Douluo Continent – Heavenly Soul Empire – Xuanming Sect.
The mournful sound of funeral music echoed across the sprawling grounds of the secluded sect, marking the passing of a key figure within.
"Third Young Master, Third Young Master, please wake up, don't fall asleep!""Young Lord, please hang on! The young lady is gone… you mustn't meet with another accident!"
In a room styled with ancient charm, Xu Tianxi lay on a bed, his mind groggy as two anxious voices rang in his ears.
Having just transmigrated and still unsure of the situation, Xu Tianxi ignored the voices, shut his eyes tightly, and began sorting through the chaotic flood of memories in his mind.
In his previous life, he was a post-2000s college student working part-time as a security guard over winter break. A web novel reader and casual Bihu (Zhihu parody) browser, he had been welcoming residents back to the community when a food delivery rider came speeding by. He reached out to stop the scooter, only to get slammed onto the ground. His head hit the pavement—and then everything went black.
When he woke up, he found himself in this strange world, with a storm of unfamiliar memories surging into his brain.
Douluo Continent… Heavenly Soul Empire… the hidden Xuanming Sect… the third young master of this generation's Xuanming Sect… with a half-brother named Xu Sanshi…
Damn! Got myself isekai'd to the Hydrogen Continent just by trying to stop a food delivery scooter!
And not just that—this was smack in the middle of the most chaotic era in ten thousand years. The era of Douluo 2, where the God King Tang "Buddha" would do anything—even rip apart his own daughter—just to fish out the Son of the Plane and leash him like a dog!
As a post-2000s reader, Xu Tianxi was no stranger to web novels. He had read works from the "Five Supreme Web Authors" like "Some Prestige," "Some Potato," and "Some Red Hair."
He still remembered being wowed in middle school when he first read the original Douluo Dalu. Soul rings? That's such a cool concept!
Later in Douluo 2, when protagonist Huo Gua showed up with his hacks enabled from the get-go, Xu Tianxi was filled with excitement—until Clear Sky Sect randomly bombed Electrolux out of existence, making his eye twitch.
Sure, plot development often called for tragic elder deaths. Introducing "soul spirits" made narrative sense. He hadn't understood it at the time, but it had left a deep impression on him.
Then came that infamous arc—The Valley of Love and Inquiry. He remembered watching in utter confusion…
After that? He mostly felt sick. Deep inside, he started to suspect the previous protagonist, Tang "God King," was turning into a villain. Back then, he wasn't sure. But years later, after lurking long enough on Bihu, he was certain—
He wasn't just becoming a villain. He was the final boss! The ultimate black hand behind everything!
In Douluo 2, the Tang God King's statue stood tall while Shrek Academy replaced Spirit Hall—but the only real difference was in branding. At the end of the day, power remained unchecked.
And now, Xu Tianxi was inhabiting the body of someone caught in the gears of that unjust system. A tragedy beyond words—and Shrek Academy played a major role in it.
"Alright, I don't know why I ended up here, but since I'm here, might as well adapt. Who knows—if I become a god one day, I might even find my way home. But whatever happens, I absolutely must avoid being turned into Tang God King's lapdog. That kind of 'honor' can go to Huo Gua. I'm not built for that life…"
Whoosh—
Letting out a long breath, Xu Tianxi rubbed his temples and sat up with a groan. His reddened eyes slowly focused on the two men before him—an old servant and a boy no older than five or six.
The younger one was Chen Wu, his personal page assigned by the sect. His family had served Xuanming Sect for five generations. His older brother, Chen Wen, was personal page to Xu Sanshi, Xu Tianxi's half-brother, and had helped him set up Jiang Nannan's second martial soul awakening in the original story.
The elder was a wrinkled old man known as "Old Yue," a loyal servant brought to Xuanming Sect by Xu Tianxi's mother. That name—Old Yue—was oddly poetic in hindsight.
Seeing him awake, both men were instantly overcome with emotion. Old Yue began to weep, gripping Xu Tianxi's wrist with his callused hands.
"Young Master, you scared me to death… The young lady's accident was already a thunderbolt from the blue. If anything had happened to you too, I wouldn't have the face to see the old master in the afterlife…"
His grip hurt, so Xu Tianxi gently coaxed the old man to let go.
"Don't worry, Old Yue. I'm tougher than I look. I'm awake now, see? Everything's fine…"
Old Yue released his grip, but still looked worried."Are you truly alright? You passed out sobbing in front of the young lady's memorial. I was scared out of my wits…"
With his pale face and reddened eyes, Xu Tianxi didn't look very convincing, but he waved it off anyway.
Chen Wu gave a shaky smile."Don't worry, Old Yue. Now that Third Young Master is awake, he'll be fine. Besides, you've already sent someone to fetch a Xuanwu Divine Pill—that thing can even bring the dead back to life!"
Old Yue's expression eased slightly. As a longtime member of Xuanming Sect, he knew well the power of its alchemy. Their famous Xuan Shui Pill had made waves on the continent. The Xuanwu Divine Pill was an even more potent healing elixir—capable of saving someone on the brink of death.
But even such a miracle couldn't bring the young lady back…
Seeing their sorrow, Xu Tianxi changed the subject."Old Yue, I heard Shrek Academy sent someone to return my mother's body. Do you know who?"
Old Yue frowned and thought for a moment."I heard the visitors were Dean Yan Shaozhe of Shrek Academy and a female student from the Inner Court—Zhang Lexuan. She was close to the young lady and came to offer apologies on the Academy's behalf…"
His eyes turned red with grief and fury."Hmph! So much for the so-called number-one academy! They couldn't even protect their own disciples!"
