Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

Tom watched in confusion as a brilliant light appeared around Shen An, who was emitting a pleasant sound. Tom, using his paw to scratch his chin, seemed to wonder: Could it really feel that good?

"Maybe I should try it too?" Tom curiously extended his paw toward the glowing energy.

"Meow!"

This feeling... it's so comfortable!

Tom closed his large, sparkling eyes, his expression dazed. His body trembled slightly, and his paws seemed to bloom with joy. His tail wagged and spun into a round white blur, and the entire cat began floating off the ground.

Meow~ Meowww...

Wow~ This feels so good.

Keep going, don't stop!

After about ten minutes, the light faded away, and Tom collapsed onto the bed in a state of bliss. Shen An slowly opened his eyes, feeling rejuvenated. He had never felt this refreshed before.

Before he could smile, a foul odor suddenly wafted into his nose.

"Ugh!"

Looking down, Shen An noticed his body was covered in black liquid, and the once-white bed was now sticky with the same foul-smelling goo.

Shen An thought oddly, Could this be the famous cleansing of marrow and tendons, improving my body as my martial soul evolves?

However, Shen An's system was a bit too robotic to offer any explanations.

Sighing at the ruined bed, Shen An thought, I'll have to pay for a new bed. But seeing Tom, blissfully asleep despite the smell, alleviated some of his frustration.

This cat, entrusted with watching, had fallen asleep amidst all this filth, totally unfazed. What a gift.

Shen An couldn't help but laugh. It reminded him of the times Tom had ignored chaos, sleeping soundly through it all.

Carefully, Shen An washed his hands in the bathroom, scrubbing for ten minutes. Then, he moved Tom to the couch, not wanting to get the foul liquid on him.

As he looked at Tom's pristine fur, Shen An mused, Tom went through the same energy baptism, yet he remains spotless. Could he have a sacred body of innate purity?

Tom continued sleeping peacefully on the couch while Shen An returned to the bathroom. What a waste of a wash earlier.

After about an hour, Shen An stepped out, looking at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt taller, almost reaching 1.7 meters. His skin, once slightly rough, had become smooth, white, and flawless, radiating with collagen.

His eyes shone brightly, and he looked full of vitality, with a gentle and refreshing aura that made him seem more appealing.

Shen An focused and summoned his martial soul. What appeared was a blade-like grass with nine leaves, each resembling a sword. The leaves slowly merged into one, revealing a three-foot-long, crystal-clear sword-like grass. Greenish-blue energy flickered along the blade, and the sword seemed to emanate an overwhelming sharpness.

The more Shen An looked at it, the more he admired it. He spoke to himself, "Calling you Sword Grass doesn't do you justice. From now on, your name will be Nine-Leaf Sword Grass!"

The system's panel immediately updated:

Host: Shen An [Soul Power Level 10]

Martial Soul: [Nine-Leaf Sword Grass] (Ultimate Martial Soul)

(A grass that can cut through the sun, moon, and stars. Care to test it?)

Seeing this, Shen An couldn't contain his excitement. One of his achievements was reaching the peak of martial soul quality. In the world of Douluo, martial souls were ranked as:

Wasted Martial Soul → Low-Level Martial Soul → Intermediate Martial Soul → High-Level Martial Soul → Top-Tier Martial Soul → Super Martial Soul → Ultimate Martial Soul.

Each level was a huge gap, with higher-level martial souls overwhelmingly stronger than lower-level ones. Shen An had now reached the top, and in future battles, with the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, he would have no trouble cutting down anyone of equal rank. Even surpassing ranks wouldn't be too difficult.

However, Shen An knew that the full potential of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass could only be revealed through actual combat. For now, he decided to set a goal: One day, he would use his sword to defeat the strongest warriors in the world. With a system like his, that shouldn't be too difficult.

The second thing that made Shen An happy was reaching Soul Power Level 10, which meant he could now add his first Soul Ring and unlock his first powerful Soul Skill. The excitement for this new ability was palpable.

Shen An had asked Zhu Zhuqing for advice on meditation training, but she had coldly rejected him while secretly telling Tom the method.

Hmm, so prideful.

When Shen An tried meditation, the effects were minimal, and he decided to let it go—after all, he had a system, and didn't need to train the old-fashioned way.

Now, Shen An had two major concerns. First, he needed a reliable partner to help him acquire a good Soul Ring. He thought of Zhu Zhuqing—perhaps he could convince her to assist him, leveraging Tom's connection with her. She was powerful enough to help him acquire a hundred-year Soul Ring.

Setting aside that concern for now, Shen An turned his attention back to his system. The immediate priority was increasing his Fame Points, which were linked to his reputation, exposure, achievements, and trust. Gaining fame would allow him to make a name for himself in Douluo City.

Shen An sighed. Well, I'll just rest today and maybe look for a house or shop tomorrow. Getting into business is a good way to gain fame, so I'll settle down in Soto City for now.

This hotel was too expensive!

"Meowww~"

Tom stretched lazily and looked around. He realized he was on the couch and that the air was still thick with the foul odor, even though Shen An had opened a window.

Tom glanced at Shen An, confused, I just slept for a while, what happened to this place?

Shen An put on a serious face and said, "Something unexpected happened—a bunch of stink bugs suddenly flew in, but I chased them off. Let's go out for a bit and when we come back, the room should be fine."

Tom looked skeptical but nodded. Shen An took Tom downstairs, and Tom waited in the lobby while Shen An went to speak with the front desk.

From a distance, it looked like Shen An and the receptionist were arguing. Then, Shen An walked back to Tom with his head down and an expression full of distress.

"Damn, this is ridiculous! They want me to pay two gold soul coins for a bed sheet! Why don't they just rob the Spirit Hall! There's plenty of gold there!"

Shen An grumbled as he walked out of the hotel, carrying Tom.

Tom (⊙⊙)?