Chapter 549: Three Reactions to Failure
Omilaena admitted that she had been arrogant. Oh, she freely acknowledged that in general, it was just that usually she considered her pride to be entirely justified. But this... there had been a part of her that had assumed she could easily outperform one of the Frontier elites with just part of her attention.
Apparently not. She'd needed a decisive win and instead she'd gotten something he could spin in his favor.
The problem was, her previous logic hadn't been wrong, not in the fundamentals. She couldn't afford to focus on Irun to the exclusion of everything else, especially since she had projects in Krysal and wanted to get back to Goralia. And while their threesome's power wasn't immediately relevant, it remained her highest priority and she didn't want to abandon any of that work, especially not when the Physique experimentation was getting so interesting.
Could she still swing altruism to work for her? Everything she was doing in Irun was directly relevant to her ongoing research, but that didn't mean that it would be productive to divide her time evenly. Eventually she might have to choose.
For the first time in a month, Omilaena drew her entire attention together and focused on her plans. It began with staring at three pills and thinking about a pool of metal...
.
..
.
It wasn't fair. Zae Zin Nim should have been used to the injustice of Deadwaste, since after all she had seen what it did to her husband time and time again, yet she was still disgruntled when it scorned her wife. Omilaena's methods were clearly superior to what that elite was doing and it was absurd that the others couldn't see that.
Even though her plan had been to return to Krysal, Zae Zin Nim remained with them, and not for prurient reasons as Quinta's glower seemed to indicate. It was essential to support them now, in this critical time, and she would gladly fulfill that duty.
Unfortunately, Irun was not a good match for her abilities, especially not compared to Krysal. The Irunian soldiers needed more than she could offer... unless she could teach them formations? Zae Zin Nim considered this possibility for some time before realizing that it was impossible: their metal-inhabiting powers were simply too inappropriate for such flowing qi techniques. If anything, chakra might be better suited, so trying to introduce formations would only give ideas to the enemy.
Trying to help them was frustrating, especially compared to her own cultivation, which was moving along gloriously. She continued to consume the Brightwind Meridian Perfection coils, melting them down in her qi and enhancing her own meridians. Each made her own cultivation leap upward, and beneath that made her a purer cultivator.
She had even tried to gather the Heavenly Qi, and despite the fact that it should have been too much for her, she had been able to circulate the qi into her dantian. The only problem was that the qi was so intense that it was excessive, so she kept it for later. There was still a long path to Sky Soul, after all, and the last steps were said to be the most difficult.
Zae Zin Nim doubted that would be the case for her. Yes, she needed to cultivate substantial amounts of qi in her dantian yet, but once she did, she would have perfect meridians, heavenly qi, and now even a new pill from her wife. Omilaena had created her a pill perfectly attuned to her that was more than up to the task of helping her break through.
So really, it was a waste of time to cease cultivating in order to help this nation of dour swordsmen. Whichever way the competition went, Zae Zin Nim and her spouses would gain unparalleled power, and she could join them once she became a Sky Soul.
She tried to tell herself that... and felt guilty.
Yes, she had struggled mightily to reach this point, but she didn't want to be a young master taking credit for the help of others. She never would have survived the Blackblood Physique without Kai. Her best qi pill was a gift from Omilaena. And the Brightwind Meridian Perfection, which was clearing her cultivation so effectively, would have been completely useless if they hadn't helped Orotaisin. Who knew what she might gain from giving a little now?
And so, while the others were busy, Zae Zin Nim went to do something that she had never imagined she might try. Quinta Agyama was working in the garden, tending a plant with grace that would have been appropriate on Cloudspire. For some reason she scorned Kai and Omilaena, but perhaps Zae Zin Nim could get through to her.
"You have a beautiful garden." Zae Zin Nim entered and sank down beside her.
"Thank you." Quinta glanced at her briefly, then continued her work, which was invitation enough.
"I don't believe we've been introduced."
"I've heard of you."
That was an icy reception, but Zae Zin Nim was not to be put off. "I won't pretend to be here for small talk. I would like to request your assistance. My wife is attempting to help Irunians develop their Physique, and I am told you represent one of the best lineages in the nation. Your contributions could well be an essential component."
Quinta scoffed. "And you're doing this all for the sake of Irun, are you?"
"No, I only care because this is my wife's project. But I do believe this would be best for your nation as well. Omilaena is very skilled with such things."
"At least you're honest." Quinta set down her shears and turned to look at her. "I've seen her work, and I understand she'll need to draw blood, among other things. What would you give me in return for my collaboration?"
Zae Zin Nim blinked in surprise - she expected all Irunians to be altruistic in defense of their home, so this self-interest was unusual. Not unfamiliar, though. "I could compensate you with both money and qi, alongside other resources."
