Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

"How strange… where did they go?"

Shen An ran to the edge of the Lake of Life, scanning the area in confusion. Aside from the corpse of the Titan Giant Ape, there was nothing else in sight.

Meanwhile, deep within the Lake of Life's secret realm, Di Tian and the other soul beasts were practically fuming with rage.

"Keep running! Come on, keep running!" Di Tian and the other soul beasts revealed their true forms, cornering Tom and the other two.

These were the most powerful soul beasts of the Star Dou Forest, reigning supreme for hundreds of thousands of years—yet they couldn't even catch a single cat.

Their faces were flushed, chests heaving, snorting heavily with murderous fury. Every time they were about to catch him, the cat would suddenly speed up and slip through their claws. This had happened so many times they began to suspect Tom was deliberately toying with them.

Now, however, they had finally cornered him. The formation leading out of the secret realm had already been sealed. Di Tian was certain that even if Tom had wings, he wouldn't escape this time.

A massive dragon claw came crashing down toward Tom and the others—but it only struck empty air.

In that split second, the little silver dragon activated its power, triggering the formation and tearing open space.

Di Tian stared blankly at the scene, then quickly circulated his soul power to undo the formation. The Silver Dragon King couldn't be allowed to come to any harm.

But his expression quickly darkened. The formation had been altered—he couldn't break through it in a short time.

ROAR!!!

The furious Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King let out a deafening roar, and the other soul beasts howled along with him.

Back at the lakeside, Shen An noticed the massive lake bubbling violently. A powerful air current surged upward, and then a cat, a mouse, and a silver-glowing figure burst out of the water.

Defying the laws of physics, they dashed across the air toward Shen An—turning to glance back as they fled.

Shen An's face changed drastically. He didn't even need to think to know Tom had caused some trouble again. Without hesitation, he turned and bolted.

…

On the other end of the Star Dou Forest, flames crackled as they licked the wood beneath sizzling fish, filling the air with delicious aroma.

As for the local soul beasts, they had all been scared away by the earlier battle—none dared come near.

By all logic, the first fish should've gone to Tom himself or Shen An. But surprisingly, Tom handed it to the little silver dragon instead, even pinching her cheek afterward.

The little silver dragon took a bite, her purple eyes lighting up. "So tasty! Mommy's cooking is amazing!"

One fish wasn't enough—she licked her lips with longing, and Tom immediately offered his own portion to her.

"Having a kid really changes things, huh…" Shen An was dumbfounded. Tom, usually so possessive of food, had willingly shared. Was this paternal love… or maternal?

Then Tom sneakily snatched the fish from Jerry's hand. Jerry, unaware, bit into thin air and chipped a bunch of teeth.

Watching Tom and Jerry scuffle, the little silver dragon laughed cheerfully.

"Little silver dragon, why do you keep calling Tom 'Mommy'? He's a male cat."

"But he was the first one I saw."

"Well, your mother should've been a silver dragon. Tom's a cat. How about I help you find your real mom?"

"No!"

Shen An sighed and turned to Tom, hoping it could help talk some sense into her.

The little silver dragon was clearly unusual. Soul beasts that could speak were rare—Shen An had only seen two others like that in the whole forest. If they were to enter human society, there could be danger.

By nightfall, Shen An had set up a simple tent. He decided they'd rest for the night and figure things out tomorrow.

That night, Tom soothed the little silver dragon to sleep and even got up multiple times to tuck her in, making Jerry jealous.

But once everyone had fallen asleep, a faint silver light began to glow from the little silver dragon's body again.

By dawn, the forest was once again filled with chirping insects and birds.

Half-asleep, Tom felt something snuggle into his arms—silver hair?

Wait a second.

Do dragons even have hair?

Tom snapped awake, only to see a little girl curled up next to him—no sign of the silver dragon.

"Meow!!!"

Everyone was jolted awake by Tom's sudden yowl.

"Tom, what are you doing?" Shen An asked groggily.

Tom pointed in panic at the girl.

Shen An looked over and saw an incredibly adorable little girl with short silver hair, porcelain skin, and long curled lashes. She looked like a living doll.

The girl opened her eyes—clear, purple like amethyst—and tilted her head cutely. "Mommy, what were you yelling about just now?"

Everyone was stunned. The little silver dragon… had turned into a four- or five-year-old girl?

Tom shook his head rapidly. Whatever—dragon or girl, she was still his precious little one.

Shen An rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This little silver dragon was no ordinary being. A soul beast who could speak, and now had taken human form—wasn't that the textbook trait of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?

Still, Shen An wasn't envious. No matter how special she was, could she possibly be more extraordinary than someone like him who had a system? Or Tom and Jerry? Not even a hundred-thousand-year soul beast could compare.

"Do you remember your name?" Shen An asked.

"My name is Na'er," the little girl said dully, as if it were etched into her very soul.

"Alright, Na'er. Would you like to live together with me, Tom, and Jerry from now on?"

Na'er bit her finger. "I want to live with Mommy."

Tom grinned like an idiot, but also looked vaguely uncomfortable being called "Mommy" all the time. He gestured wildly at Shen An.

Shen An understood and gave him an "OK" gesture.

"Na'er, from now on, don't call Tom 'Mommy,' alright?"

"Why not?"

"Because if people find out your mommy is a cat, they might try to kidnap you. Cat children are the easiest to steal, and if they take you, you'll never see Tom again."

He deliberately tried to scare her—after all, she didn't know any better.

Na'er quickly covered her mouth, looking up at Shen An with teary purple eyes, as if saying "I won't do it again."

Satisfied, Shen An nodded. Alright, their new mission was to get out of the Star Dou Forest with the little silver dragon.

He pulled out his old jalopy of a car, attached the steering wheel, and set off in a random direction. He had no idea where he was going, but figured any direction was as good as another.

But after an entire day, they were still in the forest, completely lost.

"If only we could run into a soul master right now… then we'd be out in no time." Shen An couldn't help but sigh.

Tom honked the horn—beep beep. While Shen An's storage space had all sorts of fancy goods, nothing beat the comforts of human society.

"Is… is someone there?" a hoarse voice called out, both surprised and delighted.

Shen An turned his head in astonishment. That voice sounded familiar…

Tom turned the wheel and drove toward it.

Shen An looked—and sure enough, it was someone he knew. The three from Spirit Hall.

But they didn't look like they were doing too well…