He was a big burly man, yes but he was not the true monster Luo He noticed first.
That honor belonged to the giant standing slightly behind him.
The leader himself looked powerful by ordinary standards.
Broad shoulders, thick arms, scars earned through years of battle, and the calm confidence of someone obeyed naturally by the people around him.
He sat casually among three women while issuing lazy orders to nearby hunters and warriors. But the giant beside him that was different entirely.
The man was enormous. Slightly over eight feet tall even while standing relaxed beside the seated leader.
His frame looked less human and more like some ancient beast that had merely learned how to wear human skin.
Muscles layered across his body with frightening density while old scars crossed exposed flesh like carved markings on stone.
Every movement carried terrifying weight. Even standing ideally by he still radiated imence pressure.
Resting beside him was a gigantic greatsword nearly as tall as an ordinary man.
The blade itself looked crude at first glance, forged thick rather than elegant, but the sheer mass behind it was terrifying.
Normal men would likely require several people simply to drag the weapon properly. Yet the giant handled it casually.
Like it weighed nothing.
Most striking of all the leader wore gold.
Not much. Only a rough golden bracelet around one wrist.
Yet among a civilization where most people wore animal hides, carved bone ornaments, and sharpened stone tools, even that small amount of refined metal represented immense status.
Gold here was not decoration. It was power. Luo He observed silently from high above for several minutes before finally narrowing his eyes slightly.
Because he had completed a proper scan. And the result genuinely surprised him. "A high-grade Golden Bloodline…"
Even Luo He himself had not expected to discover something like this hidden within these primitive islands. To ordinary cultivators, bloodlines were understood only vaguely.
Strong. Weak. Rare. Ancient. Most lacked the ability to properly analyze bloodline structure itself. But Luo He's modified scanning eyes were different.
They did not merely observe appearance or aura. They analyzed biological structure directly. And according to his research Golden Bloodlines themselves possessed classifications.
Low-grade.
Mid-grade.
High-grade.
Knowledge like this alone would shake major powers if revealed publicly.
Because most people already viewed Golden Bloodlines as ledyendry existences.
Yet even legends possessed hierarchy.
What shocked Luo He most was the comparison.
Both Fei and the First Princess possessed only low-grade Golden Bloodlines despite already displaying monstrous strength capable of terrifying entire kingdoms.
That alone revealed how terrifying this giant truly was. Because high-grade Golden Bloodlines were practically unknown. Not merely rare but unknown.
Entire Heavenly Sects would likely descend into madness if news of this giant leaked outside these islands.
Not only because of cultivation value but because of research potential. Bloodlines represented evolution itself.
A high-grade specimen could overturn generations of cultivation theory.
Luo He's mind immediately began calculating possibilities afterward.
Because his Bloodline Evolution Catalyst suddenly gained completely new potential.
The current version already produced terrifying results. Its core principle relied upon specially engineered parasitic organisms Luo He himself had created.
Those parasites consumed blood-based energy before gradually restructuring the host's borne marrow through repeated controlled infections.
In simple terms the source blood acted as food. The parasite acted as the transformation tool. And the host's blood became the final product of the infection.
The stronger the source blood the greater the mutation potential. That was why Jin Su's transformation had succeeded so well.
Fei's blood alone had already allowed the catalyst to produce terrifying compatibility toward red and purple grade manifestations under repeated successful exposure cycles.
However a massive limitation still existed. The parasites only recognized blood energy.
Luo He had repeatedly attempted substituting spiritual essence, elemental lightning energy, and even condensed other energy sources. Yet all attempts failed completely.
The organisms rejected all except blood energy instantly. But with this giant everything changed. If Luo He obtained samples of blood from a high-grade Golden Bloodline.
The catalyst itself might evolve beyond its current limitations entirely. For the first time since arriving Luo He became genuinely interested.
Not in the islands. Not in conquest.
Not even in the war. But in the giant himself. Then another thought quietly appeared in Luo He's mind.
Perhaps instead of killing him he could recruit him. Because the giant was not the leader. He was the protector. And protectors often followed strength.
A Bloodline Evolution Catalyst consisted of several carefully balanced components, each serving a specific purpose within the transformation process.
The most important component was undoubtedly the parasite itself. Without the parasite, no evolution could occur.
The organism acted as the catalyst's core mechanism, responsible for identifying, breaking down, and restructuring the host's bloodline into a new form.
Every stage of the transformation ultimately depended upon its survival and activity. However, the parasite alone was not enough.
The largest portion of the catalyst consisted of the source blood. Typically accounting for roughly eighty to ninety percent of the total mixture. The source blood served as the primary energy supply for the parasite.
In simple terms, it acted as food. The parasite consumed the energy contained within the source blood and used it to fuel the transformation process.
The quality of the source blood directly influenced the quality of the resulting bloodline. This was why obtaining stronger blood sources was so valuable.
A weak source produced weak results. A powerful source could potentially elevate the entire bloodline evolution. The parasite itself made up approximately nine to ten percent of the catalyst.
Although small in quantity, it was by far the most valuable component. Once introduced into the host, the parasites spread through the bloodstream and began carefully altering the host's.
Their purpose was not simply to infect, but to rebuild. They acted almost like microscopic craftsmen. They dismantle the original bloodline then constructs a new one using the energy provided by the source blood.
The final major ingredient was an immune-suppressing compound. This substance typically accounted for roughly six to seven percent of the mixture.
Though the exact amount varied depending on the recipient. Its purpose was simple but absolutely critical.
The human immune system naturally recognized the parasites as foreign organisms and attempted to destroy them immediately.
If left unchecked, the host's body might eliminate the parasites long before any meaningful transformation could occur.
The suppressing compound temporarily weakened the body's natural defenses, creating a window of opportunity for the parasites to establish themselves and begin their work.
This component became increasingly important when dealing with individuals possessing powerful existing bloodlines.
People such as Jin Su or Jin Mulan possessed significantly stronger constitutions than ordinary humans.
Their immune systems were correspondingly more aggressive and efficient. In such individuals, a standard dosage often proved insufficient.
Larger quantities of the suppressing compound were required to prevent the parasites from being destroyed before they could take hold.
Ironically, stronger bloodlines were the most difficult subjects for evolution.
Their bodies possessed tremendous potential for growth, but their natural resistance made successful transformation considerably more challenging.
The entire catalyst therefore functioned as a delicate balance. The source blood provided power. The parasite provided transformation. And the suppressing drug provided opportunity.
Remove any one of the three, and the process would fail in specific ways.