"Money will do us no good, and I doubt your resources will be compatible with Irunian abilities."
"Well... there are certain dual cultivation techniques that might be of use. You and your husband have very compatible abilities, yet you don't seem to be sharing power. Doing such would most likely help you both, and it would not be difficult to teach."
"No." Quinta's expression shut down entirely. "Please be on your way."
Such an abrupt failure was dismaying. Zae Zin Nim had thought that making the formal request was already embarrassing enough, and would have been willing to kowtow and beg for Omilaena's sake, yet it seemed like that would be useless. Either Quinta hated them irrationally, or something in their conversation had angered her.
Accepting the blockage for now, Zae Zin Nim bowed stiffly and then left the garden. If one path was blocked, she would take another.
.
..
.
Even though Kai had intended to focus on training the Irunians, there was less that he could do than he hoped. It wasn't as if they were loafing around when Omilaena wasn't working with them: they were engaged in continual training programs, some developing their Ironpath Physique and all at least training their skills.
Still, Kai could do better. He managed to schedule a sort of "hell week" to push them to their limits, but it would have to be later.
In the meantime, he wasn't sure what he should try. Other than continuing his cultivation and Physique training, he didn't want to spend time on himself - Omilaena needed his help, plus the most valuable thing he could work toward was political capital within the elites. If they failed this trial, Yuinafal could well keep pushing them out of the circles of power.
When Omilaena came to the area of wasteland he'd used for training, he expected strategy talk, if not lewd suggestions. To his surprise, she handed him a pill and rushed off, as if there was no time at all.
He was left rolling the pill in his hands, feeling the power within. This was unquestionably the pill that would break the 999 Power limit for himself, and he should have been grateful. Under normal circumstances, Omilaena would have demanded a reward. Yet he found himself wondering if she should have focused on this when she was so stressed by her other work.
His other wife arrived not long after and hovered in the air in front of him, arms folded. "She left you a pill as well?"
"Yeah." Kai gestured with it. "So she finished her special qi pill for you?"
"She had three projects to create three perfect pills. I believe she has finished two and completely abandoned work on her own." Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "This is unacceptable. We must help our wife."
"You have ideas for how to actually do that?"
"We are going down paths of power that may never have been walked, so exploration is essential. You are standing before two major breakthroughs, yes?"
"You could say that." Kai got to his feet, feeling a new energy. "After I break the 999 Power limit, I should be able to advance in Physique as well. You're going to suggest something different?"
"Exactly." Zae Zin Nim nodded sharply, dark eyes alight. "You are more than equal to simply breaking through, so I believe we should use this opportunity for an extremely risky experiment."
Chapter 550: The 999 Power Limit
Over seven years ago, Kai had been in the wastelands with Zae Zin Nim, contemplating a barrier within his soul, and now he found himself in basically the same place. True, he was an order of magnitude more powerful, and they were married, and this was as elites instead of as exiles, but the parallel amused him.
In theory, actually obtaining the soul-expanding material was the difficult part and the process happened naturally. When Kai had eaten the soul fruit years ago, however, there had been additional complications due to his monstrous soul. Even though he had embraced his nature to a far greater degree now, they were still prepared for something to go wrong.
Things might go wrong because of that acceptance.
They sat opposite one another, finishing a session of meditation and cultivation. Zae Zin Nim wore her combat robes and was fully prepared, since it was always possible that he would black out and attempt to attack her. Kai was fairly confident that wouldn't happen, though: he felt mentally solid, spiritually unified, altogether ready to move forward.
"I can think of no complications for this part," Zae Zin Nim told him. "Omilaena has already created a breakthrough pill, and she did not seem interested in taking blood before and after."
"Guess I should get to it, then." Kai took a deep breath, then placed the dark pill in his mouth.
Instantly power exploded within him, but he was far more experienced than he had been the last time he expanded his soul. It wasn't anything like mana or qi surging within the channels of his body, otherwise simply being overstuffed with energy could make someone break through. Instead, it was as if those channels themselves were tingling with a different sort of power.
He tried to capture the feeling, to discern the real differences, but as it surged through his soul, the sensations were joined by something new. This time, he didn't resist the monstrous power and it didn't try to overwhelm him. How could either happen, when they were one and the same? Kai embraced it and let his entire soul grow without hesitation.
Then came hunger.
Up to that point the breakthrough had been smooth, even enjoyable, but as the process finished, the bottomless hunger surged within him. It was as if an entire horde of monsters had been set free, howling to fill the voids within them.
Zae Zin Nim must have sensed it, because she tensed, but Kai was completely in control... just empty. He'd never felt such a gulf... it was as if his monstrous abilities had believed that 999 Power was all they could eat, but now they became aware of 9999. Even though that was far beyond him, potentially even impossible, the monster didn't know that, it wanted to consume everything.
