Douluo Continent, Tianhun Empire, Xuanming Sect.
Tear-jerking mournful music echoed throughout the vast hidden sect, announcing the passing of an important figure within the sect.
...
"Third Young Master, Third Young Master, please wake up, don't slip away now."
"Young Master, Young Master, please hold on! Miss has met with an accident, you mustn't have any more mishaps."
In a simple, old-fashioned room, Xu Tianxi lay on the bed, his mind foggy. Faintly, he heard two anxious and sorrowful voices.
Having just transmigrated and still unclear about the situation, Xu Tianxi ignored them, closing his eyes tightly while sorting through the jumble of memories in his mind.
Originally, he was a college student born after 2000, working part-time as a security guard during winter break, spending free time reading novels and browsing Bihu. During a job welcoming residents back home, a fast-moving delivery rider suddenly rushed in. Xu Tianxi reached out to stop the vehicle but was knocked down, hitting his head on the ground, and then lost consciousness.
Upon waking, he inexplicably found himself here, while a flood of chaotic memories surged into his mind.
Douluo Continent… Tianhun Empire… Hidden sect Xuanming Sect… The third young master of the current Xuanming Sect, with a half-brother named Xu Sanshi…
Wow, just from stopping a delivery bike, he ended up on Hydrogen Continent!
Moreover, it's right in the middle of a major unprecedented upheaval — the era of Douluo Second Period, when the legendary God King Tang Buddha displayed incredible power, even willing to tear his own daughter apart to fish out the child from another dimension as a servant!
As a post-2000 generation, exposure to web novels was completely normal. He had read works by certain "Wei," "Potato," and "Red Hair" — the five supreme authors.
Back in middle school, he had eagerly followed the first part of the Tang Family Continent series, eyes shining as he watched the story, thinking the reputation was well-deserved. The concept of spirit rings really was innovative.
Then came the second part with Huo's overpowered arrival. Early on, it was exciting, but when Haotian Sect suddenly destroyed Ilex with explosives, his eyes twitched.
Well, it's normal for protagonists to face setbacks and for the plot to introduce soul spirits.
He was too young to understand at the time but was greatly shocked.
Later, when the earth-shaking story of Qian Kun Wenqing Valley came out, he was confused...
Further on, he just felt disgusted, instinctively sensing that the previous protagonist, God King Tang, seemed to have turned into a villain — though he couldn't be sure then.
After growing up and spending time on Bihu and similar sites, he confirmed his suspicion — not only did God King Tang seem to be a villain, he was the world's number one mastermind!
During the Douluo Second Period, Shrek Academy, which erected statues of God King Tang, replaced the Spirit Hall, but as long as power was corrupt, the gap between them and Spirit Hall was unbridgeable.
And the previous owner of this body lying here was also part of a tragic story — Shrek Academy had a major contribution…
"Although I don't know why I'm here, since I'm here, I'll try to adapt. Maybe one day when I become a god, I'll find a way back. But I must not be caught by God King Tang and made a dog — that kind of fortune is better left for Huo."
Xu Tianxi sighed, supporting his forehead with one hand, then propped himself up on the bed with his elbow, opening his still slightly red eyes. Two men who looked like servants came into view.
The one calling him "Third Young Master" was a boy of about five or six years old named Chen Wu, assigned by Xuanming Sect as his personal attendant, with five generations of ancestors serving the sect.
His elder brother was Chen Wen, personal attendant to Xu Sanshi, the half-brother, who in the original story also helped Xu Sanshi find Jiang Nannan to conduct the spirit awakening ceremony.
The one calling him "Young Master" was an old man with a wrinkled face, who Xu Tianxi remembered as a longtime servant brought by the previous owner's mother to Xuanming Sect — he called him "Old Yue."
Thinking back, that was a rather unique title.
Seeing Xu Tianxi awake, both men's expressions shifted from sorrow to joy. Old Yue burst into tears, gripping Xu Tianxi's wrist tightly, voice choked with emotion:
"You scared me to death, Young Master. The miss's accident was already a thunderclap, and if anything happened to you too, I wouldn't have the face to meet the master even in the afterlife…"
Xu Tianxi's wrist was hurting from the grip, so he comforted the overly emotional old man gently, prompting him to release.
"Old Yue, don't worry, I'm still hanging on. I'm awake now, everything's fine, really…"
Old Yue loosened his grip but still asked with concern:
"Are you really okay, Young Master? Earlier, you fainted from crying at the miss's spirit altar. You really scared me."
Xu Tianxi waved his hand to say he was fine, but his pale face hardly convinced.
