Old Tom

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Commoner Prodigy and Traveling Companions

Old Tom was a talented common-born soul master whose Fishing Spear martial soul mutated into the Reverse Scale Spear. He traveled with Jack and Mary, two fellow commoner talents. After graduating from an advanced Soul Master Academy, the three rejected Spirit Hall’s recruitment offers in favor of roaming the continent freely 72 74.

While helping Mary obtain her seventh soul ring, the trio encountered and narrowly defeated a Golden Hawksbill Turtle nearly one hundred thousand years old. Its torso soul bone attracted hunting teams and powerful factions led by Prince Xue Xing. Tom forced his way into the Soul Douluo realm during the crisis, but the subsequent fighting left him gravely injured, Jack’s martial soul crippled, and Mary dead 73 74.

Tom escaped with Jack after throwing out the soul bone to divert their attackers. He withdrew into the mountain forests, carrying injuries that would remain unhealed for decades 74 77.

Life in Douluo Village

Tom served as village chief from Douluo Village’s founding and enjoyed considerable respect among its residents. He concealed his cultivation, presenting his martial soul as water and displaying no soul rings. His public explanation was that the soul-master world was dangerous and an ordinary life was perfectly acceptable 1.

He found Lu Yuan outside the village, adopted him, and raised him for six years. When Lu Yuan awakened Meowmeow with only rank 0.5 innate soul power, Tom accepted the result and hoped his grandson could become a soul master without entering dangerous high-level conflicts. He welcomed Meowmeow into the family and celebrated the awakening with a feast 1 2 3.

Before sending Lu Yuan to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy, Tom supplied him with ten-thousand-year whale glue and a meditation method substantially better than the academy’s standard manual. He then left on unspecified business, warning Lu Yuan not to search for him if he disappeared. The business was his search for the lost torso soul bone 4 6 69.

Reclaiming the Torso Soul Bone

Six years later, Lu Yuan spotted Tom at an exhibition in Heaven Dou City. Tom admitted that he had spent those years searching for the Golden Hawksbill Turtle Torso Soul Bone and intended to reclaim it from the Seven Great Families. He accepted Lu Yuan’s help rather than leave his grandson behind again 68 69.

Dugu Bo intercepted them and exposed Lu Yuan’s connection to Spirit Hall. Tom defended Lu Yuan with Water Tornado, but his old injuries made the confrontation exhausting. Lu Yuan secured their release by offering Dugu Bo a treatment for his family’s poison backlash 70 71 72.

After retrieving the bone, Tom and Lu Yuan fought through pursuing Soul Saints and a Soul Douluo before being confronted by Xue Xing and other prominent soul masters. Tom publicly accused Xue Xing of spreading word of the bone decades earlier. Snake Lance Douluo intervened on Qian Renxue’s orders and carried the pair to safety 74 75 76.

Reverse Scale Douluo

At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Lu Yuan gave Tom the Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus to heal his injuries. The recovered torso bone then brought him to rank ninety. Tom agreed to become a Spirit Hall guest elder in exchange for Snake Lance Douluo’s assistance obtaining his ninth soul ring 77 79 80.

The three hunted the Blue Silver King. Lu Yuan created an opening, Snake Lance Douluo restrained the beast, and Tom delivered the killing blow. Tom absorbed its soul ring and received its eighty-thousand-year soul bone, then gained the Ice Dragon King as a second martial soul through a soul pearl supplied by Lu Yuan 82 83.

He chose the title Reverse Scale Douluo, naming himself after his original martial soul, and held his title-conferring ceremony in Spirit City. Bibi Dong regarded his recruitment as a gain for Qian Renxue’s faction rather than her own 84 90 91.

Tom subsequently accompanied Lu Yuan back to Heaven Dou City and learned of Qian Renxue’s undercover identity. He later traveled with Lu Yuan and secretly guarded him during his journey with Zhu Zhuqing, including intervening when Flender attempted to overcharge them 92 97.

Appearance

• Original appearance: An elderly, bearded man with a weathered face and slightly stooped posture 1 2 68.
• Exhibition attire: Wore clothing suited to a wandering adventurer; later used gray-black clothes, a black mask, and a hat to conceal his identity during the escape 68 74.
• Rejuvenated physique: His immortal-herb, soul-bone, and soul-pearl enhancements restored his vitality and made his body robust rather than withered 79 83.
• Ice Dragon King possession: Developed dragon horns, clawed hands, and dragon scales, including faint blue scales on exposed skin 83.

Personality

Tom is affectionate and protective toward Lu Yuan, valuing his safety more than exceptional achievement. He initially regarded Lu Yuan’s low innate soul power as a possible safeguard against dangerous battles. Even after learning that his grandson was a Spirit Hall operative, he refused to abandon him 2 68 70.