"Kai?"
"I'm fine." He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Easier than last time."
"It looks like it was successful." Zae Zin Nim nodded, and her statement reminded him to check his soul, since that had been the entire purpose.
<
Name: Kai Clanless
Total Power: 0959
Monstrous Hunger - XV (omicron)
Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 51% (261)
Savage Heart: 25 (257)
Physique Level: C-9 (345)
Beggar King's Robes: +3 (15)
Soul Level: 9 (81)
>
His Power hadn't advanced immensely, but the zero in front of his rating was incredible, and he could feel the new potential available to him. In fact, ranking up his Physique seemed almost trivial now, as if he had previously been trying to climb a mountain with both arms tied behind his back.
"Can we proceed to Physique?" Zae Zin Nim asked.
"Actually, there's one other thing first," Kai said, "and an important one. Omilaena believed that I would increase my capacity to handle more monstrous essence at once, but it was just a hypothesis before now, and my case is unprecedented, so..."
"I see. You had best check then, no?"
Kai did so, feeling the essences he carried within his soul, and quickly felt the new potential. Omilaena would be glad to hear that - she might not be able to figure out every part of him, but she was getting a handle on his monstrous soul. The more insight they gained, the more he learned to navigate the unwritten laws, the better he could actually make use of it.
Now that he had the new capacity, he needed to make a strategic decision. It required serious thought, but with Zae Zin Nim waiting, he soon settled on a set to carry by default.
<
Direboar's Strength - XV (omicron)
Behemoth's Heart - X (kappa)
Thunderbird's Wings - X (kappa)
Isulfr's Bite - X (kappa)
Manticore's Spine - V (epsilon)
Baleful Breath - VIII (theta)
Void Gaze - VIII (theta)
>
With seven slots available, he could afford to carry three different enhancements: Direboar's Strength, Behemoth's Heart, and Thunderbird's Wings. That left him with four options for techniques, which was a somewhat harder decision, but for the incursion he went with Isulfr's Bite, Manticore's Spine, Baleful Breath, and Void Gaze.
Aside from the situational abilities he'd gained, Kai had left behind Tyrant's Claw, judging it redundant with Manticore's Spine, and Famished World - powerful as it was, he wasn't likely to run into any enemy cultivators during the incursion. Given enough time he could swap them out, of course, and he hoped to continue increasing his portfolio.
Was this the end of that road, and he would always need to balance seven monstrous abilities? Because Omilaena's theory had proven correct, he couldn't help but think that if he expanded his soul once more, into five digits, then surely he would gain another slot. A level of power like that, however, seemed absolutely insane compared to anything he'd seen before, so Kai set the thought aside. Unless he came up with an alternate way to strengthen his monstrous soul, he'd need to be strategic.
"I think I notice the difference," Zae Zin Nim said, scrutinizing him. "You seem... more monstery."
"I can use more combinations this way," he said with a smile. "But this is just the precursor: if I really want to grow, I need to advance my Physique. I'm feeling stable - any reason we shouldn't move on to the next part?"
"Perhaps we should take a moment to consider our strategy carefully. You could break through, I have no doubt, but we need to learn more for Omi."
"Right. You want me to attempt several different sorts of transformations?"
"And I will draw blood from you each time." Zae Zin Nim revealed several syringes and gave a self-satisfied smile. "I took these. Of course I'll examine your body and soul as closely as possible, but Omi will most likely be able to learn even more."
"That's a good thought." Kai stretched his neck in both directions, limbering up as he prepared for a trial. "Are we going to try to figure out any of the abstract trainee questions?"
"The what?"
"You know, the sorts of things that young warriors muse about before they decide that they're unanswerable questions."
Zae Zin Nim stared at him as if he was mad.
"Really?" Kai stopped his stretching to look back at her. "I mean things like... why does Physique exist in discrete levels, when physical conditioning is more variable than that? Especially at the higher ranks. Or why does the entire body have a single Physique level? Different body parts can have very different sorts of conditioning, depending on training, so why is it all one?"
"Cultivators do not ask such questions." Based on her expression, however, Zae Zin Nim was asking them now. "I believe... Physique is probably something like a physical dantian. After all, we have a single place to store qi, which is then distributed throughout the entire body. Physique is more than just strength training, it involves all forms of energy, so it must be concentrated and distributed in some way."
"That's a really good idea, actually. But I don't suppose any sort of organ like that has been found?"
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"You cannot find a physical dantian, but it can still be injured with a precise attack. No doubt the heart of Physique is similar... though I cannot say where it might be."
