Inside the Thunder Pool.
Ji Yuan silently committed Shen Xisheng's words to memory.
Five beasts corresponded to the five viscera, with each of the Five Elements performing its own role.
Just hearing the outline of this cultivation system set his heart surging.
But he also knew that the more exquisite a technique was, the more perilous its first step.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Senior Sister, how do I ignite my heart?"
Shen Xisheng smiled.
She lowered her hands from behind her back and pointed at Ji Yuan's left chest from a distance.
"Simple. Compress all the vital blood in your body into your heart. Once you've compressed it to the limit, Heartfire will kindle on its own, and the Heart-Fire Ape will naturally emerge."
She made it sound effortless, but Ji Yuan fell silent.
Of course he understood how Heartfire kindled on its own—the foundation of the Five Viscera Furnace Realm was using vital blood as fuel to light it.
But between knowing and doing lay a chasm deep enough to drown nine out of ten body cultivators.
"Compress my vital blood into my heart—"
Ji Yuan repeated the words slowly, then frowned. "Senior Sister, vital blood already circulates throughout the body, through every limb and bone, every organ and bowel. Directing it all one way is hard enough, let alone compressing it to the limit and forcing it into the heart. The slightest mistake along the way—"
"And your heart explodes." Shen Xisheng finished for him, her tone still calm. "You're right. It isn't just difficult. It's dangerous."
Hands clasped behind her back, she paced across the charred stone. Silvery-purple Thunder Plasma flowed slowly beside her feet, reflecting the lightning playing over her silver armor.
After a few steps, she stopped and turned her head toward Ji