Chen Wu took a breath, forcing a smile to comfort Old Yue:
"Old Yue, don't worry. Since the Third Young Master has woken up, he must be fine. Besides, you sent for the Xuanwu Divine Pill — that miraculous pill can even bring the dead back to life."
Old Yue's expression lightened a bit at this. Having been in Xuanming Sect for years, he knew well the sect's great expertise in pill-making.
The famed Xuan Shui Pill came from Xuanming Sect, and the Xuanwu Divine Pill was a first-class healing medicine that could save lives even in mortal danger.
But while the pill could save the young master, it could not save the miss…
Seeing their sorrowful expressions, Xu Tianxi didn't want to say more and changed the subject.
"Old Yue, I heard Shrek Academy sent someone to return my mother's body. Who came?"
Old Yue frowned and thought for a moment, then answered:
"I heard it was Shrek Academy's dean, Yan Shaozhe, and a young lady who is a close inner academy disciple named Zhang Lexuan, here to apologize to our Xuanming Sect…"
As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and his tone was full of resentment and grief. Clenching his fists, he cursed:
"Hmph! I think this so-called number one academy is nothing special if they can't even protect their own students!
The miss was their top disciple, a senior inner academy elder sister, but she met with an accident hunting spirit beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. What use are all their titled Douluos then…"
"What use?" Xu Tianxi thought silently — they were just too greedy and careless.
Xu Tianxi fell silent for a moment, thinking that the previous owner's mother truly had bad luck.
Normally, although Shrek Academy acted arrogantly, treating inner disciples like expendable materials and enforcing laws everywhere, they still tried their best to protect their students.
The previous owner's mother, Kong Xiyue, was the leader of the Seven Freaks of Shrek's previous generation, who had led the Shrek Academy team to a great victory over the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy in Mingdu. She was an eight-ring Spirit Douluo, a senior inner academy elder sister who had already graduated, and the second madam of the Xuanming Sect's sect leader.
Before she left, a batch of inner disciples were going to acquire spirit rings to advance. Among them was a very close and talented junior inner disciple, Zhang Lexuan, the leader of the previous generation's Seven Freaks of Shrek, who had visited the Xuanming Sect with Kong Xiyue several times and whom the previous owner called "Aunt Xuan."
Two months ago, Kong Xiyue had coaxed the previous owner, saying, "Wait for me to bring you Aunt Xuan's eighth spirit ring, then I'll come back from Shrek and stay with you every day."
When asked if it was dangerous, Kong Xiyue smiled and said it wasn't, that Shrek Academy would send titled Douluos to secretly protect her, so the previous owner could rest assured and wait for her return...
As Kong Xiyue said, a group of twelve inner court disciples went to the Star Dou Forest to hunt souls. The Shrek Academy indeed took this very seriously.
So seriously that they dispatched Xuanzi, the second strongest of the Sea God Pavilion and soon-to-be successor of the pavilion leader, who had reached level 98 cultivation, to personally protect them in secret!
Then, unsurprisingly, an accident happened: Xuanzi derelicted his duty and was not guarding the students nearby. The twelve inner court disciples were attacked by a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast. They struggled to hold on without support, suffering eight deaths before barely winning.
It is said that my previous life's mother heroically sacrificed herself to protect the younger students. Such a death was noble, but from Xu Tianxi's point of view, it was truly unjust.
If she hadn't fallen, with her talent as the head of the Shrek Seven Devils of her generation, combined with the resources of the Xuanming Sect, it would be no problem for her to become a titled Douluo. She could even have tried to break through to Super Douluo.
But now, all is lost...
"Xuan Laodeng, Xuan Laodeng, why can't you do something right? You're so good at causing harm, sooner or later I'll make you pay..."
Thinking about seeking revenge on Xuanzi, Xu Tianxi felt a wave of relief surge through his mind. His thoughts cleared, and all memories became fully organized.
Obviously, this life is bound to the consequences of this world's fate. Xu Tianxi did not understand the exact circumstances of his transmigration, but since he was here now—and past and present lives are one—he would settle scores with Xuan Laodeng in the future.
On this Douluo Continent, where bloodline almost determines everything, although Xuanzi is a level 98 Super Douluo, Xu Tianxi did not think he had no chance of defeating him.
His current body's father is the contemporary sect leader of Xuanming Sect, a titled Douluo, and his mother was the head of the Shrek Seven Devils. Unless his character was as bad as Master Yu's, he was bound to awaken a top-tier martial soul.
A powerful martial soul, a good upbringing, even with low innate soul power, he couldn't be too weak. Moreover, his previous self had already taken several Xuan Shui Dan that enhance innate soul power, so having full innate soul power was no surprise.
