Sun Moon Continent

"This is way too delicious! It's a hundred times better than any candied fruit or pastry!"

The two girls swept through the spicy strips Yue Guan handed them like a gale scattering clouds, then licked their fingertips and looked at him, still craving more.

"Senior Yue Guan, how do we buy these tasty things? We want more!"

Busy arranging the remaining snacks on the shelves, Yue Guan took a moment to point at the small electronic display.

"The prices are all displayed there. To pay, you can just go to the counter and give the money to Boss Lin."

Without another word, Dugu Yan and Meng Yiran immediately darted among the shelves, choosing based on the enticing pictures on the packaging.

Soon, each had gathered an armful of snacks. They returned to their seats before the large screen showing the Arena matches and eagerly tore open the packages to eat.

The broadcast screen was currently showing an intense battle between two substitute team members from Blazing Fire and Thunderclap.

Among the spectators, besides the leaders of the various factions, were naturally the younger generation's geniuses, there to gain practical combat experience.

As the snacks' uniquely tempting aroma spread, Feng Xiaotian, who was sitting closest, turned his head and stared at the spicy strips in Meng Yiran's hand, asking curiously:

"What are you eating? It smells incredible."

"Want a taste?"

Meng Yiran offered him some. The moment he put them in his mouth and began chewing, Feng Xiaotian's eyes widened, and he immediately showered them with praise.

As time passed, in just a short while-

Almost everyone in front of the large screen had a bag of snacks. What had been an atmosphere of discussing the battle became one of eating while watching, which had its own particular charm.

Behind the counter, meanwhile, Lin Yue propped his chin on one hand and stared at the mission on the system panel asking him to devise a more effective way of attracting customers than handing out flyers. He racked his brains for ages without coming up with a single decent idea.

As he thought, his fingertips unconsciously tapped the counter, and clouds of worry gradually gathered over his face.

Qian Daoliu happened to witness this.

He walked over slowly and asked in a gentle tone:

"Boss Lin, you look troubled. Have you run into something worrying?"

His question was not loud, but it instantly drew the attention of everyone present who had not lain down in a Game Pod.

Everyone who had been chatting, eating snacks, or watching the matches stopped what they were doing and turned to look. Then, without any prompting, they fell silent and walked over to the counter together.

Still immersed in thought, Lin Yue responded instinctively:

"Oh, I was just wondering whether there's a more effective way to attract customers than handing out flyers."

After speaking, he came back to his senses and looked up, only then discovering that everyone had surrounded him. He could not help feeling a little taken aback.

Upon hearing this, however, everyone had already begun enthusiastically offering suggestions.

"Why don't we send more people to hand out flyers together?"

"That won't do. Boss Lin is already sending people out to distribute flyers. Even if we send more, the effect probably won't be that significant."

"Then why don't our academies and clans use their influence to spread the word? That should work quite well."

At this suggestion, quite a few people nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Everyone was privately calculating that if they handled this well, they might even reap considerable benefits from Lin Yue.

Thus, every one of them was brimming with enthusiasm and eagerly volunteered to help.

Just then, Dugu Yan put down her snack bag, stood, and cleared her throat, her clear voice rising above everyone else's.

"Actually, I have an idea too."

Everyone quieted down and looked at her.

"The reason many people don't come even after receiving flyers is that they don't believe what's written on them. They think it's a deceptive ploy."

"Even if you all vouch for it with your families' and academies' reputations, I believe most people will still wait and see rather than dare to try."

"So wouldn't it be more convincing for young people like us, who have already awakened twin Martial Souls, to appear in person and demonstrate it ourselves?"

Everyone nodded thoughtfully at her words.

A flash of approval crossed Qian Daoliu's eyes, and he naturally asked:

"Well said. In that case, Miss Dugu, I assume you already have a specific plan for putting this into practice?"

Dugu Yan nodded and answered:

"Of course. If there's one place on the Douluo Continent that draws the most attention, it's the Soul Fighting Arena! Almost every match has hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of eyes watching."

"If young people like us with twin Martial Souls go to the Soul Fighting Arenas in the major cities to fight, publicly revealing our twin Martial Souls and the extraordinary opportunities we've obtained in this shop that go beyond ordinary Soul Masters' understanding, you can imagine the outcome."

As she finished, everyone's eyes lit up. They voiced their agreement, all finding this plan exquisitely ingenious and far more useful than simple publicity.

Lin Yue also nodded in satisfaction and immediately made the decision:

"This plan will work. We'll proceed with your proposal."

Then, with a thought, he placed a brilliantly shimmering Soul Ring scroll on the counter in front of Dugu Yan.

"Take this Adaptive Origin Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Scroll as your reward for this suggestion."

The room instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at the scroll with burning eyes, filled with envy.

In the original story, hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were exceedingly rare. An ordinary Titled Douluo might spend an entire lifetime without obtaining even one of their Soul Rings.

If they were lucky enough to obtain a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, they would choose to absorb it without hesitation, even if its attribute conflicted with their own!

This Adaptive Origin Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Scroll, however, could perfectly match one's Martial Soul with zero side effects after use. It would undoubtedly bring a qualitative leap in a Soul Master's innate potential and foundation!

Through word of mouth, all of this had already become common knowledge among those who had visited the shop.

