Seeing Shen An disappear, Tom and Jerry immediately turned and dashed back.
The two little ones once again displayed their incredible speed, their legs becoming whirlwinds as they shot back like streaks of light.
The swift tap-tap-tap of their feet echoed, catching Flender's attention mid-roar. He glanced over—something had just zoomed past.
Flender was dumbfounded. A big and a small dog, both with earth-colored heads, yet one had a blue body and the other brown.
Even stranger, Flender had the inexplicable impression that one looked like a cat pretending to be a dog, and the other like a mouse doing the same.
But the most terrifying part was their speed—it was so fast that even he, a agility-attack type Soul Sage, felt inferior.
A chill ran down Flender's spine. Despite the searing pain across his body, he gritted his teeth and made for Heaven Dou City at full tilt.
To be outpaced by such freakish speed… those two must at least have soul rings over 70,000 years old. He had to flee. If they targeted him again, he'd be dead for sure.
Meanwhile, Shen An had already returned to the spot where he'd agreed to regroup with Tom and Jerry. As expected, Flender didn't dare follow.
That was precisely why Shen An had Tom paint those fake soul rings—to scare the enemy after the fight as well.
At that moment, the two little ones were clapping their hands and playing a rhythm game, looking completely innocent. "You clap one, I clap one, we're all good friends"—that kind of childish game.
Shen An looked at them suspiciously. "Why are you two sweating like crazy?"
Tom and Jerry whistled nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.
Shen An didn't press the issue and instead prepared to take them to the Barak Kingdom.
Barak was the most powerful kingdom within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire—flourishing and prosperous. And Shen An wasn't the kind to let grudges go. Last time, he was targeted for no reason. There was no way he'd just let that slide.
The battle with Flender had brought Shen An tremendous gains and a clearer understanding of his own combat ability.
He might still be lacking in raw strength and soul power compared to others, but in terms of speed, he could already keep up with high-tier Soul Sages like Flender.
And with the sharpness of the Nine-Leaf Swordgrass, he made up for his deficiencies in strength and soul power. Simply put, when Shen An swung that sword, the enemy wouldn't dare take it head-on—they'd be forced to dodge and maneuver instead.
So, Shen An's self-evaluation was this: he could fight regular Soul Sages head-on. Even if they activated their Martial Soul True Body, he wouldn't be afraid.
Against high-tier Soul Sages, if they didn't use their Martial Soul True Body, Shen An could fight toe-to-toe. If they did, he could still ensure his own safety.
And if he popped a potion—a speed or strength booster—he'd even dare take on a Soul Douluo.
With that in mind, he planned to collect a bit of "interest" from the Soul Sage in the Barak Kingdom. He might not kill him, but at the very least, he'd leave the guy half-paralyzed.
Thinking that, Shen An rinsed off the Nine-Leaf Swordgrass with clean water and returned the three fake soul rings to Tom.
As the paint dissolved under the water, Shen An couldn't help but feel a bit amazed.
Sometimes, Shen An didn't know how to evaluate Tom and Jerry's abilities.
On one hand, their powers seemed magical—they could color Martial Souls, alter the appearance of soul power, even draw images on sword blades that would sometimes spring to life.
But on the other hand, their methods were absurd—just a bit of clean water, and all the paint washed away instantly. Ridiculous.
Shen An decided not to dwell on it. It was pointless. He pulled out his vintage car, ready to set off.
Walk? Not a chance. Why walk when you've got a car?
He took out a map—purchased in Heaven Dou City—and looked for the route to the Barak Kingdom.
"Tom, head southwest," Shen An ordered the feline chauffeur.
Tom raised a paw in salute, then quickly jumped into the driver's seat and slammed on the gas without hesitation.
Vroom vroom vroom!
A thick cloud of black smoke burst from the car's exhaust as the vintage vehicle shot forward, leaving nothing but a black dot in the distance.
Cough cough cough—
As the smoke cleared, Shen An and Jerry stood there coughing, their faces covered in soot.
They stared at each other in panic—Tom had left them behind.
"Tom, stop the car! You forgot us!" Shen An and Jerry took off after the car, yelling desperately as they ran.
Strangely, the usually sluggish vintage car was moving unusually fast today.
Tom was flooring the gas, one paw on the wheel, the other resting casually on the car door as he enjoyed the breeze.
Hmm? Why does the interior feel so spacious this time? Three question marks popped up above Tom's head.
Before he could ponder it, the car jolted over a stone, bouncing violently, and the three question marks were shaken loose.
Without doubt or hesitation, Tom happily continued driving, even pulling out a portable music player and playing his favorite symphony.
Half a day passed.
Shen An grew more and more desperate as he ran. The fight with Flender had already left him exhausted. He had hoped for a nice, relaxing ride—and now this?
Jerry was panting heavily, tongue lolling. This dumb cat wasn't even looking back.
Just as Shen An was about to give up, the car suddenly stopped in front of a city.
Overjoyed, Shen An and Jerry mustered the last of their strength and sprinted toward it.
The city ahead was Tianshui City—home of Tianshui Academy—not far from Heaven Dou City. In fact, the five great academies were all located in nearby cities.
That's because the closer to Heaven Dou City, the better the environment and resources. As for why they weren't inside Heaven Dou City itself…
Partly, it was to avoid association with the infamously problematic Heaven Dou Royal Academy and its questionable influence on student conduct.
Partly, it was due to factional divides. Each of the five academies had a major backer, so naturally, they set up shop in their own turf.
Otherwise, what if their students got poached right after graduation? They needed local influence to retain talent.
When Tom finally stopped in front of Tianshui City, he suddenly realized—Shen An and Jerry were gone.
His feline face turned pale with panic.
Where did my master and Jerry go? Don't tell me they don't want me anymore! Am I going to become a stray cat?
Tom's fur bristled all over—his greatest fear was becoming a stray. Stray cats got bullied by other ferals. They never had enough to eat or wear.
Terrified, Tom jumped out of the car to look for Shen An and Jerry.
Tianshui City, being close to the capital, was naturally bustling with activity, its streets full of people.
A strange, non-native vehicle like the vintage car had already drawn plenty of attention. But when a cat got out of the driver's seat, everyone's jaws dropped.
What in the world is that?
A bizarre, self-moving carriage-like soul device… and a lone cat?
Everyone in Tianshui City stared at Tom, making cold sweat drip down his back.
Why's everyone looking at me like that? I'm scared!
The timid Tom went limp instantly, slithering like a boneless snake back into the car.
This bizarre scene only drew more attention.
At the same time, a pair of greedy eyes fell on Tom.
"What a strange soul device and that cat… If I sold them to the right people, I bet I could make a fortune."