After the collaboration was confirmed, the next part was the tedious tug-of-war over interests.
From the very beginning, Tang Ya circled around the bottom-line price offered by Huo Yuhao, skillfully negotiating with the other party. This only reinforced Velina's belief that Tang Ya had strong backing. Otherwise, how could a ten-year-old girl be so knowledgeable about the prices of soul tools?
Very quickly, the negotiations reached their conclusion. Tang Ya handed over a simple storage ring to Velina, who immediately passed it to the silent middle-aged man beside her.
The man took the ring and sensed its contents before opening his eyes, giving Velina a slight nod. Though he appeared calm, an aura of greed emerged from him.
The energy from a Titled Douluo caused a significant leap in the progress of Huo Yuhao's Greed Sin source unlocking.
An unexpected gain.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow. Over the past year of selling grilled fish, he had absorbed traces of Sin energy like envy and greed from other envious merchants. However, because they were ordinary people without soul power, the progress was slow. This time, the single source from the man in front of him exceeded everything he'd absorbed in the past year.
Seeing the man nod, Velina no longer hesitated. She pulled out another ring, this one mixed with Gold Soul Coins and rare metals, and handed it to Tang Ya with a smile.
"I'm sure the Tang Sect has more soul tools in reserve. Hopefully, we'll have more opportunities to work together in the future."
Tang Ya, pretending not to understand the subtle hint, smiled and accepted the ring.
"If we come across something, there will be opportunities."
"Since the transaction is complete, we won't overstay our welcome. Goodbye."
With that, she stood up and walked toward the door with Huo Yuhao. Just as they were about to leave, Velina called out again.
"Wait, Miss Tang Ya."
Tang Ya paused and turned back to see Velina ask softly, "Regarding the recent events with your sect, I'm truly sorry. If you need help, we can assist…"
"No need."
Before Velina could finish, Tang Ya interrupted calmly, "Thank you, Your Highness, but it's best we handle our own matters."
With that, she opened the door and left with Huo Yuhao.
Bang.
The door closed, and the room fell silent. Velina turned to the middle-aged man.
"Dean Ding, what do you think?"
"I suppose I overthought it…"
The man shook his head and sighed, his tone filled with disbelief.
"Could Shrek's soul tool development have advanced this much without us noticing?"
Just that glove sample alone was enough to shock him. Even in Mingde Hall, that would be considered a top-tier low-level soul tool, one that would never be allowed to circulate in the outside world.
If this was indeed a Shrek product, wouldn't that mean Shrek's soul tools now rival, or even surpass, Mingde Hall's?
How were their three nations supposed to compete with that?
At that moment, the silent Mu Xue spoke up, "Could it be, as Uncle Dean said, that a top-level soul master is secretly aiding the Tang Sect?"
She then added, "That boy who's about my age seemed strange…"
Velina didn't immediately refute her but smiled as she explained, "Mu Xue, the Dean already said that the creator of those soul tools has a mastery not inferior to his own. It couldn't possibly be a child."
"But these are low-level soul tools, right? Low-ranked soul masters can make them. Maybe he's a genius?"
Velina was momentarily speechless, but the Dean just shook his head.
"Impossible. I sensed their soul power—one has a single ring, and the other doesn't even have one. They probably can't even make soul tools."
The good mood from obtaining the batch of soul tools made him joke around.
"Mu Xue, you're still young and don't understand the intricacies of soul tools. Creating something like this takes more than just talent; it requires experience. If that boy really made these, then he must have started learning in the womb."
He laughed heartily at his own joke, and Velina joined in, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.
Meanwhile, after leaving the hotel and turning a couple of streets, Tang Ya finally lowered her voice and asked.
"Is anyone following us?"
Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. He had been wondering why she seemed so tense earlier.
"No, don't worry."
"Phew—"
Tang Ya's shoulders relaxed, and she immediately pulled out the storage ring, raised it high, and excitedly shouted.
"We're rich! We're rich!"
However, when she noticed Huo Yuhao's strange look, she froze, cleared her throat, and handed him the ring, as if seeking approval.
"How did I do?"
"You were great. I doubt Velina even realized this was your first negotiation."
Huo Yuhao smiled, nodded, and sincerely praised her as he accepted the ring.
"Well, of course! Don't forget who your big sis Tang Ya is."
As she boasted, Huo Yuhao kept his gentle smile, pressed the ring to his storage bracelet to transfer some of its contents, then handed it back to her.
"Here's your share."
As soon as Tang Ya took it, she let out a surprised cry, "Ah!"
Startled, Huo Yuhao quickly looked at her. "What happened?"
Tang Ya looked at him with a complicated expression and whispered, "You left too much."
Huo Yuhao had only taken a portion of the rare metals and Gold Soul Coins, leaving around 60% for her.
"Didn't I tell you? It's a 60-40 split."
"When did you say that?"
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then looked slightly embarrassed. "I think you interrupted me before I could say it."
But Tang Ya didn't joke anymore. She quietly stared at him.
"Why?"
She knew that even though she played a part, all she really did was help contact the Heaven Dou royalty and act as the face of the deal. It wasn't worth that much.
"Don't underestimate yourself. You contributed much more than you think."
Huo Yuhao smiled gently. "This is just the beginning. We'll still need the Tang Sect's connections in the future. Consider it a running fee for your hard work. Besides, aren't we friends?"
"But friends shouldn't worry about these things. I didn't help you for money…"
Before she could finish, Huo Yuhao's warm voice cut her off.
"If there's anything I can teach you on this journey of growth…"
He paused and smiled, "It's that you should know how to rely on your friends."
"When we're kids, we can be friends. But in the adult world, everything revolves around benefits. So, let's be friends who know how to help each other."
Tang Ya was momentarily stunned, then she slowly lowered her head. Hidden behind her bangs, it seemed like tears were falling. She sniffled and muttered, her voice choked with a little resentment.
"You're younger than me, yet you talk like an old man…"
"Huh?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback. "Do I?"
As soon as he said that, Tang Ya burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking. Huo Yuhao's face darkened, and he shook his head as he walked home.
Behind him, Tang Ya suddenly wiped away her tears, quickly caught up to him, and threw her arm around his neck, giggling.
"Little Yuhao, I've just made up my mind about the path I want to take."
"Oh?"
"Support."
Huo Yuhao stopped, surprised, and looked at Tang Ya. She raised her hand, and her Blue Silver Grass began to change. The crystal-clear blue slowly darkened into a deep blue-black.
After fully revealing her martial soul to Huo Yuhao, she explained softly.
"My Blue Silver Grass has a devouring ability. It can absorb soul power and life force. If I go down the support path, I could use that power to help my teammates during battle."
Huo Yuhao immediately understood her reasoning. This way, Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass would become a combination of control, weakening the enemy, and providing soul power recovery and healing.
With her in the team, it would be like having a reusable group healing item during battle—one that could continuously sap the enemy's soul power and life force.
Seeing the surprise in Huo Yuhao's eyes, Tang Ya smiled happily.
"Now, my usefulness just went up, didn't it?"