Depthless Hunger

It wasn't possible to simply fly to the Pureflower sect's headquarters because a great magical formation would strike down anyone who tried to get close without permission. Instead Zae Zin Nim had sought their representatives, who were really more like outer sect members, and gone through several tests to determine whether they were worthy.

That journey took them far northeast, almost to the end of the Western Wilds, where the land gradually flowed into gentle mountains. Now as they soared in a Pureflower vessel they flew over gorgeous forested peaks that almost reminded her of home, though the elevations here were more extreme than in the Eastern Plains.

Finally she saw it: Pureflower Mountain speared upward, piercing the clouds and making all the mountains around it look like mere foothills. She had no idea how the lone mountain rose so high above the others, but it carried an awe-inspiring nobility around it. Exquisite white flowers and blossomed trees adorned the mountain and even seemed to bleed over into the hills around it, creating a clear bastion of beauty and purity.

"Looks kind of like a dick," Omilaena said.

"Omi!" Zae Zin Nim urgently gestured for her to hush while casting a nervous glance at the cultivator who was flying the vessel. "Don't say such things."

"You expect me to look at the giant phallic mountain thrusting up like that and not say something?"

Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "This is ridiculous. If you think every object that is longer in one dimension is phallic, that is your problem."

"Normally I'd say fair, but look." Omilaena reached out as if to cup the mountain's base. "Those two big hills at the bottom could be the balls, and the sect at the top is glistening lik-"

The vulgarity cut off when Zae Zin Nim covered the other woman's mouth, but she could feel her wife smirking behind her hand. She knew it had been done just to tease her, because Omilaena always did that. Even if Zae Zin Nim wasn't the biggest proponent of the Pureflower sect, speaking so crassly about it was absurd, especially since they needed to worry about causing offense.

It was a testament to the sect's beauty that as their ship soared higher, Zae Zin Nim managed to forget the crude imagery. There were several small villages - clean and well-maintained - wedged into the sides of the mountain, connected by carved steps shadowed by all the white flowers. Beyond them, the stone was a sheer cliff until the sect walls of pure white stone that crowned the top. This place was considered a paradise by many, both men and women... though for different reasons.

"This is as far as I can take you." The cultivator flew down to the base village and gave them both a deep bow. "New candidates must walk their way to the top of the mountain under their own power. No one will trouble you on the path upward."

They had landed on a relatively flat crag not far from the lowest steps up, so Zae Zin Nim headed in that direction. Once she wouldn't have spared a second thought for the village, but now she found herself looking back at it. All the men in the village were actually eunuchs, she realized, and she wondered how that came to be.

There had been a few eunuchs to serve her father's harem and Zae Zin Nim had never really focused on them. Now she realized that they had given up something important, likely not by choice. Surely the Pureflower sect wouldn't have done the same? Yet they didn't permit men to venture anywhere close to their sect headquarters, so there had to be some solution.

"This is ridiculous," Omilaena muttered under her breath. "How many steps are there? Is it going to be some big symbolic number like four thousand or something?"

"I think not quite that many." Zae Zin Nim peered upward, trying to follow the winding steps. "You have an impressive Physique, so this should not be difficult for you."

"Doesn't mean I want to climb up so many fucking steps..."

Truthfully, Zae Zin Nim was not particularly happy to have to walk up either, since flight was the proper mode of transportation for a cultivator. This final flight of stairs, however, had the air of a special sect ritual, so she was determined to do it properly. As the qi in the air grew denser with every step, she was sure that they would be examined or evaluated in some way.

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To her surprise, a woman descended down the side of the cliff. She wasn't riding on a flying sword but floated on the air as if she was a flower petal herself. True greater flight... perhaps not as fast as the Brightwind sect's technique, but far more graceful. The woman wore the spotless white robes of the Pureflower sect and a silver crown across her brow. She arrived with such gracious movements that Zae Zin Nim was left speechless and failed to even examine the woman's soul.

"Welcome to the Pureflower sect," the woman said in a melodious voice. "Ordinary candidates are required to walk up the stairs, but it is not every day that we have such exceptional volunteers. At the minimum, I hope you will enjoy our hospitality. Let us speak of your intentions as we ascend."

The beautiful cultivator extended a hand and flower petals floated from her, swirling into a platform of a sort. Omilaena watched it skeptically until Zae Zin Nim stepped off the side of the stairs. She was caught less by the flower petals than the qi, but it carried her smoothly skyward.

