Once, reaching the Earth Soul stage would have been an incredible accomplishment, the point where she could begin earning her freedom. Now, even as Zae Zin Nim devoted herself to cultivation, she wondered if it was enough.
Reaching Earth Soul would only put her on par with her father's top cultivators as well as a great many threats on Rosemount. In theory the Blackblood Physique would finally show its true worth once she recovered but she feared that she was missing something. It had already failed to restore her beauty as quickly as she expected during her last advancement. Was it possible that she was fundamentally missing a step to unlock its power?
Aside from that, she had still failed to find a source of chakra that could equal her cultivation - none of the abilities she'd heard about particularly appealed. That was fine, unless she needed to incorporate chakra early. In that case, she would need to wait until she reached Sky Soul... though she hoped to reach it one day, that would clearly be far in her future.
The closer she got to the peak of the Nascent Foundation stage, the more she felt like she was speeding toward a cliff instead of approaching a destination. When an elf entered the grove she was actually relieved at the interruption.
"Excuse me, cultivator. We have news."
"What is it?" Zae Zin Nim had found that these elves weren't as stiff as she had expected, once you got to know them. Her steady cultivation and respectful treatment of the qi in their oasis seemed to have won them over.
"Our kin in Crescilor have reported that there are cultivators from the Brightwind sect searching the nation."
"Did you tell them to search specifically for that?"
"No, we only asked them for news of Cloudspire." The elf bowed respectfully as he backed out. "Never fear, very few know of your location here. Oases in the Elven Wilds host enough foreign cultivators that your presence will not be news."
Unfortunately, the interruption only strengthened all of her worries. There was no point rushing to Earth Soul if she only caused a blockage for herself when she needed to reach Sky Soul. It wasn't exactly a fire deviation, but it could inhibit her progress nonetheless.
Perhaps she should no longer shoulder this burden alone. Zae Zin Nim was accustomed to cultivating for weeks at a time, but it had been easier when she was working in a sect with only rivals on all sides. She missed spending time with Kai, and even Omilaena's presence. The other woman was probably the one that she needed to speak to, if she was going to come to any conclusions beyond the cultivation that she'd grown up with.
When Zae Zin Nim emerged from the grove she was surprised to find that it was dark because light and qi all blurred together during her work. The oasis community was beautiful at night, glowing with all the elven lanterns. No one disturbed her as she walked out, though she avoided Heruul Cryswind and his cronies.
Her companions were still making their own camp outside the elven community. At a glance, it looked like Omilaena used the magical tent and Kai slept in the crystal ship, which was at least an appropriate division. At the moment Kai was training alone at the reed pond, which was unsurprising.
What shocked her was that Omilaena was training physically in a rocky area not far away. For the first time Zae Zin Nim had seen, the other woman wasn't wearing an elegant dress. Instead she wore... basically a gray sack. It bounced around shapelessly as she did an aggressive routine that involved rushing between several different exercises with no rest in between: leaping atop a boulder, jumping back down, doing a squat, flipping into a push-up. Sweat streamed down her body and clearly soaked the material, so perhaps she wore this to avoid ruining one of her dresses.
Zae Zin Nim waited quietly until the other woman finally collapsed onto her back, panting for breath. "Are you finished? May we speak?"
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"Give me... a second..." Omilaena looked as though she was near death.
"I take it that you are using Kai's training methods. I assume you haven't tried similar before?"
"Not in way too long..." When Omilaena got to her feet she groaned like the dead, but she staggered away from the pond to a rest area nearer the ship and then dropped down to a seated position. "What are you here to ask?"
"I wanted to ask a question about my cultivation. If I continue at my current pace, I will be able to advance in under a month, which would be ahead of schedule. However..." Her thoughts frayed on her lips and she found herself starting at the other woman, which was a mistake.
