A cloak woven from mist suddenly appeared on Niuniu's body, vanishing almost instantly. Yet, everyone clearly saw it—it was undeniably a cloak.

Niuniu, the subject of the event, was not as shocked as the others. She merely saw a flash of light, followed by a spreading warmth inside her body. It felt incredibly comforting!

The light didn't last long; it had completely disappeared now without a trace.

It was obvious that the jade pendant Zhong Shenxiu had given Niuniu was a magical artifact, and of no low grade either.

Zhong Shenxiu primarily intended this item for Niuniu’s self-defense. The jade pendant was inscribed with protective formations; with this pendant protecting her body, Niuniu was much safer. Furthermore, because the pendant contained a vast amount of spiritual energy, it also possessed the function of cleansing the marrow and transforming the tendons, laying a solid foundation for Niuniu’s future cultivation!

"Niuniu, wait until later and ask Sister Keni to put it on for you. Remember to wear it at all times. Then you can be as formidable as your Sister Robin!" Zhong Shenxiu said, half in jest and half seriously.

"Mm! Thank you, Brother Xiu!" Niuniu nodded her small head, leaned over, gave Zhong Shenxiu a quick "smack" kiss on the cheek, and then ran off to find Keni.

The others had not yet fully recovered from the sudden change, especially Yale and Andrew. They stood there dumbfounded, as if they had suffered a massive blow.

The two of them now fully understood the gulf between themselves and Zhong Shenxiu, solidifying a belief within them: they must follow Zhong Shenxiu closely to learn from him. The road ahead was long, and they too wished to possess the ability to discern treasures like Zhong Shenxiu did!

Work for the day concluded there. Zhong Shenxiu was quite considerate; he didn't make them stay for overtime night shifts!

The next day, everyone’s task remained picking up these small stones. But their mood was different from yesterday; they now knew the magical utility of these stones, so picking them up felt like a guaranteed benefit.

They all knew Zhong Shenxiu’s disposition; if they performed well, perhaps next time he would refine a magical artifact for them—after all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened! Therefore, the group's motivation didn't wane; if anything, it grew stronger!

After another full day, they finally cleared all the stones from that area.

In the evening, although Zhong Shenxiu didn't refine any magical artifacts for them, he offered them pointed guidance, which filled everyone with unexpected joy!

Yale and Andrew were exceptionally thrilled after listening to Zhong Shenxiu’s explanations. They truly grasped the profound vastness of artifact refinement. Though Zhong Shenxiu hadn't explained extensively, his words made them suddenly enlightened, as a door to a new realm slowly opened before them.

Another day passed. On the second day, Zhong Shenxiu led the group to a new location. The work remained stone-gathering, but these were no longer the pale yellow pebbles; instead, they were collecting oval, grayish-white stones, resembling duck eggs.

It was unclear how these stones were formed, but despite slight variations in size, they were all distinctly elliptical.

Before Zhong Shenxiu and Robin departed, Yale and Andrew stepped forward, humbly inquiring about the purpose of these stones.

The others also paused their work, looking at Zhong Shenxiu with expectant expressions.

This group loved it most when Zhong Shenxiu demonstrated various novelties to them; it broadened their horizons immensely and made their world feel more exciting. "Actually, these stones don't serve much purpose!" Zhong Shenxiu said, uttering words that dampened everyone’s spirits.

If they served no real use, why collect them?

Though the group didn't voice their question, their expressions conveyed exactly that meaning.

Zhong Shenxiu had long anticipated their thoughts. He smiled mysteriously and continued, "While they have no inherent practical application, we can use them to earn some Guild Funds!"

Earn Guild Funds?

Everyone was utterly confused, unable to fathom how these things could generate funds. Did he mean simply selling them? But who would pay for such items?

As the group remained puzzled, Zhong Shenxiu had already picked up two stones from the ground, each as large as his palm.

Without him needing to remind them, everyone instinctively heightened their attention. They knew Zhong Shenxiu was about to show them how to monetize these stones!

This time, the display was less dramatic than before; the two stones simply rested quietly in Zhong Shenxiu’s palms, not floating in the air. However, this did not mean they remained unchanged!

The onlookers clearly saw the colors of the two stones shift: one began turning progressively bluer, the other, increasingly darker!

What was happening?

