Proving Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 32: Attaining One Hundred Thousand Years

Numb Tail's dried meat trial was ultimately passed.

Though the process was arduous.

On the first day, it stared at the dried meat for half an incense stick's time, drool nearly soaking the ground.

On the second day, it endured for a full incense stick, but at the very end, its paw stretched out and touched it—caught red-handed by White Dew.

On the third day, Numb Tail finally learned to close its eyes.

Meow Meow watched it wear an expression like it was about to enter meditation and ascend to heaven, unsure for a moment whether to praise or sigh.

"Alright, I'll count it as a pass."

Numb Tail's eyes snapped open.

"Mew!"

"No eating."

Meow Meow added.

Numb Tail's entire cat form slumped back down.

White Dew gently flicked her tail from the side, while Gray Ear lowered his head to lick his paw, clearly laughing.

Seven days later, all three kittens had completed their first round of trials.

White Dew was the steadiest.

Gray Ear was the best at finding paths.

Numb Tail was the most prone to causing trouble—but also the best at surviving and running back out after causing it.

That was a skill in itself.

At least it was better than sneaking a bite mid-mission.

Meow Meow didn't immediately put them on the Heaven Dou Royal Academy line.

Instead, it first had the three kittens registered under Da Hei's name.

"From today onward, White Dew, Gray Ear, and Numb Tail are listed as the first batch of active cats in the Heavenly Dou Cat Net."

"White Dew is responsible for calming and communication."

"Gray Ear is responsible for West City and the outer lines of the academy."

"Numb Tail..."

Meow Meow looked at Numb Tail.

Numb Tail sat up straight, its tail pressed flat against the ground.

"Numb Tail is responsible for being the negative example."

Numb Tail: "..."

White Dew couldn't help but let out a soft mew.

Gray Ear turned his head to the side.

Even Meow Meow felt it had gone a bit too far, so it added another line.

"And also for watching the back door."

Only then did Numb Tail recover a little of its spirit.

With matters arranged, Meow Meow finally had time to deal with the backlog of things that had piled up over the past few days.

Dai Lin could already walk on the ground.

That White Tiger Cub had been placed in the small space of the Calming Bell, temporarily under Jianbing's care.

Jianbing claimed it was only watching over it.

But the moment the White Tiger Cub trembled even slightly, it immediately leaned in.

Meow Meow saw through it but said nothing.

This little one had a hard mouth.

Clearly, it was itself a remnant spirit just fished out of a bottle, and now it had started looking after another white tiger.

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy side had also produced results.

That middle-aged teacher had gone missing.

The Black Eagle Family Soul King was detained but hadn't confessed a thing.

Prince Xue Xing's side remained still.

Quiet, as if he knew nothing.

Meow Meow wasn't surprised by this.

If the nobles of Heaven Dou were so easily rooted out, they wouldn't have driven Shrek so miserably in the original timeline.

But after the royal academy's back mountain was locked down by the Crown Prince's Mansion, the Black Eagle Family didn't dare conduct any more field tests in the short term.

That was enough.

At least Dai Lin was alive.

And the White Tiger Cub was alive too.

For the next few years, Heaven Dou City's surface remained calm.

But in the shadows, many more cats appeared.

The Gray Ear Lineage in West City began passing messages through the alleys and streets.

Blue Tail from the East Side Courtyard led a group of kittens in studying message-carving stone slabs.

A Ju still looked for food every day.

But under the influence of the "negative example" Numb Tail, A Ju was finally forced to give a lesson to the young kittens.

The lesson was titled—No Sneaking Food on Missions.

A Ju taught it in great pain.

The kittens listened very seriously.

When Meow Meow heard about this later, his feelings were complicated.

He never imagined A Ju could become a teacher one day.

After the bloodline rules were established, the newborn kittens of the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat showed clear changes.

Some kittens were naturally drawn to calming techniques.

Some liked formation patterns.

Some preferred stealth.

And some liked finding food.

At first, Meow Meow didn't want to admit the last one was also a talent.

But later, when he discovered those kittens had a special advantage in finding spirit plants and medicinal herbs, he reluctantly classified it under "item-seeking."

So A Ju's lineage suddenly went from being a negative example to a key training target for the item-seeking course.

A Ju was proud of this for three days.

On the fourth day, he was punished by Da Hei for sneaking food from the reserves and made to copy the cat rules.

When Meow Meow found out, he only said one word.

"Serves him right."

Time moved forward bit by bit.

Reports from Martial Soul Hall were delivered one by one to the Crown Prince's Mansion.

[Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, Tang San, soul power improvement stable.]

[Xiao Wu, strong combat ability, comes and goes with Tang San.]

[Yu Xiaogang stays at Notting Academy year-round, continuing to record soul master theories.]

[Tang San's second soul ring acquired successfully, source unknown, suspected to be accompanied by Master.]

Every time Meow Meow saw these, he just glanced over them.

Tang San wasn't at the point where he needed to be dealt with yet.