"It could actually be the heart," Kai mused. "Someone losing a Physique Level is rare, but I've heard of it happening when serious injuries ruin someone's health. Then again, a blow to the heart is likely to weaken you no matter what."
"Perhaps Physique conditioning is like developing meridians, but for the entire body." Zae Zin Nim smiled as she got into the subject. "A dantian alone is insufficient, you need meridians to distribute your qi. If Physique is a core energy that needs to saturate your body, then you likely need to develop your literal body in order to accommodate it."
"Makes sense, but how does that get us to the difference between normal Physique and what you have?"
They discussed the theory for a while, getting well beyond what they actually knew into wild speculation. Most likely half of what they guessed was wrong, but what mattered was that they had some decent theories. When Kai advanced, he wasn't going to simply let his Physique develop naturally, he was going to try to control the process.
If he could: as Kai got out the Twisted Immortal Carnal Seed, he remembered his how vicious it looked.
Eventually they had discussed enough - Zae Zin Nim stepped back and gave him the signal, so Kai cupped the Carnal Seed and let its thorns grow into his flesh. First he let things progress naturally, his body becoming saturated with more intense energy. Zae Zin Nim pierced him with one of the syringes and drew blood, then Kai tried to reverse the process.
Behemoth's Heart beat back the thorns, preventing it from taking him over the edge. When he let go, this time Kai tried to do something different: he focused entirely on his qi, as if he was trying to refine his body like a cultivator. He immediately felt a tingling pain, like his entire body was going to sleep. All he managed to do was grunt, but Zae Zin Nim understood and quickly drew a second syringe of blood, letting him reverse the process.
This time, Kai didn't feel well. He'd endured the Carnal Seed's thorns tearing into him twice now, and though Behemoth's Heart could repair the damage, it couldn't perfectly repair something deeper that was tearing.
"Are you alright?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Don't continue if it will harm your development."
"I can keep going." Kai gritted his teeth and then grasped the chakra resources they'd prepared, trying to draw them directly into his body.
This time it actually failed: the chakra ran through him, used as fuel but not sinking into his body. That meant the Carnal Seed was pushing him forward again, so he had to pull back. Kai refocused and tried again, once more trying to manipulate his Physique to produce something new.
Five experiments in, he was panting for breath and tasting blood in his mouth. When he attempted to mimic the Irunian Physique methods, he suddenly felt as if his blood was turning to sludge. Instantly he was light-headed and pain throbbed in his chest-
"Fire deviation!" Zae Zin Nim waved a hand urgently at him, not attempting to draw any more blood. "Go back, go back!"
Kai managed to claw his way back, but it was harder this time. The Beggar King's Robes were covered in blood now, and even though his muscles had been knitted back together again, he felt unpleasantly shredded. "I think... I have..."
"Yes, you've done enough. Try for real."
So he closed his eyes and let his body begin to transform, akin to the Savage Heart, yet deeper. His hope was that he could lean further into his monstrous Physique, work it into his soul on such a fundamental level that he would unlock something new.
It felt right... and then very wrong.
With horror, Kai realized that he felt the same thing he had before: this path would lead to stunted growth. His body wanted to take on a more monstrous form, but there wasn't enough power, and the hunger would devour him from within. He was exhausted and in pain, so there was no time to figure out if this was the wrong path, or if it was simply too early - he had to change course.
Pulling back, Kai reeled as the thorns stabbed deeper into his body. It was spreading now, branching into smaller thorns that pierced every part of him. The pain was bad, but the intensity of the power rushing through him was worse. He couldn't think about techniques or experiments now, it was the most he could do to hang on.
Suddenly the seed heated up and fire shot through all the thorns, flooding his body. Kai let out a cry as he seemed to combust, and suddenly it was over.
At some point he'd leapt to his feet, his fingers clenching claw-like. Zae Zin Nim stood nearby, cautious but not deeply worried. Kai didn't feel as good as he often did after a Physique breakthrough, but he also didn't feel like he'd ruined the process with all the experimentation.
Just in case, he checked his own soul before he let himself breathe.
<
Name: Kai Clanless
Total Power: 1121
Monstrous Hunger - XV (omicron)
Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 51% (261)
Savage Heart: 26 (264)
Physique Level: B-0 (500)
Beggar King's Robes: +3 (15)
Soul Level: 9 (81)
Direboar's Strength - XV (omicron)
Behemoth's Heart - X (kappa)
Thunderbird's Wings - X (kappa)
Isulfr's Bite - X (kappa)
Manticore's Spine - V (epsilon)
Baleful Breath - VIII (theta)
Void Gaze - VIII (theta)
-
Famished World - V (epsilon)
Mutefang's Stealth - XV (omicron)
Tyrant's Claw - XII (mu)
Sahagin's Soul - XII (mu)
Monstrous Tail - II (beta)
Wallcrawler's Feet - IV (delta)
Abominalgum - II (beta)
Rose Piranha - IV (delta)
Cloud Piranha - IV (delta)
Bloodtrap - III (gamma)
Slime's Immortality - II (beta)
Silver Demon - II (beta)
Voidmaw's Bite - II (beta)
Great Cetae - III (gamma)
Bloodtail's Armor - III (gamma)
>
Of course the first thing he noticed was that he'd moved up to B-0 Physique, which granted a dramatic boost of 500 Power. That put his total at 1121, which was incredible. And yet, compared to Zae Zin Nim's transformation that had fundamentally changed her and appeared differently in her soul, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed.