Yale and Andrew stared intently, unable to comprehend the mystery. Just because they felt nothing did not mean others shared their experience!

Magicians like Gandalf and Maxin watched Zhong Shenxiu with looks of sheer terror. The reason was simple: they sensed incredibly powerful magical energies converging here, their density astonishingly high!

"There, done!" Zhong Shenxiu smiled, then distributed the two stones, whose colors had completely transformed, to Yale and Andrew.

As the two accepted the stones, the rest of the group gathered around, with the magicians being the most animated.

Yale and Andrew examined the stones in their hands—one blue as seawater, the other black as ink—an indescribably strange sight!

"What are these things?" Yale murmured to himself.

He still couldn't discern any secret mechanism within the stones, nor did he believe they could be used for refinement, which made him even more perplexed. Logically, Zhong Shenxiu wouldn't waste time on something useless. Where was he missing the point?

"May I have a look?" Sibyl, usually reserved, couldn't help but speak up first.

Yale promptly handed the blue stone to Sibyl, while Andrew passed his black stone to Faraday.

Sibyl’s hands trembled slightly as she held the stone, her face alight with excitement. Faraday, beside her, was even more dramatic, letting out an exclamation: "Heavens, this—how is this possible?"

Yale’s curiosity immediately flared up, and he quickly asked, "What did you find?"

"Th-there is an exceptionally strong dark element contained within, acting just like a Monster Core!" Faraday said, his voice trembling.

"My stone holds a powerful Water Element!" Sibyl added, her beautiful eyes never leaving the stone in her hand.

How could this be? These were clearly two ordinary stones, yet in the blink of an eye, they had become items similar to Monster Cores? If they were Monster Cores, they were enormous! What kind of monster possessed cores this large?

The crowd once again turned to Zhong Shenxiu, hoping for a clearer explanation. However, to their exasperation, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin had vanished at some point in time!

Sigh. How did they end up with such an irresponsible Guild Leader?

In truth, Zhong Shenxiu didn't need to explain further for them to grasp the stones' function: they could be transformed into items resembling Monster Cores. This made it easy to understand why Zhong Shenxiu mentioned they could earn Guild Funds.

Such a massive artificial Monster Core, if sold, would fetch at least several hundred thousand Diamond Coins, and if it held a special attribute, the price would be even higher!

And there were thousands of these stones here. How much money could they make?

They were rich, absolutely rich!

No wonder the 'Ethereal Mercenary Group' never lacked funds. Making money for them was apparently this easy!

Now that Zhong Shenxiu was gone, the group had to rely on themselves to unravel the stones' secrets!

"You mean this stone now possesses magical attributes?" Yale finally caught on.

"Absolutely correct; the dark element within is far too pure!" Faraday replied while stroking the stone in his hand, his actions resembling a lecher feeling a maiden's hand.

If anyone understood Faraday's feelings best, it would be Sibyl; she, too, was continually caressing the stone, cherishing it as if it were her own flesh and blood.

"Could these stones be manufactured into Monster Cores?" Maxin mused, picking up a stone from the ground and attempting to channel magical elements into it using her mental power.

However, she was immensely frustrated: the stone clearly repelled magical elements; she couldn't inject anything into it!

She finally understood that appearances could be deceiving. Zhong Shenxiu made it look effortless to transform two common stones into priceless cores, but for anyone else, it was an entirely different proposition!

If everyone could do it, these stones wouldn't have been piled up here, untouched for ages!

The moniker "Prodigy" was not earned in vain!!!

Knowledge is power; knowledge is money. Zhong Shenxiu had given them another lesson!

"If this stone is so powerful, why did the Guild Leader say it has no substantive function?" Rhys asked, genuinely curious.

His reminder brought everyone else back to the same thought.

Yes, why would he say that when the stone was clearly so extraordinary?

"Could the stone have a flaw?" Andrew interjected. Being non-magicians, they knew less.

"No flaw; this stone is perfect. Based on my years of experience, I can guarantee it is even more flawless than a genuine Monster Core," Gandalf stated seriously after his examination.

Then what was the reason? The group couldn't fathom the mystery and inevitably turned their gazes towards Keni.

If they were to ask who understood Zhong Shenxiu best, no one could surpass Keni; only she could reveal this secret now.