The man, Young Master Su, shifted his intense and evaluating gaze back toward the girl. He had noticed her the moment she stepped through the heavy guild doors, but aside from her undeniably striking and elegant appearance, he had not truly given her much intellectual thought. He had initially dismissed her as a typical, albeit beautiful, student from Tianlong School, brought along by her superiors to gain some much-needed field experience while the experts conducted real business.

Bai Xifeng, of course, remained completely oblivious to the man’s condescending inner thoughts and silent judgment. She simply reached for her storage rune and channelled a focused thread of Qi into its intricate carvings. In the very next instant, the massive, stony corpse of a Stone-Clad Wolf manifested heavily, hitting the floor with a resounding thud right before their eyes.

"This... this is incredible. How on earth did you manage to obtain a specimen in such pristine condition?" The man asked, his voice lowering into a hushed tone of genuine, unmasked shock.

"This particular Stone-Clad Wolf lived deep within the volatile environment of the Xien Stone Cave. Most likely, the unique and dense environmental concentrations there caused its biological structure to gradually fuse with the Xien Stone over a long period of time." Zhou Yaoting explained in a composed, professional manner.

"When our guild’s primary acquisition team visited the Xien Stone Cave previously, we did not encounter even a single creature that exhibited this level of mineral integration." The man said thoughtfully. He crouched down, studying the corpse with an almost obsessive attention to every jagged detail and crystalline growth. "Is the recent and mysterious disappearance of the Xien Stone Cave somehow related to this strange evolutionary phenomenon?"

"We still do not have a definitive answer to that particular question." Zhou Yaoting replied, shaking his head slightly with a faint, practiced sigh.

The man then stepped forward, approaching the Stone-Clad Wolf for a much closer and more surgical inspection. As he examined the articulation of the joints and the brilliant lustre of the embedded stones, he suddenly noticed a glaring and unsettling anomaly that defied common logic.

"Wait a moment... why does this corpse feel as though it was struck down only mere moments ago? There is absolutely no sign of cellular decay, no rigor mortis, and remarkably, there is no rotting smell whatsoever." The man said, finally recognising the biological impossibility resting before him.

"Oh... That is because we have pioneered a very special and highly advanced method of storage. It ensures that the organic matter of the corpse will never deteriorate, remaining perfectly preserved regardless of how much time passes." Zhou Yaoting stated confidently.

His tone carried a subtle but unmistakable hint of pride, almost as if he were deliberately boasting about a top-secret technique unique to the academy. Yi Shanyuan and Bai Xifeng exchanged a brief and silent glance, mutually agreeing without words to let the lie stand for now. They decided it was best to simply allow Zhou Yaoting to continue his grand, fictional explanation as he pleased in order to maintain their significant bargaining advantage.

"What? How on earth did you manage to achieve such a feat of preservation?" The man immediately asked, his professional curiosity now fully ignited and burning bright.

He clearly wanted to uncover the secret behind this method. Such a revolutionary technique would greatly simplify many aspects of the guild’s daily operations and increase its profit margins. His people would no longer need to endure the unbearable and nauseating stench emitted by decaying beast corpses during long-haul transports.

They often hunted high-rank beasts for specialised armament crafting, and although the ideal moment to dismantle a corpse was immediately after death, it was rarely feasible in the dangerous field. After a kill, hunters typically had to retreat quickly to avoid powerful scavengers drawn by the scent of fresh blood, often sacrificing the quality of valuable materials in the process. This method could change the entire industry.

"It is because of the storage rune." Zhou Yaoting stated, his voice ringing with excitement.

"A storage rune?" The man repeated, his brow furrowing as he thought for a moment before something clicked in his memory. "You mean the legendary one that was auctioned off for a staggering price at the Shanghai Pavilion in the Capital City of the Liuyin Empire?"

"Precisely. Any item stored within the unique space of this storage rune is essentially frozen in time." Zhou Yaoting explained further, leaning into the mystery.

"Really? I was aware of the storage rune’s existence, but I was not aware that it possessed such an extraordinary and practical feature." The man said. Then, his eyes narrowed as he turned his attention toward Bai Xifeng. "So, the artifact belongs to this student, then?"

Bai Xifeng simply nodded in a short, silent confirmation.

"I see. So, it does not actually belong to Tianlong School’s inventory." The man concluded thoughtfully, his mind already calculating the girl’s worth.

"Well... She is still a student of our school, and we represent her interests." Zhou Yaoting responded smoothly, reclaiming the conversational lead.

Bai Xifeng thought briefly about the matter. Seeing the man’s reaction, she realised that she might need to auction another storage rune in the future. Such an item would undoubtedly attract a great deal of dangerous attention and fierce competition.

Both men then returned to the original topic regarding Zhou Yaoting’s request to borrow specialised manpower.

"Well, even with the minerals, it is still just one Stone-Clad Wolf. I believe a school of your stature has the capability to dismantle a single beast yourselves." The man said, his tone turning dismissive again.

"No... no... it is not just one specimen. We have two hundred of them." Zhou Yaoting corrected him calmly, his voice dropping an octave.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko*