Zhan Jin's performance began.
Numerous scantily clad young women took to the stage, singing and dancing. Shen An had originally planned to watch with a critical eye, but Xue Qinghe kept chatting with him, making it impossible to focus.
To be honest, aside from the scantily clad performers, there wasn't much else worth watching. After all, this was an ancient society—it couldn't compare to the diversity of modern entertainment.
The nobles in the audience felt the same. Privately, they indulged in far more extravagant amusements, so how could these performances possibly move them?
The only exception was Tang Yuehua's music.
Reputation mattered, whether for people or trees. Tang Yuehua was renowned among the nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire for her grace and musical talent. Many aristocrats considered it an honor just to hear her perform.
And every year, the grand noble banquet always concluded with Tang Yuehua's music.
Now, standing on stage, Tang Yuehua held a small, exquisite silver soul tool in her hand.
"The final act of tonight will be something truly extraordinary. Please look forward to it, esteemed nobles."
Someone in the audience shouted, "Teacher Tang, surely it's not your performance? Without your music, this banquet would lose half its charm!"
Tang Yuehua smiled faintly. "This time, it will surpass my own performance a hundredfold. It will be performed by a friend of His Highness the Crown Prince—a companion of Shen An's."
"Now, please welcome the musical masters who far surpass me—Tom and Jerry!"
Even Emperor Xue Ye was intrigued. Tom and Jerry? Who were they? If they truly outshone Tang Yuehua, why had he never heard of them before?
Under the golden glow of the soul tool lights, Tom strode forward gracefully, dressed in a tailcoat, his eyes closed the entire time. His demeanor was so refined that it rivaled Tang Yuehua's own elegance.
Jerry stood proudly on Tom's shoulder.
Shen An swelled with pride. His cat and mouse had made it big—they were even putting on airs on stage now.
Emperor Xue Ye was also stunned. How could a cat and mouse get along like this? And why did they exude an elegance that put most nobles to shame?
Tang Yuehua pressed a mechanism, stepping down from the stage as hidden contraptions activated. Instruments rose from the platform one after another.
The audience was dumbfounded.
Even if these two could play music, there were only two of them—four hands, four feet, two tails, and two mouths.
But on stage, there were ten violins, four wind instruments, one cello, and one percussion set. How could anyone—let alone a cat and mouse—play all of them at once?
Tang Yuehua paled. This wasn't part of the plan.
Emperor Xue Ye's gaze darkened. The royal family valued dignity above all else.
Xue Qinghe frowned, glancing at Shen An.
Shen An chuckled. "Don't worry, Brother Xue. Trust Tom and Jerry. Honestly, Tom alone is worth an entire orchestra."
Tom slowly opened his eyes, a melancholic glint in them. Playing just the piano or harp would've been too easy. As titans of the music world, he and Jerry had to challenge themselves.
The hall fell silent. Many factions with ulterior motives eagerly awaited the Heaven Dou royal family's humiliation.
Then, the music began.
What happened next defied all logic.
Tom, with his single feline body, somehow managed to play the cello, ten violins, four trombones, and the percussion set—all at the same time.
Jerry waved a conductor's baton with refined grace, though it was mostly for show—Tom never listened to directions anyway.
After a few pretentious gestures, Jerry gave up and went to help Tom shoulder the burden.
A grand, epic, passionate symphony erupted, filling the entire hall.
At that moment, the beauty of music reached its zenith. Whether they understood it or not, everyone in the audience was entranced.
Tang Yuehua and Xue Qinghe were particularly affected.
Sometimes, the path of music was its own form of enlightenment—and the performers, Tom and Jerry, embodied the very essence of artistic mastery.
Tang Yuehua felt her understanding of music ascending, as if she was improving with every passing second.
Xue Qinghe, meanwhile, was immersed in the grandeur. Her stagnant soul power, which hadn't budged since she became a Soul Emperor three months ago, suddenly surged.
In the world of soul masters, higher ranks meant slower progress. Yet now, thanks to a single piece of music, she was breaking through again. It was nothing short of miraculous.
When the music ended, the hall remained in stunned silence.
The performance had been so overwhelming that no one dared speak, lest they shatter the lingering magic.
"Magnificent!"
Emperor Xue Ye was the first to applaud, and thunderous cheers followed. Whether they were allies or enemies of the Heaven Dou Empire, no one could deny the brilliance of what they had just witnessed.
Countless nobles burned the images of Tom and Jerry into their minds—and by extension, their master, Shen An.
Some even began plotting how to buy—or steal—the two from him.
"The banquet has concluded, and the grandeur of the Heaven Dou Empire has been made clear."
"Surely, in matters of soul masters, the Empire will not disappoint us either. The young talents of our Balak Kingdom have long wished to witness the Empire's might."
The words came from the younger brother of the Balak Kingdom's king.
As the most militarily powerful kingdom under Heaven Dou's rule, Balak had long harbored rebellious ambitions. Now, they couldn't resist stepping forward to humiliate the Empire.
Once the other kingdoms realized that Heaven Dou's current strength was lacking—and that its younger generation was even weaker—that would be Balak's moment to rise as an empire.
After all, the Douluo Continent was a world where power reigned supreme. The strong preyed on the weak—that was the natural order.
Emperor Xue Ye remained silent, leaving Xue Qinghe to respond.
"Of course. The Heaven Dou royal family welcomes challenges from all sides."
He pointed at Shen An. "My friend here is the master of Tom and Jerry. Today, he will represent the royal family in battle."
Shen An strode confidently onto the stage. His cat and mouse had stolen the show—now it was his turn.
Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and the others exchanged odd glances. Shen An, fighting for the royal family? Who could possibly defeat him?
Even the proud Huo Wu didn't believe anyone in their generation could beat Shen An one-on-one.
Luo Fuji's eyes gleamed. "As I thought—it's him."
Yang Huo couldn't wait to teach Shen An a lesson.
But the Balak king's brother interjected, "His Highness speaks with such confidence—surely this young man's cultivation is extraordinary. If he's too strong, our kingdom's youths wouldn't dare embarrass themselves on stage."
His words sounded like praise, but they were really probing.
Heaven Dou was vast and resource-rich, home to the three great sects. If they had some hidden prodigy backing them, he needed to know before committing.
Shen An smiled. "To be honest, my cultivation is only at the Soul Elder level. I haven't even obtained my fourth soul ring—I'm just good at fighting, that's all."
Yang Huo sneered and leaped onto the stage. A mere Soul Elder, acting all high and mighty?
"Yang Huo of the Balak Kingdom. Level 41. Martial Soul: Sunflower. Control-type Soul Ancestor."
As he spoke, four soul rings rose—white, yellow, yellow, purple.
"Shen An. Soul Elder. Martial Soul: Nine-Leaf Sword Grass."
Honestly, Shen An didn't understand why fighters had to announce their stats so thoroughly, but since his opponent did, he followed suit.
Yang Huo's eyes mocked him. Everyone knew control-type soul masters were the strongest at the same level—let alone when they were a whole rank above.
Defeating Shen An would be child's play.
But Yang Huo had something else in mind.
Using the Sunflower's mental toxin, he planned to humiliate Shen An—to make him lose face in front of the entire aristocracy.