Since Xiao Wu had already spoken up, Tang San naturally made no effort to hide it any further. He gave a nod.
The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then directly pressed the bidding button. He hit the ten thousand Gold Soul Coin mark.
"Sir, did you press the wrong one? Even if you have money, there's no need to go that far." Xiao Wu had been watching the middle-aged man the entire time, and seeing him bid ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, she couldn't help but remind him.
The middle-aged man smiled faintly. "I can't very well let you take a loss. After I raise the bid, I'm afraid no one else will bother competing."
Sure enough, just as the middle-aged man had said, when the host on stage announced that a white VIP had bid ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, absolutely no one competed, and the transaction went through smoothly.
"Little friends, shall we go? I'm actually quite looking forward to the items I've won today." The middle-aged man stood up and walked out through the corridor. The host on the podium watched him leave, and the tension in his expression visibly eased.
Tang San and Xiao Wu followed the middle-aged man out of the auction center. No sooner had they stepped outside than a server came up to greet them. Unlike the servers Tang San and Xiao Wu had seen before, this one's outfit was not revealing at all. Her long dress was silver, and her appearance was considerably more beautiful. While she couldn't be called a stunning beauty, she was certainly a fine standard.
"VIP, please follow me." The silver-dressed girl bowed respectfully to the middle-aged man and made an inviting gesture.
The middle-aged man raised his hand, signaling for her to lead the way.
Tang San and Xiao Wu followed behind the middle-aged man as the three of them, led by the silver-dressed girl, entered a room next to the auction center.
The room was quite spacious, but the decor was extremely elegant—comfortable white leather sofas, and a round coffee table set with four kinds of exquisite fruit.
The silver-dressed girl said, "Please rest for a moment. Your purchased items will be delivered shortly."
Xiao Wu wasted no time hopping onto the sofa and reaching for a piece of fruit, which she bit into. "Very sweet—tastes good. Ge, do you want some?"
Tang San smiled and shook his head, casually removing the mask from his face. Seeing Tang San take off his mask, Xiao Wu naturally dropped her own disguise as well, tossing the mask aside and focusing on eating her fruit.
The middle-aged man sat down on the sofa and said nothing, simply waiting in silence. Before long, under the pushing of several burly men, an enormous iron cage was wheeled in. Inside the cage, in addition to the cat girl, were several other young women—all extraordinary beauties, each with her own distinctive charm. Of course, what was also delivered was the unassuming Sand-Shooting Shadow.
The middle-aged man picked up the Sand-Shooting Shadow and handed over a red card. "Help me settle the bill, and have these young ladies delivered to my residence."
"Yes." The silver-dressed girl accepted the card and immediately had people wheel the iron cage out.
Only then did the middle-aged man turn to Tang San with a smile. "Little friend, since this weapon was originally yours, would you mind teaching me how to use it?"
Tang San nodded. "Of course." Under his brief instruction, the middle-aged man quickly grasped the method of use and went ahead and strapped it directly to his chest.
The middle-aged man seemed quite satisfied with the Sand-Shooting Shadow. He smiled and said, "Little friends, I know this may be a bit forward, but I'd still like to ask—which family do you belong to? Can you tell me?"
Tang San shook his head. "We don't belong to any family. We're just students."
"Students?" The middle-aged man blinked. "Generally speaking, shouldn't students at an advanced Soul Master academy graduate once they reach rank thirty? Only a handful of academies extend the graduation requirement a bit higher."
Tang San also directly posed the question that had been on his mind. "Then how did you tell that our Soul Power is above rank thirty? Can you really tell just by looking at someone's eyes?"
The middle-aged man smiled faintly. "I happen to be a Soul Master myself, and one of my soul skills is specifically able to gauge a Soul Master's level. Looking at you two, you can't be more than fifteen or sixteen, yet you already have Soul Power above rank thirty-five. I honestly can't think of any family that could produce such outstanding youngsters. In truth, you're far more impressive than the little devil in my own household."
A hint of a smile appeared on Tang San's face. "But we truly have no family. You paid ten thousand Gold Soul Coins for my Sand-Shooting Shadow—I can't let you walk away feeling shortchanged. Here, take this as well." As he spoke, Tang San removed the Silent Sleeve Arrow from his left wrist and handed it over, giving a brief explanation of how to use it. On his right hand, he wore the Flying God Claw, which was far more complicated to craft and therefore not something he could give away lightly. Relatively common Hidden Weapons like the Sleeve Arrow and Sand-Shooting Shadow, however, he did not need to be stingy about.
The middle-aged man handled the Sleeve Arrow with a look of surprise for a moment, then found two small characters engraved in its corner. "Tang Sect? Were these two weapons made by a place called Tang Sect? I've never heard of such a clan."
Xiao Wu burst out laughing. "The Tang Sect is just my Ge and nobody else—of course you've never heard of it."
The middle-aged man paused, but he quickly caught on. Looking at Tang San, he said, "Could it be that you made these two Hidden Weapons yourself?"