Douluo Continent: Starting with a Tom Cat

Sure enough, Tom's initially panicked expression gradually turned hostile as he was slowly dragged into the water.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

A dull, thumping sound came from underwater, and bubbles kept rising to the surface.

After a while, Master Tang emerged from the water, dragging a silver fish several times its size with one hand and holding a red steel pipe with the other.

At this moment, Chef Tang looked disdainful. A bunch of weak seafood, trying to fight him.

Shen An was slightly relieved at this moment. When Tom came out of the water, he sensed that several auras hidden underwater seemed to be fleeing in panic.

Is it because it saw Tom fishing and got scared?

Ning Rongrong said in a hoarse voice, "The fish in Tom's hand is a blue-horned silver fish, and judging from its size, it is at least a thousand years old."

It's no wonder Ning Rongrong was shocked; Tom had only been acting strangely all along.

However, it never displayed any combat power. Even when fighting Chen Xin, it only used sword techniques. Once Chen Xin used his soul power, Tom was helpless and simply gave up.

But now, he actually killed a thousand-year-old soul beast single-handedly, which seemed like a fantasy to Ning Rongrong.

Shen An advised, "Well, Tom is just more restrained with fish. You know, fish are usually under the cat's control."

Ning Rongrong looked at Shen An expressionlessly. "The fish is under the cat's control? Even if you put Zhu Zhuqing, that big cat, in charge, she probably couldn't beat this fish."

What's even stranger is why the fish Tom killed didn't have a spirit ring.

Tom simply shook his body, and all the water on his body disappeared. That should make perfect sense, right?

Then it excitedly processed the fish, quickly removing the scales and starting to grill it. This is what happens when you dare to pull it into the water.

Shen An smiled helplessly, but went with Tom.

When he first arrived in Douluo Continent, he had no strength and dared not let Tom light a fire, for fear of attracting powerful soul beasts.

But now that he has reached the Soul Venerable level, possesses numerous items, and has comprehended the sword intent of a blade of grass, he still can't afford to feed his cat a hot meal?

An hour or two later, Zhu Zhu woke up and opened her eyes to the enticing aroma of grilled fish. She had successfully absorbed the Shadow Leopard Soul Ring, which was 2,500 years old.

"It smells so good, I really want to eat it. No, what am I thinking? Shen An, my soul power is currently level 37, the same level as Rongrong."

Zhu Zhuqing first looked excitedly at Shen An and the others, then her expression changed.

But then they saw the two people and the cat enjoying their grilled fish with relish, surrounded by various condiments.

Alright, alright, I've worked so hard to absorb the spirit rings, while you guys are enjoying the good life here.

Shen An thoughtfully handed Zhu Zhuqing a piece of fish. Zhu Zhuqing took a bite and found it delicious.

"Haha, congratulations Zhu Qing, you've had a great time. Let's head back to Tian Dou, I've made plans with Xue Qinghe."

When Shen An mentioned Xue Qinghe, his expression suddenly changed: "Damn it, I was so focused on hunting soul beasts that I forgot about him. Holy crap, I stood him up!"

Chapter 135 Your hands are so cold, and your frame is so small.

When Shen An and the others arrived at Tian Dou City, it was already dawn.

Knowing he had stood Xue Qinghe up, Shen An quickly washed up and said goodbye to the two women.

"I made an agreement with Xue Qinghe, and now I'm going to find him. You all rest here for now."

Jerry, feeling refreshed after a good sleep, emerged from the cave, yawned, and stretched contentedly.

Upon hearing the name Xue Qinghe, Jerry immediately felt a jolt of realization. Wasn't this the person who seemed so fake the other day?

Jerry ran up to Shen An and pointed his little finger at his own house.

"Are you going too?"

Jerry nodded quickly, then ran to Tom, who had gone home and fallen asleep immediately, and pointed again.

Shen An's lips twitched. This little mouse meant to take Tom along too. What a pair of sworn enemies! It just wouldn't let Tom have a moment's peace.

Looking at Tom, who was sleeping like a dead cat with bubbles coming out of his nose, Shen An really couldn't bear it.

"Maybe we should just forget about it. Tom hasn't slept all night either. Let him get some rest," Shen An said reluctantly.

After hearing this, Jerry first used two toothpicks to pry open Tom's eyelids, revealing Tom's bloodshot cat eyes.

Unfortunately, it was no use. The heavy eyelids bent the toothpick under the pressure, and then it snapped with a snap.