"Is that normal Physique?" Zae Zin Nim asked.
"That's hard to say." Kai threw up his hands. "It's not like I have a normal Physique anyway, with all the partial transformations."
"On that note, I see that the Savage Heart grew. It's abnormal to have a secondary gain during a Physique breakthrough, so perhaps that is the result of our experiments."
"Maybe so. Grab another syringe for Omilaena and see what she can make of it."
Zae Zin Nim did so, though she struggled to get even the ultra-sharp needle through his skin. Kai definitely felt a lot tougher, and he had the feeling that his body would respond even more to monstrous energy, though that was just the natural progression of the way he had been developing for a long time. It remained to be seen where all this would end.
Still, he had broken through and they had blood samples from experiments that might never have been done before. As far as he was concerned, all the pain was worth it.
Chapter 551: Finding An Irunian Solution
Omilaena was deep into her work, practically in a trance, when the other two showed up. Part of her was almost annoyed for a moment, since she was so busy that she had no time for distractions. And yet their expressions...
She remembered that these two were her lovers, not a distraction, and removed her goggles. "What is it?"
"These are for you." Zin Nim shoved an armful of syringes filled with blood at her.
"Blood. Just what I've always wanted," Omilaena said wryly.
"We hope they help."
"I sincerely hope you didn't just steal a bunch of blood from random people."
"It's all from me," Kai said as he stepped in. "I just broke through to B-rank Physique and we attempted some experiments in the process. Not sure if you'll be able to draw any insight from them, but it can't hurt, right?"
It definitely could hurt, yet Omilaena found herself less annoyed at their recklessness and more touched. She was too deep into her work for any sappy displays, but she reached out and pulled them both into a quick embrace.
"You're too good to me," she said softly.
"No, this is an adequate level of good." Zin Nim squeezed her back. "You are our wife and deserve as much."
"Let us know if we can do anything else," Kai added. "We want to help, and if that's not enough for you, getting control of the direction of Irun is in all our best interests."
"Such sweet words..." Omilaena mimicked wiping away a tear and pulled them in to sit wherever they could in her lab. "I'll be honest, I need the help. This is going to take more strategy than I expected - I won a contest of direct Power, but Yuinafal managed to convince a lot of elders that his path has more growth potential in the future."
"Not to mention that we'll be given a handicap, if they measure this by raw numbers."
"He's not wrong that we have the resource advantage, and frankly Irun is right to be concerned about relying heavily on finite resources." Omilaena rubbed her eyes for real this time, trying to get the grittiness out. "I believe that the Ironpath Physique has greater potential, but the problem is that only skilled people like Tusquo get the most out of it. Any random chucklefuck can absorb chakra."
"Many powerful arts are not accessible." Zin Nim folded her arms in her sleeve and considered the matter somberly. "I wish that I could help more, but my abilities are a poor match for Irun. Could we use the crowns we stole in Cloudspire, or resources from the vault?"
"Unfortunately, probably not. Those crowns are strong, but they'd just play into his argument that all we can do is throw out sources of power, and besides, I think those are best suited for allies who have high offensive abilities but limited defenses. Irunians are the opposite."
"I agree with that logic, I just wish there was something..."
"Actually, there is one thing." Omilaena stroked Zin Nim's arm with a smile. "I think I need to go all-in on Physique fundamentals - I mean I won't even try to do more work on mine until I learn more. I'll need your help with that, even beyond all these syringes."
"Anything I can do?" Kai asked.
"You've already done plenty, but you have a nice selfish option: get to Physique B-1 if you can. You're the first time I've ever gotten my hands on someone at B rank, so it would be good to confirm some theories."
"Is that all?"
"Well, it would be convenient if I could examine Quinta, but I don't think I'll get through to her."
"She dislikes me as well," Zin Nim said with a frown.
"Fuck her, then, she's just a bitch for some reason. But she isn't the only person from an enhanced Irunian lineage, not by a long shot. See if you can rustle up any others, because each one could be a piece of the puzzle."
