During the day, Xue Qinghe personally went to invite Shen An to show his respect. He had heard from Meng Shenji how Shen An withstood soul power pressure equivalent to level sixty.
In the end, he even comprehended a mysterious sword intent that completely shattered Meng Shenji's soul power pressure.
Shen An was only a Soul Elder! Yet he could achieve this—splitting apart a Soul Douluo's soul power pressure. Who would believe it?
Meng Shenji had rushed to Xue Qinghe overnight, repeatedly emphasizing that they must recruit Shen An, bring him under their wing, or at least make him a friend. Under no circumstances should he become an enemy.
Kind-hearted as he was, Meng Shenji never considered that Xue Qinghe might have a third option:
Killing Shen An before he could become a true powerhouse.
Of course, Xue Qinghe, who valued talent, was currently very interested in recruiting Shen An.
Originally planning to send someone to invite him, Xue Qinghe decided to visit in person instead. However, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan informed him that Shen An wasn't there—he had moved out.
Worse, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had no idea where he'd gone. There was nowhere to look.
Xue Qinghe's expression clearly said, Are you fucking kidding me? In all his years—whether as the young master of Spirit Hall or the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—no one had ever stood him up before.
Interesting, truly interesting. Shen An, you're the first person to ever stand me up. I'm becoming more and more intrigued by you.
If an ordinary person had stood up Xue Qinghe, he would have been furious. But Shen An was different. People tend to be more tolerant of those with extraordinary talent.
Whether it was Shen An's martial soul, his future potential, or Meng Shenji's high praise—all these factors made it impossible for Xue Qinghe to truly rage at him. That said, some resentment was inevitable.
As night fell, by a clear stream, a Shadow Leopard lay dying.
The two girls stared at Shen An in shock. They'd known he was strong, but not this strong.
A 2,500-year-old Shadow Leopard—its strength rivaled that of a weaker Soul Ancestor, and its speed could outpace even some Soul Kings.
Yet Shen An? With his all-cutting sword intent, he made the Shadow Leopard falter before the fight even began, scaring it into fleeing.
But the most absurd part was that Tom, lying in ambush ahead, tripped the thousand-year soul beast with just a rope, leaving it struggling to get up.
Realizing escape was impossible, the Shadow Leopard fought desperately—only to be swiftly defeated by Shen An in two sword strikes.
Without hesitation, Zhu Zhuqing delivered the final blow. A purple soul ring rose into the air as she took a deep breath and began absorbing it.
Shen An watched over her anxiously. Will she succeed? At least Tom was here—if things went wrong, the omnipotent cat could probably fix it.
Hm? Shen An blinked. Since when did Tom become an all-powerful deity?
His gaze shifted to Tom, who had excitedly scampered to the riverbank. Turning his back to the water, the cat stuck his tail in like a fishing line. Almost immediately, ripples appeared—fish were biting.
Ancient legends spoke of Jiang Taigong fishing without bait, waiting for willing fish.
Today, Tom fished with his tail—with instant results.
Shen An's lips twitched. This cat can't stay idle for a second. But something felt off—there seemed to be too many fish gathering.
Tom glanced back eagerly, ready to reel in his catch, when an immense force yanked on his tail.
Panic flashed across the cat's face as he clawed at the ground, leaving deep grooves in the soil. His body stretched over seven meters long, like taffy.
"Shen An! Tom's being pulled in! Do something!" Ning Rongrong shouted urgently.
Shen An's eyes had already turned pale blue, sword intent radiating from his body as he prepared to unleash his full power.
"Don't panic. There are other soul beasts underwater. Trust Tom."
His senses detected at least seven or eight auras in the stream, each no weaker than the Shadow Leopard's.
He was confident he could kill them all—but if they attacked en masse, protecting Zhu Zhuqing during her soul ring absorption would be nearly impossible.
So he couldn't strike first and risk provoking them.
Besides, Shen An had absolute faith in Tom. The cat might sometimes be afraid of people—but fish? Not a chance.
As everyone knew, all fish fell under feline jurisdiction—a principle Tom upheld unwaveringly.
In the cartoons, he'd once single-handedly taken on three great sharks in the ocean—emerging victorious without breaking a sweat.
Sure enough, as Tom was gradually dragged underwater, his initial panic gave way to a menacing glare.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Muffled impacts echoed from below, bubbles rising furiously to the surface.
After a while, Master Tom emerged—one paw dragging a silver fish several times his size, the other gripping a red steel pipe.
His expression radiated disdain. Pathetic seafood dared challenge me?
Shen An finally relaxed slightly. As Tom stepped ashore, he sensed the hidden aquatic soul beasts fleeing in terror.
Did they see Tom beating up that fish and get scared?
Ning Rongrong's voice trembled. "That fish in Tom's paw... It's a Horned Silverfish. Judging by its size, it's at least a thousand years old."
Her shock was understandable. Until now, Tom had only displayed peculiar abilities—never combat prowess. Even against Chen Xin, he'd merely mimicked sword techniques. The moment soul power was involved, Tom would just give up.
Yet now, he'd soloed a thousand-year soul beast? To Ning Rongrong, this defied all logic.
Shen An explained awkwardly, "Well, Tom just has a natural advantage against fish. You know how it is—fish are cats' domain."
Ning Rongrong stared at him blankly. Fish are cats' domain? If Zhu Zhuqing—a literal big cat—fought that fish, she'd probably lose.
And the strangest part? The fish Tom killed didn't produce a soul ring.
Casually shaking himself dry—completely reasonable, right?—Tom began preparing the fish with startling efficiency, scaling and gutting it before roasting it over a fire. This is what you get for dragging me underwater!
Shen An chuckled helplessly but let Tom have his fun.
When he first arrived in this world powerless, he hadn't dared let Tom make fire, fearing it would attract powerful soul beasts.
But now? As a Soul Elder with numerous tools and the comprehension of grass-cutting sword intent—couldn't he at least let his cat eat a hot meal?
Two hours later, Zhu Zhuqing awoke to the tantalizing aroma of roasted fish. She had successfully absorbed the 2,500-year Shadow Leopard's soul ring.
"Smells amazing... Wait, no—focus!" She blinked at Shen An excitedly. "My soul power's at level 37 now—same as Rongrong!"
Then her expression froze.
The trio—two humans and a cat—were happily munching on fish, various seasonings scattered beside them.
Oh wonderful. I risk my life absorbing a soul ring, and you're here feasting?
Shen An considerately handed her a piece. One bite later—delicious.
"Congratulations, Zhuqing! This was a huge success." Shen An grinned. "Now let's head back to Heaven Dou. I still have that meeting with Xue Qinghe—"
His face suddenly paled.
"Oh no. I was so focused on hunting soul beasts... I completely forgot about him! I stood up the crown prince!"