Depthless Hunger

The pit walls seemed to extend upward forever, to the surface that was just as far away as Sky Soul. Zae Zin Nim cultivated as intensely as she could, but at the Pits of Power it would take centuries to reach the next stage, if she reached it at all. Attaining Sky Soul required an enormous amount of qi and was difficult even for those with every advantage in the world.

Yet that was what she needed, if she wanted to keep up with her spouses and eventually challenge her father. It didn't seem like it would be possible for her to reach Sky Soul unless they were able to remain hidden for literal years, and none of it was relevant while she remained beneath the 999 Power barrier. All her abilities seemed to be filled to bursting, straining against the boundaries of her soul and yet unable to break through on their own.

Just as she began to spiral into her own thoughts, she felt two people land outside her pit. Zae Zin Nim scrambled to her feet and leapt out, hoping...

Cor Yan Wei and Cor Li Xan waited outside and Zae Zin Nim scowled at them. The younger man had avoided her ever since their previous conversation, even though she monopolized the qi pit, while the old man was the average elderly cultivator who had reached his limits. She did not want to see either of them.

"Sorry to disturb you," Cor Yan Wei began, "but we have a bit of a problem. The Thundering Scorpion tribe has been conducting a war against a branch tribe, and they've just absorbed them, leading to a gain of several Earth Souls. They intend to tighten their control over the Pits of Strength."

"And you wish me to engage in duels to defend the Bloodcoral position?" Zae Zin Nim nodded curtly. "Very well."

"Actually, it is more complex than that. The Bloodcoral sect hopes to maintain our position here for generations, so we need to build an alliance. Your participation would be essential."

Even though Zae Zin Nim's expression darkened, they were truly insistent. Since this wasn't the time to cause trouble, she went along with them as they met with the Thundering Scorpion tribe. It took them hours to make arrangements for the negotiations, which sounded as though they would be elaborate.

First, there would be an event called a "Grand Scorpion Hunt" where everyone would be required to pass the tribe's requirements. Then all tribes and sects would engage in several days of negotiations, culminating in a four round tournament that would determine who had access to the Pits in the future.

Her attention wandered as she feared what was to come, her eyes drifting to the horizon... and then she saw the white ship that was her salvation.

Ignoring the protests of the local cultivators, Zae Zin Nim leapt away to go and meet them. She wasn't mistaken or deluded: she could feel her spouses in the Pureflower ship. Not even waiting for them to land, she leapt into the air in a graceful arc that would take her to the deck to greet them.

Kai caught her out of the air and pulled her into an embrace, Omilaena enclosed her from behind, and finally all was right with the world again.

.

..

.

It was cute seeing Zin Nim so clingy, even though it hadn't been long. At first she was overwhelmingly affectionate, even weepy, but eventually her hunger for cultivation reasserted itself. Omilaena waited for her to frown and then turn toward her before revealing the pill.

"This is the culmination of all my work." Omilaena handed over the bright blue pill grandly. "A mixture of chakra, qi, and mana, formulated specifically for you. If this one isn't quite right, I have more resources, but we're severely limited in boundary-breaking ingredients, so we need to-"

"No, this is perfect." Zin Nim took a deep breath and closed the pill in her fist. "I want to break through, and soon. But we need to deal with a few other preparations first."

"It seems like they're in the middle of some sort of meeting? What's that about?"

So Zae Zin Nim explained the local politics, though it devolved into more complaining about petty sect annoyances. In any case, this all sounded like the sort of problem that they could simply ignore. Their entire justification for this time investment was getting Zin Nim the precise sort of mana she needed, so once she had absorbed enough for a breakthrough, the rest was irrelevant.

They had migrated to the ship's couch while they spoke, ending with everyone resting together. Kai had an arm around Zin Nim's back and now rubbed it encouragingly.

"So do you want to try right away?" he asked.

"I want to, but I should be fully prepared." Zin Nim's gaze shifted away and she seemed to decide something. "And I don't just want to talk about myself. What happened for you?"