Now that Omilaena wasn't moving, the sack-like fabric clung to every curve of her sweaty body. Zae Zin Nim was accustomed to how the other woman projected sexuality with elegant dresses and seductive movements, but seeing her in such a raw state surprised her. Omilaena had a classic hourglass figure that she couldn't help but compare... Zae Zin Nim often felt like she was top-heavy and vulgar, while the other woman was maturely proportionate, and her legs... Zae Zin Nim felt like she couldn't have nice legs, not at her height.
Zae Zin Nim blushed and looked away before she could be teased, but either Omilaena was too exhausted to notice or she wasn't paying attention.
"You think you should try another step first?" Omilaena asked. "If you're thinking of advancing Physique during this stage, I think it would be too early for you to do that. E-9 would be ideal."
"No, it isn't that," Zae Zin Nim said. "I'm wondering if I need to take on more chakra before I advance. I want to integrate all three powers into my cultivation and I've made so little progress..."
"Are you worried that not doing it now would block you later?"
"That's what I hoped to ask you! But if you don't know... I also worry about slowing down. Both of you are waiting for me while I spend so long cultivating. I could finish at the Sapphire Wind Oasis without trouble, but if I try to search for something else, it could take even longer..."
"Don't worry about that part." Omilaena smiled at her, a bit like her usual self again. "We're all in this for the long haul, right? Cultivation breakthroughs don't come every day; you want to do this properly."
"But how will I know? What if what I've been taught is actually a false path compared to the greater powers in the world?"
"That's a question we can never truly answer. We just do all the research we can and then keep moving forward. If it's any comfort, I'm still sticking to my theory that some struggles on the path will strengthen you more than a smooth 'perfect' path upward."
They sat in silence for a time. It was true that there were no simple solutions. Before Zae Zin Nim could find any answers, the other woman spoke again.
"You could try this." Omilaena rummaged in her satchel and pulled out a small vial filled with golden chakra. "I bought a little of this for my own experiments but this is a worthy experiment too. Taste this and see if it reacts negatively to your cultivation."
"Very well." Zae Zin Nim took the vial and was surprised at how sweaty the other woman's fingers were - Kai was really pushing her training hard. She took a drink and felt the chakra course through her.
Unlike most chakra she'd tried, which raged with strong emotions, this was almost peaceful. It definitely pulsed with some sort of natural power, pregnant with potential. Yet it seemed to resonate with her body instead of mixing with her qi or mana. Not like a Physique-boosting elixir, more like it was trying to bring out some other potential she couldn't quite pin down...
"It slipped away," Zae Zin Nim eventually said. "Was that a failure?"
"Not unless you think it reacted poorly. Did it?"
"No, it seemed agreeable. What is it?"
"We might not be able to find a chakra ability perfectly suited to you, but we can raise your chakra potential." Omilaena took the vial back and rolled it over her fingers, more sluggishly than usual. "Think of it like gathering qi in preparation for cultivation. Your body can adjust to absorbing chakra and build up a store of it over time. Currently it will be completely useless to you, but in the future you'll be able to unlock that work."
"Oh." Zae Zin Nim considered the idea, liking it more with every passing moment. "Do you think I could use this to adjust my cultivation further? I could advance in the presence of chakra without needing to integrate it like I did before."
"You're the cultivation expert, but I think it might be worth trying."
"Yes, it is. But if I do this... the Sapphire Wind Oasis might not be the appropriate place. I would need somewhere with more... actually, I suppose I'm not sure what I need. I would need to gather chakra and see how it affects my qi."
"Remember that you have all the qi in the Elven Wilds open to you," Omilaena said. "Ceryyn has been inviting us back to Sandflower City for a break and we've been turning her down. We could use that as an opportunity to consult some experts and figure out where you want to advance."
This seemed like an excellent plan and Zae Zin Nim's hopes were restored. She wanted to thank the other woman, but it felt awkward after their usual sparring. Before she could figure out her words, Kai approached them. He was sweating as well, which forced vulgar thoughts into her mind about the other two sweating together...
Omilaena might have noticed, or perhaps she didn't. In any case, she just smiled lazily at Kai as she spoke. "If you want to stop playing around and earn your right to that unicorn hunt, now would be the time. We might be leaving the oasis soon."