They agreed with remarkable ease, not needing much coaching to understand what she needed. Omilaena marveled at how easy that had become: she had never considered getting married, and she had never considered that her spouses would become familiar enough with her experiments that they could serve as assistants.
Yet she hadn't spoken her darkest thoughts, because there was nothing they could do to help. If Omilaena wanted to win this contest decisively, she was going to need to take a risk... it was time to go back to the Irunian Insanity.
.
..
.
With new space in his soul unlocked, Kai was actually most eager to train his monstrous abilities. He had been fairly confident that he was near his maximum total strength, because it had been difficult to attain higher ranks with anything except new essences. Now, with his human soul having grown so much, they were limited only by his total maximum.
So he trained everything, doing the equivalent of a complete inventory. He confirmed that some abilities were overdue for an upgrade: while Direboar's Strength made him substantially stronger than at base, it wasn't nearly as effective as his other enhancement abilities. Others grew slowly: Behemoth's Heart was still far from its maximum potential. It was harder to judge utility essence, like Sahagin's Soul or Mutefang's Stealth: they were adequate for their purpose and weren't really tested beyond that.
Among his new abilities, he'd had the most fun testing Monstrous Tail. Not only was he getting faster at dealing hard blows, his control was increasing: he could lift pebbles with the end or pick a flower without crushing it. He even had the silly idea of wielding a sword with his tail and using his old swordplay training, though that was fundamentally redundant since the tail had a spike.
All of that was fun, but it wasn't enough. Kai also needed to increase his Physique, and that wasn't coming so easily. Even though improvement became easier at a new rank, he was far beyond the normal limits for Deadwaste, with no new exercises to try. There were few people in the entire known world who might have a chance to help him, and he wasn't sure the Lamia Empress's abilities would be useful to him.
Not that he wouldn't ask, if he somehow got the chance.
After a while stuck at B-0, he went back to Tusquo's house to clear his head. Omilaena wasn't there, working with her Irunian soldiers, but he could cultivate alongside Zae Zin Nim for a while. During a break, they chatted about the issues facing them, and he ended up complaining about the blockage.
"Kai..." Normally Zae Zin Nim would never criticize him for seeking power, but now she cast him a strange glance. "Do you realize your current position?"
"I know I'm very fortun-"
"I don't mean like that. When your monstrous soul catches up, your peak potential should be 2200 total Power. You realize that would make you stronger than the strongest on Cloudspire or Rosemount?"
"Yeah, I guess." Kai rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit foolish when it was put that way. Somehow he hadn't been thinking about it. "I know over two thousand is insane to most people, but you'll get there too once you reach Sky Soul, right?"
Zae Zin Nim nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, we can be outliers together. And Omi can join us too, if we just help her reach another breakthrough. Then no one can question whether we belong together."
Kai wasn't sure if she meant that in an abstract way, or simply that everyone would be too terrified to object. It clearly made sense in her head, and based on her little smile, it was a source of satisfaction. Well, she'd overcome so many problems in her past, maybe this was what domestic bliss looked like for a cultivator born and bred.
"Any luck with other lineages?" Kai asked. "I found an old man from a past program, but Omilaena said his blood didn't teach her much."
"I have had even less fortune. I... do not like to go talking to strangers."
"That does make it a bit difficult, I guess."
"Do not reprimand me, I am trying." Zae Zin Nim frowned and looked to the side. "There are distractions. Tusquo's daughter keeps looking at me for inexplicable reasons."
"Maybe Quinta sent her to spy on you," Kai said with a chuckle.
"Unlikely, as one time she took the girl away very hastily. It seems that she is entirely closed off to us."
There was no point talking about that, so their conversation lapsed into more normal topics: their own training, communication with Krysal, and the Frontier elites. Despite containing no major breakthroughs, Kai felt better after the conversation, as he usually did after talking to his wives.
And he did have a new path: he was going to talk to Quinta and try to figure out what her problem was. He would definitely have preferred to be running off to fight some vicious monster.
Chapter 552: Winding Toward a New Steel
Directly approaching Quinta had clearly not worked so, feeling vaguely creepy the entire time, Kai arranged for them to meet "accidentally". Like all noble Irunian women, Quinta engaged in regular weapons training, so Kai found out her schedule and then arrived there first for his Physique training.
The first day she didn't arrive - not even a hint of her, though that would have been her usual time. On the second day Quinta frowned when she saw him, but she trained in the far corner: a set of simple longsword exercises, very similar to what he'd seen from Tusquo. Normally he might simply let things develop, but the second month was draining away and Omilaena didn't have forever.
Fortunately, he didn't need to do more: on the third day Quinta marched directly up to him.
"How do you have B-rank Physique?" she demanded.
