Douluo Continent: Starting with a Tom Cat

Shen An was slightly still immersed in the attack he had just launched. Was it really that strong? At this moment, he finally understood just how domineering the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, as an ultimate martial soul, truly was.

He had always thought that the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass didn't have any additional abilities and wasn't very flashy, but now he understood that it didn't need to be flashy; the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass only had one characteristic.

"The ultimate sharpness! The ultimate edge!"

No matter what myriad of spells attack, I will shatter them all with a single sword!

A gust of cold wind swept by. Oh no, it was Zhu Zhuqing. She was so fast! Shen An's skin instantly broke out in goosebumps. This was a stress response of the human body.

A bright yellow soul ring with a hint of purple floated on Shen An's body.

First Soul Skill! Chasing the Wind and Lightning!

Shen An's first soul skill, Chasing the Wind and Lightning, passively increases Shen An's perception and can double his speed within half an hour, including his attack speed.

This explains why Shen An could predict Zhu Zhuqing's attacks despite such a large difference in soul power, without any side effects. In other words, as long as Shen An has enough soul power, it's like having unlimited skills.

Just as Zhu Zhuqing's claws were about to strike Shen An's shoulder, Shen An's speed suddenly doubled, and the emerald green sword was suddenly placed in front of Zhu Zhuqing's claws.

Do not touch! Touch it and it will break! Zhu Zhuqing sensed the sharpness of the sword intent and quickly withdrew her hand and changed her attack.

Second Soul Skill: Netherworld Hundred Claws.

Zhu Zhuqing's body spun rapidly beside Shen An, her sharp, penetrating claws launching continuous attacks on him.

Shen An blocked all of Zhu Zhuqing's attacks with his sword. The super-high perception and speed brought by Shen An's first soul skill allowed him to keep up with all of Zhu Zhuqing's attacks.

The extreme sharpness of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass made Zhu Zhuqing dare not confront it head-on.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression was solemn as she thought to herself, "Who exactly is the agility-type Soul Master? Why is his speed no less than mine despite only having one Soul Ring? What kind of monster is he?!"

Shen An's moves were completely unpredictable, but thanks to his keen perception, incredible speed, and sharpness, he held his own against Zhu Zhuqing in their fight.

Even Shen An dared not unleash the full power of the sword grass, for the nine-leaf sword grass was too sharp, and Zhu Zhuqing would be injured if she was not careful.

In the end, Shen An only defended and did not attack, and his soul power was completely exhausted under Zhu Zhuqing's maneuvering and attacks.

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore. You're amazing, Zhu Qing. I can't beat you at all." Shen An stopped what he was doing and said with a light laugh. It was just a friendly sparring match, and Shen An didn't care about winning or losing.

"Phew~" Zhu Zhuqing let out a long breath, looking at Shen An with a complicated expression. She had just obtained her first soul ring, and if she hadn't exhausted her soul power, she might not have been able to defeat Shen An.

Zhu Zhuqing was known as a genius since childhood, and few of her peers were more outstanding than her. However, she felt an unprecedented blow from Shen An.

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

Zhu Zhuqing was slightly frustrated. Shen An, who had needed her and Tom's protection just a few days ago, had suddenly become so strong, as if he had been upgraded and enhanced.

"Alright, we've been moving and sparring all day, we're so tired. Let's go back and rest." Shen An looked at Tom and Zhu Zhuqing.

Tom nodded eagerly. He had long wanted to lie down at home. Who would understand? A kitten should just eat and drink, not do housework and have to compete with people.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently. She made up her mind to work even harder in her cultivation after returning home. Shen An's performance had really spurred her on.

"I, Zhu Zhuqing, have never been inferior to anyone in my life!"

The moonlight spilled out like clear water as the two people and the cat walked towards their home, their long shadows intertwining with the shadows of the trees.

Shen An had already tidied up the rooms on the second floor of the teahouse, and thoughtfully put up labels he had written for each room.

“Bamboo Clear Cottage”

Tom's Hut

When Tom returned to his room, he saw it full of snacks and milk. His eyes lit up, and a heart-shaped area popped out of his chest and kept thumping.

Oh no, it's love at first sight! You understand me so well!

Zhu Zhuqing saw that her room was decorated in a girlish style, with cute cat dolls covering the pink bed.

Although it wasn't as stylish as Tom's design, it was very cozy, and she could tell that the clumsy Shen An had put a lot of thought into the design.

"It's so childish, but I love it." Zhu Zhuqing smiled, her eyebrows curving like crescent moons, and a radiant smile suddenly bloomed on her beautiful face.

