"What? Two hundred? Are you playing some sort of elaborate joke on me? Where could you have possibly obtained so many specimens of such a rare, mineral-rich variant?" The man exclaimed, his voice cracking slightly in a state of complete, unadulterated shock.

"Actually, this student right here was the primary hunter who tracked and killed them." Zhou Yaoting said, gesturing with a calm, practised grace toward Bai Xifeng.

The man’s gaze shifted to Bai Xifeng once again, locking onto her with a new intensity. This time, however, his expression was no longer dismissive or bored. Instead, it was filled with genuine shock and a profound sense of disbelief. He reached out with his senses, trying to probe her aura, but on the surface, the girl did not appear particularly formidable or battle-hardened. She lacked the scarred knuckles or the restless energy usually found in those who slaughtered beasts by the hundreds.

"Her? Alone? You truly expect me to believe that she took down two hundred of these reinforced beasts by herself?" The man questioned, unable to conceal the thick layer of scepticism coating his voice.

"What?" Bai Xifeng raised her eyes slightly, her voice suddenly turning as cold and sharp as a mountain spring. "Are you implying that I am lying to you, Young Master Su?"

Bai Xifeng leaned back against her chair, crossing both her arms and her legs in a relaxed yet undeniably domineering posture. Her previously obedient and composed student demeanour vanished, replaced by an aura of quiet authority. She lifted her chin slightly as she looked directly at the man, her gaze calm, piercing, and openly challenging his status within the room.

The man was momentarily taken vegetable, clearly feeling the sudden and sharp change in the atmospheric pressure around her. It was as if a sleeping, ancient predator had suddenly opened its eyes and found him wanting.

"Oh... I must apologise if my reaction seemed untoward or rude to you, young lady. Anyone who has managed to enrol in the elite Tianlong School should certainly not be underestimated." The man said, lowering his guard and bowing his head slightly in a far more sincere apology.

"It is fine." Bai Xifeng replied indifferently, her posture remaining completely unchanged, projecting a sense of unshakable confidence.

"So, how exactly did you manage to obtain Stone-Clad Wolves that were so heavily integrated with Xien Stone?" The man asked again, returning to the question that intrigued his professional mind the most.

"The process was actually quite simple. I accepted a quest to collect raw Xien Stone, so naturally, I travelled to the Xien Stone Cave. The moment I crossed the threshold, I encountered those beasts blocking my intended path. Since they were in my way and stubbornly refused to move aside, I killed them. Afterwards, it occurred to me that their remains might be valuable, so I collected the corpses." Bai Xifeng explained plainly, as if she were describing nothing more than a casual afternoon stroll through a garden.

"So, in the end, did you manage to collect the actual Xien Stone from the veins?" The man asked, leaning in.

"I did not. I felt that something was fundamentally off about the air in that place. So, I stepped out of the cave and decided to take a rest for an hour before going back in to finish the harvest. I did not expect that the entire cave would collapse and vanish shortly after." Bai Xifeng said.

"So, you were simply lucky." The man said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he tried to find a crack in her story.

"Yeah... I am truly glad that I chose to trust my instincts at that time. Otherwise, I do not know what might have happened to me." Bai Xifeng replied with a shrug.

"Tell me, did you notice anything strange, anything at all, in the cave before you made your exit?" The man asked, pressing for details that might explain the cave’s disappearance.

"What exactly do you expect me to have seen?" Bai Xifeng tilted her head slightly, her eyes dancing with a hidden light before she continued, "Well, I suppose it was a little strange when the Stone-Clad Wolves suddenly appeared in such massive numbers and attacked me with such coordinated desperation."

"Those beasts probably sensed that a tectonic shift or something unusual was about to happen and were trying to escape the depths. You just happened to be standing in their only exit." Zhou Yaoting stated, offering a logical cover. He then steered the conversation back to their original purpose. "So, Young Master Su, can the Guild accept this dismantling job?"

"Can I have half of the total Xien Stone yield? The Guild will, of course, pay a fair price for it." The man proposed, eyes gleaming with greed.

Zhou Yaoting and Yi Shanyuan exchanged a quick, knowing glance. They had anticipated a move like this, especially since the primary source of Xien Stone had been wiped off the map. However, since this matter involved the prestige of Tianlong School, they could not simply allow the Guild to dictate the terms.

"There is no need for that." Bai Xifeng suddenly spoke up, cutting through the negotiation.

The man turned his sharp attention toward the girl once more.

"Young lady, you must understand that your school does not have the specialised manpower or the facilities to dismantle all of those beasts efficiently." The man said, his tone patronising.

"No... You misunderstand me. That is not what I meant at all. What I mean is, you do not have to take my school’s portion to satisfy your needs." Bai Xifeng clarified calmly.

"Oh? What exactly are you suggesting?" The man asked, his interest fully piqued.

***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*