"Oh no."
But upon arriving at the entrance of the auction venue, Xianhai Shaoyu suddenly let out a sigh.
"Brother Shaoyu, what's wrong?" Chu Feng asked.
"Brother Chu Feng, do you have any treasures on you that can be used as collateral without revealing your identity?"
"Here's the thing — we're heading to the ordinary VIP hall, right? Entering the ordinary VIP hall also requires putting up collateral in exchange for the Martial Trade Association's Trade Coins."
"But most of my treasures bear the markings of the Xianhai Fish Clan, and it wouldn't be convenient to bring out anything belonging to those Huangfu Heavenly Clan people either," Xianhai Shaoyu explained.
"No worries, I've got a way."
As he spoke, Chu Feng produced a token.
This token was given to Chu Feng by Steward Ma Qiang during a previous Martial Trade Association auction — a VIP token.
With this token, there was no need for collateral or exchange. He could participate in bidding without any limit and enjoy the privilege of bidding first and paying later.
Moreover, this VIP token was universally accepted across all branches of the Martial Trade Association.
"Wow, Brother Chu Feng — as expected of you."
Upon seeing the token, Xianhai Shaoyu's eyes lit up and he visibly relaxed.
He naturally possessed a similar token as well, but his was exclusively for the Xianhai Fish Clan. While it carried greater prestige as a symbol of status, in practical terms, it wasn't nearly as useful as Chu Feng's.
That was because Chu Feng's token could be used without showing his face. His token, on the other hand, required revealing his identity as a member of the Xianhai Fish Clan.
"With this token, there's no need to apply for collateral. Let's just head in."
Xianhai Shaoyu led Chu Feng and Little Fishy straight toward the entrance.
At that moment, over a dozen people were standing in front of the auction venue, all wearing Spirit World robes. The robes were plain as burlap and looked rather rough. The barrier patterns on the Spirit World robes were not visible, so it was impossible to discern their cultivation.
When the three of them — Xianhai Shaoyu, Chu Feng, and Little Fishy — stepped past the crowd and moved ahead, a shout immediately rang out from among them.
"Get back in line."
It was an elder's sharp rebuke. The shout carried considerable force. Although it contained no oppressive aura, it still held a certain degree of intimidation.
This elder was at minimum a True God powerhouse, or perhaps a True Dragon Spirit World Master.
"Oh, my apologies."
Xianhai Shaoyu didn't get angry at all. Instead, he pulled Chu Feng and prepared to head back to join the queue.
"I'm used to just walking right in — I forgot about the line. That's my mistake," Xianhai Shaoyu transmitted to Chu Feng and Little Fishy with a grin.
Upon hearing Xianhai Shaoyu's attitude, Chu Feng's opinion of him rose considerably. Who was Xianhai Shaoyu? The son of the Xianhai Fish Clan's patriarch. And where were they? On the Xianhai Fish Clan's territory. Any other genius from a major power would never tolerate someone shouting at them so harshly on their own turf. But Xianhai Shaoyu showed no displeasure whatsoever — he even felt it was his own fault. So despite the other party's harsh tone, he didn't pursue the matter and instead chose to back down.
People with this kind of temperament were rare enough as it was. For someone who possessed both strength and status like Xianhai Shaoyu to display it made him all the more extraordinary.
"Please wait a moment."