I opened my eyes to find the boathouse bathed in amber light. The setting sun filtered through broken windows, casting long shadows across the dusty floor. The floorboards beneath me were damp with the sweat that had poured out from my trembling body. Yet beneath the bone-deep exhaustion that threatened to drag me into darkness I was triumphant. I had done it.

  All four meridians of my Tidesworn Pillars were open

  I had tackled the Sea Gate Meridian for my legs first and each pulse of ki as I pushed had felt like salt water scouring my veins. The Storm Wake Meridian in my shoulders and arms had been worse. I had blacked out for a few moments as soon as I had opened it in agony. And the Horizon Crown Meridian for my head? Seven hels, it had fought me like a cornered beast and I needed to draw upon centuries of knowledge just to coax it open, even as my consciousness frayed with each attempt.

  But now ki flowed through my entire body, from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head. Power, however modest, once again coursed through my limbs and I could feel it healing small wounds and starting the slow process of strengthening my muscles.

  I wasn't foolish enough to celebrate prematurely though. I began to test each meridian in turn, tracing the flow of ki through the pathways with my consciousness. This wasn't just about opening my meridians, it was about ensuring they functioned properly.

  A frown creased my brow as I encountered the first problem. The Storm Wake Meridian in my left arm showed significant resistance, the ki moving sluggishly through the channel like thick honey rather than flowing water.

  Worse still was the junction where the Sea Gate Meridian connected to the Abyssal Deep Meridian. The transfer was inefficient, losing over half of the energy with each transition.

  Overall I could feel that all of the meridians were rough and narrow, the ki catching and slowing as it moved around. Perfectly normal for new meridians, but they wouldn't serve as they were for what I had planned.

  I looked over at the sparrow who was still hanging around. "I bet that you don't have problems with your body like this." The sparrow just silently cocked its head at me. I knew it wasn't entirely fair. This vessel hadn't been given the pills that would have prepared it for cultivation. I knew it would have flaws from the start.

  Yet my mild disappointment was tempered by certainty. I had made the right choice developing the meridians before forming a core. My task was to turn the crude clay pipes that were these meridians into polished jade channels. With my knowledge, I could now identify and address these weaknesses systematically.

  It would just take a frustrating amount of time.

  Running my fingers along my left shoulder, feeling the subtle resistance beneath the skin where the Storm Wake Meridian struggled. This body might not be naturally suited for cultivation, but it was what I had to work with and I would perfect it. In my time I had taken far less promising disciples and molded them into formidable cultivators. This body was just another challenge to overcome.

  I pulled out the Soul Mirror again. Now that I had struggled through opening three more meridians I could feel that I had pushed my will power as well as my cultivation, and I wanted to see how that was reflected.

  Name: Shen Taros

  Stage: Breakthrough. Tidesworn Pillars open

  Path: None

  Attributes: Body: 4 (+1) / Mind: 10 (+2) / Spirit: 7 (+4)

  Dao: None

  Titles: None

  Those increases in my Mind and Spirit Attributes felt about right. It now seemed clear that the earlier increase in my Mind Attribute was due to the auras that I had resisted at the docks. It made more sense for my Spirit to have gone up more than my Mind in the last few hours, it was my ki that was doing the hard work, even with the help of Waves Take Down a Cliff.

  What was an unexpected bonus was to see the increase in my Body Attribute. On reflection that made sense. I had been circulating ki through my meridians for hours. The whole point of the Tidesworn Pillars was to strengthen the body in preparation for the challenges of the Master Realm. I would hope that I could see some swift increases in the Body Attribute as I actively focused on whipping it into shape.

  I took a deep breath and stretched, feeling my muscles respond with new fluidity. The boathouse had grown dim around me and the dust motes danced in the slanted rays of late afternoon light.

  Through the broken window I heard the distant toll of the fourth bell echoing across Shuilin Haven.

  "Have you seen the time?" I said to the sparrow. I had lost track completely. If I was going to make it back home by sixth bell with dinner I would have to get moving. Sarei would keel-haul me if I let her down again.

  I rose to my feet in a motion that was far smoother than it had been when I had sat down, reveling in the ease of the movement. Where before my joints and muscles had creaked, now my body responded, if not with precision, then at least like a normal human. The opened meridians were already making a subtle, but unmistakable difference. At this stage, of course, most of what it was doing was speeding up the process of my own muscles mending torn fibers and washing away the damage accumulated over the years.

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  The sparrow that had kept silent vigil throughout my cultivation session tilted its head as I got up. To be honest I couldn't have asked for a better companion to my transformation. It was certainly a far better listener than most of my Elders.

  I grinned at my feathered companion and swept into an exaggerated formal bow. "My thanks for your attentive company, little friend. Let me know if you need me to repay the favor some time."

  The bird chirped once, as if acknowledging my gratitude, then fluttered out through a missing roof tile. Well, if he was leaving, then so was I.

  I made my way to the broken window I'd entered through hours earlier. Before, I had struggled ungainly through the opening. Now, I pulled myself through like I knew what I was doing.

  I landed on the alley cobblestones below with only a small stumble and my knees bent to absorb the impact without feeling like they were going to break. A smile spread across my face. Oh yes, this was much better.