"Who do we have the honor of addressing?" Zae Zin Nim asked.

"My name is Kir Mei Bai, and I am one of the Goddesses of the Pureflower sect. We may welcome you as sister this day, but I must again ask about your intentions."

They glanced at one another, since they had been anticipating this moment. Zae Zin Nim didn't trust herself to lie smoothly, so she gave the slightest nod to Omilaena. The other woman started out uncomfortable floating on the qi, but then leaned back and slid one leg over another, apparently entirely at peace reclining in the sky. Only the slight tension in her arm near her waist betrayed that she was alert and ready to retaliate if attacked.

"As you can see," Omilaena said, "we are not ordinary disciple candidates. However, while we are visiting Cloudspire, we seek to associate with like-minded women, and we do require some resources. We hope that we can come to an arrangement that benefits us both."

"Perhaps we can," Kir Mei Bai said with a perfectly polished smile. "There is no doubt that our sect would be blessed by the inclusion of cultivators of your strength."

That comment finally made Zae Zin Nim focus again and she examined their host's soul as subtly and graciously as possible.

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Name: Kir Mei Bai

Total Power: 1146

Cultivation: Sky Soul (950)

Divine Yin (+100)

Physique Level: E-0 (80)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

>

Kir Mei Bai was a truly extraordinary cultivator, having reached the Sky Soul stage with 950 Power, very near the absolute maximum of 1000. She might not equal the strongest cultivators on Cloudspire, but her Divine Yin qi boosted her by a further 100. There was no question that anyone on the continent would consider her a pinnacle of womanhood.

And yet... Zae Zin Nim realized with a strange feeling that Omilaena was actually very nearly her equal. No wonder they had been treated with such deference when they arrived. Hopefully that meant they would be permitted entrance without any unnecessary hurdles.

As they ascended, Kir Mei Bai directed the conversation to smaller topics, such as the weather and the best varieties of silk. Omilaena's eyebrows twitched, which meant she was swallowing irritation, and Zae Zin Nim took over as she understood. This was meant to be idle conversation, one of the womanly arts, and she was much better suited to it than Omilaena. They spoke of everything and nothing as they ascended to the top of the mountain.

When they finally alighted in the pristine outer courtyard, Kir Mei Bai invited them inward with an elegant gesture.

"There is little doubt in my mind that you could be excellent representatives of the Pureflower sect," she told them. "However, we must uphold the highest standards in order to maintain our reputation. If you are willing to join us for a probationary period of no less than one month, you could join us. There is no question that you have the requisite strength and beauty, but our sect also requires moral character."

"We would be honored to accept your hospitality," Zae Zin Nim answered with a low bow.

"Then consider yourselves welcome." The Sky Soul smiled and then floated off to her own activities, leaving them to face a courtyard of sect members.

Jealousy had been ground into Zae Zin Nim from birth, so her first instinct was to bristle. The competition here was remarkably fierce: every single cultivator she saw had perfect jade-like skin, the maidens serving them were brimming with the flower of youth, and the few old women she saw were perfectly well-preserved, decades of elegance and grace producing few lines on their faces.

"Welcome!" Several of the cultivators greeted them as they swarmed around the new arrivals, trying to pull them inward. Zae Zin Nim hesitated on instinct, but when Omilaena brushed her arm she flowed along with the group. This was a familiar game, but she was an entirely different sort of player now.

"We'll get you fitted with robes immediately," one of the older women said, "but you also have to be ranked."

"Ranked?" Omilaena asked.

"We need to see your combat arts, of course, and test the purity of your qi. But we also rank every beauty within the sect, to inspire the younger cultivators. Don't worry, the whole process has been highly refined over generations, so just relax."

That made Zae Zin Nim the opposite of relaxed, but she let the group carry her along and into a great sect hall, which was exquisitely decorated with flower arrangements. Not a single fallen petal lay anywhere on the lush white carpets. Despite everything, Zae Zin Nim felt some of her tension drain away... luxury like this and no men in sight... perhaps this was how a female cultivator should live.

The atmosphere of feminine camaraderie seeped into her until, by the time they reached the end of the hallway, Zae Zin Nim wasn't even alarmed when she and Omilaena split up into separate dressing rooms. Only the elder sect members remained with her, gazing at her like stern aunties.

