Depthless Hunger

Since the Pureflower sect had given her access to all their medicinal resources, Omilaena had a truly excellent opportunity for thievery. And yet, despite that temptation, she was focused only on finding a solution. Cultivation resources seemed ephemeral compared to the real prize of understanding: a little qi would quickly become obsolete, but grasping another fundamental principle would mean a true step upward.

After another session with the matriarch, this one much more careful, Omilaena had virtually confirmed her theory: the absent sparks of soul within her had corresponded to qi and chakra. There was still a flickering mote of mana, similar to those she remembered. That was immensely suggestive that Omilaena's entire theory was right.

There was a marginal chance, highly improbable, that Omilaena's memory was inaccurate. She decided that she was okay with risking everything on this potential breakthrough.

Based on that theory, she had modified the last Divine Remedy Pill by bathing it in mana. She didn't have the skill to melt it down and reformulate it entirely, not with cultivation-style alchemy, but she could modify the effects with a new layer. Most of the rest would boil down to supportive medicine, but she honestly didn't care about that.

Omilaena sat alone in the workroom, staring at the pill in front of her.

She knew that souls only contained a limited number of capacities, corresponding to the seven aspects of power she had read from the alien text. But that didn't stop differences from appearing, such as the "Cultivation Aspect" being different with pure cultivation, Krysali crystals, and Manticore tribe tattoos. She didn't think those were just minor variations, or additions that had no effect, there was some sort of fundamental property that differed.

One thing she had learned from the Great Library of Traeton was that different forms of energy could fill different aspects. Though she hadn't seen it, she was sure that it should be possible to cultivate using mana or chakra, even if that didn't come naturally. Yet it couldn't be as simple as "mana cultivation" being a different system, because all the ones she'd seen were based on qi.

What still bothered her was that she wasn't sure how to square that idea of seven capacities with all the different fusions and additions that she'd seen. The idea that these were simply using entire capacities to boost their power was incompatible with the evidence. And Kir Mei Bai had burned out an aspect of qi without harming her core cultivation, so it had to be two fundamentally different things.

"These are the best they could do," Zin Nim said as she entered, and set a box down on the table beside her. Normally that might have been distracting, but Omilaena just jerked upright and grabbed her wrist.

"All three, I think." Zin Nim didn't seem alarmed, even with Omilaena laying hands on her like that.

"Let me just test this." Omilaena needed better methods, but for now she extended her pendant and touched Zin Nim as if she was trying to test her for poison. Of course there was none, but... "Yes, yes! That works... but it can't just be... there's a difference between..."

Omilaena whirled away to continue her work, muttering to herself, but the other woman didn't retreat this time. She remained for a while, watching in bemusement, before speaking up. "I'm not following, Omi. What have you discovered?"

"The Blackblood technique is better than others because your Physique is bigger than everyone else's."

"If I didn't know better, I might think that was an insult."

The joke briefly threw Omilaena off, but she was too far along to be distracted. "Don't worry, you're a perfect little jade doll," she said, patting Zin Nim's cheek. "I mean bigger on a spiritual level. Some people only strengthen their bodies with one form of energy, but you use all three. It's occupying a larger space in your soul... yes, and that explains why it increased when you raised the barrier!"

"But is it that simple?" Zin Nim asked. "Kai became stronger when he trained with other forms of energy, but his Physique doesn't have anything additional."

"You can use energy to fuel you, but that doesn't mean your method is fundamentally more powerful. Think of it like building something: normal training is just building upwards, but you've laid a larger foundation with the Blackblood Physique, so you'll be stronger at the same height as someone else."

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"Does that mean I'm giving up something else?"

"I don't know!" Omilaena announced cheerfully. "That's what's intoxicating about this. But I think most likely you're just using more potential strength. The matriarch burned out little parts of her soul that she wasn't using at all, not her main power. Maybe in the future that would prevent her from fusing two different abilities, or... well, I don't understand enough about advanced cultivation. I'm still just barely putting this together..." Ṟ𝖆₦ȯβЕS

What she wanted to do was study the issue furiously until she comprehended everything, but there were no more sources of information available to her. She thought her basic theory was solid: the soul had a limited set of available "slots," from primary capacities to supporting abilities. Those could be used to strengthen, as with fusion powers, but they could also be burned away for a powerful effect.