Neither was Xiao Wu.

He didn't want to alarm those two too early.

Interfering in Notting now would only mess up the timeline further.

But Meow Meow never let go of Sunset Forest.

The Black Eagle Family tried several times to approach Sunset Forest, but the Heavenly Dou Cat Net detected them in advance.

Once, they even reached the outer edge of the poison mist.

Meow Meow didn't act personally; he just had Qian Renxue release information to lure the Heaven Dou patrol team.

That group immediately withdrew.

Dugu Bo seemed to have sensed something too, and afterward, the Poison Array became even heavier.

This made it even harder for the Black Eagle Family to get close.

And it gave Meow Meow a headache.

"This Old Poison really isn't easy to get near."

"He guards against others, and against cats too."

Inside the Calming Bell, Jianbing heard this and quietly asked:

"Then are we still going?"

"Eventually, I'll go."

Meow Meow said.

"But not now."

In the past few years, Meow Meow had spent most of his time cultivating.

To be precise, sleeping to cultivate.

White Dew often saw him lying on a soft cushion, purring steadily, while Holy Fire and soul power slowly flowed around him.

Qian Renxue found it strange at first.

But she got used to it later.

This cat could sleep his way to faster progress than others' hard training.

It was quite unreasonable.

Meow Meow himself knew the reason.

Purring Cat Dream, Calming Bell, Holy Fire bloodline, feedback from Heavenly Dou Cat Net, and the steadily growing Meow Wish Value over the years pushed his soul beast age upward.

Eighty thousand years.

Ninety thousand years.

Ninety-five thousand years.

Until one night, Meow Meow woke from a dream and suddenly felt an invisible door inside him.

Beyond the door was a broader world.

[Ding, host's soul beast age has reached 99,999 years.]

[Would you like to use the Hundred-Thousand-Year Breakthrough Card?]

Meow Meow blinked.

This breakthrough card was one he hadn't been willing to use from previous gift packs.

He'd originally planned to save it for dangerous times.

But he kept putting it off, until now, when it was truly time to use it.

"Use."

[Ding, Hundred-Thousand-Year breakthrough begins.]

The Calming Bell gently vibrated.

In Clear Radiance Pavilion, White Dew suddenly looked up.

Qian Renxue also stood up from her desk.

She felt a massive soul beast aura rising from Meow Meow, but before it could fully spread, it was suppressed back by the Calming Bell and Holy Fire.

It was as if a giant white cat had opened its eyes in the night.

But it quickly hid itself within the sound of the bell.

Meow Meow's fur began to glow faintly.

Not a blinding light.

But like Holy Fire hidden in the tips of his fur.

His body didn't grow larger.

Nor did he transform.

Only the Holy Fire pattern on his forehead became clearer, and with a slight flick of his tail, subtle ripples appeared in the surrounding space.

Jianbing poked his head out from the bell, staring at him in shock.

"You've gotten stronger."

"No kidding."

Meow Meow closed his eyes, feeling the changes within him.

Hundred-thousand years.

On the Douluo Continent, a soul beast crossing into a hundred-thousand years was a true threshold.

Whether or not one could transform was one thing.

In essence, it was completely different from ordinary soul beasts.

Meow Meow chose not to transform.

At least not for now.

Being a cat was fine.

Convenient for sleeping, and convenient for hiding his identity.

[Ding, congratulations host on breaking through to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.]

[Current Realm: Hundred-Thousand-Year Sacred Flame Spirit Cat.]

[Transformation Available: Not yet enabled.]

[Unlocked Innate Ability: Sacred Flame Domain.]

[Sacred Flame Domain: With the Sacred Flame and Calming Bell as its core, it suppresses corruption, calms spiritual awareness, enhances ally soul power stability, and suppresses hostile soul power.]

Meow Meow finished reading, his heart stirring slightly.

This ability came just in time.

The Black Water corruption, the White Tiger Sample, the Rakshasa Aura—all would be useful later.

But the next prompt made his tail freeze.

[Warning: Though the Hundred-Thousand-Year aura is concealed, it may still attract the attention of high-level existences.]

Meow Meow opened his eyes.

"High-level existences?"

The moment he spoke, it felt as if a cold gaze swept over him from an immense distance.

Martial Soul City.

The Pope's Palace.

A woman opened her eyes from meditation.

A flash of purple-black aura flickered behind her.

She frowned.

"What aura?"

For an instant, she seemed to hear a very faint cat's meow.

Or perhaps it was just an illusion.

Bibi Dong was silent for a moment, then closed her eyes again.

The Rakshasa Aura drifted slowly through the hall.

Yet, for some reason, that brief trace of Holy Fire Aura had eased a certain ache deep in her heart for a fleeting moment.

Back in the Clear Radiance Pavilion, Meow Meow withdrew his senses.

He hadn't seen who it was clearly.

But he had a rough idea.

"No way."

"I just hit a hundred thousand years and the Pope's Palace already brushed against me?"

