Shen An marveled at the tea house that Tom and Jerry had rebuilt in just one or two hours.
This was the cat revered by the system as the "Heavenly Emperor," and with Jerry's equally formidable abilities, they had accomplished this feat together.
Shen An and the others moved back from the hotel. The only thing Shen An regretted was that the money they had paid for the hotel couldn't be refunded, which left him fuming.
The next day, Shen An set off for Heaven Dou City with Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Tom, and Jerry.
They left Ye Zi to take care of the tea house. After all, this was Shen An and Tom's first home, so when the tea house collapsed, Tom had been extremely scared and filled with guilt.
As a house cat, Tom's greatest fear was losing his little home. That's why when Jerry suggested rebuilding their home, Tom was so excited.
On the carriage outside Soto City, Tom kept looking back longingly in the direction of the tea house.
For Shen An and his group to reach Heaven Dou City, they needed to cross the entire territory of the Silver Kingdom, north of the Balak Kingdom, before entering the imperial capital region of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Then, heading east, they would reach the imperial capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. The journey was long, spanning nearly two thousand miles.
With Ning Rongrong, the little rich girl, around, the carriage Shen An bought was naturally the best, capable of traveling five hundred miles a day without issue.
Originally, Shen An was the one driving the carriage, but then Tom, feeling playful, put on a coachman's outfit. Shen An's eyelids twitched at the sight, but seeing Tom's determined expression, he handed the reins to Tom.
Tom excitedly whipped the horse with the small leather whip.
Bang!
Tom got kicked in the head by the horse, which was originally moving along steadily.
The horse, seeing a cat whipping it, first glanced sideways, then snorted hot air through its nostrils, and with a swift backward kick, aimed directly at Tom's head.
Everyone had been ready to admire Tom's majestic driving skills, as in the eyes of the two girls, Tom could do almost anything. But instead, they witnessed this hilarious scene.
A sturdy hoof shot straight toward Tom's head. Surprisingly, Tom didn't collapse immediately after being kicked. Instead, he waved the small whip a few more times.
Then, the delayed reaction kicked in. Tom suddenly realized he had been kicked by the horse, and his entire body stiffened, shaking back and forth like a clock being struck. His tongue lolled out, and with a thud, he stiffly fainted on the carriage.
Shen An's mouth twitched, unsure of what to say. In the end, he dragged Tom back into the carriage and took over the driving.
Along the way, whenever they passed through a city with a fighting arena, Shen An would stop by to boost his reputation.
It's worth mentioning that due to Pang Tao's care at the Soto Great Spirit Arena and his undefeated record, Shen An had already been promoted to the Gold Fighter level.
As a result, the staff informed Shen An that there were no opponents at the Soul Elder level who could match him. If he wanted to continue fighting, he would have to challenge opponents at a higher level.
This suited Shen An perfectly, as he had always wanted to test himself against Soul Ancestor-level opponents. So, he readily agreed.
Challenging higher-level opponents was undoubtedly attention-grabbing. The arena promised that as long as Shen An kept winning, they would allow him to continue fighting. That night, Shen An won every match, and his fame points skyrocketed by twenty thousand overnight.
But this was just the beginning. The fame points provided by the audience present were only the start. Once the events of that night spread, the subsequent fame points would be even more substantial.
The next day, rumors of a genius Soul Elder spread throughout the city's fighting arena. Many people came to challenge him, only to find that he had already left.
After about five days of traveling, Shen An and the others finally arrived at Heaven Dou City.
Shen An gazed at the grandeur of Heaven Dou City, which far surpassed Soto City, and felt a surge of excitement.
Such a large city must be home to countless people—all potential sources of fame points.
As the saying goes, like owner, like pet. Tom's heart wasn't big, and neither was Shen An's. The humiliating experience with the Titan Giant Ape was something Shen An had never forgotten.
So, the first step toward defeating the Titan Giant Ape would begin with gathering funds in Heaven Dou City.
Speaking of Tom's heart, after being kicked by the horse, Tom didn't seek immediate revenge. However, as they got closer to Heaven Dou City, Tom's smile grew wider and wider.
"But Rongrong, is the Heaven Dou Royal Academy located inside Heaven Dou City?"
Zhu Zhuqing asked curiously, as the top academies in her home country, the Star Luo Empire, were usually not built within the city. After all, the training facilities of top academies required a lot of space, and while Heaven Dou City was large, setting aside so much area for a single academy seemed extravagant.
"Of course not. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy is built outside the city. But hey, why are we in such a hurry to go to school? Let's enjoy this good time and have some fun first."
Shen An glanced at Ning Rongrong. Without external pressure or the harsh realities of society, Ning Rongrong's playful and lazy nature was to be expected.
"Well, alright. But Rongrong, if possible, could you take me to the Heaven Dou Academy tomorrow? I really want to train."
Zhu Zhuqing spoke with a mix of seriousness and pleading. Over the past month, she had been training on her own. Although her progress wasn't slow, she longed for a better training environment and guidance from skilled mentors.
"Alright, alright. I'll take you to the academy tomorrow, but I'll join a bit later," Ning Rongrong said, somewhat embarrassed. Zhu Zhuqing's dedication to training made her feel a bit ashamed.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Shen An, her eyes filled with a questioning gaze.
"Ahem, I'll spend some time with Tom and Jerry for now and plan to join the academy a bit later," Shen An said, naturally unable to reveal that he had a system and that training at the academy wouldn't be beneficial. He had to come up with an excuse.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes showed a hint of disappointment. Although she didn't want to leave Shen An, her thirst for strength was too great, especially since she was a girl who lacked a sense of security.
"Let's go. We'll head into the city and find a hotel to stay at first."
Shen An led the group into the city. Heaven Dou City truly lived up to its reputation as the empire's capital. The streets were bustling with people coming and going, and numerous merchants dragged their goods in and out of the city gates.
As always, with Ning Rongrong around, their food, clothing, and accommodations were all top-notch. There was no way they would settle for less. Money? The little rich girl had plenty.
Entering a high-end hotel, Shen An asked the staff to take the carriage to a premium parking spot. Seeing this, Tom's eyes sparkled with excitement. He quietly lagged behind the group, tiptoeing and sneaking after the staff.
In the stable, Tom held a large bundle of hay in front of the horse, pretending to offer it food.
The horse, unsuspecting, immediately buried its head in the hay and started eating.
Tom watched the horse, satisfied after its meal, and counted down in his mind.
3... 2... 1.
With a crisp snap of his fingers, the hardworking horse that had carried Shen An and the others for five or six days suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
"Ohohohohaha!"
Tom let out a triumphant laugh, jumping up and down on the horse's head.
The staff member, holding a large bundle of hay, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Was he seeing things? A cat was kicking a horse's head?
When he opened his eyes again, Tom had disappeared. The staff member muttered something strange and poured the hay into the feeding trough.
Tom, hiding behind a pillar, quietly emerged and mixed a pile of castor beans into the hay.
Perfect. The head had been kicked, and the castor beans had been added. From now on, I, the Heavenly Emperor Tom, forgive you. After all, I'm a magnanimous cat.