It was deep into the night, and all was quiet.
In the small courtyard, Lu Chen didn't rush to break through. Instead, he grabbed another chunk of Demon Beast meat weighing a full five pounds and began chewing in great mouthfuls.
Breaking through to the Viscera Refining Realm required an enormous supply of qi and blood.
This wasn't merely a leap in cultivation; it was an elevation of his very life.
Once he began, he couldn't stop. At best, stopping would leave him with nothing to show for his efforts. At worst, his qi and blood would run dry, and he would die.
The five pounds of meat went down and instantly turned into a surging wave of heat.
But it still wasn't enough.
Lu Chen took out a Blood Ginseng he'd treasured for a long time. He'd bought it at a steep price from Hundred Herbs Hall and had never been willing to use it—until this moment.
"Crunch!"
Like someone munching on a radish, Lu Chen swallowed the Blood Ginseng in just a few bites.
A violent wave of medicinal power exploded in his stomach, like oil tossed onto a blazing fire, instantly setting the qi and blood throughout his body ablaze.
His skin turned bright red in an instant, and steam billowed from his head. He looked like a giant boiled shrimp.
"Now!"
A brilliant gleam flashed in Lu Chen's eyes as he immediately circulated the Viscera Guidance Technique.
"Heart fire gives rise to spleen earth, spleen earth gives rise to lung metal, lung metal gives rise to kidney water, kidney water gives rise to liver wood, liver wood gives rise to heart fire..."
He guided the qi and blood within him, driving it to surge between his five viscera in the cycle of the Five Elements.
With