The next day, in the Sunset Forest, Tom and Jerry walked ahead with their backpacks, dressed as if they were out for a leisurely stroll.
Shen Yi clearly seemed a bit uncomfortable. Shouldn't hunting soul beasts be a dangerous task? Why were they so relaxed?
Biting her lip lightly, Shen Yi's white cat ears twitched, giving her an indescribably breathtaking appearance.
"My lord, maybe we shouldn't go any further. I'd be perfectly happy with just a ten-year soul ring," Shen Yi said timidly, not wanting to cause trouble for Shen An.
In Shen Yi's eyes, Shen An might have a powerful background, but given his youth, it was unlikely he was a strong soul master.
Shen An's gaze was gentle as he smiled and said, "Generally speaking, the best first soul ring for a soul master is a hundred-year one, so we should aim for that."
"Don't worry. The Sunset Forest rarely has any abnormally powerful soul beasts. There won't be any danger."
As soon as Shen An finished speaking, a massive eagle swooped over their heads. Its aura was incredibly strong—Shen An estimated it was at least ten-thousand-year level.
A glint of intelligence flashed in the eagle's eyes. Seeing that it was just a group of humans, it deliberately flapped its wings to create a fierce gust of wind—this was the capriciousness of a flying soul beast.
The powerful currents from its wings were so strong that Shen Yi nearly lost her balance.
Jerry, caught in the airflow, was even sent crashing into a tree, dazed and disoriented.
Stabilizing herself, Shen Yi stared blankly at the enormous eagle as it soared away. She couldn't help but wonder if their entire group wouldn't even be enough to fill its stomach.
Then, as she was lost in thought, she witnessed something unbelievable.
The furious Jerry pulled out a string of firecrackers from his back, struck a match against the butt of her savior cat (Tom), lit the fuse, took aim at the eagle, and hurled it with all his tiny might.
Shen Yi secretly thought Jerry was being a bit silly. That eagle was flying so high and so fast—how could the firecrackers possibly hit it? And they were so small, surely they wouldn't do much damage.
But the next moment, her jaw dropped in astonishment.
The tiny firecracker Jerry threw seemed to defy physics. Starting off slow, it suddenly accelerated unnaturally, sticking perfectly onto the eagle's wing.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, the eagle, which had been soaring through the sky, plummeted straight down.
Jerry smugly clapped his little hands together. That's what you get for messing with him.
Shen Yi was stunned. Are city mice really this powerful?
Far away, at the spot where the eagle fell, a golden-haired young man wearing a mask over the left side of his face looked up in horror.
Why had a nearly ten-thousand-year Azure Plume Savage Eagle suddenly fallen from the sky—and right toward him, no less?
CRASH!
Dai Mubai, with his fortieth-rank soul power, stood no chance against the descending eagle. As dust flew into the air, he was instantly crushed beneath its weight.
Nearby, Flender watched with a wary expression. It wasn't that he couldn't handle it—as a seventy-eighth-rank Soul Sage, there were few soul beasts in the Sunset Forest he couldn't defeat.
But with Dai Mubai trapped under the eagle, he couldn't act recklessly for fear of provoking the beast's fury.
Flender cursed inwardly. What kind of rotten luck is this? That descent speed was completely unnatural!
And why did he have such a bad feeling about this? Something told him that bringing Dai Mubai to the Sunset Forest for a soul ring today was a terrible idea.
---
Meanwhile, Shen An casually led Shen Yi deeper into the forest in search of a soul ring.
Shen Yi's martial soul was a white cat, and due to a mutation, she bore feline features.
Thus, Shen An decided to look for feline soul beasts, as they would be more compatible with her future development.
As for his own soul ring, he could just make up an excuse to disappear for a while and hide in the shadows.
A few hours later, Tom, ever the curious cat, noticed movement in a bush ahead and trotted over to investigate.
(Cat curiosity—need we say more?)
A moment later, Tom came flying out, a tiny footprint imprinted on his chest.
Rustling sounds followed as a rabbit covered in purple lightning-like patterns strutted out, munching on a carrot.
It looked down at Tom with disdain. That's it?
Shen Yi rushed forward in a panic to help Tom up, while Jerry clutched his stomach, laughing hysterically.
Oh no way, no way—did a cat really just get beaten up by a rabbit?
The Violet Lightning Rabbit, seeing a tiny mouse daring to laugh in its face, immediately hurled its carrot at Jerry.
THWACK!
Contrary to expectations, the carrot didn't send Jerry flying. Instead, it landed perfectly in his mouth.
With a gulp, Jerry swallowed it whole—and then his body stretched out, transforming into the shape of a long, thin carrot.
Shen Yi gasped in horror. Tom had just been knocked away, but now the little mouse had turned into a carrot! Was he… dead?
"Lord Shen An, is Jerry going to be okay?" Shen Yi asked anxiously.
In her eyes, Shen An and his companions were all wonderful people. Just last night, Tom and Jerry had sneaked her all kinds of delicious snacks.
She didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them.
Shen An reassured her, "Don't worry. These two are tough. Nothing will happen to them."
(Even if the entire Douluo Continent exploded, these two would still be fine, he added silently in his mind.)
"Shen Yi, your soul ring has arrived. A Violet Lightning Rabbit, specializing in speed. Judging by its size, it should be around two to three hundred years old. Given your frail constitution, this is the perfect level for you," Shen An explained.
Though not a feline, its speed-based attributes should still be compatible for absorption.
Violet Lightning Rabbits were incredibly fast, especially in short bursts. But in front of Shen An, even a thousand-year one would be nothing.
Ever since breaking through to the Soul Ancestor rank, Shen An had felt his strength more than double.
Summoning his Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, Shen An prepared to slash the rabbit half to death—both to avenge Tom and Jerry and to let Shen Yi deliver the final blow.
But just as he was about to strike, a furry paw blocked his path. Standing on that paw was Jerry, also raising a tiny hand in protest.
Tom pointed at himself with a heroic air, signaling that he wanted revenge. Jerry nodded vigorously in agreement.
That rabbit had fought dirty earlier, catching them off guard. Now, they were going to reclaim their dignity and teach it a lesson.
Shen An chuckled. Since Tom and Jerry wanted to flex their muscles, he'd let them have their fun.
Tom raised a white-gloved paw, four sharp claws extending with a shink. He glanced meaningfully at Jerry.
Jerry instantly understood—Today's menu: Spicy Rabbit Heads.
Perfect. Jerry nodded in satisfaction.
Tom and Jerry charged forward, engaging the Violet Lightning Rabbit in a chaotic brawl.
Shen Yi watched the scene in stunned silence.
Is… is this how fights are supposed to go?