  I strode off down the street enjoying my new limberness. With the most urgent task since my arrival in this realm complete, it was time to attend to some more basic needs.

  * * *

  A few minutes later I found myself in the heart of the poorer end of the merchant district. On the way I had slaked my thirst from a well on the street but even the short walk had led to my body crying out for food.

  The opened meridians and the healing it was carrying out, had accelerated my metabolism, and I was absolutely ravenous. Jin Duyi's purse felt reassuringly heavy in my pocket as I approached a street vendor whose grill sent aromatic clouds of smoke to the heavens.

  "Five, no, six skewers," I said, pointing to the chunks of plump fish sizzling over the coals, threaded with colorful vegetables. "Large ones."

  The vendor raised an eyebrow as he looked at my disheveled state. "A copper each." He picked them up but did not move to hand them over until I dropped the appropriate coins into his palm with an eyeroll of my own.

  Famished as I was, I only waited for the time it took to move to the edge of the busy street before biting into the first skewer. I closed my eyes and let out an involuntary moan as the flavors burst across my tongue. This wasn't spirit food, but it might as well have been as far as I was concerned

  I had feasted on rarities prepared by immortals in my past life, but right here, right now, I couldn't imagine anything I would rather eat than this humble street fare. The fish was fresh, the marinade perfectly balanced between sweet, salty, spicy and savory. I devoured the first three skewers in quick succession, barely pausing to breathe. The morning's meager portion of bread and fish was a distant memory.

  With my immediate hunger somewhat sated, I slowed down enough to savor the remaining skewers while making my way to the public baths I had spotted during my deliveries. Two copper petals bought me entry, while one more secured a washing service for my clothes.

  I surrendered my garments to an attendant and endured several buckets of water being thrown at me to remove the worst of the dirt before I sank into the communal pool with a sigh of relief. The warm water was a balm to my aching muscles. In my previous life, the bathing complexes in even the most humble of my estates were larger than this entire establishment. But right now, this simple bath felt like heaven.

  Methodically, I scrubbed away the sweat and grime from my efforts over the afternoon. I gave a grimace as I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. A proper haircut and shave would have to wait for another day. I simply didn't have the time if I wanted to make it back home by sixth bell.

  When the attendant returned with my clothes, I examined them critically in the fading light. Clean now, their true condition was painfully apparent. The elbows were worn thin, patches covered the knees, and the collar was frayed beyond repair. Even the cleanest of rags were still rags.

  I slipped them on anyway. New clothes were next on my list. I refused to look like a beggar, regardless of my current circumstances.

  Some standards simply couldn't be compromised.

  I left the baths feeling refreshed but underdressed. Jin Duyi's silver would remedy that. At some point I really should remember to thank him. I made my way to a nearby clothing stall where an older woman with quick eyes sized me up immediately.

  "Something practical, yes?" she asked, already pulling out items before I could answer.

  I scanned the rows of hanging garments. My gaze lingered momentarily on a set of midnight blue cultivator robes with silver trim. By cultivator standards they were simple but still elegant. The fabric would flow with movement, perfect for forms and stances.

  She followed my gaze and started to reach for it.

  "Not those," I said, forcing my attention away. Sarei wouldn't be the only one with questions if I turned up to work dressed like that. "Show me something a dock worker might wear."

  The woman nodded and presented a sturdy tunic and trousers in a deep brown, the crudely woven fabric thick enough to withstand rough handling but soft enough for comfort.

  "Thirty coppers for the set," she said.

  I haggled her down to twenty, then just as I was about to pay I had a thought. "I need similar clothes for my sister. About this tall," I indicated Sarei's height with my hand, "slim build."

  After selecting a practical but well-made outfit in a similar style to my own for Sarei, I added a sturdy sailor's tunic and trousers for Kaelen.

  "Sixty-five coppers for everything," the merchant declared after I'd made my selections.

  "Fifty-five."

  "Done."

  I handed over the coins, tucking the neatly wrapped bundle under my arm. Nice though it would be to get into my new outfit, I wasn't going to strip down in the street. The clothes for my siblings might help smooth over any lingering tension from this morning. Of course if they thought I was wasting money it might make things worse as well, but I was an optimist.

  A few quick enquires led me to my next stop at a discrete blacksmith's shop tucked between two larger buildings. The absence of a weapon at my hip had been a niggle since awakening in this body. A niggle that had intensified after the encounter with Duyi and his men. In seven centuries, I had never gone unarmed for so long.

  Inside, weapons of various types hung from the walls. I could tell at a glance that their creator knew her craft. The blacksmith, a burly woman with one cloudy eye, watched me examine her wares. I was very conscious that even though I and my clothes were clean I was still in rags that were very out of place in a smithy.

  "Mei Shulan. This is my place. Looking for something specific?" she asked.

  "A dagger," I said. "Well-balanced, good steel."

  I had thought about it in advance. A cutlass or rapier would be suspicious on a dock worker. More importantly, a subpar blade would be worse than none at all and I couldn't afford a good one. My standards hadn't diminished merely because my circumstances had. A dagger it was.

  She assessed me through her cloudy eye then rummaged in a pile, before handing me a crude blade.

  I looked at it, then looked at the blacksmith. This was an insult.