[You feel dissatisfied with the last two jade slips, and you revisit your intention to return to the harvest tree. You want to retrieve the talisman brush before anything happens to it.]
As his simulated self stood up and began to walk back towards the pond, Lem continued to think.
Perhaps the jade slips were not without use.
In the future, the notes from the last jade slip could be referenced for insights about true essence. In a similar vein, the notes on fire and mountain intent could be helpful for understanding mountain intent at the Spirit Refinement Realm.
Even if they were a far cry from being as helpful as the jade slips of the [Mountain Sitting Technique] and the [Spirit Hand Talisman Method], perhaps it was wrong to think that they were completely devoid of value.
There was one other matter that had been made clear to him from the jade slips.
In both sets of notes it was explicitly written that it was difficult to progress past the Second Stage of Spirit Refinement in the [Mountain Sitting Technique].
It appeared that there was a bottleneck due to the level of comprehension of mountain characteristics that was necessary to compress and grow the true essence.
Lem guessed that Master Brightflame had reached that plateau before converting to a fire technique.
[You reach the pond and the harvest tree.]
Lem's simulated self reached the pond once again, and began to survey the forest floor. The items had not disappeared yet, not that he had expected them to.
As he looked around, he felt a tingling sensation. The conflict of pleasant and harsh sensations from the spiritual energy and the burns on his skin was difficult to adjust to.
Lem and his simulated self immediately identified the talisman brush. It was charred and looking a bit battered, lying slightly further from the tree than Lem's bag had been.
A split-second later, Lem's simulated self was drawn to a pouch that was only a couple of meters away from the brush, attracting Lem's attention. There was a slight discoloration around the lip of the pouch. It was subtle, but it reminded Lem of the description of cinnabar ink.
In the [Spirit Hand Talisman Method], crushed radiant bronze was described as the ideal metallic ink, but among the preferred alternatives, cinnabar ink ranked highly.
[You see the talisman brush that you remembered from before. Near it, you are pleasantly surprised to see what you determine to be cinnabar ink stains on a pouch.]
Lem's simulated self looked around to make sure there was nothing else he wanted to take, before he began to approach the talisman brush.
He felt a slight shiver of fear run through his body, but it was much more suppressed compared to previous trips. Even if the harvest tree had the capacity to kill him instantly, it had never done so before.
As Lem's simulated self reached the brush, he stooped over and picked it up in one fluid motion, ignoring the pain from the burns on his hand.
He took one step and retrieved the stained pouch. There were a few spiritual crystals on the ground nearby. He slipped them into the pouch as well before he turned around.
[You retrieve the talisman brush and the stained pouch.]
Easy.
As Lem's simulated self began walking back, he was already beginning to feel secure.
And then he heard a small noise.
Creak.
It came from behind him. It was the direction of the harvest tree.
An instant feeling of regret flooded his body, and he stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding. His hands were still holding on to the brush and the pouch.
Lem knew exactly the kinds of thoughts that were running through his head.
Why had he not left the tree alone?
Why did he come back for talisman materials? Was it really so important?
And the spiritual crystals! Were they necessary?
A moment later, when death did not arrive, Lem's simulated self felt confusion. He was not hurt, but he could still hear the creaking noise behind him.
Creak.
Lem's simulated self slowly turned around and saw, with horror, that one of gray-blue branches of the harvest tree had stirred.