Omilaena let Kai explain about the manticore hunt, just enjoying resting against the two of them. Once he finished all the exciting parts, which Zin Nim listened to somberly, it was Omilaena's time to shine. She stepped away from them, reached into her spatial pouch, and pulled out the manticore cloak with a flourish.

"Ta-dah! It's no magical artifact, but the beast's hide will turn away qi attacks lower than Earth Soul." Omilaena flipped it around. "And the interior has a silk lining so that it won't be too uncomfortable. Of course, the real purpose is to look fancy."

"To establish Kai's leadership of the tribe?" Zin Nim asked.

"Oh no, this one is mine. I have a rougher one for him." Omilaena revealed the second outfit, larger with a grand mane around the shoulders and manticore spikes rising up like a crown. "This is for the tribe patriarch, or matriarch if she has bad taste."

"We wanted a symbol we could give away," Kai explained. "Once we have everything we need from the Manticore tribe, we can hand over leadership smoothly. But since there are multiple cloaks, it shouldn't be as centralized as before."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I see." Zin Nim nodded slowly. "So the two of you will be wearing them to establish that authority."

"Not just us." Omilaena couldn't quite hide her smirk as she pulled out the last outfit.

"I am not wearing that."

"You get to be the baby manticore!" Omilaena had made a final cloak in miniature size, with the manticore head formed into a helmet. She actually intended to make a larger version later, but she hadn't been able to resist the urge to tease Zin Nim.

"You actually made it?" Kai shook his head as he patted Zin Nim reassuringly. "I thought you were joking. No, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to, and actually this is all irrelevant. You have a lot of things to do, from breaking the barrier to getting an Advanced Class."

"Yes, but..." Zin Nim ducked her head into his chest and spoke more softly. "I believe it would be best to break through first, then restore my energy before using the mana. That would be... best accomplished with... dual cultivation."

Aww, look at their little Zin Nim initiating. Omilaena just grinned as Zin Nim swallowed the pill in preparation. Her power twisted, briefly being registered as 0999 even though her total should have been higher, presumably because her abilities had spent so long suppressed. It wasn't just an excuse to get laid, she really did need to rebalance herself.

Omilaena had been holding back, but to her surprise Zin Nim caught her arm and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She kissed back, of course, pressing the other woman up against Kai like he was a wall. Zin Nim was clearly hungry for both of them, switching between kissing and pulling at their clothes. Everything heated up... until Zin Nim pulled off Kai's shirt.

She drew back, eyes nearly bulging out of her head. "What is this?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention that I've gained some mastery over mana tattoos," Omilaena said. "That's to help solidify Kai's position as the head of the tribe."

"It's hideous."

"Don't worry," Kai said as he gently took her shoulders, "the tattoo isn't permanent. I'm going to absorb the mana later and it will disappear."

"I... I see."

"But I'm afraid that means he can't just hide or remove it." Omilaena slid up behind Zin Nim teasingly as she spoke. "Does that ruin the mood? Changed your mind about dual cultivation after all?"

Zin Nim screwed up her face, then shook her head sharply. "I will close my eyes."

Omilaena couldn't help but laugh, and when Kai did too, even Zin Nim joined them and they fell together happily.

.

..

.

Even though Kai was glad to spend the night with all three of them together again, when he woke up in the morning, he found that he was most excited about Zae Zin Nim breaking through. Omilaena still sprawled across the bed, while Zae Zin Nim was nowhere to be seen. He hopped up, his robes automatically wrapping around his waist, and went to find her.

She was meditating on the prow of the ship, preparing herself with all her power in balance. The warmth and need of last night were gone, leaving only the driven cultivator, but he loved that side of her too. When she opened her eyes to look at him, they didn't say a word, because none were necessary.

Once Omilaena was awake, the three of them flew out to the pit. There were no final disruptions or troubles, so it seemed that it would all finally work out. The pit of mana glowed at the bottom, full of potential.

Zae Zin Nim plunged directly into it and disappeared beneath the blue surface.

