Jin Yan the Immortal, his face grave, looked at Fang Shu. "Although the Nine Tribulations True Fire of the Hall of Golden Jade can help Vast Sea Immortals cultivate that Sunlight Divine Water nonsense, its cultivation process also has its obstacles.
"Should one fail to stabilize the true qi within their body, the Nine Tribulations True Fire may instead draw away their true qi. It may even siphon off the Sunlight Divine Water that is on the verge of being refined."
The old man shook his head. "In such cases, the many alchemists in the hall have all been placed under gag orders and forbidden from leaking anything. And when they sign contracts with people, they hem and haw over many of the terms, leaving them vague and incomplete.
"Even if an Immortal truly notices that something is wrong afterward, the hall will already have its explanation prepared. They will claim that each Immortal's foundation was unstable and they nearly set themselves ablaze, while the hall's true fire instead helped dispel the fire qi and saved their life—"
Fang Shu listened carefully, the chill on his face deepening as he smiled. "So when we cultivate true qi here, we are actually helping feed the hall's true fire, and must even thank them for their 'life-saving grace.'"
Jin Yan the Immortal hesitated a few times, then nodded.
The other party immediately lowered his voice and added, "But Fellow Daoist Fang, you must not let this matter slip.
"The Hall of Golden Jade dares act this way because it naturally has considerable backing. There may even be people within the Immortal Prefecture protecting it."
Jin Yan the Immortal continued, "Besides, this sort of cultivation merely steals some true qi and divine water; it does not take lives. To be honest, after tempering