Jerry stroked his chin, looking thoughtful, when suddenly his expression brightened, and a golden light bulb appeared next to his head.

Then it pulled out a bottle from behind its back that was more than ten times larger than itself. The bottle was labeled "Espresso Liquid," and it pried open Tom's mouth, ready to pour it in.

Shen An felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said, "No, no, no, take Tom with you. Let him sleep for a while, I'll hold him."

Jerry nodded in satisfaction, then jumped lightly onto Shen An's shoulder.

......

Outside the magnificent palace, the guards at the gate respectfully accepted the gold medal given to them by Shen An.

"Please wait a moment, my lord, I will go and inform His Highness the Crown Prince."

Shen An nodded slightly. It's just a matter of waiting a while. It's no big deal. He even released Xue Qinghe's pigeon.

Tom in my arms was still fast asleep, and even rolled over to find a more comfortable sleeping position.

The guard rushed over again: "Sir, His Highness the Crown Prince said that you should wait here, and he will arrive in twenty minutes."

Shen An nodded helplessly, guessing that this was Xue Qinghe's resentment at being stood up yesterday.

It was said to be twenty minutes, but unexpectedly, Xue Qinghe, dressed in a green robe, arrived in less than ten minutes.

Xue Qinghe said, "What are you still blocking? Let Brother Shen in quickly."

Then he asked with concern, "Oh, Shen An, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long? I'm a person who values ​​promises and is quite punctual."

Jerry covered his mouth and chuckled, then poked Shen An's shoulder with his finger.

Xue Qinghe was just pointing at Shen An, while Jerry was directly giving him physical pointers.

Shen An said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, Brother Xue, I was busy yesterday and neglected to do so. Please forgive me."

Seeing Shen An's sincere expression, Xue Qinghe snorted and said, "Alright, let's go. If you had come yesterday, you would have made a lot of people remember you, but it's not too late now."

"Then where should we go?"

"Just follow me. Don't follow me. This is Tiandou City. Nothing will happen here," Xue Qinghe said to his guards.

The guards clearly looked troubled, but in the end they couldn't resist Xue Qinghe's insistence.

Xue Qinghe smiled; nobody likes being followed around all the time.

Shen An carried the cat and walked side by side with the mouse and Xue Qinghe.

"This is the top academy exchange competition of the Heaven Dou Empire, which can only be participated in by the top academies in the empire."

"Currently, the Five Elements Academy is involved."

Shen An asked in confusion, "What are the Five Elemental Academies, and why isn't the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy among the top ones?"

"The Five Elemental Academies are five extremely powerful academies in the empire: Divine Wind Academy, Thunder Academy, Heavenly Water Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, and Elephant Armor Academy."

Speaking of this, Xue Qinghe said with some helplessness: "Although my Tiandou Royal Academy has the title of the number one academy in the empire, it has no real strength. In other words, it is just an empty name."

"These five academies exclude students from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, considering it merely a gilded retreat for decadent nobles."

Shen An touched his nose and said, "I don't belong to any academy yet, would it be appropriate for me to go there?"

Xue Qinghe sneered: "Why not? It just so happens that you're going to enter the Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the future. Today I'll take you there to show them what's what."

"Shen An, are you confident? Among them, there are quite a few geniuses who have reached the Soul Master level."

As the saying goes, "Those in positions of power should fulfill their duties." Xue Qinghe remained hidden for more than ten years without revealing any flaws and became the most deserving crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, precisely because he was in this position and thought of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Hearing the sharpness in Xue Qinghe's words, Shen An smiled and said, "As you wish."

The top-level academy exchange competition is held in the suburbs of Tiandou City. It was jointly funded and built by the five academies. Tiandou Royal Academy wanted to take over the entire project and just wanted to join, but was rejected.

Shen An and Xue Qinghe chatted happily along the way. Xue Qinghe was knowledgeable and eloquent, while Shen An, who had experienced the information explosion of Blue Star, also made many witty remarks. The two felt like they had become close friends.

As for Tom, he was still sleeping like a dead cat, while Jerry was nestled in Tom's arms, listening to their idle chatter.

Shen An could clearly sense that Xue Qinghe was a clear idealist; some of his words were naive, but also full of ambition for the future.

Compared to Shrek and his ilk, it's hard to say how much better they are.

