The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 118: Personally Taking the Knife

Wu Yuan was no longer the fragile creature he used to be. His physical body had been tempered into something extraordinary, rendering him fearless of these metallic lumps.

The Geng Gold energy swirling in his stomach couldn’t even leave a scratch on the organ walls. If not for the metal’s extreme sharpness and hardness—coupled with the initial shock of consuming it for the first time—his stomach wouldn’t have reacted at all. Had it been Spirit Copper, Wu Yuan could have crunched it down like candy beans.

Only after confirming that every wisp of Geng Gold energy in his stomach had been absorbed did Wu Yuan’s gaze turn serious.

“The key is sinking this energy down to the large intestine,” he muttered. “It has to pass through the small intestine first, and that organ hasn’t been tempered yet.”

“According to the intelligence, this step is fraught with danger.”

He slowly closed his eyes, dividing his Divine Sense into fine, tendril-like strands that carefully delved into his own body to manipulate his Demon Power.

Divine Sense was intangible; to interact with the physical world, it required Demon Power or Blood Qi as a medium. Fortunately, Wu Yuan’s Demon Power carried the Earth attribute, making it gentle and thick—perfect for enveloping and containing the sharp Geng Gold energy.

Despite it being his first attempt at such granular micro-manipulation, Wu Yuan was remarkably proficient. He possessed no secret techniques for training Divine Sense, but his daily practice of copying the Bloodline Spirit Rune was a grueling workout for his mind. Each time he exhausted his mental energy and recovered, his capacity grew. Coupled with the nourishment from his robust Blood Qi, his Divine Sense was exceptionally strong.

Under his control, tiny spheres of Earth-attribute Demon Power formed inside his body.

Earth binds Metal.

He encased the Geng Gold energy in these spheres, guiding them gently past the fragile small intestine. The process went smoothly, without a single loss of control.

“Whew.”

Wu Yuan exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders. “Now comes the hard part. I need to release the energy… let’s see if my flesh can take it.”

He mentally detonated one of the Demon Power spheres.

Freed from its earthen prison, the Geng Gold energy flashed like a microscopic golden needle.

Zip.

It pierced straight through the wall of Wu Yuan’s large intestine.

Wu Yuan frowned, ignoring the sharp sting.

“No wonder the intelligence warned me. This energy is too sharp. It didn’t just pierce the intestine; if I’m not careful, it’ll puncture the surrounding organs too.”

“This is troublesome. My flesh can handle pinpricks, but my heart and lungs cannot. The large intestine is too weak to contain the energy on its own.”

Wu Yuan sat in silence, pondering the problem. Suddenly, he looked up at the canopy of the Spirit Mulberry tree, a dangerous, manic glint entering his eyes.

He spread his arms wide.

“Since when have I been afraid of a little pain? As long as it doesn’t kill me, I’ll push it to the limit!”

Rustle.

Thick, milky-white threads descended from the Spirit Mulberry tree. Unlike the invisible threads of the formation, these were tangible, sturdy, and tipped like steel needles.

Wu Yuan suppressed his Blood Qi and Demon Power, leaving his abdomen defenseless.

Thwip. Thwip.

The threads pierced his skin.

As the [Blood-Binding Mystic Silkworm Formation] activated, Wu Yuan felt the circulation in his abdomen stilled. The area went numb, defense dropping to zero.

Gritting his teeth, he extended a razor-sharp claw and slowly pierced his own belly.

With a wet tearing sound, he sliced his abdomen open, revealing the glistening mass of organs within.

His Blood Qi flowed sluggishly, guided by the formation to prevent hemorrhage and keep his body stable in this grotesque state.

More silkworm threads descended, weaving into the cavity. They gently wrapped around the large intestine, lifting it out of the bloody mess of his gut. Other threads wove a protective layer over the rest of his exposed organs, leaving only the target organ isolated outside his body.

The Spirit Mulberry Tree channeled energy into the threads, making them tough as steel.

Wu Yuan reached out and tapped the cocoon of threads. Clink.

“That should do it. These threads can block the Geng Gold energy.”

He looked at his own large intestine, suspended in the air before him. It was still writhing slowly, emitting faint wisps of Blood Qi.

His eye twitched involuntarily.

Performing surgery on oneself was insane, even for a demon. His powerful physique made survival easy, but the psychological impact was… unpleasant.

Wu Yuan took a deep breath. “Let’s begin.”

He didn’t bother testing it bit by bit. He released all the Geng Gold energy at once.

FLASH.

Golden light erupted from the suspended organ, shooting in all directions.

Instant, blinding agony assaulted his mind. It wasn’t the burning sting of a cut; it was a twisting, colicky torture, as if thousands of steel needles were dancing inside him.

Before his eyes, the large intestine convulsed, twisting into a tight, agonizing knot.

Wu Yuan’s body trembled violently. The organ looked intact from the outside, but internally, it was being riddled with holes.

The silkworm threads tightened, forcibly straightening the twisted intestine. They pumped Blood Qi into the damaged tissue while Wu Yuan activated [Spirit Gathering], flooding the organ with Creation Power.

Under the miraculous healing energy, the intestine knitted itself back together. It emerged from the trauma tougher, smoother, and with a faint metallic luster.

“Again.”

Wu Yuan mobilized another batch of Geng Gold energy from his stomach.

…

“The 361st time.”

Half a month had passed.

Wu Yuan sat in the treehouse, head tilted back, eyes vacant and glazed. He had become a machine: sink, release, rupture, heal. Sink, release, rupture, heal.

He moved purely on instinct and Divine Sense.

“The 36… wait.”

Wu Yuan slowly lowered his head, blinking life back into his eyes.

“Just now… the energy didn’t pierce through?”

His pain receptors had long since burned out, so he hadn’t reacted immediately. He inspected the organ closely. No holes. No leaks.

He let out a long, shuddering breath. “Success.”

“As long as it can hold the energy, the rest is just grinding.”

He admired the new Spirit Rune etching itself onto the surface of the intestine. Unlike the heavy, stable mountain patterns on his stomach, these runes were slender, diamond-shaped shards. They looked like miniature flying swords, radiating hardness and sharpness.

Though faint, the pattern was complete—a stark contrast to the fragmented runes he had started with on his stomach.

Wu Yuan’s mood soared. Even the gory sight of his own insides seemed less ugly now.

The silkworm threads gently lowered the organ back into his abdominal cavity. Wu Yuan personally adjusted it into position with his claws, then pressed the flaps of his skin together.

He circulated his Blood Qi.

The wound knitted shut at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving not even a scar.

GURGLE. ROAR.

A thunderous sound erupted from his belly.

“Tsk. It was outside for too long; it’s not used to being back in the warm.”

Wu Yuan rubbed his stomach nonchalantly and closed his eyes to assess the changes.

“Preliminary cultivation complete. First major change: enhanced expulsion of impurities.”

“And not just waste like feces,” he noted with satisfaction. “It expels ‘Turbid Qi’ and foreign energies.”

“When I ate Spirit Copper before, I wanted the Earth Qi, but I had to absorb the Metal Qi too. That was inefficient. Now, the large intestine can filter out the unwanted elements effortlessly.”

Wu Yuan patted his belly.

“Excellent. This keeps my body pure and my Demon Power flow unobstructed. It’s a massive aid to cultivation. I can’t wait to see what talent it unlocks when it’s fully finished.”