Chapter 19 The Teahouse Opens, First Encounter with Flander

One night passed.

In the morning, Shen An and Zhu Zhuqing had already eaten the breakfast that Tom had made.

Generally, people like to talk and chat while eating, but Tom's cooking was so delicious that Shen An and the other person were so focused on eating that they didn't even think about talking.

The next day, Shen An started researching how to make a unique milk tea using the available ingredients early in the morning.

Perilla leaves, dried tangerine peel, Jin Jun Mei tea, black tea, and sugar are simmered together and then milk is added.

Shen An handed the first cup of tea he had made to Zhu Zhuqing. Zhu Zhuqing looked at the strange tea and took a small sip.

"Mmm, it tastes good."

OK, let's prepare for one more day, and we'll open for business the next day.

The shop owner who made the plaque delivered it early in the morning. After delivering it, the shop owner looked a little conflicted, as if he wanted to say something.

Considering that the boss had processed the order urgently and delivered it early in the morning, Shen An gave the boss two extra silver soul coins.

The shop owner who made the plaque hesitated even more, but finally took the silver soul coins and said:

"Brother Shen, you'd better prepare yourself mentally about your shop."

"Hmm, what?" Shen An raised an eyebrow. This must be the reason for the inexplicable increase in fame.

The shopkeeper looked around and, seeing that the street was sparsely populated, lowered his voice and said, "Brother Shen, you're from out of town, so you don't know this."

"This shop is in a good location, but it caught the eye of Ma Yan, the nephew of the white-robed deacon of the Spirit Hall in Soto City. He has been pressuring Boss Li to sell it at a low price. Boss Li was originally prepared to sell it cheaply, but then you suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"After Mr. Li sold it to you, he ran away the same day. He even spread the word everywhere along the way. Basically, everyone on this street in the east of the city knew that an outsider had bought this hot potato."

"I only realized it was you, Brother Shen, when I delivered the plaque to you today."

"Brother Shen, please take care. The common people can't fight against the officials, especially since that Ma Yan is said to be a Great Soul Master. If all else fails, just sell the shop to him at a low price."

Shen An thanked the plaque owner, saying that it was already very kind of him to tell him so much information when they were not related.

As for the so-called Ma Yan of the Spirit Hall, he's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes his way.

Shen An posted a notice next to the teahouse, announcing that it would officially open at noon tomorrow.

At first, there were few pedestrians, but gradually people started to notice it.

The fact that Mr. Li's shop was being targeted had long been a topic of conversation among the neighborhood residents.

But to everyone's surprise, some hothead bought it for two hundred gold soul coins.

Mr. Li's shop is in a good location. Normally, it would cost 400 gold soul coins, but 200 gold soul coins is already a bargain. However, Mr. Li has no choice, as the people eyeing his shop are hoping to get it for free.

So after Mr. Li successfully sold the property, he fled while simultaneously promoting it all over the streets.

After a whole day of fermentation and thanks to the diligent spread of these stories by the neighborhood aunties, many people have already begun to secretly take notice of the teahouse's situation.

It is said that Ma Yan even declared yesterday that Shen An's opening day would be his unemployment day.

Now that Shen An has posted a notice, many people are interested in coming to see what's going on at noon.

The next day, the teahouse opened, and a large crowd of onlookers filled the place. However, not a single person actually went inside to drink tea.

Shen An squinted at the scene before him. It was time to use his ultimate move to attract a wave of customers.

"It's you I choose! Go, Tom!"

Tom, who had already conspired with Shen An, walked out gracefully.

Tom was wearing a black tuxedo with a white lining, and a delicate white bow tied around his neck, making him look incredibly elegant.

Shen An had discussed it with Tom early in the morning, and they agreed that Tom would show off his musical talents to attract customers. In the future, they would split the teahouse's revenue equally, so that Tom could become a little rich cat.

Tom was delighted to hear this and readily agreed. Meow~ I get paid to play the piano! That's great!

The piano began to play under Tom's fingertips, and a light, lively, and rhythmic piano piece flowed through the teahouse.

This piece is Kikujiro's Summer, which sounds very bright and cheerful, making people happy. Tom's playing technique brings out the best in this piece.

The tinkling of music echoed from the retro teahouse. Although most of the people gathered outside were ordinary folks who had no musical background, they could still appreciate the beauty of the music.

However, none of the onlookers outside the teahouse, despite their great curiosity, pushed open the door to enter.

Today was the opening day of the teahouse. Zhu Zhuqing, unusually, did not cultivate but accompanied Shen An. However, seeing the deserted interior and the crowd outside, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but look at Shen An with concern, afraid that he would be discouraged.

