The outer headland practice stones stood above a narrow strip of beach. Pema carried a shallow copper bowl and set it on a flat stone. Ruo waited near the water, ready to report the wave pattern. Han checked the cliff path and horizon while Qinghe prepared her notes.
“Use the same complete sequence each time,” Qinghe said. “I’ll count cycles and record the change.”
Yan began Tidal Draw. He timed his breath to the retreating water and gathered sea qi through the full channel. The current settled into his dantian. His vitality rose with the completed cycle, and the collected power joined the cultivation he already held.
He repeated the method. The pull became smoother as he learned the timing. He no longer waited for a wave to show him the rhythm; he sensed the change in the water and met it with his breath.
She marked the starting temperature with chalk and placed the bowl far enough from the water that a wave could not reach it. The test would record a real flow, not spray from the shore. Pema asked him to release a small amount into the copper bowl. Yan opened the path and let the gathered current flow out. A pale shimmer spread across the surface. The bowl did not heat.
