Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

As Xue Qinghe spoke those words—

Outside the wall, Porcupinefish and Serpent Lance Douluo's minds were rocked. Their eyes widened to an unbelievable extent as they stared at her.

Innate full soul power—level thirty.

This was utterly unheard of. If anyone else had said this, they wouldn't have believed it even if their heads were on the line. But since it came from Qian Renxue, they had no choice but to accept it.

Serpent Lance Douluo shot a look at Porcupinefish Douluo—it was clear this matter needed to be reported to Grand Worship Qian Daoliu immediately.

In the world of Douluo Continent, where the quality of one's Martial Soul defined everything, a starting point at level thirty… As long as she grew up safely, this little girl would definitely become one of the strongest in the world.

They had to think of a way to bring this innate level-thirty girl into Spirit Hall. If not…

Compared to the shock outside the wall, Shen An and the others' reactions were completely different.

Shen An: "Oh\~"

Na'er: "Oh\~"

Tom: "Meow\~"

Jerry: "Squeak\~"

Xue Qinghe stared at them.

"You guys aren't even a little bit shocked? This is innate level-thirty soul power we're talking about! There has never been a genius like this in the history of Douluo Continent. Na'er is absolutely one-of-a-kind!"

She sounded genuinely agitated. Even with her own level-twenty innate soul power, she had been declared a god-tier Martial Soul. But level thirty? She didn't even dare to imagine what that meant.

Tom and Jerry tilted their heads at the same time, their expressions utterly adorable, as if to say, "We're just an ordinary cat and mouse, what would we know about Martial Souls?"

Shen An smiled and ruffled Na'er's hair. He himself was the biggest cheat—his soul power had surged to level fifty in just over a year. Why would he be shocked?

Na'er's origins were clearly extraordinary—he suspected she might be a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, or even more. So this astounding soul power didn't scare him. He was just happy for her.

"Big Brother Shen An, what does level-thirty soul power mean?" Na'er asked innocently.

"It means that Na'er will become someone incredibly, incredibly powerful in the future," Shen An replied with a smile.

"Wow! Will I be as powerful as you, Big Brother Shen An?"

"Hmm, well… you'll still be just a teensy bit behind me. But if Na'er works hard, there's definitely hope."

Xue Qinghe twitched at the corner of her mouth. Shen An really had a thick skin—he dared to say that someone with innate level-thirty soul power would still be slightly behind him.

Shen An looked at the adorable Na'er, and a sudden glint flashed in his eyes. He had always wanted fame, and the Soul Master Tournament was his big chance.

But even if he soloed the entire tournament, it might seem too scripted. Why not stir up some buzz, something people could gossip about over tea?

"Brother Xue, I just thought of something—the age requirement for the Soul Master Tournament is under twenty-five, right? So… wouldn't that mean Na'er can also participate?"

He spoke with an air of smugness. If Na'er joined the tournament at just six years old, it would definitely blow everyone's minds.

"Are you serious???"

Xue Qinghe's eyes went round. A six-year-old in the Soul Master Tournament? If that got out, it would probably make all the other contestants rage.

"Who the hell do you think you're looking down on!?"

"Why not?" Shen An said, casually slinging an arm around Xue Qinghe's shoulder. "Once Na'er gets three soul rings, she'll be a Soul Elder. And with me watching over her, nothing can go wrong."

"Come on, Brother Xue, Qinghe, you're the crown prince. You can definitely make this happen."

The moment Shen An's hand landed on her shoulder, Xue Qinghe felt her composure slip. Her heart was tingling like someone was scratching it from the inside.

Strangely enough, she didn't dislike the feeling. In fact, she kind of liked it.

"Alright, alright, I'll help you."

She nodded with a wry smile. She could already imagine the stunned faces of the tournament judges when this name was submitted. But hey, the rules only stated "under twenty-five"—they never said six-year-olds were forbidden.

"Hahaha! Good! Brother Xue, since you're free, why not stay the night? Let's drink till we drop. Senior Dugu's estate has plenty of rooms anyway."

Shen An beamed. Having a powerful friend really was awesome.

Besides, after traveling for so long, he wanted to catch up with old friends, chat about his adventures.

Xue Qinghe's eyes flickered. She thought of the mountain of state affairs waiting for her—but seeing Shen An again after so long, she suddenly smiled brightly:

"Alright, I'm free. Let's drink the night away."

"Oh, right. Brother Xue, how about you go buy some groceries? I'll have Tom cook something. And bring back some good wine while you're at it."

Xue Qinghe burst out laughing, pointing to her own nose: "Me? I'm the crown prince of Heaven Dou! And you want me to go grocery shopping?"

"What, I can't?" Shen An tilted his head like Tom, trying to look adorably innocent.

Xue Qinghe snorted in laughter: "Fine, fine. I'll go."

Then she seemed to remember something and said a bit awkwardly, "It's just… I've never bought groceries before. Maybe let Na'er come with me?"

Shen An shot a quick look at Tom—no way. If Tom went, it would definitely end up being an all-fish feast again.

"Na'er will go with you. She's used to shopping with Tom."

Xue Qinghe felt a bit ashamed. The crown prince didn't even know how to buy food and needed a little girl to accompany her.

Dusk fell.

Xue Qinghe and Na'er returned.

Shen An took one look at their haul and was stunned.

They'd bought a lot, but… ninety percent of it was fish.

No need to ask—Tom was clearly behind this.

Sure enough, Shen An saw Tom secretly giving Na'er a thumbs-up.

Na'er beamed—Tom-sensei had praised her!

Shen An facepalmed. Fine, fine. If the chef likes fish, then let there be fish. After all, with Tom's skill, everything tasted great.

Soon, the table was filled with fine food and good wine.

Even Tom and Jerry had full cups in front of them.

Na'er pouted. This was the first time in a while she'd felt unfairly treated.

"Come, Shen An! Here's to your return to Heaven Dou!" Xue Qinghe raised her glass.

Normally, she didn't drink. But with Shen An, she was more than willing—she was even looking forward to it.

"Cheers, Brother Xue! Tonight we drink until we drop!"

Shen An raised his glass. Tom and Jerry mimicked them, raising theirs as well, while Na'er sipped her milk wine in a sulky puff.

······

While Shen An and his group celebrated, Shrek Academy was abuzz with activity as well.

"Xiao San, I didn't expect you to have such a fortuitous encounter. Your soul power actually jumped to level fifty-six! You truly live up to being Yu Xiaogang's disciple."

Yu Xiaogang's face was filled with pride.

He hadn't expected Tang San to return with Xiao Wu just before the tournament, and to top it off, Tang San had advanced to level fifty-six Soul King.

In the entire history of the Soul Master Tournament, this was an explosive achievement—practically a guaranteed championship.

Tang San smiled faintly, but in his heart, he thought: What does this have to do with you?

Still, Yu Xiaogang had helped him with the twin Martial Soul cultivation issue, so Tang San kept up his good-student facade.

"Come, Xiao San! I'm truly happy for you," Dai Mubai said, raising his glass.

Tang San clinked glasses with him nonchalantly. Dai Mubai downed his drink in one gulp, while Tang San only took a small sip.

His mind was already filled with one thing—how to utterly humiliate, or even eliminate, Shen An in front of the whole world at the tournament.