In the original story, Huo Gua's rise was greatly aided by two Xuan Shui Dan, which improved his body talent and boosted his cultivation speed more than fivefold.
However, strategically, he should not underestimate his enemy; tactically, he must still take care. Xuan Laodeng, no matter how bad he was, was still a top-level expert on the continent. Xu Tianxi might not catch up to him even after decades of honest cultivation.
Considering the power of Shrek Academy and the threat of the Sun Moon Empire to the original three Douluo kingdoms, if Xu Tianxi, a native of the Tianhun Empire, openly showed hostility, he would surely be restrained or even killed by the top powers of Shrek Academy and the three kingdoms.
Clearly, revenge was impossible in the Tianhun Empire unless Xu Tianxi could cultivate to a level that utterly crushed Xuanzi, forcing the Douluo kingdoms to abandon Shrek Academy, making it impossible for the academy to resist his revenge.
After serious thought, Xu Tianxi found this goal too difficult—even the Douluo kingdoms before being toppled by the Sun Moon Empire might not manage it. So he thought:
Why not directly side with the inevitably victorious Sun Moon Empire before the Douluo kingdoms are overthrown?
"Anyway, I don't want to fight hundreds of people for a bathroom at Shrek Academy, nor do I want to get targeted by Tang Fozu; it's better to secretly move to the relatively developed Sun Moon Empire in a few years. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy apparently offers single dorm rooms, and their firepower coverage better suits my aesthetic…"
Xu Tianxi recalled the original story, weighing pros and cons, quickly realizing Shrek Academy had nothing unique aside from the Golden Tree. Entering there might randomly get you branded with the 'Tang Sect' stamp, and now he was determined to avoid Tang Fozu at all costs.
That guy wasn't like Xiao Huohuo next door, who might support fellow townsfolk tearfully. If Tang Fozu found out about this transmigrator, he'd probably stab him in the back and keep going.
As for soul bones and secret techniques, only absolute insiders could be taught them. The original Huo Gua, aside from Mu En's guidance and Dragon Pills, received no benefits from Shrek. Instead, he desperately supported Shrek and the three kingdoms, risking his life over and over, fully repaying Mu En's grace.
And yet, he had to serve Tang Fozu, the Shrek ancestor, as an eternal son-in-law and tool. The favor from Shrek Academy truly can never be repaid.
Without cheats, if Xu Tianxi took Huo Gua's place and received Mu En's gold coins, Tang Fozu would surely target him and turn him into a dog too.
In summary, once the idea of betraying arose, the world felt wide open!
Just then, the door suddenly creaked open, and footsteps approached. Three distinct auras flowed into the room.
The sound of the old man cursing Shrek Academy stopped abruptly. The three looked outside and saw three figures enter: two men and one woman.
The woman wore a moon-white robe, outlining a beautiful figure. Her delicate face was pale and flawless, about twenty years old, with a quiet and gentle temperament that left a deep impression. Her pale complexion showed signs of weakness.
"Tianxi, Aunt Xuan is sorry to you, sorry to your mother, sorry, sorry..."
Zhang Lexuan hurried to the bedside, tightly gripping Xu Tianxi's still youthful wrist. Big tears streamed down her face as she sobbed quietly, as if recalling some painful experience upon seeing Xu Tianxi.
Xu Tianxi looked at his twice-suffering hand and thought how ruthless the people of Douluo Continent really were.
This woman, who had visited Xuanming Sect several times to see him and called herself Aunt Xuan, was undoubtedly the only beneficiary who wasn't helped in the tragedy—Zhang Lexuan, the contemporary senior sister of Shrek Academy.
As for the two old men behind her…
Xu Tianxi's gaze dropped to Chen Wu and Yue Lao, who upon seeing the visibly older man in black robes stepped forward to salute him. This black-robed elder was clearly from Xuanming Sect and had many interactions with Xu Tianxi's former self.
He had once called himself "Master Ancestor," the teacher of Xu Tianxi's previous mother, and seemed to be an old prankster.
The other elder, in white robes, exuded a warm and bright aura as he walked but looked somewhat displeased, casting an unfriendly glance at Yue Lao.
With a soul power of pure light and coming with Zhang Lexuan, this man was probably Yan Shaozhe, the head of Shrek Academy.
"Master Ancestor should be here to see me, but I wonder what he thinks of Shrek and this incident. Yan Shaozhe's face looks bad, probably because he heard Yue Lao cursing them…"
Since this was so, Xu Tianxi decided to take this opportunity to test the attitude of the Master Ancestor.
He forced a smile at the white-robed elder and asked,
"May I ask, are you the head of Shrek Academy?"