He licked his paw, suppressing his aura.

Good thing it was only a brush.

If he'd truly drawn Bibi Dong's attention, the trouble would be enormous.

Qian Renxue walked up to him and asked softly:

"Did it work?"

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"A hundred thousand years."

Qian Renxue's pupils contracted.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Those four words carried immense weight on the Douluo Continent.

Even though she'd always known Meow Meow was special, she hadn't expected him to cross this threshold so quickly.

"You're not transforming?"

"No."

Meow Meow answered quickly.

"Transforming means starting cultivation from scratch. Too much trouble."

"Besides, being a cat is more convenient."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

For a long moment, she found herself speechless.

He wasn't wrong.

A cat wandering around the Crown Prince's Mansion raised no eyebrows.

A mysterious youth appearing in the Crown Prince's Mansion would invite endless trouble.

White Dew leaned in, her eyes full of admiration.

Jianbing was also watching Meow Meow.

Numb Tail had woken up from the corner at some point, rubbing his eyes as he looked at Meow Meow.

"Meow?"

Meow Meow looked at him.

"You sure timed your waking well."

Numb Tail stared at Meow Meow for a long moment, then let out a soft meow.

As if asking: Did you get a breakthrough? Is there food?

Meow Meow: "..."

"No."

Numb Tail lay back down again.

Qian Renxue finally smiled.

Meow Meow couldn't be bothered with him, turning his head to look at the system panel.

After a hundred thousand years, many things had become clear.

The Sacred Flame Domain could cover the Crown Prince's Mansion.

If borrowing the Calming Bell, it could even briefly cover a corner of Heavenly Dou City.

He could also sense the cats in the Heavenly Dou Cat Net more clearly.

Gray Ear was patrolling the rooftops of West City.

Numb Tail had failed another jerky training session.

A Ju was near the back kitchen of the East Side Courtyard, trying to get close to the storage room.

Da Hei was scolding him.

Meow Meow's eye twitched slightly.

"A Ju really doesn't give a cat any peace of mind."

He looked back at the Martial Soul Hall briefing.

Time had passed quickly.

At Notting Academy, it was also graduation season.

[Tang San, Xiao Wu are about to leave Notting Academy.]

[Destination suspected: Suotuo City.]

[Traveling companion: Yu Xiaogang.]

Meow Meow's gaze paused.

Finally here.

Suotuo City.

Shrek Academy.

The beginning of the Seven Monsters.

Qian Renxue also saw this message.

"Those two you've been watching have finally left Notting."

"Mm."

Meow Meow nodded.

"They'll meet more people later."

"And cause more trouble."

Qian Renxue asked, "Need to stop them?"

"No."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"Stopping them now is pointless."

"Let's watch first."

He thought for a moment, then added, "But have the Suotuo Branch Hall of Martial Soul Hall keep normal records, don't interfere extra."

"Especially Yu Xiaogang."

"If he tries to fool others with his theories, just write it down first."

Qian Renxue's eyes flickered slightly.

"You're still not at ease with him."

"Mm."

Meow Meow said.

"It's not scary for a person to be wrong in theory."

"What's scary is daring to gamble someone else's entire life on something you haven't verified clearly."

Qian Renxue committed those words to memory.

Meow Meow looked into the distance again.

Sunset Forest, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Suotuo City.

Several threads were finally beginning to converge.

Now he was a hundred thousand years old.

No longer just a little cat who could only watch the excitement from the shadows.

Of course.

If he could avoid a fight, he would.

A cat had to know how to conserve energy.

"Qinghe."

"Hm?"

"Prepare a merchant caravan route to Suotuo City."

"You're going?"

"Sooner or later."

Meow Meow stretched lazily.

"But before that, I need to make a trip to the outskirts of Sunset Forest first."

"Why?"

Meow Meow looked out the window.

"The Black Eagle Family has its eyes on Dugu Bo's herb garden, and Tang San is about to walk into that line too."

"If I don't take a look ahead of time, I might end up getting screwed over by both sides later."

Qian Renxue nodded gently.

"I'll arrange it."

Meow Meow jumped off the table.

He took a few steps, then turned back to look at White Dew, Gray Ear, and Numb Tail.

"The three little ones keep training."

"Especially Numb Tail."

Numb Tail had just been about to pretend to sleep, but jolted upright the moment he was called out.

Meow Meow narrowed his eyes.

"When I get back, if you still fall for fake meat jerky."

"Then you'll be punished by copying the Cat Code with A Ju."

Numb Tail looked up in terror.

That threat was very effective.

White Dew and Gray Ear both nodded seriously.

Meow Meow was satisfied.

Day one of being a hundred thousand years old.

First, arrange the cats.

Next, check the Poison Array.

Finally, keep an eye on the Protagonist Group.

This life was busy.

But Meow Meow suddenly felt it was pretty interesting.

He leaped onto the windowsill, gazing toward the direction outside Heavenly Dou City.

"Sunset Forest."

"This Cat is coming."