It had been years since Kai had awakened his own Class, throwing his life into chaos and somehow setting him on the path that had brought him here. He remembered it being a quick, fiery process. Classes were intense and personal, not like chakra or qi abilities. Even though he hadn't received all the Frontier training about Advanced Classes, he presumed that it would be the same way. Was Zae Zin Nim struggling to break through?

"Should it be taking this long?" Omilaena whispered to him.

"I'm not sure," Kai said. "The first didn't..."

His voice trailed off as he saw that the level of mana in the pool was dropping.

It was already down an inch from where it had begun, and even as he watched he saw it decline further. More and more of the rocky wall was revealed as the mana drained away. The light in the pit began to fade as well, until a brighter form emerged from the liquid mana. All of the light and power seemed to be concentrated in Zae Zin Nim, who crouched at the bottom of the pit.

When the last drop was absorbed, there was no light except her flickering blue form. Then she streaked upwards in a column of flame. Kai leapt after her, back to the surface, afraid that something had somehow gone wrong, but when he caught up, he saw that her eyes were alight with joy.

She was wreathed in blue flames, far more intense than before, that seemed to follow her every movement. Her dark eyes had bright blue pupils for a moment as she turned to him, revealing a rare full grin from her. All the power that had been restrained by the limits of her soul had blossomed, and the results were glorious.

Name: Zae Zin Nim

Total Power: 1364

Cultivation: Earth Soul 41% (518)

*Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (52)

Coldfire Corona: 1 (303)

Pure Yin Shroud: Spinel Rank (220)

Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)

Blackblood Shadow (+100)

Soul Level: 8 (64)

>

His look at her soul revealed that she had 1364 Power now, putting her undeniably in the ranks of Sky Souls. He saw that various powers had improved, such as her Pure Yin Shroud advancing to Spinel rank, but what surprised him was that her Coldfire Corona remained unchanged.

Well, the name was unchanged. Its strength had exploded up to 303, and would be increasing in the future.

"Congratulations," Kai told her simply.

"Thank you." Zae Zin Nim bowed, even though that seemed oddly formal to him after everything that had passed between them.

"Yeah, congrats." Omilaena shifted up beside her, raising an eyebrow. "Why isn't it called Advanced Coldfire Corona now?"

"I never had a 'Coldfire Class', it has always been integrated into my cultivation." Zae Zin Nim seemed to look at her own soul and nodded in satisfaction. "This will do. It is already stronger than most forms of heavenly cultivation, and it will continue to grow."

"Looks like the Blackblood Shadow improved as well. Maybe its strength was being limited by the limit in your soul?"

That finally weakened Zae Zin Nim's satisfaction a little. "I am... uncertain about that. Figuring out my Physique will be my next major challenge."

Before Kai could encourage her, they were interrupted by several figures flying toward them. He noted several with Thundering Scorpion tribe tattoos, but they were led by Cor Li Xan. Where the Thundering Scorpion tribe champions mostly seemed alarmed that the entire mana pool had been drained dry, the Bloodcoral sect cultivator approached them.

"You took all the mana?" he asked. "This pit may never recover!"

"That is my right, is it not?" As Zae Zin Nim spoke, all ice again, Cor Li Xan seemed to realize the strength of the three people standing in front of him. Since the previous day, she had gone from seeming vaguely within reach of an Earth Soul cultivator to standing far beyond.

"This is... the Bloodcoral sect needs your support in this conflict. It will be a difficult-"

Zae Zin Nim took out her Bloodcoral medallion, raised it in front of her at arm's length, then crushed it in her hand. As Cor Li Xan gaped, she took a step closer to him and spoke in a low voice.

"You can pretend that we are still part of your sect if it helps your reputation, but if you ever assume we have any greater obligations or ties to you, you will regret it."

"I..." Cor Li Xan suddenly backed up, bowing deeply. "My request was... just a misunderstanding. Thank you for all your contributions to the sect."

Was that potentially seeding a future problem, or did they have so much power now that the Bloodcoral sect was irrelevant? Kai decided that he would leave that decision to Zae Zin Nim, since she was the local expert. She turned back to him as if she had already forgotten about the sect and the pits, her eyes now set forward.

That was one loose end tied off. Time to return to the Manticore tribe.