With only one hand pointing at Dante, Isaac ordered his Qi to take over the room.

Dante immediately felt the atmosphere boil. It was not a simple heat, generated by Qi, but enough heat to make the water in the air evaporate. It was as if he were in a sauna, but instead of coals there were martial treasures.

Startled, he felt it as his skin began to burn. At first, he felt his Qi overcoming the burn, immediately regenerating the first layer of burned cells.

That didn't last long.

"Focus! Feel the Qi, absorb the Qi! Take your core to the limit, and go beyond," Isaac said, as he commanded the situation. It was like a conductor playing a symphony, only that the symphony was capable of killing any citizen who lent himself to putting on a suit and going to a fancy theater.

They say that if the burn is serious enough, there is no more pain. This is supposed to happen when the nerve endings buried in the skin are also burned. What nobody says, however, is that the pain comes back later when the burn starts to reach the muscles and bones. And it doesn't come back happy.

Dante didn't know if he was screaming. All he was doing at that moment was absorbing Qi. He could feel his dantian region burning. He didn't even need to access his core to perceive the flow of energy. All he had to do was feel it.

After some time in that state of agony, he seemed to find a balance.

He spoke too soon.

Over the next few hours, when his body could cope with the widespread destruction, Isaac would adjust the potency of his Qi.

When the Qi ceased, Dante fell to the ground, his body looking like a caste. Absorbing some Qi so that he could at least stand upright, his skin was on fire.

Looking at his body, he made sure that everything was decently regenerated.

"It's called phantom pain. Don't worry, it will pass with time," Isaac spoke, as he tossed the boy a pill. "You will ingest one of these every day. It's called sunrise. It's a pill that carries a high concentration of light Qi. Even though it's not the main purpose of the exercise, you will end up absorbing a lot of fire Qi, so it's important that you absorb some light to maintain balance."

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Dante looked at the pill, which seemed to be composed of a jelly substance that glowed faintly. Ingesting it, he immediately felt the difference in his body.

His Qi clung thirstily to the pill. While consuming it, Dante wasted no time. Despite the pain he still felt, he postured himself in Lotus position and cultivated.

"I have affectionately nicknamed this idea 'goodnight hell'. Every night you will experience the same thing. I will increase the potency as I see fit. This will not get you through stages, this you will need to do on your own, but it will leave you with a physique, I suspect, that will make it all worthwhile."

As he cultivated, Dante could already see the difference in his Qi. The junction of light and fire was coming together, forming a glowing core. The Qi passing through his meridians was no longer the same as it was a short time ago. If the expression advancing by leaps and bounds did justice to anything, this was it.

Advancing his Qi, he concentrated on his core. The membrane covering the energy could no longer contain so much power.

"Not yet!" said Isaac, as he placed a finger on Dante's forehead and pushed, bringing him out of his meditative state.

"So far, you have moved forward in a relapsing way. I allowed it, because your core was still too green for us to do that. But now it's time to make sure your base allows you to ascend without major problems. You have the chance to have a physique that all cultivators would die for, Dante. Don't waste it."

"Sorry, master. It's just... I don't really know how to do it, you know... so far I've done everything kind of instinctively. Let's do it this way, I'll leave it to advance to the next realms with you, is that okay?"

Isaac nodded, making his approval clear. "Perfect. And don't despair in case you don't move up to gold fast. A solid foundation is what makes cultivators from different realms able to fight on equal terms. A month from now, there won't be a gold in this school that can underestimate you."

Letting himself smile for the first time in the night, Dante closed his eyes. When Isaac spoke for a month ahead, Dante thought about what he had been through. One month, from today's perspective. Who knew what would happen?

Coming to his frightened senses, he looked at the wall where a clock stood. His astonishment was justified when he saw the time. He was seriously late for the next day.

He quickly got up, putting on his costume and preparing to leave. "Sorry, master, I'm late. I have to go."

"Wait, Dante. One of the benefits of this training of ours is that you will need far less sleep than you normally do. We are nothing less than forcing a natural cycle in your body with enough Qi to move a mountain. In the meantime, make it a point to eat well. I have a feeling your hunger will charge with interest."

Agreeing with his head, he headed toward the exit.

Stopping to think about it, it was strange that he didn't feel tired. Sure, his body was still processing sizeable Qi, and he was mentally tired. But he wasn't the typical sleepy sleep of those who bore the dawn.

In any case, he set off for the lobby in an accelerated manner. It wouldn't be long before the announcement would happen.