She would never have been able to accomplish that on her own, but she already had a Divine Remedy Pill. So Omilaena worked to make it into more of a medicinal pill, with Zin Nim providing insight about dantians. In theory, she could modify the pill to purge the soul instead of the body, which should be enough.

The words "in theory" came up a lot these days. If she was right, this was a step forward. If she was wrong... better not to think about it.

With no resources for multiple tests, Omilaena could only make her best effort. The resulting pill would do no harm, she was sure enough of that, but it wouldn't extend the matriarch's life as much if she failed. Best not to fail, or lie her ass off if she did.

Omilaena had to leave Zin Nim to enter the central room, since they were limiting access while the matriarch's healing failed. Without the last pill to extend her life, her health was declining again. That meant they were trusting her, which was honestly a mistake, but it might work out for them in this instance.@@novelbin@@

"Feed her this," Omilaena ordered one of the alchemists.

"You... modified the Divine Remedy Pill?" the woman asked in horror.

"Yes, it's a Heavenly Panacea Orb now, which is three stages up, two meridians more refined, and far more prestigious. The main thing is that we need her to swallow this and then I'll try to remove the last poison from her dantian."

Thankfully, no one argued with her. They roused Kir Mei Bai enough to convince her to swallow the pill and the power immediately shot through her. The core of power below her navel - that could only be her dantian - surged and began to expel poison. Omilaena struck instantly, pressing the Prana Jewels against her stomach so hard they almost pierced her flesh.

For a moment she was afraid that it would fail... but the trembling stopped, the loose poison was absorbed, and finally the core of cultivation seemed to be pure again.

"I..." The matriarch stirred and stared down at herself. "I feel..."

"Are you alright, Goddess?" one of the alchemists asked. There were elders pouring into the room now, all the old biddies rushing in to be part of it now that the danger was past.

"I will see."

Kir Mei Bai circulated her qi, fearfully at first, then more forcefully. The raw power overflowed from her, washing over the room, and Omilaena involuntarily took a step back. She thought she stood a pretty good chance of beating a cultivator of this strength, but a Sky Soul's qi was nothing to be trifled with.

"I am pure again." Kir Mei Bai was already looking more beautiful, since cultivator's bodies were so intricately entangled with their qi. She turned to them and gave a dazzling smile. "I never imagined that my salvation would come from two of our newest sisters. It pains me to think that you were first accused of being responsible for this poison."

"Are you willing to say that to the others?" Omilaena asked. "Because it strikes me as just a matter of time before someone accuses me of having poisoned you in order to cure you."

"No, such a thing is impossible. I have felt your power... I will speak to ensure that such lies do not spread." Kir Mei Bai closed her eyes as her spiritual senses passed inward. "I have reflected on myself, in my wakeful moments, and I believe your theory was correct: my dantian was poisoned while I visited the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, then the poison lay in wait until I circulated my qi."

"Who would do such a thing?" Zin Nim asked.

At first Omilaena thought she was just playing along, being a good little Pureflower Fairy concerned for her matriarch. As the elders around the room responded with discomfort, however, Omilaena realized that her concern was more pointed: this act had political ramifications for sect politics. That didn't particularly interest her, especially compared to pure theory, but she would trust Zin Nim to handle that.

Instead of an immediate response, Kir Mei Bai went to speak to some of the elders. After a whispered conversation, she returned to them, her smile turning sorrowful.

"Your question is a serious one. Before this point, news of my illness was kept hidden to avoid a panic, so we have not been able to pursue the matter as fiercely as we otherwise might. We will need to make some discreet inquiries, and perhaps in the future we will know more."

"Of course," Zin Nim said. "We are just grateful that we could serve you." She didn't budge, though, so apparently this was the time to push for rewards.

"We cannot make this matter public, but the truth is that I owe you my life." Kir Mei Bai stepped forward and took one of Omilaena's hands in both of her own. "I wish to reward you, but I do not know what I can offer. You have already taken all the sect's poisons, and our resources are most suited for cultivators."

"You once suggested that I pursue the aspect of ice, which was wise counsel." Omilaena bowed respectfully and left out how much she had twisted that idea. "I was able to begin my path of cultivation with the qi I earned here, but I would like to take the next step."

"Oh, an excellent decision. We will give you our strongest ice-aspected qi, and I will open the Ice Springs for you. Please just come this way..."