The essence of soul bones remains undetermined to this day.
However, there has been research on the forms of soul bones. Form is merely one manifestation of a soul beast's characteristics—mental-type soul beasts mostly produce skull bones, strength-type mostly arm bones, speed-type mostly leg bones, and those with comprehensive strength mostly torso bones.
Just like the Evil Eye clan—apart from external soul bones, any soul bones their clan produces are all skull bones.
So back when creating the poison pill method, Chen Junting based himself on this point and researched soul bones extensively. Even after that, he consulted the book "How Secret Method Soul Bones Are Produced."
In the end, he reached a conclusion:
That is, the essence of soul bones is crystallized energy.
Just like soul cores and soul rings. For example, with secret method soul bones, if you kill one hundred within half an hour and use the secret method to activate the soul beasts' soul rings, there's a one-in-ten chance of obtaining one.
Of course, compared to soul rings, the essence of soul bones is closer to soul cores. In other words, soul bones are alternative soul cores. It's just that compared to soul cores, they also have skills similar to soul rings.
This is also why soul beasts over one hundred thousand years are guaranteed to produce soul bones. Because they already have soul cores, or rather, their energy has already formed a kind of crystallization.
As for soul beasts that haven't reached one hundred thousand years, this is also why the higher a soul beast's age, the higher the probability of producing soul bones—because the energy before their death has already gathered toward crystallization.
As for why the greater the resentment a soul beast feels before death, the higher the probability of producing soul bones... in Chen Junting's view, perhaps this emotion triggers some kind of change in their soul power, thereby causing the soul power within their bodies to condense into crystals.
"It seems you've researched quite thoroughly." Di Tian looked at Chen Junting, "Since that's the case, how do you plan to condense soul bones?"
"We can utilize some special mineral deposits or treasures."
Chen Junting took out a fire crystal stone from his storage soul guide tool. This was born in magma, formed over long ages from condensed fire attributes. Existence of this type also includes treasures like Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Essence and Life Gold.
Of course, Life Gold is T0 level, Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Essence is T1 level. And the fire crystal stone in his hand was at best T3 level.
Chen Junting held the fire crystal stone in one hand and activated the Element Gathering Array in the secret chamber with the other. Instantly, dense heaven and earth elemental energy surged toward the fire crystal stone in his hand and continuously poured into it.
As time passed, under the fiery gazes of Di Tian and Di Yao, the energy within the fire crystal stone became increasingly swollen.
Seeing this, it was about to explode. The red light inside and outside the fire crystal stone flickered continuously. All three of them could clearly feel that the energy within the stone had reached a critical value.
Di Yao subconsciously tilted her head back, "It's about to explode."
"It won't."
The moment the words fell, Chen Junting felt the rapidly rising temperature in his palm.
The next second, Bang—...whoosh...
The fire crystal stone exploded!
But just as it exploded, Chen Junting's large hand grasped it, completely controlling this erupting energy within his palm. The energy swirled in his hand like a funnel-shaped vortex. And at the center of the vortex was the fire crystal stone melting like liquid.
Facing this scene, Chen Junting used his finger as a brush, sketching out patterns in the void, letting them fall toward the fire crystal stone.
The next moment, a flame suddenly rose.
The originally funnel-shaped vortex energy continuously rotated, and its speed became faster and faster, faster and faster, until reaching a node, when a thick fire attribute energy suddenly erupted!
When the fire light dissipated...
Hum—
Dust settled and light rose, radiance bloomed. A beast claw like raging flames quietly lay in Chen Junting's palm.
Artificial version, Blazing Flame Mad Dragon Right Arm Bone.
Its completeness was almost the entire right arm.
And this was also related to the patterns Chen Junting employed. Even if the contained energy wasn't enough, as long as the patterns were more complete, the life imprint would be more complete, and the full appearance of the soul bone would be more complete. But the power of the soul bone skill would still depend on how much power the artificial soul bone's age could withstand.
This point is where artificial soul bones differ from soul rings.
The completeness of artificial soul ring patterns must be based on the energy constituting the soul ring. But artificial soul bone patterns have physical objects like fire crystal stones as support, unlike the ethereal nature of elemental energy.
Therefore, the completeness of artificial soul bones entirely depends on the person manufacturing the soul bone. Just like blacksmithing—it depends on their casting skill. Whether they forge good iron or scrap iron.
Of course, artificial soul bones also have limitations. That is, forging soul bones of different ages also has requirements for materials. T1 level can forge hundred thousand year soul bones; T2 level can forge ten thousand year soul bones.
And so on.
"It succeeded!"
Di Yao excitedly looked at this artificial soul bone, her face filled with great joy! She looked at Chen Junting, and after receiving his nod of approval, she quickly took it in her hands and then carefully examined it.
And Di Tian at this moment was similarly unable to look away.
Although the feeling this soul bone gave him was from a fire attribute sub-dragon soul beast, he had clearly seen that scene just now—this soul bone absolutely did not come from a soul beast.
Having looked enough, Di Yao handed the soul bone to Di Tian.
Feeling this thousand-year level energy intensity, the excitement contained in Di Tian's dragon eyes was truly indescribable.
He grasped this artificial soul bone firmly, "Little... Junting, how about giving this soul bone to me? I'll return you a better one later!"
"If the senior needs it, take it."
As for that so-called "return you a better one," Chen Junting didn't mention it.
The cost of this artificial soul bone was just one fire crystal stone, at most 5,000 gold spirit coins. Small money—completely incomparable to those two engagement gifts delivered yesterday.
"Good."
Holding the soul bone, Di Tian directly tore through space. But just as he stepped into it, he seemed to remember something and stepped back out.
"Little one, do you want to go back?"
Hearing this, Di Yao quickly shook her head and refused.
She had lived in the Great Star Dou Forest for so long, had explored everywhere there was to explore, which is why she boredly ran to the human world. Having only lived here for a few years now, she didn't want to go back yet.
Di Tian didn't force her on this matter.
After giving a concerned warning, he hurriedly left.
Chen Junting and Di Yao, seeing this, didn't say much either, and simply left the secret chamber together. Because with Nine Treasures City just destroyed and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect attacked, whether it was sect reconstruction or comforting the sacrificed disciples, or searching for survivors in the city... there was still a mountain of matters to attend to.
And Di Yao and the others needed to hurry back to Shrek Academy.
After all, Shrek's ordeal was no less than the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's, and they now needed fresh forces like Zhang Lexuan and the others.
So after a few simple words, Zhang Lexuan and the others bid farewell to the people of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and hurried toward the academy.
And the other guests also hurriedly took their leave. After all, this news needed to be conveyed to their backing powers as soon as possible.
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