"Disrobe," the oldest of them ordered. "We'll fit you for new robes better than anything you've ever worn."

Being fitted for clothes was no trouble and the old women looked the opposite of lascivious, so Zae Zin Nim obeyed. Yet as they measured her, she found the tension creeping back into her body. They weren't simply measuring, they were clearly judging.

"You have truly flawless skin," one of them said. "That is more rare than you know. They say the prettiest girl in every little village has flawless skin, but this is the genuine article, as pure as jade."

"Bit of an unsightly blemish on the soul, though," another commented. "Legacy of a purification art?"

"That can be removed once she breaks the next barrier... we rarely see raw potential like this."

"Waist is good, but clearly too much in the chest." One of the old woman poked Zae Zin Nim and she barely restrained her yelp. "You might want to think about reducing that, girl. You have more Physique than is proper for a woman, but at this point you might as well achieve the next rank and make your body perfect at the same time."

"Great potential, but... that expression." Another woman clucked and shook her head. "Whether you are deadly or gracious, your face should display only serenity. Glowering like that will achieve nothing."

Zae Zin Nim did her best to stop scowling and endured the ordeal until they were done. One of them had an extraordinary magical ability that actually wove new silk around her. The old women looked aghast at the state of her travel clothes and took them off to be burned... except for the Heavenly Sash, which they all agreed could complement her Pureflower robes.

When it was over, Zae Zin Nim was sure that her face was burning. Once, such an experience would have been absolutely humiliating, but now she found herself digging in her heels and denying the aunties' words. It was absurd to talk about "perfect" proportions when men had so many different opinions, including those who wanted nothing female... or anything female. All that mattered was what Kai and Omilaena thought, not a bunch of old women.

As Zae Zin Nim began to leave the room, the oldest woman stopped at the door once it was only the two of them. "The Pureflower sect ranks its beauties in three tiers," she explained. "Of course even the lowliest member of our sect is more elegant than any so-called ladies outside, so the Flowers of the lowest tier are all pictures of beauty. You, however, are so extraordinary that you will be granted the rank of Pureflower Fairy."

"Thank you," Zae Zin Nim said automatically, even though her attention intensely focused on her words. "What about the final ranking?"

"In the entire sect there are only a hundred Fairies... and there are only three Goddesses, so it is no shame. But if you ask me... you actually have the potential to become a Goddess, if you finish your cultivation and refine a few of your rough edges. Not like your companion."

"What is wrong with my companion?" Zae Zin Nim asked, her voice flat.

"Well... there's no doubt she's well-formed and self-possessed, but you must know she has too much of a predatory air. And that skin... no amount of advancement or purification will ever turn such darkness to light. Still, some diversity is good to offset the rest of us."

Zae Zin Nim realized that she was tightening one hand into a fist, angrier than she had been when the old women had been prodding and judging her own body. How dare this bitch imply that Omilaena was less beautiful? Her skin wasn't dark, it was an elegant golden shade. She wasn't a peasant, she was...

After a deep breath, Zae Zin Nim forced the tension out of her hand. Her face relaxed into a graceful, elegant smile, just like she'd been taught. When she'd agreed to join the Pureflower sect she had known that she would be dealing with this sort of thing, so she would endure it for the sake of her advancement. All the resources she'd seen promised that they could give her what she needed.

Once she was finally left alone, Zae Zin Nim emerged into the hallway that split the rooms and found herself relatively alone. There were women waiting in the surrounding area, but they remained outside a perimeter, especially as the old woman swept out.

When Omilaena emerged from her own dressing room, she was clothed in white robes that - contrary to whatever they said - offset her golden skin beautifully. They'd given her a blue sash to match her hair and the Prana Jewels, but the total effect was still to contain her usual seductiveness.

"Handsy, aren't they?" Omilaena pushed one hip to the side and propped her hand against it in a gesture that looked decidedly unladylike, especially in those robes. "Don't worry, I resisted the urge to fight back."

"Did they... say anything offensive?" Zae Zin Nim asked.

"Oh, they made no secret of what they thought about my skin and tried to use some sort of whitening cream on me. But apparently I'm still hot enough to be in the lower ranks of the Pureflower Fairies, so we are officially among the most attractive women on the continent."

"That doesn't matter." Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and nodded to her wife. "We're inside, so now we just need to find everything we need."