi flawless.

Normally, every night that Dante arrived in the room Isaac was immersed in his cultivation. He was always attentive, directing his immediate attention to Dante, but he knew that the master also cultivated whenever he could.

Today, things were different. Isaac stood just like the shadows that had hovered in the room earlier. Immobile, menacing. If it were anyone else, Dante would be certain that his death was near.

Not knowing what to say, he decided to break the silence. "Hello, master."

A simple sentence reflected how comfortable Dante was with the present situation.

"Hello, Dante. Have a seat." Isaac then held out his hand, which promptly drew the five tables from Dante's pockets.

"I see you've managed to get a superficial look at all of them. Very well. The ceremony of choosing a path is usually done within the family, as you well know."

Dante remembered with a certain nostalgia his first ceremony, when he had access to the secrets of his clan. Of course, all that was now outdated, so the old techniques would hardly match his new type of Qi. Dante suspected, too, that his physique would be far superior to that of his clan members, so that using his old way would be an extremely ineffective method.

"Now, you must tell me what your choice is. Ideally, I would like to give you more time, but I fear that the longer we delay with this question, the more delayed your progress will become." Isaac was being meticulous to make sure that his feelings did not show in his voice. This ceremony was stirring up long-dormant feelings.

He and Melissa. He choosing the path of explosion, of eruption. He was always uncontrollable, unpredictable.

She, choosing the path of the sky, of the air. Freedom was always the thing she most prized for. Feeling the wind hitting his face reminded him of what should not be remembered. It was painful to force yourself to forget the one you loved. The problem was that, from the right point of view, everything reminds you of someone else.

Locking the inexperienced sensations in their proper place - deep in his mind - Isaac concentrated on what he was about to do. He couldn't lie, Dante wasn't the most talented of his pupils, not by a long shot, but he was certainly the hardest working.

The boy showed up every day, punctually, at the time Isaac told him to. He could clearly see the daily results in the Dante's body, who followed instructions like clockwork.

He hoped that the boy would make the right decision there. Not that there was a path that was clearly superior to the others, for there was not. Everyone had his or her strengths and weaknesses. However, he couldn't help but hope that the boy would see beyond, go deeper.

This was the kind of thing that could not be taught. The path to the peak was arduous. Isaac knew this better than anyone. Dante would have to learn to make the right decisions.

After sorting out his thoughts, Dante took a deep breath and decided to base his decision on it. He knew the weight it would carry in the long run.

"The first, refraction path, focuses on focusing light, prioritizing long distance attacks. The second, path of wildfire, focuses on amplifying the power of all-consuming flames. The third, path of hydra, focuses on self-renegeration. The fourth, path of the volcano, focuses on body strengthening through Qi, focused on close-range combat. The fifth and last, path of the solar lion, focuses on a mix of fire and light, similar to mine."

If Isaac possessed less self-control, he was sure that a cold sweat would be pouring from his forehead. In fact, he didn't know whether it was self-control or his aura that would be able to dry the sea that was helping him at this moment.

"I know the paths, Dante. If you have any questions about any of the five, now is the time to ask. I stress that all five options are perfectly viable, and none would impede your advancement in the long run."

"It's strange, you know. Two weeks ago, I came here convinced that I would be a gold at most, and that only with a lot of luck and years of trying. I don't even know if, deep down, I had any real chance of passing the test to become a disciple. But through a narrow gap, I managed to pass. When I learned that I would have to leave my old path behind, I wasn't even that worried, because I knew it would hold me back in the future.

Isaac let Dante organize his thoughts in the moments of silence that intervened between the boy's speeches. It was the least he could do.

"Then everything happened so fast. I evolved so much that first day, and after you handed me the five paths, I saw the movements in all of them every day before bed. The first day, I thought the choice was obvious. Each of the tablets contained a path that seemed objectively better for me than the previous one."

Isaac could see Dante's eyes holding back a few tears. He again had to force himself to remember that this was important, that this growth would be indispensable to the boy.

"I don't think I ever slept happier than that first day, you know. After evolving quickly, seeing which techniques were within my reach. It was as if I finally had a chance to go further. It was only on the fourth day that the feeling of elation disappeared, and I could analyze the paths more objectively. After thinking for a long time, I came to the conclusion that the order was totally reversed."

Dante held out his two hands in front of him, palms up. In one, he invoked his Qi, trying to concentrate on the light side. In another, he invoked something more reminiscent of a flame, on the fire side.

"I realized that although the hydra, volcano and lion path presented techniques that seemed more powerful, they were not fully compatible with me. They were not who I really am."

Extinguishing the two sources of Qi, he quickly rose from the ground, boiling Qi escaping his body.

"I think, master, I won't follow either of those paths. I will not restrict my powers to the molds of another body. If you can, master, I would like some help. I honestly have no idea where to start."

Before he could tell himself, Isaac reached out his hand, so that he placed it in Dante's hair. Despite the non-existent height difference, it was as if he was comforting someone metaphorically much smaller.

"It will be my pleasure, boy."

Letting out a slight smile, Isaac turned and said, "Now, into the platform. No time to waste."

The fucking boy really did it. Sure, Isaac could have said from the beginning that those ways were useful mainly as a foundation for Dante's traits, but certain things could not be taught.

Certain things could only be learned.