Yunlai Tavern

Thirty miles outside Heaven Dou City, beside the Imperial Road, stood an inconspicuous little tavern. The four words "Yunlai Tavern" on its signboard had long been weathered beyond recognition by wind and rain.

Morning sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows across the wooden counter. Xiao Yun was wiping it with a rag, his movements practiced and mechanical.

Eighteen years had passed. Ever since he had inexplicably transmigrated to this Douluo Continent, he had spent most of his days living such a placid, uneventful life.

When he had first transmigrated, it was not as though he had never dreamed of working hard in Douluo Continent and changing the tragedy of his Previous Life on Blue Star—having no house, no car, no savings, no wife, no children, and no hope. A man with none of the six.

Unfortunately, after arriving in this world, although he had achieved the status of tall, rich, and handsome through some knowledge from his Previous Life—

In a world with extraordinary powers, however, a height of six foot one was still nowhere near enough compared to certain burly Soul Masters.

As for being rich, having been influenced by so many novels from Earth in his Previous Life, his quick-witted mind had naturally earned him quite a bit of money. Yet, knowing the darkness of human hearts, he did not dare keep too much wealth. He retained only a small portion and handed most of it over to an influential figure he had met by chance, asking that person for protection. Only then had he obtained his current peaceful life.

But when it came to looks, he was truly handsome—several degrees more handsome than Tang Yin after his transformation. He was only slightly inferior to those noble readers, so most of the time, he deliberately put on makeup before going out.

The main reason was that, in terms of cultivation, he was a man with none of three things: no talent, no Soul Power, and no background. He was not even comparable to the most minor supporting character. It was not that he had not worked hard. He truly had worked hard for a time when he was young, but when it came time to awaken his Martial Soul, all he awakened was a dull gray bead. Not a trace of Innate Soul Power could be detected. In this world where Martial Souls reigned supreme, Xiao Yun had no choice but to give up the path of a Soul Master.

Still, through scientific exercise methods he remembered from his Previous Life, along with health-preserving Cultivation Methods such as Baduanjin, Five Animals Exercise, and Taiji Fist, he had made something of himself. At the very least, his physical constitution was far superior to that of an Ordinary Person. The clearest evidence was his height and bearing. The more he practiced those health-preserving exercises, the more balanced and harmonious his entire physique became, and he developed a special tranquil, serene aura that greatly attracted girls.

More than that, after all his scientific training, his current physical abilities rivaled those of certain Soul Grandmasters. That was why he could operate this Yunlai Tavern alone outside Heaven Dou City.

Even so, he still lived with extreme caution. He basically did not dare use inventions that were too far ahead of this era. He did not even dare employ the distillation techniques essential to so many transmigrators. After all, he only possessed physical abilities comparable to a Soul Grandmaster, far beneath those Advanced Soul Masters. If he made too much money, he could easily draw the attention of nobles or Advanced Soul Masters. Though someone was protecting him, that person could not watch over him all day long. If someone took the risk, he would be finished.

Just as Xiao Yun sank into lamenting his fate once more, a voice called out from outside.

"Boss Xiao, bring us a pot of clear wine and two small dishes." A road-weary Merchant pushed open the door, interrupting Xiao Yun's thoughts.

"Coming right up." Xiao Yun revealed a professional smile and turned toward the kitchen to prepare the order. His face looked especially handsome beneath the morning light, his sword eyebrows and starry eyes exceptionally striking.

The Merchant was also momentarily dazzled by Xiao Yun's appearance and could not help praising him. "Boss Xiao, why do you seem even more handsome than before? I have a daughter who is quite beautiful. Want to consider it?"

Xiao Yun nearly stumbled upon hearing that. He hurriedly replied, "Uncle Li, stop joking around. That Young Lady of yours is a Lord Soul Master. I can't afford to provoke her."

With that, he quickened his pace and darted into the kitchen.

When he came out again carrying the wine and food, he heard the Merchant surnamed Li discussing something with his companion. "Have you heard? The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament will begin in another three months. This time, it is said that quite a few genius teams have emerged."

"Of course. The most favored team is naturally the one under Spirit Hall. I heard their seed members have already surpassed level fifty. At such young ages, they are already Soul King-level experts."

"That is indeed impressive. Aside from Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, there are also quite a few formidable teams. Take the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team from our Heaven Dou Empire, for example. I heard they have many outstanding members, such as Poison Douluo's granddaughter Dugu Yan, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's foremost third-generation disciple Yu Tianheng, and Ye Lingling, who possesses Nine Hearts Begonia, one of the strongest Healing Type Martial Souls."

"Besides the Heaven Dou Empire, I heard the Five Great Elemental Academies have also produced quite a few geniuses. Despite their young ages, they all possess the strength of Soul Elders above level thirty."

One of them sighed. "Think about them, then look at us. We are already this old, yet our strength is inferior to a bunch of brats. It really is depressing."

Suddenly, a travel-worn Merchant beside them interjected, "Have you heard of Shrek Academy?"

Xiao Yun's hand paused slightly, and the Wine Pot nearly slipped from his grasp. Shrek Academy. That familiar name made his heart tighten.

For eighteen years, he had quietly gathered all kinds of information about this world and had long confirmed that this was the world of Douluo Continent. However, this world was far more complicated than the Douluo Continent from the anime.

And Shrek Academy was precisely the intermediate Soul Master Academy attended by Tang San, this world's protagonist blessed by fate.

Thinking of how they were both transmigrators, Tang San had been born as the Young Master of the Clear Sky Sect, the greatest sect in the world, and the son of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao. He possessed top-tier Twin Martial Souls, the Tang Sect's supreme cultivation technique, the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and numerous martial techniques such as Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Purple Demon Eye. More terrifying still, he knew the Hundred Explanations of Hidden Weapons and could skillfully create all manner of lethal weapons. He truly had the perfect setup for a protagonist blessed by fate.

At that thought, Xiao Yun's expression became somewhat dejected.

"Boss, are you all right?" Seeing Xiao Yun's disappointed expression, Uncle Li asked with concern.

"I'm fine. My hand just slipped." Xiao Yun forced a smile. After setting down the wine and dishes, he returned behind the counter, his attention already focused as he wanted to hear what this Merchant would say.

The Merchant continued, "I once saw disciples from Shrek Academy at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City. There were seven of them in total, all quite young—probably only fourteen or fifteen—but several of them already possessed the strength of Soul Elders. They were exceptionally formidable."

Xiao Yun also recalled that, in the original manga, Tang San and the others should now have been around fourteen years old. They were probably on their way from Shrek Intermediate Academy toward Heaven Dou City, preparing to participate in the upcoming Continental Advanced Academy Elite Soul Master Tournament.

Yet he, also a transmigrator, had not even awakened the most basic Soul Power and could only waste his days in this tiny tavern.

System, Golden Finger, where exactly are you...? Xiao Yun shook his head with a bitter smile. Over the past eighteen years, he had tried every possible method. He had even followed the tropes from novels in his Previous Life by jumping off cliffs and dripping blood to claim ownership. In the end, he gained nothing except nearly being killed by a fall and losing too much blood.

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, evening arrived. Just as Xiao Yun was preparing to close for the day, a noisy set of Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.