[You ask how to read the jade slip, and the martial elder tells you to put it on your forehead and concentrate.
You follow the instructions you are given, and you feel a wondrous sensation as the text appears in your mind. It describes the [Mountain Sitting Technique].]
The Introduction ended, leaving Lem with a small amount of time to gather his thoughts.
He was barely able to collect himself and feel wonder at the mystical experience when the First Chapter entered his mind.
If the Introduction entered his mind in a stream, the First Chapter was a torrent.
First came the text, conveying a complicated breathing method to attract and sense spiritual energy. The internal and external movements of the body were described in detail, along with a wealth of information about the subtleties of the First Stage of Cultivation, Instincts Of A Mountain.
Next, a complex visualization diagram was fixed in his mind's eye.
It presented a small mountain in the middle of a forest.
Initially, the image was bland, but when Lem concentrated on it, many aspects of the mountain suddenly became apparent, from its physical qualities to its spiritual interactions with the world.
It was mesmerizing but also very taxing for his mental faculties, making him want to stop.
When he resisted this urge and continued to fix it in his mind's eye, he began to have different realizations about the mountain.
It drove Lem's thoughts back to the breathing method.
Many unclear parts of the First Chapter began to make sense.
His focus returned to the visualization diagram.
So that was how it was…
As he slowly comprehended the information, he felt continuous enlightenment, as though he was receiving hundreds of insights every second.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, the visualization diagram disappeared from Lem's senses.
[You find that it is a profound manual describing the process for cultivating spiritual energy, with extremely detailed instructions for the internal and external motions required for every step.
Most of the information is too difficult to comprehend, but you try your best to memorize it. A few minutes later, you regain awareness of your surroundings.]
Lem had not finished processing all of the information, but it was clear that his simulated self had.
It was unsurprising that he was slower than his simulated self, as his simulated self had already had an additional boost to his mind in the simulation from consuming the mushrooms and the seed again.
Lem felt that his simulated self could access the Second Chapter if he wished with a mental command, but he declined to do so.
Lem agreed with the decision.
The First Chapter described the First Stage of Body Refinement in full, which was sufficient for his present needs.
Apart from this, he still needed time to digest what he had received. It felt like his mind would explode if he received the Second Chapter on top of the first.
There was a third reason…standing in front of him.
Lem's simulated self came to his senses, realizing that Master Brightflame had an undisguised frown on his face.
Clearly, he had been waiting for some time.
"Tell me more about this water lily," the martial elder said, as he saw that Lem's simulated self had awoken from his stupor.
Lem's simulated self hurriedly stowed away the jade slip, before beginning to describe all of the details he could remember surrounding the water lily.
He left out all mention of the harvest tree, emphasizing at the end that he felt unsafe around the water due to an uncanny presence, and that he had left quickly out of fear despite thinking that the presence was probably too far away to affect him.
As Lem's simulated self spoke, Master Brightflame began to stroke his beard, deep in thought.