Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

"It's been almost half a year, and the Soul Master Tournament is just over a month away. That guy still hasn't come back—maybe he's not planning to return at all?"

In Shen An's courtyard, Ning Rongrong muttered listlessly as she lifted dumbbells.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression faltered slightly, and a hint of longing shimmered in her eyes.

That guy Shen An… what on earth is he doing? He hasn't even sent a letter. Could things be hard for him out there?

——

In Dugu Bo's residence, Shen An and Xue Qinghe were already drunk out of their minds.

Fine wine, delicious food, and close friends—life couldn't be better.

They had only meant to have a few drinks, but things got out of hand. The more they drank, the more they chatted, and the happier they got—it was impossible to stop.

Tom and Jerry had already quietly taken Na'er away. Kids should go to bed early and wake up early.

"Shen An, do you believe it? I'll definitely unify the continent one day. And since you like fame, I'll make sure your name echoes across the land."

Xue Qinghe said with a red flush on his cheeks, completely intoxicated.

Shen An silently picked up a few peanuts and placed them in Xue Qinghe's bowl. "Stop just drinking. Eat some peanuts, too."

Xue Qinghe paused. He didn't really understand what Shen An meant, but somehow it felt like he was being underestimated.

"Let's keep drinking. I've never had such a satisfying drink before in my life. Shen An, you're the best."

Shen An's head was spinning a bit too. Neither of them used soul power to sober up.

"Phew\~ This really is refreshing\~"

—

The next morning.

"AAAAHHHH!"

A sharp scream pierced the air. Shen An groggily opened his eyes—only to be smacked in the face with a pillow.

"What did you do to me last night?! Why are we in the same room?!"

Xue Qinghe shouted furiously, while Shen An blinked in confusion and looked around.

"Hey now, what could we have done? We drank until we passed out, that's it."

"We still shouldn't have slept in the same room!"

Shen An patted the hard floor under him. "You were at least on the bed. I was on the ground. Relax, Qinghe—we didn't do anything."

Xue Qinghe realized she had overreacted and awkwardly sat back on the bed.

Sharing a room with a man... This was a first.

At that moment, a hand sneaked up onto her shoulder.

"Why are you overreacting like this, Qinghe? Acting like a little girl. We're both manly men, aren't we?"

"Mind your own business! I like sleeping alone." Flustered by Shen An's words, Xue Qinghe jumped up and quickly walked out of the room.

"I'll take care of the registration. Should be done soon."

Shen An chuckled and collapsed back onto the bed.

He ended up sleeping until noon. A little girl with violet eyes was standing at the bedside, gazing at him with sparkling eyes.

Startled at first, Shen An relaxed when he saw it was Na'er.

"What's up, Na'er?"

"Brother Shen An, after I awakened that thing yesterday, I slept for a bit and when I woke up… I had three rings on me."

As Na'er spoke, a silver spear appeared in her hand, over three meters long, with slender curves and tiny silver scales running down the shaft.

She planted it into the ground, but her height barely reached halfway up the spear—it looked quite comical.

Shen An watched in fascination as three purple Soul Rings appeared around Na'er. He had always known she was a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast reborn, but even so, this was a bit shocking.

Far stronger than that rogue rabbit… Even Dugu Bo had said Na'er was extraordinary, though he hadn't managed to identify her as a Soul Beast.

"You're amazing, Na'er. Let me teach you how to protect yourself, okay?" Shen An smiled.

"Okay!"

—

Two days later.

In the courtyard, Na'er wielded her Silver Dragon Spear, mimicking spear moves with Tom.

Shen An had originally planned to teach her himself. Although his specialty was swordsmanship, teaching her the basics of spearmanship and combat techniques wasn't impossible.

But Master Tom couldn't stand to watch anymore. He grabbed a wooden spear and easily disarmed Shen An—divine conceptual power meant nothing in a straight spar.

So, under Na'er's cries of "Master Tom, you're amazing," Tom officially became her spear instructor.

"Qinghe's here. The registration must be sorted now."

Xue Qinghe curled her lip slightly. "Dream Committee originally thought you'd join the second team with six others backing you up."

"But when I conveyed your request, they all thought you were being ridiculous. No matter how strong one person is, they can't compare to a team—especially if you're dragging a six-year-old girl along."

Shen An didn't respond. He knew that since he made the request, Xue Qinghe would try her best to make it happen.

Sure enough, seeing his lack of reaction, she muttered "boring," then continued:

"After I argued back and forth, the Committee agreed. As long as you can prove your strength, not only can Na'er compete, but the rest of the team will watch from the sidelines."

"That's easy. Let's go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy right now and get the registration done early." Shen An beamed.

"By the way, Zhuqing and Rongrong aren't at the academy, are they?" he asked.

"Relax. Those two barely go to class anyway."

——

Shen An and Xue Qinghe brought Na'er to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Dream God Machine had already been waiting for a long time, his face calm, though his heart was full of bitter laughter.

What a mess. The person he had the most hope for—Shen An—not only insisted on joining the second team, but also wanted to bring a six-year-old child into the competition.

That was already ridiculous enough, but it didn't stop there. Shen An even said the other five just needed to show up—he and the kid would handle the matches.

Dream God Machine was furious. Did this kid think the tournament was a joke? If it weren't for the fact that the one delivering the message was Xue Qinghe, he'd have thrown them out.

"Dream Committee, long time no see."

Dream God Machine looked at the little girl beside Shen An, his expression serious. He could sense a strong surge of Soul Power coming from her.

It was equivalent to a Soul Ancestor or higher—not much compared to his own Soul Douluo level, but coming from a six-year-old girl, it was outrageous.

"Long time indeed, Shen An." His eyes lingered on Na'er for a few more seconds before moving away.

"I've heard your request. As long as you can defeat the original Heaven Dou Second Team—and I mean completely dominate—then I'll allow the rest of them to sit out. From then on, the stage will be yours and the little girl's alone."

"Otherwise, I'd really prefer you joined Team One."

"Committee Dream, let's go. Let me prove it to you." Shen An smiled.

Dream God Machine sighed, then led Shen An into the academy.

When Shen An saw the members of the Second Team, he grinned—they were all familiar faces.

Shao Hu, one of Xue Beng's old lackeys, was there, along with Oslo and Yu Feng, the two agility-type Soul Masters.

Heaven Dou's First Team had ultimately decided to keep Ye Lingling for her powerful healing skills. And Zhu Zhuqing had already proven herself strong enough that the two agility-types couldn't compare.

Thus, Oslo and Yu Feng had been transferred to the Second Team.

"Second Team members, if any of you can land even a single hit on him today, you can keep representing the academy in the tournament."

"If not, then you'll spend the entire tournament on the bench—watching him and the little girl compete."

The Second Team's expressions instantly turned sour. This was humiliating. Even if Shen An was a Soul Ancestor, it was too much to say he could completely crush them.

Only Yu Feng and Oslo exchanged uneasy glances—clearly recalling that time Shen An utterly dominated them.

But a complete victory without even taking a scratch? Was that really possible?