His quiet village life concealed lasting grief and resentment. He remembered his travels with Jack and Mary as the most precious period of his life, blamed himself for their disastrous fate, and continued cultivating despite severe injuries. Recovering the torso bone brought him to tears, while facing Xue Xing brought his anger openly to the surface 72 73 75 77.

Tom also worries about the cost of Lu Yuan’s generosity. After receiving the Ice Dragon King soul pearl, he feared that his grandson had sacrificed his own chance to obtain a second martial soul and needed reassurance 83.

Abilities & Skills

Reverse Scale Spear

A mutated tool martial soul originating from a Fishing Spear. Its golden shaft varies in thickness and bears ancient fish-scale patterns 69 74.

• Supports Tom’s Power Attack System fighting style 70.
• Produces water effects that allowed him to disguise it as an elemental water martial soul 1 69.
• Possesses a Martial Soul Avatar used against the Blue Silver King 81.

Sixth Soul Skill: Water Tornado

Tom spins the Reverse Scale Spear to generate a swirling water current; the skill is powered by his sixth, black soul ring 70.

• Defense: Sheltered Tom and Lu Yuan from Dugu Bo’s jade phosphorous serpent poison gas 70.
• Offense: Overwhelmed pursuing Soul Saints and a Soul Douluo from the Seven Great Families 74.
• Early limitation: Maintaining it strained his depleted, injured body and secured only a precarious refuge against Dugu Bo 70 71 72.

Ice Dragon King

Tom gained this second martial soul by refining the Ice Dragon King soul pearl. Its water–ice nature complemented his existing water-related power 83.

• Grants draconic possession features, including horns, claws, and scales 83.
• Further strengthens and rejuvenates his physique 83.
• No named soul skills for this martial soul are documented in the supplied chapters.

Combat Experience and Concealment

• Decades of combat experience allowed him to outperform a newly advanced Soul Douluo even before his injuries healed 74.
• Detected Lu Yuan following him and used an alley to turn the pursuit into an ambush 68.
• Helped infiltrate the Seven Great Families’ vault, bypassing Soul Emperor and Soul Saint guards and avoiding a Soul Douluo’s notice 72.
• Used concealed spiritual pressure to immobilize Flender and privately warn him against exploiting Lu Yuan 97.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Golden Hawksbill Turtle Torso Soul Bone — Over ninety thousand years old; originally obtained with Jack and Mary, later reclaimed and absorbed to reach rank ninety 73 79.
• Blue Silver King Soul Bone — Eighty thousand years old; given to him by Snake Lance Douluo after their successful hunt 82 83.
• Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus — Supplied by Lu Yuan; healed his longstanding injuries and raised him to rank eighty-nine 77.
• Ice Dragon King Soul Pearl — Supplied by Lu Yuan; granted his second martial soul 83.
• Ten-thousand-year whale glue — Obtained through old connections and given to Lu Yuan, with instructions to consume it gradually 4.
• Meditation manual — Passed to Lu Yuan; markedly superior to Nuoding Academy’s standard method 6.

Relationships

• Lu Yuan — Adoptive grandson and closest family bond. Tom raised and educated him; Lu Yuan later restored Tom’s health and enabled his advancement to Titled Douluo 1 4 77 83.
• Meowmeow — Treated as part of the family, joining Tom and Lu Yuan’s celebratory meal after the awakening 2 3.
• Old Jack — Longtime friend, traveling companion, and brother-in-arms; escaped the soul-bone conflict with Tom after losing his soul power 72 74 82.
• Mary — Traveling companion and beloved woman; died in the conflict surrounding the torso soul bone 74 82.
• Prince Xue Xing — Mortal enemy associated with the destruction of Tom’s traveling trio and loss of their soul bone 75 84.
• Snake Lance Douluo / She Long — Rescuer and later ally; helped secure Tom’s ninth ring, supplied the Blue Silver King soul bone, and arranged his Spirit Hall recruitment 76 80 82.
• Qian Renxue — Ordered his rescue and received formal credit for his recruitment. Tom later learned that she was disguised as Heaven Dou’s crown prince 77 84 92.
• Dugu Bo — Initially threatened Tom and Lu Yuan; agreed to spare them after Lu Yuan offered a remedy for his poison backlash 70 71 72.

Notable Quotes

“Level 0.5, that's good. He can become a soul master and still avoid getting involved in dangerous battles between high-ranking soul masters.” 2

“You're not dead yet. How could I, Tom, bear to die before you?” 74

Trivia

• Lu Yuan retained his name because, when Tom found him, he repeatedly babbled “Lu Yuan” while Tom was deciding what to call him 1.
• Tom is nearly twenty years older than Snake Lance Douluo 77.
• His later enhancements increased his lifespan limit to nearly two hundred years 83.