A Precious Fate
On his way to Fire Cloud Cave, Fang Yu stopped agonizing and calmed down.
Although he had come to his senses earlier and refrained from signing the contract on the spot, after thinking it over carefully, he suddenly realized that all these years he had overlooked a fatal problem that could endanger his life.
The problem was that he seemed to be cultivating a little too quickly.
For an ordinary "firestone laborer" to reach Qi Ingestion Fifth Layer in just a few years without a large supply of Metal Fire Stones was certainly abnormal.
There had already been signs of this when he met cultivators he had known in the past. Those who were still stuck at the second layer had all envied and resented his cultivation.
He had been so immersed in the pleasure of advancing his cultivation that he had never considered how a mere "firestone laborer" like him could cultivate so quickly.
Was it because he had the Wings Fire fate?
Granted, the Wings Fire fate gave him a certain boost to his cultivation speed, but it could never make him this fast.
He had only just broken through to Qi Ingestion Fifth Layer, so he could barely explain it away as a benefit of his fate. But how was he to explain himself to the sect's deacons when he broke through to Qi Ingestion Sixth Layer in another two years and went to collect the Late Stage Cultivation Method?
As the saying went, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. Once his cultivation improved at an abnormal rate, it would surely arouse the greed and suspicions of those cultivators he knew, and even draw the attention of the sect's middle and upper ranks.
If the cultivation of someone he knew suddenly soared, he would certainly guess that the person had obtained some treasure or fortuitous opportunity.
He was an honest man, so at most he would turn green with envy for a while, feel jealous for a few days, and look on with admiration for a bit. He would not actually scheme against the person.
But other cultivators would not be as kind as him. Some would surely harbor ill intentions and try every way they could to scheme against him.
Thus, even if this "secret land loan" was a huge pit, he had no choice but to jump in.
Only after entering the secret land could he reasonably explain why his cultivation had improved so quickly.
Of course, he had also considered simply leaving the Metal Stone Immortal Sect to become a Rogue Cultivator.
But that was only a passing thought. No matter how the Metal Stone Immortal Sect found ways to cheat him, he could not leave anytime soon, because it offered the stable environment he needed most, the subsequent parts of his Cultivation Method, and the status of a legitimate immortal sect disciple.
Without those things, he would become a "Rogue Cultivator," adrift like duckweed. Every step would surely be fraught with hardship, and he would live from one day to the next.
Besides, he also needed a stable rear base for his future explorations of Great Scarlet Heaven. Even if that base cheated him, he could only put up with it for now.
Back at Fire Cloud Cave, Fang Yu went to Deacon Han Feng's desk and handed over his token, the contract, and three Metal Fire Stones.
"Sorry for the trouble, Deacon Han. I've made up my mind. I still want to take another step forward."
Han Feng's face darkened as he looked at the "firestone laborer" who had returned. He had thought this laborer surnamed Fang could rein himself in at the edge of the cliff, but in the end, he had jumped anyway. Han Feng had truly misjudged him.
"You can keep the Metal Fire Stones!" Han Feng took the token and contract but did not reach for the three Metal Fire Stones. He quickly completed the procedure and handed the token back to Fang Yu. "There. You can enter the secret realm to cultivate now."
"Many thanks!"
Fang Yu took back his token and the three Metal Fire Stones, glanced at Deacon Han's dark expression, and turned to leave, unconsciously touching his ear.
Did I offend Deacon Han by going back and forth like this? So much that he won't even accept the Metal Fire Stones?
He could clearly sense the change in Deacon Han's attitude. Though Han had spoken coldly before, he had warned him about the "secret land loan."
That had jolted him awake. Earlier, Han also seemed to have warned him not to cultivate any Cultivation Method other than the Crimson Firmament Profound Craft Canon.
Yet now he would not even accept the Metal Fire Stones?
Fang Yu paused and looked back at Han Feng, who had already closed his eyes to rest, then walked out of Fire Cloud Cave.
Did I really offend Deacon Han? But I didn't do anything! Isn't he a little too petty?
As he pondered this, Fang Yu gripped the token at his waist. A map appeared, with one area marked "Flaming Mountain Secret Land."
He immediately put the petty Deacon Han out of his mind, mounted his cloud platform, and followed the directions to the secret land.
Naturally, entering the secret land a day earlier meant enjoying an extra day of cultivation. Every day he delayed would be a show of disrespect to the secret land.
Several hours later, Fang Yu arrived outside a valley and immediately sensed a powerful presence.
He took a deep breath, held up his disciple token, and activated its presence.
Ripples spread across the mouth of the valley ahead, revealing an entrance.
He hurried inside, and the next moment, the entrance closed behind him.
The Spiritual Qi really is denser here!
As soon as Fang Yu stepped into the valley, he sensed that the Spiritual Qi here was much denser than in his cave abode. As he walked farther into the valley, it grew denser and denser.
When he passed through the long valley passage and entered the valley proper, his body trembled slightly.
The concentration here is actually more than ten times greater than at Medicine King Ridge!
No wonder the disciples who entered the secret land advanced so quickly. Three years of cultivation here really was worth decades of cultivation outside. That thirty-year secret land loan looked like quite a bargain.
"Junior Brother Fang!"
Just then, a figure swept over from the distance and landed beside him.
Fang Yu looked closely and saw that the newcomer was Deacon Tie Feng, who had advised him on choosing a Cultivation Method at the book pavilion. He immediately bowed.
"Greetings, Deacon Tie!"
Tie Feng looked Fang Yu up and down, a hint of pleasant surprise appearing on his face. "It's been years, Junior Brother Fang. I didn't expect you to have reached Qi Ingestion Fifth Layer already. You truly have a precious fate and abundant blessings. Now that you've entered the secret realm, your breakthrough to Qi Ingestion Late Stage is surely just around the corner."
"You flatter me, Deacon Tie. My potential was exhausted, and my cultivation had stopped progressing. I had no choice but to grit my teeth, borrow thirty years' worth of Metal Fire Stones, and take a gamble in the secret realm."
A helpless look appeared on Fang Yu's face. Part of it was genuine, while the rest was an act. At the same time, he was secretly alarmed.
Sure enough, his cultivation had advanced a little too quickly. Even a deacon of the Tie Household was praising him for it.
"Hahaha!" Tie Feng laughed. "There's no need to worry about the Metal Fire Stones, Junior Brother Fang. Just cultivate in seclusion here for three years and advance to Qi Ingestion Late Stage. A mere ten-odd thousand Metal Fire Stones will be no more than a single hair on nine oxen to you."
"Come, come, Junior Brother Fang, follow me. I'll arrange a spot for you where the Flowing Flame Fire Qi is at its densest!"
"Many thanks, Deacon Tie!"
With that, Fang Yu followed Tie Feng farther into the valley.
The valley was not very large; he could see its far end at a glance. Lava pits crisscrossed the ground, fire bubbles constantly churning within them. Whenever a bubble burst, dense Flowing Flame Fire Qi poured out.
Beside those lava pits, fellow cultivators were already sitting cross-legged. They merely glanced at Fang Yu's arrival before returning to their own cultivation.
In a secret land where the Spiritual Qi was so dense, everyone was making the most of their time to cultivate. Who had time to pay him any attention?
"All right, here we are!"
Tie Feng led Fang Yu to an unoccupied lava pit and, after settling him there, pointed to an area in the valley where more than ten children sat in a circle.
"I'm on duty over there. If you break through to Qi Ingestion Late Stage and need the next part of the Cultivation Method, come find me there."