Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

Shen An decided not to rush into spending his remaining reputation points. Since the guaranteed reward was soul power cultivation, he felt it was wiser to go for consistent returns rather than hoping for miracles from single draws. Besides, Shen An believed that his tea shop's growth and popularity were more about spreading his name than merely making money.

As for the tea shop's future operations, Shen An planned to open for only six hours a day, limiting daily production to 300 cups. This scarcity strategy, or hunger marketing, was aimed at building excitement and exclusivity around his products.

Meanwhile, Tom had finished counting the earnings for the day—36 gold soul coins in total. After deducting the shop's purchase price and other expenses, Shen An estimated a net profit of around 30 gold soul coins. He couldn't help but marvel at the profitability of the milk tea business.

The shop's cheapest milk tea cost one silver soul coin, which was equivalent to several days of living expenses for an average family.

Shen An divided the earnings into three equal shares, giving one each to Tom and Zhu Zhuqing.

Initially, Zhu Zhuqing refused to take her share, but Shen An insisted. Zhu Zhuqing had given up her training time to help him, and Shen An couldn't bring himself to ignore her efforts.

Tom, on the other hand, was overjoyed, clutching his share like a treasure, his eyes sparkling with images of gold soul coins.

With the shop running smoothly, Shen An's reputation steadily grew, and his pockets were filling with jingling coins. Life felt promising.

That evening, Zhu Zhuqing brought up a topic that immediately dampened Shen An's spirits.

"Shen An, my martial soul, the Netherworld Spirit Cat, is considered one of the most advanced on the continent. But even so, I can tell it's not on the same level as yours," she said, her brows furrowing slightly.

"But your soul power hasn't even reached the level of a Soul Grandmaster, and that's unacceptable for someone your age."

Shen An laughed weakly. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had only awakened his martial soul a week ago, could he?

"The most critical issue," Zhu Zhuqing continued, "is your lack of combat ability. While you performed decently during our sparring match yesterday, I wasn't actually trying to hurt you. In a real fight, you'd be in big trouble."

"That's why I want you to start training with me. Every night, we'll meditate to cultivate soul power. During the day, I'll teach you basic combat techniques," she said, her tone resolute.

Having sparred with Shen An, Zhu Zhuqing had realized how much potential he was wasting. It frustrated her to see someone with such talent focus on running a tea shop instead of becoming a powerful soul master.

For Shen An, this was like a teacher from his past life urging a lazy student to study harder. How could he refuse? She was doing this for his own good, after all.

"This is for your own good. It's decided," Zhu Zhuqing declared, leaving no room for argument.

Reluctantly, Shen An nodded. He couldn't bear to reject her kindness, even though he had no intention of actually meditating at night. After all, he had the small soul power experience pack from the system.

While cultivating soul power seemed unnecessary, Shen An figured he could at least put some effort into learning combat techniques.

"I don't know much about swordsmanship," Zhu Zhuqing admitted, "but I can teach you the basics of combat. If you get the chance in the future, you should seek guidance from a true swordmaster."

Standing gracefully in front of him, Zhu Zhuqing's seriousness inspired Shen An to put aside his initial reluctance and prepare to learn earnestly.

As she demonstrated basic moves and power techniques, Shen An found himself struggling to keep up. These weren't just difficult—they were absurdly hard to master. It was like a hundred times worse than standing at attention during military drills in his previous life.

Meanwhile, Tom was lounging nearby, happily engrossed in a retro game console. Shen An couldn't help but feel envious.

"Why should I suffer alone? Good companions share the burden!" Shen An thought.

If he was going to learn, he wanted to learn from the best. And Tom, a self-proclaimed swordmaster, seemed like the perfect candidate.

"Zhuqing, actually, Tom is a swordmaster. I think he should teach me instead," Shen An said, pointing at the dumbfounded cat.

"Really?" Zhu Zhuqing asked skeptically. While she had seen Tom display exceptional skills in medicine and music, calling him a swordmaster seemed far-fetched.

"Meow?" Tom tilted his head, pretending to be an innocent, ordinary cat.

Annoyed, Zhu Zhuqing glared at Shen An. "Don't use Tom as an excuse to slack off! Do you really think I'm worse than Tom?"

"Zhuqing, I swear, Tom's skills are incredible! Let me prove it!" Shen An turned to Tom, casting a shadow over the little cat. In a menacing tone, he whispered, "Tom, you don't want to live without fish snacks and milk, do you?"

Tom shuddered at the thought of such a bleak life. Trembling, he stood upright, puffed out his chest, and confidently grabbed a wooden sword.

Seeing Tom's demeanor, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened in disbelief. Could it be true?

"Alright," she said, still doubtful. "Let Tom spar with me. I want to see for myself if what you're saying is true."

Tom and Zhu Zhuqing faced off, wooden swords in hand. To everyone's surprise, Tom's stance exuded the poise of a true master.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't activate her martial soul. This was a test of technique, not power. Confident in her strength and experience, she thought there was no way a mere cat could match her.

As Shen An watched, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Zhu Zhuqing. Tom wasn't an ordinary cat. Theoretically, he was immortal!

"Let's begin," Zhu Zhuqing said.

Tom nodded, gripping his sword with surprising precision.

The battle was about to unfold, and Shen An couldn't wait to see Zhu Zhuqing's reaction.