Surprising Progress

[After reading the contents of the jade slip, you feel disappointment. Because you do not practice a fire cultivation technique, you feel that the notes are useless to you.

You begin to cultivate while you recover your mental state…]

Lem's simulated self took another break. Once again, he did not focus very hard on the visualization diagram or the breathing method. He practiced the motions without expectation while he waited for his mind to recover.

Lem did not know what was going through the mind of his simulated self, but he could feel a difference in the fluidity of his motions.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Nudge the spiritual energy.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Nudge the spiritual energy.

Woah!

He felt a shift in his body. The spiritual energy, which had only been budging by the slightest of margins, had suddenly moved at an accelerated rate. It even showed signs of beginning to revolve through his meridians.

Lem's simulated self calmed himself and kept on practicing.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Nudge!

The spiritual energy shifted again in an exaggerated fashion.

Breathe in. Breathe out…

As time passed, the spiritual energy continued to be receptive to the nudges of Lem's simulated self. Eventually, he stopped, and opened his eyes.

The forest seemed slightly different, as if all his senses had become sharper.

[As you cultivate, you find that you have an easier time connecting with the mountain in the visualization diagram. You are also surprisingly successful in stimulating the spiritual energy in your body…

You still stop when you feel as though you have recovered your mental state…]

Lem felt the surprise and happiness coursing through his body. Despite the lack of effort, or perhaps because of it, he had made surprising progress in the [Mountain Sitting Technique]. 

It was the best session yet, giving him hope that he could circulate the spiritual energy through his body before long. When he could do so, it would mark the completion of small success of the First Stage of Body Refinement.

Of course, it still did not feel like he was anywhere near sensing the spiritual energy outside of his body, much less stirring it, which was a necessary step for large success.

Lem could not help but feel anticipation as his simulated self reached for the final jade slip.

The first one had given him the [Mountain Sitting Technique]. The second had given him the [Spirit Hand Talisman Method] and the creation method for the Hidden Breath Talisman. It was only the third that had failed to deliver anything good.

[You put the jade slip on your forehead, and the text appears in your mind. 

It is a compilation of cultivation notes on the [Mountain Sitting Technique], including a conversion method for producing fire attributed true essence.

You slowly digest the information…]

After Lem was brought back to his senses, he once again felt disappointment.

The jade slip for the [Spirit Hand Talisman Method] had brought his hopes up, but the last two jade slips had sent them crashing down again.

They were both useless!

One of the slips had discussed the interactions of fire and mountain intent, while the latest had given a more practical method for converting one form of true essence into another.

The only problem was that he had no accompanying fire technique!

It wasn't just this, but the cultivation notes were once again too abstract and complex for him to remember, much less comprehend.

They were clearly made for practitioners of the Spirit Refinement Realm!

Even if he spent a copious amount of time and was somehow able to understand the notes, in the best case scenario he would gain the ability to ruin his progress in the [Mountain Sitting Technique] in the future and be left with a useless fire attributed true essence!