Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

Zhu Zhuqing was taken aback. Shen An obtained a soul ring? When did that happen? She had only been gone for half a day.

"Alright, take a rest, and we'll spar afterward," Zhu Zhuqing replied.

Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. "You didn't go hunting a 10-year old soul beast, did you?" Her tone carried a hint of anger.

"No, no, no! This time it was just luck. I happened to encounter a heavily injured soul beast," Shen An quickly explained, thinking to himself that this excuse might sound too weak.

Zhu Zhuqing knitted her brows. "You're hiding something from me," she said, followed by a cold hum through her nose. She thought, "When we spar, you're in for it. I'll make sure you end up with a black eye!"

Never try to hide something from a woman. If you're going to hide it, do it properly, or else the consequences will be severe. Girls don't forget easily.

Shen An clearly hadn't hidden it well, and he realized that too.

On a grassy field outside Soto City, Shen An stood holding his sword, Zhu Zhuqing stood elegantly with her martial soul activated, and the audience was a cat.

Shen An took a deep breath. This was his first time fighting with a weapon. "Zhuqing, be careful, don't be careless."

Zhu Zhuqing's heart skipped a beat. Despite having much higher soul power, Shen An was telling her to be careful, and his sword stance was completely unrefined. "I could take on ten of you!"

Shen An gathered his soul power and swiftly moved forward, launching a direct strike at Zhu Zhuqing. A streak of green sword energy followed his movement.

Something's wrong! That sword energy is too sharp, I can't block it! Before the sword energy even reached her, Zhu Zhuqing already felt a fierce force coming toward her.

Yellow soul rings appeared around her, and her first soul skill, Nether Thrust, activated. She moved like a phantom, dodging the attack with the grace of a spirit cat.

The sword energy, once released, could not be retracted. A tree twenty meters away was sliced in half and fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. How could this be? He was only in his teens, yet that kind of attack, she thought, was something she couldn't pull off even with her level of skill.

Tom, watching from the side, widened his eyes, and his blue sleeves stretched out like long arms to pull his bulging eyes back.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing narrowed her eyes. She was starting to take this seriously. Using the momentum of Nether Thrust, she closed the distance toward Shen An with supernatural speed.

"Since your sword energy is so strong, I won't clash with you head-on. Once I get close, with my speed, you'll definitely lose!"

Shen An was slightly absorbed in the attack he had just launched. It was that strong? Now, he finally understood how formidable his weapon, the Nine-leaf Sword Grass, truly was.

He had always thought the Nine-leaf Sword Grass had no special abilities, that it wasn't flashy, but now he understood it didn't need to be. It had one defining feature: "Extreme sharpness! Extreme lethality!"

"Bring on all your techniques; I'll cut them down with a single strike!"

A gust of cold wind approached. Bad news, it's Zhu Zhuqing—her speed is insane. Shen An felt goosebumps on his skin as his body instinctively reacted.

His bright yellow soul ring with a purple tint floated above him.

First soul skill! Wind Chaser, Lightning Pursuit!

Shen An's first soul skill, Wind Chaser, Lightning Pursuit, passively enhanced his perception and doubled his speed, including attack speed, for half an hour.

This was why, despite the large difference in soul power, Shen An could predict Zhu Zhuqing's attacks and respond without issue—thanks to his increased perception, there were no side effects. As long as Shen An had soul power, it meant unlimited skill usage.

Just as Zhu Zhuqing's claws were about to strike Shen An's shoulder, his speed suddenly doubled. His sword—now a deep green—intercepted her attack.

"Can't touch it! If you do, you're done for!" Zhu Zhuqing felt the sword's lethal aura and hastily withdrew her strike.

Second soul skill: Nether Hundred Claws.

Zhu Zhuqing's body spun rapidly beside Shen An, her claws sharp and piercing, launching attack after attack.

Hundreds of strikes came at Shen An, but his heightened perception and speed allowed him to block them all with his sword. The extreme sharpness of the Nine-leaf Sword Grass kept Zhu Zhuqing from clashing head-on.

Zhu Zhuqing's face grew serious. "Who is really the agility-type soul master here? Why is it that with just one soul ring, his speed rivals mine? What kind of monster is he?!"

Shen An's attacks were unpredictable, but his sharp senses, speed, and sword's extreme edge kept him on equal footing with Zhu Zhuqing.

In the end, Shen An didn't dare unleash the full power of his sword. The Nine-leaf Sword Grass was just too sharp—one wrong move and Zhu Zhuqing would be hurt.

The result was that Shen An only defended, unable to attack. His soul power was drained from the prolonged defense against Zhu Zhuqing's relentless strikes.

"I'm done, I'm done. As expected of you, Zhuqing. You're amazing, I can't beat you," Shen An said with a smile, relaxing. It was just a friendly spar after all, and he didn't care much for the outcome.

"Haah~" Zhu Zhuqing exhaled deeply, her expression complicated as she looked at Shen An. He had just obtained his first soul ring, and if it weren't for his soul power running out, she wasn't sure she could have won.

Zhu Zhuqing had always been regarded as a genius, with few of her peers surpassing her, but against Shen An, she had never faced such a blow to her confidence.

"If I'm a genius, then what is Shen An? A monster? A freak?"

Zhu Zhuqing felt a bit down. Just a few days ago, she and Tom were protecting Shen An, and now he had become so strong as if he had leveled up overnight.

"Alright, today has been a long day—moving and sparring. Let's go back and rest," Shen An said, looking at Tom and Zhu Zhuqing.

Tom nodded eagerly. It had long wanted to just lie down at home. Who understood? A little cat should eat, drink, and relax, not do housework or spar.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly. She had decided that after returning, she would work even harder to train. Shen An's performance had truly shaken her.

"I, Zhu Zhuqing, will never be weaker than anyone!"

The moonlight spilled down, like clear water, casting a long shadow of three figures—two people and one cat—walking toward home.

Shen An had already finished setting up the second-floor rooms in the tea house. He had thoughtfully labeled each room.

"Zhuqing's Room"

"Tom's Room"

After Tom entered its room, it saw piles of snacks and milk. Its eyes sparkled, and a heart-shaped area popped out from its chest, pulsing with excitement.

Uh-oh, this feeling... it's heart-throbbing! You understand me!

Zhu Zhuqing entered her room and found it decorated in a girlish style, with cute cat dolls filling the pink bed.

Although it wasn't as elegant as Tom's design, it was warm and cozy. She could tell Shen An, despite being clumsy, had put a lot of effort into it.

"So childish, but I love it," Zhu Zhuqing smiled, her eyes narrowing like crescent moons. Her face suddenly lit up with a brilliant smile.

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