Depthless Hunger

Fortunately, Omilaena was in the middle of a vicious battle.

When she'd first arrived in the Pureflower sect, she'd been honestly worried that they were going to spend all their time pouring tea, picking flowers, and simpering around. Fortunately, the cultivators of the Pureflower sect also took the time to beat the crap out of each other. Elegantly.

Omilaena stood on the far side of a marble court, hurling needles at her opponent and deflecting those cutting toward her - at least the cumbersome sleeves of these outfits were useful for sweeping projectiles out of the air. Her opponent was another young and beautiful Cloudspire cultivator: she was an Earth Soul and reasonably strong, but she was so generic. All of Zin Nim's jade-white skin and none of her bite.

The rules of the competition required them to stay at a distance and use projectiles alone, with victory being decided by the first blood drawn. It wasn't very similar to a real battle, but the limitations prevented Omilaena from powering through the competition with her strength. In fact, as needle after needle was deflected, she was getting downright annoyed.

Summoning large numbers of needles at once was useless, because the Pureflower cultivators had an immense number of spinning maneuvers that were actually quite effective at deflecting projectiles. No matter what combination Omilaena tried, there seemed to be a counter. If she couldn't leap in and pin her opponent, perhaps some lateral thinking...

After weaving aside from her opponent's counterattack, Omilaena hurled an entire fistful of needles in one hand, and a single needle from the other. The first attack was deflected by a beautiful twirl, of course, and the second struck the floor.

And rebounded into her opponent's calf.

"Aah!" The cultivator cried out, more in surprise than pain, and fell to treat the injury. Omilaena was declared the victor and servants immediately rushed to cover the injury with a qi-based cream.

That cream was actually amazing, soothing pain and preventing scarring. Omilaena had grabbed a bunch and shoved it into her spatial satchel, plus she hoped to figure out the composition eventually. Right now, there were too many other priorities.

"Congratulations on another victory." Kir Mei Bai floated closer and extended a hand, floating a gleaming white pill toward her. She didn't usually hand out the rewards, but apparently she had taken a special interest this time.

The prize for winning a match, and for many other competitions within the sect, was a Transcendent Complexion Pill. Omilaena had been scornful at first, but they were actually a powerful source of qi, and she thought it reinforced the Physique principle in a way that was more than just aesthetic. However, she had advanced far enough that she didn't need to use them regularly.

"Have you put more thought into your path?" Kir Mei Bai continued floating nearby, which was also unusual, so Omilaena gave her the archetypal bow.

"I still have much to train," Omilaena said.

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"I noticed that you have been stockpiling your Transcendent Complexion Pills, though your skin doesn't appear to have suffered." Kir Mei Bai shook her head slowly. "I had hoped that you were planning to trade them for a more unique source of qi. You really should choose a feminine specialty."

"I think I'm doing fine."

Kir Mei Bai gave a tinkling little laugh that should have been annoying, yet somehow it actually sounded authentic. She wasn't as stuck-up as she seemed at first. "Don't think I'm unaware that your strength is comparable to mine. But you know that you have even greater potential, and choosing a path here could greatly benefit you."

"Huh." Omilaena reconsidered the cultivator. "I thought I'd chosen a clear path: poison is a feminine weapon, isn't it?"

"That is true, but it is not a path we take into ourselves or we would become toxic to others."

Omilaena resisted the urge to smirk. "I'm not sure any of your paths are suited for me. I will never have the 'jade-like skin' some pursue, and none of my power connects to flowers."

"There is another potential path." Kir Mei Bai removed a hand from her long sleeve, revealing a pill that glowed with sapphire light. "Both warmth and coolness are feminine principles. You do not invite others in, nor comfort them, but you could easily become an icy maiden who generates an aura of unattainable distance."

"I will consider your words," Omilaena said while not considering her words. She was satisfied by her combination of poison and metal, so she wasn't going to pollute her sources of strength by adding in a conventional element.

Making the offer seemed to be all Kir Mei Bai wanted, so she glided on to speak to other cultivators. Omilaena had won all her matches as quickly as possible, so now she could go observe the other fights. Some of them might be traditional and dull, but there were others that offered valuable intelligence.

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She'd finished in enough time to catch one of Zin Nim's duels: she fought in a circular arena in front of a small audience, against another Earth Soul. Normally it shouldn't have been a challenge at all, but Zin Nim seemed to be struggling, her movements stiffer than normal.

Her opponent waved her hands and suddenly a blue horse made from flowing qi rushed forward, trampling all in its path. Omilaena had expected most cultivators to fight like Zin Nim, but a surprising number formed their qi into elaborate techniques. When Zin Nim spun aside from the horse she closed the distance, only for her opponent to generate a massive qi flower that extended its petals and sent Zin Nim skidding backward.