The two strolled leisurely without moving fast. Suddenly, Shen An put one arm around the cat and the other on Xue Qinghe's shoulder.

Shen An had done this kind of brotherly arm-in-arm many times in his previous life, but since transmigrating, he only had two close friends, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, so it would definitely be inappropriate to do it to other girls.

Faced with Xue Qinghe, with whom he found himself having such a pleasant conversation, Shen An naturally had no reservations. On the contrary, Xue Qinghe felt somewhat uncomfortable with Shen An's sudden closeness.

Xue Qinghe, whose shoulder was being pressed down by Shen An's arm, suddenly froze with a smile.

Although he appeared to be a man, as the Crown Prince of Tiandou, when had anyone dared to put their arm around him? Yet Shen An approached him without any hesitation.

"Hey, Brother Xue, why do you seem so petite?" Shen An felt that Xue Qinghe was rather slender, and even pinched his shoulder, which felt smooth to the touch.

"Hmm~"

When he squeezed her, Xue Qinghe's eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't help but let out a soft "hmm".

"Shen An, stop, I'm not used to it." Xue Qinghe's face suddenly flushed slightly, and she said somewhat flusteredly as she smelled Shen An's refreshing masculine scent.

Shen An looked at Xue Qinghe strangely. Was she sick?

Thinking this, he grabbed Xue Qinghe's hand and couldn't help but say, "Brother Xue, your hands are not only small, but also so cold."

"Is it because you've been working so hard on state affairs lately that you're feeling unwell?"

Xue Qinghe was even more flustered and quickly pulled his hand away to change the subject, saying, "It's all your imagination. We'll be at the competition venue soon. Let's go quickly."

Shen An didn't suspect anything and just teased, "Alright, let's go and see for ourselves. But to be honest, Brother Xue always feels that you're a bit effeminate. As the Crown Prince, you should be more masculine and dignified."

As he finished speaking, he reached out and patted Xue Qinghe's waist, causing her to let out a strange groan.

"Mmm~"

Chapter 136 Disdain and Friends

Xue Qinghe gave Shen An a shy glare, only her years of shrewdness allowing her to resist the urge to reveal her strength and give Shen An a good beating.

To be honest, Shen An felt a little intimidated by Xue Qinghe's shy gaze.

He still preferred girls who were sweet and soft, so Shen An quietly released his hand from Xue Qinghe's waist.

"Damn, it's pretty slippery. Wait, Shen An, what are you thinking? Remember, you're a straight man!"

Shen An shivered and told himself to keep his distance from Xue Qinghe without making a sound.

"The venue for the exchange meeting is just ahead, right?" Shen An deliberately changed the subject, pointing to the building in front of him.

This is a huge building with an imposing gate at the entrance, which reads: "Top Academy Exchange Meeting of the Heaven Dou Empire".

A few people wearing various school uniforms walked in and out.

Shen An joked, "The one in the fiery red uniform should be Blazing Fire, the one in the light blue uniform should be Sky Water, and the one in purple must be Thunder. It's too obvious."

Xue Qinghe also smiled and said, "Of course, the Five Elements Academy has specific requirements for recruitment. For example, they do not accept non-fire attribute soul masters, and clothing happens to be a symbol of one's own attribute."

"It's quite interesting, but I wonder how strong they are."

"It's simple. I'll take you inside and you'll see."

Xue Qinghe led Shen An closer, and just as they were about to step through the gate, a student in a dark purple school uniform stopped them: "Stop! Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. This is the venue for geniuses."

Xue Qinghe frowned for a moment, then relaxed. Ordinary people wouldn't recognize him. He said calmly, "My surname is Xue. There is no place in the vast Tian Dou that I cannot enter."

The two students laughed at the same time: "Surname Xue? My surname is Yu. What are you? Get out of the way, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Xue Qinghe's brows furrowed with anger, while Shen An watched quietly from the side; there was no need for him to steal the spotlight from the main event.

"Sister, is that Jerry? Why is he here too?" Shuiyue'er noticed the commotion at the door from afar.

Shui Bing'er also looked over in surprise. This was the exchange venue for the six major academies, and an outsider was actually coming.

"Let's go help him out of this predicament. He seems to have become even more handsome," Shui Yue'er said with a hint of infatuation.

Shui Bing'er sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Her older sister was good in every way, except that she was too infatuated with boys, so she would always be with her.

She was terrified that if she wasn't careful, this woman would be taken advantage of by some wicked men with ill intentions.