Yu Xiaogang's expression was grim. Without the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang San was at best on par with Oscar and the others in terms of talent—how could he bear the weight of Yu Xiaogang's grand theories now?
Flender, on the other hand, was utterly panicked. Good heavens! Zhao Wuji only gave Tang San a beating back then, and Tang Hao pummeled him half to death in return.
But now? His son had straight-up lost an entire martial soul under Flender's watch. If Tang Hao found out, wouldn't he flatten the entire Shrek Academy to the ground?
"Xiao San, do you know what caused this?" Flender asked nervously.
Tang San remained unresponsive, his expression vacant and dull. The loss of the Clear Sky Hammer, the drop in soul power, and the continuous drain on his energy had dealt him a devastating blow.
Only after persistent questioning from Flender and Yu Xiaogang did Tang San finally turn his lifeless eyes toward them.
Through gritted teeth, he spat out, "It must be that damned cat! When it took my Clear Sky Hammer, I couldn't recall it. At the same time, my soul power kept draining away—almost as if I was still summoning the hammer."
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened. Was that cat really so extraordinary? In all of Douluo Continent's history, there had never been a recorded case of someone stealing another person's martial soul.
"We need to find a way to get Xiao San's martial soul back. Flender, come with me to confront Shen An right now."
Flender's face twitched. While he was known for being overprotective and bullying the weak, he usually only picked on easy targets.
His last two encounters with Shen An had ended with him running into the Sword Douluo and the Bone Douluo—both of whom had been very enthusiastic about teaching Flender a lesson on Shen An's behalf.
Now Yu Xiaogang wanted him to pick a fight with Shen An again? How could Flender dare?
"Xiaogang, I think we should... deliberate on this carefully." As he spoke, Flender glanced meaningfully at Shao Xin—some conversations weren't meant for outsiders' ears.
Shao Xin took the hint and left the room.
Once the door closed, Flender activated his soul power to prevent eavesdropping.
"Xiaogang, Shen An has the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan behind him. How can we afford to provoke him?"
He then turned to Tang San. "Xiao San, is His Excellency Clear Sky still around? Maybe he should handle this."
After returning that day, Tang San had revealed to Yu Xiaogang and Flender that he already knew about his origins, so they could speak openly—hence why Shao Xin had been asked to leave.
Tang San's face twisted. "My father went to accompany my mother. He said he'd return in a month."
As he spoke, he quickly circulated the Mysterious Heaven Technique to stabilize his soul power—the drainage had accelerated again.
Flender hesitated. "In that case... since the conflict just happened today, demanding the hammer back now would only provoke Shen An further. Why don't we go tomorrow? But our goal shouldn't be confrontation—we should negotiate and offer compensation in exchange for the Clear Sky Hammer."
"We can't afford to offend the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan," Flender concluded weakly.
Yu Xiaogang stormed out in anger, slamming the door behind him. In his eyes, Flender had completely lost the dignity a Soul Sage should have—always hesitating and overthinking.
"Come, Xiao San. Your teacher will find a way to get your Clear Sky Hammer back today."
The Imperial Team had already left. Before departing, they had invited Shen An to visit the Heaven Dou Royal Academy someday, to which Shen An had agreed—next time, definitely.
Zhu Zhuqing was currently in the middle of her own spirit fight. Though her opponent was two levels higher, Shen An was confident she wouldn't lose.
The evolved Night Moon Spirit Cat's speed alone was astonishing—even Shen An had been impressed.
In the VIP room, Tom was still cracking walnuts, occasionally handing some to Shen An.
Watching Tom wield the little hammer so effortlessly, Shen An couldn't resist taking it for a spin himself.
The Clear Sky Hammer—no, it should be called the Meow Meow Hammer now. The moment Shen An held it, he felt its weight—600 jin was no joke.
Yet Tom, who struggled to lift a 20-jin dumbbell, swung this hammer around like it was nothing.
Shen An couldn't help but ask, "Tom, don't you think this hammer is heavy?"
Tom tilted its head in confusion, gesturing at the hammer's size as if to say, How could something this small be heavy?
Shen An mentally facepalmed. Why did I even ask? Tom doesn't follow the laws of physics—it operates on pure cartoon logic!
Even Schrödinger's cat would get slapped twice if it stood before Tom. That's just how overpowered the feline hierarchy worked.
Zhu Zhuqing won—though not without some struggles, she emerged victorious in the end.
Soon after, Gao Hao, the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena's manager, knocked and entered. A Soul Sage himself, he eagerly shook Shen An's hand.
"I'm Gao Hao, manager of the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena. It's an honor to meet you! You're the only Gold-tier Spirit Fighter in the entire Heaven Dou Empire!"
Shen An raised an eyebrow. "Brother Gao, is there something you'd like to discuss?"
Gao Hao laughed heartily. "As expected of you—straight to the point! To be honest, I came to make a proposal."
"Tom's performance tonight electrified the entire audience. We were wondering if you could bring it to participate in spirit fights more often."
Shen An's lips curved upward. So they're after Tom.
"I don't mind, but it depends on Tom's mood. I won't force it to do anything it doesn't enjoy."
He knew Tom's attention span rarely lasted beyond three minutes—except when chasing Jerry.
Gao Hao hesitated before turning to Tom. "In that case... would Mr. Cat be willing to visit our arena regularly?"
Seeing how seriously Shen An treated Tom's opinions, he decided to ask the cat directly.
Tom glanced between Shen An and Gao Hao. It knew Shen An enjoyed going out, and fighting here could bring him more fame, right?
Reading Tom's gaze, Shen An chuckled and patted its head.
"Don't push yourself. Coming every day would be exhausting. How about this—I'll bring you whenever you're in the mood."
Tom nodded eagerly. If Shen An said so, it would obey.
"Brother Gao, I'll bring Tom occasionally, but it won't be on a fixed schedule."
Gao Hao was slightly disappointed. Tom's fighting style was pure entertainment—the kind that kept audiences laughing throughout.
The hype was unreal, with many nobles specifically requesting to see the cat perform again.
But since Shen An had made his stance clear, Gao Hao could only agree.
The Imperial Team members—all from influential backgrounds—had shown Shen An immense respect. Gao Hao wasn't foolish enough to try stealing someone else's cat.
"Very well. We look forward to your future visits."
Shen An grinned. "Besides Tom, I also have a little mouse at home—just as strong as Tom. Maybe I can bring them both for a fight someday."
The thought amused him. Though he couldn't participate in spirit fights anymore, Tom and Jerry could.
Time to give the uninitiated people of Douluo Continent a taste of cartoon chaos.
Gao Hao's eyes lit up with interest. A cat-and-mouse duo? Now that sounded thrilling.
"Then I'll eagerly await that day. Just give us advance notice so we can prepare."
Shen An agreed cheerfully. In the end, Gao Hao personally escorted him out of the arena—along with one big cat and one small cat.
----
Spirit City, Pope's Hall.
"Salas pays his respects to Your Holiness the Pope."