Dugu Bo froze when he heard that explanation.
"That's actually a thing?"
He really had never heard any similar claims or conclusions.
Soul beast humanization was simply too rare.
If someone actually discovered a soul beast in human form, who wouldn't capture them and keep the news tightly under wraps?
Once their cultivation rose high enough, killing them would yield a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Hunting them would be easier than hunting an untransformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast by far more than a single notch.
Over all those years, there had been almost no cases of soul beasts in human form growing to maturity.
Naturally, theoretical knowledge on the subject was exceedingly scarce.
"Let me think. How should I explain this precisely?"
Jin Jiuxiao gathered his thoughts. "A soul bone is essentially a 'crystallization of power' left behind after a soul beast dies."
"You can also think of it as containing a portion of that soul beast's origin."
"After a soul beast transforms into a human, their martial soul is their original body, and their origin is still there."
"In the early and middle stages, cultivating as a soul beast in human form is actually a process of reclaiming the power they originally possessed."
"That's also why Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have innate full soul power after transforming into humans, regardless of what their martial soul is."
"Only after level seventy do soul beasts who have transformed into humans become no different from ordinary humans."
"So that's how it works..." Dugu Bo couldn't help nodding.
With that knowledge, a chain of logic formed in Dugu Bo's mind.
He asked tentatively, "Soul bones are crystallizations of other soul beasts' origin power, while you're a soul beast in human form. So if you absorb other soul bones indiscriminately, you'd essentially be destroying your own foundation?"
Jin Jiuxiao confirmed it. "Exactly. If a transformed soul beast absorbs other soul bones early on, it's equivalent to stuffing foreign energy into their own origin and contaminating it."
"The nobler the bloodline and the stronger the origin, the stronger the rejection."
"Ordinary soul bones and ordinary origins are no different from impurities to a powerful soul beast in human form with a strong origin."
"Of course, that doesn't mean we can't absorb soul bones."
"If the origins complement each other, absorbing one will provide even greater support."
"The boost we receive and the increase in our potential will both be much greater than from absorbing a soul bone normally."
If a soul bone's origin was highly compatible, absorbing it would improve more than just his soul power level.
It would directly enhance his own origin power.
And indirectly raise his potential.
After hearing this, Dugu Bo fell into thought. "Then... does the same principle apply to humans?"
Jin Jiuxiao nodded gently. "The same principle applies to humans."
"Take you, Dugu Bo, for example."
"Your attribute is poison, and you've always followed the path of poison arts."
"The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's origin has the poison attribute."
"Under those circumstances, absorbing a soul bone with an utterly forceful, pure yang attribute would actually affect your potential."
"Absorbing an unsuitable soul bone does improve your strength in the short term, but you're trading away your future potential for it."
"In fact, humans have long had a similar theory."
"Why do soul masters place so much importance on compatibility when adding soul rings or absorbing soul bones? This is precisely why."
"It has to match the martial soul origin or complement it. That's what makes it suitable."
The origin was the most crucial thing of all.
There was actually another reason.
Most of the soul bones Di Tian had given him were tens of thousands of years old.
Only five of them had reached the hundred-thousand-year tier.
Honestly, even if he could absorb soul bones of that tier, there was no need.
The boost they offered him was simply too limited.
Absorbing them would do more harm than good.
"Besides... I have no use for this soul bone either." Jin Jiuxiao placed it back in Dugu Bo's hands.
Looking at the soul bone in his hands, Dugu Bo would have been lying if he said he wasn't tempted.
A seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone...
Out in the wider world, this was a treasure that would have soul masters fighting until their heads split open.
Even the major sects would step in to get a piece of the action.
It was no exaggeration to say that this Torso Bone alone could stir up a storm of blood.
Yet now, Jin Jiuxiao had just casually handed it to him?
Dugu Bo had never aligned himself with anyone. When had he ever experienced anything like this?
Moreover, through their brief interaction, he had discovered that Jin Jiuxiao wasn't the difficult sort to deal with.
At the very least, Jin Jiuxiao's attitude toward him had already been quite decent.
A different thought even began to stir faintly in Dugu Bo's heart: Perhaps... following Jin Jiuxiao wouldn't be so bad?
"Then I'll shamelessly accept the benefits in advance." Dugu Bo was still a little worried. "You really won't go back on your word?"
Jin Jiuxiao smiled. "I won't. I said it's yours, so it's yours."
He had nearly forgotten that, in the era of Douluo I, soul bones were scarce commodities.
Apart from a select few, even Titled Douluo didn't have a full set of soul bones.
Some only had one or two.
Dugu Bo was a classic example.
This once again made Jin Jiuxiao realize just how wealthy and well-stocked their Lake of Life was.
Di Tian had given him a huge pile of soul bones.
He hadn't even counted exactly how many there were.
In any case, there were plenty-certainly enough to fully equip several Titled Douluo.
And not one of those soul bones was less than thirty thousand years old.
Even the one he had given Dugu Bo was only middling in quality among the soul bones Di Tian had given him.
And despite that, Di Tian had told him to come home for more if he ran out.
Nor was Di Tian the only one who had them. The Scarlet King also had a huge pile of assorted soul bones.
He had once seen the Scarlet King's "little bone vault" from a distance.
It truly was a dazzling array, with treasures shining in every direction.
From that single cursory glance, he could confidently say there were at least twenty or thirty, and that wasn't even all of them.
A Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, after all. Understandable. Perfectly normal...
Dugu Bo took a deep breath and rose to his feet. "Thanks, Little Monster."
Then he walked some distance away, found an open spot, and began cultivating.
Bi Ji casually set up a soul power barrier. "I never expected him to actually swear an oath of submission. Looking at it now... I really did use the wrong approach back then."
"There's actually a classic template for winning someone over and bringing them into the fold."
"Step one: give them a blow from the stick. Let them feel the pain and understand the gap in strength."
"Step two: give them a sweet date. Let them see tangible proof that following me brings benefits."
"Step three: paint them a pie in the sky. Give them something to look forward to, and let them know that working for me means there'll be no shortage of rewards."
"The method may be old-fashioned, but it's the most effective three-step approach."
This also corresponded precisely to the three aspects Jin Jiuxiao had mentioned earlier: strength, benefits, and the future.
Besides, Dugu Bo was an unaffiliated free spirit.
He didn't actually care about distinctions like humans and soul beasts as much as those other factions did.
More importantly, Dugu Bo had someone dear to his heart, and the only person he cared about was his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
If he could live, Dugu Bo naturally wouldn't choose death.
Next, once Dugu Bo successfully refined the soul bone, transferred his toxins, and tasted the tangible rewards, it would be time for the next step.
Before you continue