"Young lady was the Inner Court's top disciple, the Senior Sister of the Academy, and she still met with an 'accident' while hunting soul beasts in Star Dou Forest! What were all those titled Douluos doing—eating?"
Eating? More like gorging themselves into incompetence.
Xu Tianxi couldn't help but think that his mother's fate was unbelievably tragic.
Normally, Shrek Academy—despite its arrogance and global enforcements—still made protecting Inner Court disciples a priority.
His mother, Kong Xiyue, had been the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils from two generations ago. She had led the Academy's battle team to a resounding victory over the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy in Mingdu. An eight-ring Soul Douluo, a graduate of the Inner Court, and the second wife of the Xuanming Sect's current master.
Before leaving, she had promised her son: "Wait for me to get your Aunt Xuan her eighth soul ring. Then I'll return to be with you every day."
When asked if it was dangerous, she smiled and reassured him: Shrek would send a Titled Douluo to guard them in secret.
And indeed, the expedition included twelve Inner Court disciples and was guarded by none other than Elder Xuan—a 98th-rank Super Douluo and the second most powerful member of Sea God's Pavilion.
Yet, of course, tragedy struck.
Elder Xuan failed in his duties. The team was ambushed by a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Eight students died before help arrived. Kong Xiyue perished protecting the others—a heroic end, but in Xu Tianxi's view, an utterly unnecessary one.
Had she lived, her talent and the Xuanming Sect's resources would have easily made her a Titled Douluo—perhaps even a Super Douluo.
But now… all of that was gone.
"Xuan Old Dog… you useless bastard. I swear I'll make you pay one day…"
A strange clarity filled his mind. The memories had settled—this life's karma now fully inherited. Xu Tianxi didn't know what strange fate had sent him here, but he had arrived, and that was that.
In a world where bloodlines could decide everything, Elder Xuan might be a 98th-level powerhouse, but Xu Tianxi believed he still had a shot at taking him down.
His father was the Xuanming Sect's master, a Titled Douluo. His mother had been the top of the Shrek Seven Devils. Unless he had utterly trash-tier talent, he was destined to awaken a top-tier martial soul.
Strong bloodline, good food, good care—his innate soul power wouldn't be low. In fact, the original Xu Tianxi had already taken multiple Xuan Shui Pills, so possessing full innate soul power was entirely possible.
Huo Gua's meteoric rise was partly due to those same pills, which boosted cultivation speed fivefold.
Still, Elder Xuan was no pushover. It might take decades of hard cultivation to surpass him. And as a citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire, if Xu Tianxi showed any hostility toward Shrek, the academy and its allied empires would squash him without mercy.
So, clearly, revenge couldn't happen in the empire—unless he became powerful enough to force them to abandon Shrek. That… wasn't likely.
Wouldn't it be better to defect to the rising power before the three Douluo empires are pushed into the sea?
Yes… join the Sun Moon Empire!
"I mean, I don't exactly want to go to Shrek and fight 300 people for a bathroom. I sure as hell don't want to get targeted by Tang Buddha. Might as well sneak into the more developed Sun Moon Empire. I hear they offer private dorms—and their artillery superiority matches my aesthetic."
Xu Tianxi weighed the pros and cons. Shrek had nothing truly unique besides the Golden Tree. A visit might give you some random epiphany—but could also brand you with the "Tang Sect" mark, which he wanted no part of.
This wasn't Xiao Huohuo next door, who'd tear up with nostalgia and help a fellow transmigrator out. Tang Buddha? That guy would shoot you in the back—and again if you survived.
And Shrek's so-called "rewards"? Only true insiders got access. Even Huo Gua, after all his blood, sweat, and soul bone donations, barely received scraps.
And in the end? He still got saddled with eternal servitude to Shrek and Tang Buddha.
Xu Tianxi didn't have a cheat code. If he got Mu En's gold coins, Tang Buddha would probably leash him too.
Conclusion? Screw this. Joining the enemy has never sounded better!
At that moment, the door creaked open. Footsteps echoed.
Three new auras entered the room.
Old Yue's curses halted. All three turned toward the door, where two men and a woman entered.
The woman wore a moon-white robe, accentuating her graceful figure. Delicate features, fair skin—she looked to be in her early twenties, gentle and soft-spoken. Though visibly pale and weak, her beauty was unforgettable.
"Tianxi… Aunt Xuan is so sorry… sorry for you, sorry for your mother… I'm so sorry…"
Zhang Lexuan rushed to the bedside, grabbing his hand as tears streamed down her face. Her sobs filled the room with grief.
Xu Tianxi glanced at his poor abused hand and sighed. People on Douluo Continent really didn't know how to hold back.
This was Zhang Lexuan—the Inner Court Senior Sister of Shrek Academy, his mother's closest friend, and the only person from that tragic mission who didn't gain from it.
As for the two elders behind her…
Xu Tianxi looked past her. Chen Wu and Old Yue both bowed to the older man in black robes—clearly a Xuanming Sect elder. The man had once called himself "Grandmaster" in front of Xu Tianxi, and had been his mother's teacher—a bit of a quirky old man.
The other elder wore white and exuded a warm, radiant aura. But his face was clouded, and his gaze toward Old Yue wasn't friendly.
Full of light-attributed soul power, sour face, and arriving with Zhang Lexuan? This had to be Yan Shaozhe, Dean of Shrek Academy.
"So the old Grandmaster came to check on me. Wonder what he thinks about all this… As for Yan Shaozhe? He probably heard Old Yue cursing them earlier…"
A plan formed in Xu Tianxi's mind. He forced a smile at the white-robed elder and asked:
"Senior, might you be the Dean of Shrek Academy?"