"There's no easy answer to that," Kai said while upside-down in a handstand. "For me, the only effective method has been journeying to other places and learning new training techniques. Sometimes it's using different energy, sometimes different exercises."
"And I suppose you'll offer to teach me?"
"Do you want me to?"
"No."
"Then I won't."
Quinta hesitated a moment, then let out a breath. "Alright, fine," she said, her tone much less steely than usual. "We can talk about whatever is so important to you. But turn the right way up, this is silly."
Kai abandoned his exercise - which wasn't getting him to B-1 anyway - and flipped back to his feet. Ordinarily a conversation like this might have been awkward, but Quinta had a nearly lethal aura around her that left no question that everything was professional. Since he had some experience with prickly women, Kai decided to keep playing it that way.
"What do you want?" Quinta asked.
"Do you not believe that we want to help Irun?" he asked in return.
"No, I believe in your general integrity. My husband vouched for you, and you have been working dutifully since you arrived."
"Then I don't know what other answer I can give you. I mean, you already adopted the Ironpath Physique that Omilaena developed, and you know we hope to strengthen the technique. My wife wants to draw some of your blood, to see if it contains anything that can strengthen other Irunians. If you don't believe that's for the best, I doubt we can convince you."
"It isn't that I believe you're treacherous." Quinta folded her arms and scrutinized his face. "It's simply this entire arrangement that I find distasteful."
That was an open-ended statement Kai wanted to ask about, but it seemed unwise, especially since she was finally opening up a little. Whatever she meant, it still sounded like an obstacle, and she didn't seem to be volunteering. Well, he had an alternate prepared...
"That's your choice," Kai said, "but could you recommend anyone else who would be willing to give some blood for Irun?"
"Hmph." Quinta seemed deeply annoyed, but she started to give him some names and locations, which he hastened to memorize. As soon as she was done, she glared pointedly at his place in the training yard and then left on her own.
This lead proved more productive than any other he'd followed: with just a little teleportation borrowed from an elite, Kai leapt to several locations around Irun. Tusquo went with him, and his word alone was enough to convince several venerable old warriors to donate some blood.
It was nice to travel with Tusquo again, especially when the two of them could fall into old rhythms. Unfortunately, it wasn't always that smooth, and Kai felt like they didn't have as many real conversations as he'd hoped. The problem was that, even though they were both older married men now, they'd gone in such completely different directions that Kai wasn't sure what they even had in common on that front.
In the end, he was able to deliver several vials of blood to Omilaena. She was immediately intrigued and sank into another fervor of work, trying to analyze what past Irunians had done to improve themselves. Kai was actually curious about the details himself, but she seemed too intensely focused to talk about them.
And then, when they next spoke, Omilaena was demanding to go see the Insanity again.
Since she had done so much for them before, and they had the approval of the elites, the Irunian elders allowed what would normally have been an absurd request. Kai reflected again that having this position of authority had value that no amount of raw power could equal - he couldn't afford to surrender it to Yuinafal or any of the other elites.
They entered with a small group - Zae Zin Nim, Tusquo, and Quinta had come along - and they met an even larger one. A whole host of Irunian elders had come, including Pourila, Sheiri, and many others he didn't recognize. For a while Kai wondered if Omilaena had just made all the plans on her own, then as she stepped forward, he realized that she still needed their approval.
"I can't restore the strength of your primary metal," she said without preamble. "That would require an equivalent source of power. However, as I see it, the problem is that granting new abilities is always an extractive process, reducing your original source. This is in contrast to an individual growing their abilities, where their metal strengthens itself."
"Generations have tried to do the same with the metal pools," an old man said. "All have failed. They either accomplished nothing, or further drained the source."
"And I concluded that I can't do better than they did, but that isn't the only solution." Omilaena gestured down to the pool of metal. "The key is what I said before: once extracted, the material is transformed into an ability that can strengthen itself. I am moderately confident that I'm capable of adding a layer to the process: creating a self-strengthening source that others can take from."
This set off a chorus from the normally-staid elders, from disbelief to objections to hope. Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, who raised her eyebrows just slightly. Apparently this was new to her too, so Omilaena's thoughts must have gone in a new direction.
"To be clear," Omilaena said loudly over the other voices, "I cannot produce a power that would grant Irunian abilities. However, based on my research into your ancient lineages, I should be able to produce a secondary pool, one that will enhance Irunian Physique. The key facts are that it will be self-regenerating and that you won't require my further involvement if you take care of it."
"You said 'moderately confident'," one of the elders objected. "You're asking us to risk our nation on an uncertain theory?"
"You already risk your nation every incursion. I'm not lying to you and claiming I have a sure thing, because that would be absurd. There's no way to do a trial run when it's all based on a singular source of power."