Shen An was not discouraged at all. If ordinary people dared not come, there were still Soul Masters, weren't there?

Besides, his primary purpose in opening the teahouse was to promote his reputation, so didn't this indirectly achieve that goal?

"What beautiful piano music!" Flander had been planning to run his small shop in town and see if he could rip off a few more suckers to help pay for the academy, but he ended up hearing such beautiful music on the street.

Flanders had traveled the continent for many years and had never heard this piece before. He only felt that the music was light and cheerful, making him feel as if he were in the music, and his mood became more and more cheerful.

"When did such a great musician come to Soto City?" Flander was very curious and decided to go to the place where the music was coming from.

What came into Flander's view was a teahouse with a sign that read "Tom's Teahouse." A crowd had gathered in front of the building, and Flander assumed the place would be packed. However, he was surprised to find that everyone was just watching from the outside. So, he walked into the teahouse without hesitation.

As soon as Flander entered the teahouse, Shen An noticed him; it was simply because this man had such distinctive features.

His chin protruded slightly forward, his cheekbones were wide, his face was flat, and he had a hooked nose, making his face look like a shoehorn. He also wore a pair of rigid black-rimmed crystal glasses, which made him look very cunning.

"This must be the dean of Shrek Academy," Shen An guessed.

Shen An asked with a smile, "I wonder what kind of tea the guest would like to order? I have all kinds of tea here."

Flanders didn't even look at it, and waved his hand, saying, "Give me the cheapest one."

Shen An's smiling face instantly froze, and he couldn't help but think to himself, "I knew he was stingy, but I didn't expect him to be this stingy. He didn't even glance at the item."

"Okay, the cheapest tea costs 1 Gintama coin."

Flander's lips twitched. "What? The cheapest tea costs 1 Silver Soul Coin? This must be a rip-off. I, Frank, am always the one ripping off others. When did it become someone else's turn to rip me off!"

Flander instinctively didn't want to pay, but the lingering music really drew Frank in, and he couldn't bear to leave. So, with a dark expression, he took out ten copper soul coins from his hand.

"Boss, could you please meet this great musician? I've traveled all over the country, but I've never met anyone whose musical talent surpasses his."

Upon hearing this, Shen An nodded and glanced in Tom's direction. There he was, right there.

Flander followed Shen An's gaze and saw a cat dressed in clothes sitting elegantly in front of a piano, its paws moving constantly on the keys, from which beautiful music began to play.

Flander was stunned and couldn't come to his senses for a long time.

The so-called great musician is actually a cat?! Are you kidding me?!

Flander had traveled the continent for many years and considered himself well-informed, but he was truly astonished that a cat could play the piano, and play it so beautifully.

Today was truly an eye-opening experience, like a small knife pulling out a butt.

Chapter 20 An Unpleasant Guest Arrives (Please Read Further) (Please Add to Favorites)

"The tea is on the bar counter. Please help yourself, thank you."

Shen An placed the milk tea on the bar and called out to Flander.

Flanders was annoyed again; it was so expensive, and they weren't even delivering it, instead making him pick it up himself.

Flander held the milk tea in his hand and thought, "Huh, why does this tea taste like milk?"

Flanders took a curious sip, and the aroma of the milk tea instantly filled his mouth and nose.

"It has a unique flavor," Flander said, his eyes darting around, glancing at Tom before thoughtfully looking at the milk tea in his hand.

Considering the deserted state of Shen An's shop, he thought to himself that the shop owner must have offended someone. However, if he could make an investment, it shouldn't be a problem to make a fortune.

It must be said that Flander does have some business acumen. After witnessing Tom's musical talent and drinking this milk tea that had never appeared in Douluo Continent before, Flander instantly realized a huge business opportunity.

"boom!"

The teahouse door was kicked open, but Shen An remained calm and unhurried. It seemed that the main character had arrived. Looking up, he saw a burly man with slit-like eyes walk in aggressively with three or five henchmen behind him.

"That little tune was played very well, elegant, so very elegant."

Looking at Shen An, Ma Yan observed that he was young, had a refined appearance, and seemed easy to manipulate.

However, just to be on the safe side, Ma Yan spoke first and asked, "Young man, you look very young. You must be a powerful Soul Master to open a shop here all by yourself."

Shen An chuckled and said, "I just obtained my first spirit ring a few days ago, so I'm quite ashamed."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yan's eyes flashed with a hint of disdain. A mere Soul Master was nothing to worry about.

This is a sure thing.