[Day 14: You are woken up from pain well before sunrise. Your entire body is throbbing, and you feel slightly weaker due to the evil power consuming your vitality…]

As the day began, and Lem broke from his nightly meditation, he noticed a shift in the behavior of his simulated self.

Despite the continued presence of pain, he was now moving with purpose rather than just laying about and wallowing.

Nothing demonstrated this more than his early decision to return to the source of danger.

Lem did not agree with his decision for reasons that were selfish. He would have liked for his simulated self to at least glance through the jade slips he had already looted before taking another risk. That way, if he died, at least Lem’s real body could extract some benefits.

For his simulated self, however, it represented an improvement in attitude from the previous day.

Lem also thought that the harvest tree would most likely not attack him. After all, he had passed in front of it twice already in different simulations, and each time he had returned unharmed.

[You know you need to retrieve your knife. Aside from this, you also need food and water. Confronting the necessity of your situation, you confront your fear and begin to walk back towards the harvest tree…]

As Lem’s simulated self walked in the direction of the pond, the pleasant sensations from the increasing spirituality were muted by his physical condition, as they had been the previous day.

Lem noted grimly that it was a benefit of the mutilation of his simulated self that he was no longer at risk of acting abnormally from the intoxicating effects of spiritual energy.

As the gray-blue harvest tree shifted into view, Lem’s gaze was immediately drawn to the perfect spiritual lily, which still had a tantalizing hold on him.

He dragged his attention away to the forest floor.

Lem and his simulated self both saw the scene of the battle from the previous day with fresh eyes.

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It was covered in various objects, most of which were the contents of the martial elder’s bag.

There were containers, both empty and full, small pouches, crystals and an assortment of small items, many of which were too damaged to identify. He could also see multiple daggers, burnt papers, needles, flasks, and a rope.

Lem could see the path that he had rolled through from the distribution of his former possessions.

Thankfully, on the end of the item trail that was furthest from the harvest tree, he saw the one that was most important to retrieve. His knife.

There was also a nearby water skin that was within arm’s reach.

Further on, he saw his spear, which had been burned to a husk. Next to it were the tattered scraps of his bag with the majority of its contents, mainly ruined containers of food and a few more water skins.

Within the folds of the bag, Lem could also see a glint of green. It was the jade slip that recorded the [Mountain Sitting Technique].

Unfortunately, Lem could not see any preserved food among either his or the martial elder’s possessions outside of a few of the containers that had independently stored parts of the mature tyrant sloth and the wolf king.

Whether or not they were originally intended for eating, his simulated self had little choice in the matter.

Lem’s simulated self cast a nervous eye towards the harvest tree.

It stood, motionless. One could hardly believe that it could explode with the speed and power that could take down a Martial Master.

Lem’s simulated self focused his mind.

Lem knew that he was preparing for the first retrieval mission. He could guess what his simulated self would focus on. For the first pass, he needed to retrieve the knife and the water skin, the two closest important items.

His simulated self took a deep breath before walking as calmly as he could. He did not move too fast or too slow.

One step forward. Two steps. Three steps.

He drew closer to the knife, and the harvest tree was still motionless.

Almost there.

He stooped down and picked up the knife, wincing from the pain as it contacted his palm. He tucked it under his arm, before he reached over and retrieved the water skin with another grimace.

He felt somewhat relieved to find that it was heavy. The water had not leaked.

He walked back while trying to project the same aura of calmness.

One step. Two steps. Three steps…

Safe.

He had made his first pass through the scattered objects, and the harvest tree had not attacked him.