There was still something odd about her movements, like she wasn't following her natural instincts. Perhaps it was because of the audience, perhaps something else. Omilaena was getting a bit bored and instead just ogled Zin Nim. The robes were flattering, but she really looked better in black, with the Heavenly Sash contrasting with the rest of her outfit instead of layering white on white.

The match continued, Zin Nim failing to show her superiority, until her opponent made a mistake that wasn't obvious at first. She unleashed a great wall of qi that swept across the arena, but instead of dodging awkwardly, Zin Nim struck it head on: she flashed forward in an instant, her hand slapping the wall. All the qi exploded and Zae Zin Nim burst through it, her other palm striking her opponent's chest.

Immediately the other cultivator coughed up blood and collapsed - not a lethal wound, but the single palm strike seemed to have actually taken her out. Zin Nim was brutal when she got a solid strike... yet she didn't seem happy, even as she bowed to everyone watching and accepted her reward.

"Congratulations," Omilaena said as they met in the hallway. "What was wrong with you that fight?"

"I am... trying to adapt my style." Zin Nim scowled in a familiar fashion before her face smoothed into a mask of beautiful serenity. "These matches are only partially about victory: it is also important to be more graceful than your opponent. There are considerable rewards, for those who can combine beauty and strength."

Omilaena snorted. "I'm not surprised. That seems harder to do, compared to throwing magic horses at people. I am surprised how many cultivators here never get their hands dirty and never even seem to use martial arts."

"They are different paths. My... home sect has arts primarily focused on perfecting cultivation in the body. Our qi is more intense, and as you saw, I can easily sweep aside or pierce weak qi techniques. But it seems in all the combat since I was first trained I have... become more brutal and less elegant."

"If you ask me, all that matters is effectiveness, but I understand we have to play the local game."

"Yes, I suppose..."

"Why not just make some qi animals of your own?" Omilaena asked. "Your control is excellent, so just copy their techniques."

Zin Nim shifted uncomfortably as they walked. "I could form shapes with qi, but it would not be a polished technique in the same way. And I worry about diluting the martial arts I have perfected up to this point. This place is only a step in our path, after all."

"You could use a refined technique, though. Fundamental skills are well and good, but polishing them into techniques can be useful. You're actually missing full techniques, in my opinion."

"Oh?" Zin Nim looked at her, sharply but not angrily. She was actually listening, which was still a marvel.

Omilaena waited until they left the common area and entered the flowered private quarters. Usually they were filled with cultivators speaking to one another and attending to their beauty regimens, but during the matches they were mostly empty. Fortunately, individual rooms could be made very private, which was nice when they wanted to spend some time together.

When Omilaena turned to take the other woman's arm, however, she actually wasn't coming on to her. Instead she extended her hand into her usual palm strike position and traced her fingers down her arm.

"All the force and qi flow together to your palm," Omilaena explained, "and you expel qi at the point of impact. Why not expel qi before that, in a ranged technique? That would be a more 'elegant' technique for them, wouldn't it?"

"If I just release a qi attack, that will waste the movement." Zin Nim shook her head, but she was listening.

"I wasn't suggesting a normal burst of qi, I mean a new technique. Why not extend your entire hand? Project it into the world, I mean."

"Hmm. I am... not accustomed to using my qi that way."

"Maybe you should create a hybrid." Omilaena released a trail of qi with one hand and traced mana down her arm with the other. "You've already used the Coldfire Corona to strengthen other attacks, so why not extend that? Let your qi provide the force and momentum, then project your mana. Mana is good at projecting, anyway."

"Oh!" Zin Nim's eyes lit up and she began to experiment. As stubborn as she could be, when a foreign concept finally clicked with her, she would accept it quickly. That had been a repeated lesson during their honeymoon, which brought a smirk to Omilaena's face.

The two of them cooperated to develop a new technique, experimenting with different balances of mana and qi. Both sides came easily to Zin Nim, and she had used her mana for palm strikes before, but projecting a polished technique was more difficult. It turned out that all the fancy details on the magical animal attacks weren't just ornamentation, they strengthened the technique.

When they'd made enough progress for the day, Zin Nim took her arm and drew her aside. It wasn't for personal reasons, though, not when her narrow eyes were still set so fiercely.

"I also have... a suggestion for you," Zin Nim said quietly.

"Yes?"

"You should take care to win more elegantly, but I think you already understand that. What I wanted to suggest was that you take on one of the sect's qi paths. I know they might not seem much like you, but I think you could benefit."

"The problem is that I don't think conventional cultivation is right for me," Omilaena said. "I know, I can't ignore a force as powerful as qi, but I haven't found the right art yet."

"I was thinking that you should... also try a merger." Zin Nim nodded as if to herself. "Yes, it could work. I know you rejected the path of the 'cold maiden' but that path doesn't have to be pure ice. There are ways you could take that power and merge it with what you already possess."

Omilaena had ignored that advice from Kir Mei Bai, but from Zin Nim... "Alright," she said, "I'm listening."