Tusquo spoke up next, and none of the elders or elites seemed to think this was out of place. "You said the new pool would regenerate itself, but would the process of creating it be non-extractive?"
"Unfortunately, no." Omilaena turned to stare at the Final Metal and shook her head. "There's no way around needing the source. However, it shouldn't drain much more than ten Irunian warriors or so, and it has the potential to help far more."
"How confident are you in that potential?" Sheiri asked, arms folded tensely. "What are the chances that you create the pool but the result is limited, or worse, stunts our growth?"
"If you let me work from the source, relatively low. Trust me, avoiding any stunted results was one of the major obstacles to my work."
"Does it have to be?" Pourila spoke up and some of the other elders reacted in surprise, but she moved forward. "I agree that our young warriors should have the best paths set before them. But for many of us, we have long ago reached our limits. We would be willing to accept methods that would stunt growth we are unlikely to see anyway."
Up to that point Omilaena had been all business, but that caused her to smile strangely. "I'm afraid I don't have solutions like that. I could use chakra methods to strengthen one person far above current levels, but it would drain the source considerably. Not the equivalent of ten tests, more like ten thousand. I could share the details, but I assume you're not willing to sacrifice Irun's future that way."
The elders agreed about that and, after a dwindling series of questions, eventually approved the project. Those who were only politicians departed, leaving Sheiri to arrange some details, as well as Pourila, who seemed to be the steward of the hidden location. Tusquo and Quinta remained as well, speaking to one another in low voices that he guessed was the equivalent of Irunian excitement.
Meanwhile, Omilaena walked up to Kai and Zae Zin Nim with a bit of a sheepish expression. "Sorry for not talking more, but I wasn't sure this could work until recently. And... there's one thing they didn't ask about. I need to do this directly, using my own body as a focus, and there's some risk."
"How much?" Zae Zin Nim asked promptly. "Could we reduce the danger?"
"What I told them before was unfortunately true: there's no way to test something like this. The basic methods are common enough in chakra, so that's not a problem, and I have tons of experience with Irunians now. What could be rough is trying to use them on something this powerful."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kai asked.
"Oh, don't worry yourself so much. I have a contingency." Omilaena flipped a syringe around her fingers and handed it to him. "Most likely, I'll walk out all confident and sexy and you won't need it. But if I react poorly, take me to a dry location and jab me with this. I melted down all my work on my own Physique so far, so there's no better stabilizer than this."
Even though Zae Zin Nim still seemed distraught by the idea, they both saw that Omilaena was too determined to be put off. Besides, if they wanted unprecedented power they needed to take some risks, and the Irunians really needed this.
Some of the local experts made preparations while others built a portal to a cavern at a less secure location, where they created a pit for the hypothetical secondary pool. Omilaena sat down to meditate, in a far more somber way than normal, which put Kai on edge. Usually she was utterly confident before her experiments, or at worst filled with restless energy, so he didn't like this reaction from her.
All too soon, it seemed like they were ready. Omilaena gave them both a brief kiss, then walked to the pool.
At first it rejected her, since she had already taken of the source once. But that was one of the earliest problems she'd solved, so Omilaena bent down to inject some of her own metallic chakra. Once she had weakened the surface, she plunged into the metallic pool and disappeared.
For several terrible seconds, Kai imagined just never seeing her again.
Then she resurfaced... but it was the back of her blue dress, drifting lifelessly in the pool. Zae Zin Nim let out a cry and reacted first, leaping forward, and her qi rebounded violently from the pool's defenses. Kai followed a split second behind, and since he'd already taken the test once, he was able to walk out onto the metal.
He scooped up Omilaena and saw that her eyes were flowing with the same liquid metal as the pool. That might have been normal, but she coughed and spluttered, metal flying from her throat. It looked like she was choking, maybe drowning, and her soul seemed to be trembling dangerously.
"Make way!" Kai's shout broke through all the shock and the Irunians hastened to obey. He used his full speed to burst through the portal to the other chamber, laid Omilaena down in the pit, and then stabbed her syringe directly into her heart.
As her power flooded back into her, the coughing and spluttering ceased. Her body went completely still, but Kai could feel her soul stabilizing, so he breathed a sigh of relief. His instincts had been to try to suck the metal out of her, or attack, or something else futile, but he'd known that the best he could do was follow the instructions she'd left, and it had worked.
Or so it seemed.
Omilaena stabilized, but she didn't wake up. Instead she lay still, her eyes still open and covered in liquid steel. Blueish-silver metal began to leak from her skin, and though the Irunians cried out happily, it looked uncomfortably close to blood for Kai's peace of mind.
She had said that she intended to walk out sexily and confidently. As Omilaena lay there, beginning to float on the metal that drained from her body, she looked like she might not walk at all.
