[Day 17: You wake up and feel weaker due to the evil power consuming your vitality…
You cultivate the [Mountain Sitting Technique]...
You take the spiritual lily with you and walk around the perimeter of the spiritual territory…
You practice the [Spirit Hand Talisman Method]...
You practice the [Nine Bull Fist]...
You eat a petal from the spiritual lily, and you cultivate…
You fall asleep…]
[Day 18: You wake up…
You cultivate the [Mountain Sitting Technique]...]
Lem's simulated self stopped his morning cultivation session and opened his eyes.
In the past couple of days, Lem had noticed that his simulated self was able to move the spiritual energy within him more and more. He was surprised that he had not been able to circulate it fully yet, and he was expecting a breakthrough to happen any day now.
On the other hand, his own nighttime meditation seemed to have become a complete waste of time. He had spent the past night fixating on the visualization diagram for hours on end without experiencing any new insights.
Lem assumed that his simulated self was about to patrol the barrier and look for beasts to hunt. He was ready to slip into another meditation session, when he noticed that his simulated self was deviating from his expectations.
His simulated self had begun rifling through one of the pouches.
Lem watched in curiosity as his simulated self took out the cloak that he had scavenged days earlier. Before he could realize what was happening, his simulated self had pulled the cloak over his own tattered clothing.
The strong smell of burnt leaves filled his nose, as the cloth slid down past his face, coming to rest snugly over his torso.
[By chance, you remember the cloak you had found among the martial elder's possessions, and wonder if it could be helpful in concealing your presence.
On a whim, you take it out and put it on. You feel surprisingly at ease…]
Lem's simulated self stuck his hands in the spacious pockets of the cloak, pushing them in and making sure there were no holes.
Everything seemed to be in good working order.
He pushed the spiritual lily inside, being careful not to damage it. It was a comfortable fit, with plenty of room remaining.
Lem's simulated self took a few steps, feeling the tail of the cloak billow behind him, before he pushed the cowl over his head.
With his current appearance, perhaps he would still look a bit suspicious, but he assumed that it was far from the horrendous sight he was without it on.
[The more you move around with the cloak on, the better you like the feeling. You think that if you had been wearing it before, you would have been able to carry the scattered items by the harvest tree in fewer trips, reducing the risk.
You also think that you would have the benefit of camouflage in certain situations, particularly if you also use a Hidden Breath Talisman.
You decide to keep the cloak on for the time being…
You walk around the perimeter of the spiritual territory…
You practice the [Spirit Hand Talisman Method]...
You practice the [Nine Bull Fist]...
You eat a petal from the spiritual lily, and you cultivate…
As night falls, you take out the spiritual lily and take a close look to make sure that it has not wilted or been damaged from the time it spent inside the cloak earlier in the day…
You do not see any blemishes or discolored areas…
As you close your eyes, you decide that you are going to make a habit of wearing the cloak. You fall asleep…]
As he was cast into complete darkness, Lem did not know what to think about the new development.
In truth, he did not care.
One more cloak or one fewer cloak, it did not matter to him. So as long as it made his simulated self happy, he could support it.
Lem began to meditate, bringing the mountain to the forefront of his mind.
He was not going to let his lack of progress deter him.
Even if he was only able to make one small insight for the rest of the simulation, it could make all the difference later on.
There was also nothing better to do.