Huo Wushuang swallowed. The first to lose his restraint, he cautiously asked:

"Boss Lin... if one of us comes up with a better suggestion in the future, could we... also receive a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Scroll like this?"

At those words, everyone pricked up their ears.

Lin Yue raised his eyebrows, swept his gaze over those expectant faces, and let the corners of his mouth lift slightly.

"If it brings in customers effectively, that's certainly possible."

In an instant, the entire room erupted!

The younger generation's eyes shone, while their elders exchanged glances, thoughts surging through their minds.

Seeing this, Lin Yue smiled faintly. Since everyone had worked out the plan for attracting customers together, why not entrust the rest of the work to them as well?

Thus, he spoke again:

"Everyone, I wonder if I could entrust you with full responsibility for carrying out this proposal?"

"As for compensation, how about things like that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring Scroll just now, Martial Soul Breakthrough Vouchers, One-Word Battle Armor, or Soul Bones?"

Everyone froze at first, then looked delighted. Dragon Duke Meng Shu even exclaimed excitedly:

"Boss Lin, do you truly mean that?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Lin Yue countered with a smile.

Everyone nodded repeatedly and told him to rest assured, then withdrew to one side and began an animated, hushed discussion about selecting the shop team's members, travel routes, and other arrangements.

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

After meticulous preparations, the young people in the shop split into seven teams according to plan. Led by Soul Douluos above rank eighty-five, they headed toward different cities and towns across the continent.

During this time, the trial periods of the three who had previously made their names in a single battle at Suotuo City's Soul Fighting Arena with their twin Martial Souls happened to expire.

At Lin Yue's suggestion, the three joined the final team and departed with them.

Then, not long after they left-

A travel-worn youth in ragged clothes pushed open the door and entered the shop.

Behind the counter, Lin Yue had been planning to rest when a system notification sounded in his mind, prompting him to look up and regard the newcomer at leisure.

"Welcome," he greeted him.

The youth's stomach growled with hunger as he asked quietly, "Boss, do you have anything to eat?"

"Yes."

Lin Yue casually handed him a menu.

"See what you'd like."

Taking the menu, the youth hastily ordered a serving of the cheapest food. After wolfing it down and filling his stomach, he spoke with a serious expression:

"Boss, I heard you have opportunities here that can change someone's destiny. Is that true?"

Lin Yue nodded calmly. "Of course it's true. But forgive me for asking: as someone from the Sun Moon Continent, how exactly did you cross the vast ocean to get here?"

The youth abruptly stood, his chair scraping with a piercing screech, and asked in shock and uncertainty:

"Are you from the Sun Moon Continent too?"

Lin Yue shook his head lightly. "No. To be precise, I'm not really from this world either."

At first, the youth was puzzled by the latter half of his answer, then disappointment welled up inside him.

Seeing this, Lin Yue softened his tone:

"Could you tell me your name, and how you came here from the Sun Moon Continent?"

The youth remained silent for a long time, his eyes lowered, as though opening memories long sealed beneath dust.

After a while, he heaved a long sigh and spoke hoarsely:

"My name is Jiang Yu. I come from a branch of a medium-sized Soul Master family on the Sun Moon Continent. I originally left to escape the family's internal conflicts, but they refused to let me go. With no other choice, I took a ship out to sea, thinking that even finding an uninhabited island to live in seclusion would do."

He clenched his fists and gave a bitter smile:

"But in the end, they still found my trail, so I could only keep fleeing farther away."

"Later... the ship lost its way at sea, the food ran out, and then I encountered a torrential storm. When I woke up, I had already arrived on this unfamiliar continent..."

After speaking, he raised his head to look at Lin Yue. Tiny sparks of hope kindled in his dim eyes as he continued:

"More than two years have passed now, and I've wandered all over this continent. Whenever I told anyone I came from the Sun Moon Continent, they all sneered that I was talking nonsense, said the Sun Moon Continent didn't exist at all, and simply thought I was mad."

"But today, here in your shop, I finally see hope!"

Looking at that faint yet stubborn flame in the youth's eyes, Lin Yue gently reassured him:

"Don't worry. As long as you're my customer, I'm quite happy to help."

Then he changed the subject:

"Now, back to business. You wanted an opportunity to change your destiny, didn't you? Prices here start at one Gold Soul Coin."

Jiang Yu's expression stiffened. Filling his stomach just now had used up his last Gold Soul Coin. All he had left were a few scattered silver coins, nowhere near enough to make up one Gold Soul Coin.

But then an idea struck him. He took a Soul Tool gleaming with a cold metallic sheen from the Storage Soul Tool at his waist and placed it on the counter.

"This is a Class Four offensive Soul Tool. Powered by Soul Power, it can fire a concentrated-power cannon for long-range attacks. Could you accept it as payment?"

Lin Yue did not rush to answer and asked him to wait a moment. The system panel then silently unfolded in his mind, and he sent it a thought.

Can you accept this?

The system responded instantly, cold text appearing on the panel.

"Yes. This Soul Tool is valued at 1,385 Gold Soul Coins and meets the buyback requirements."

After confirming its value, he closed the system and looked at Jiang Yu.

"I can give you 1,385 Gold Soul Coins for it. Is that acceptable?"

A trace of hesitation and reluctance flashed through Jiang Yu's eyes.

A Class Four offensive Soul Tool already fell into the category of basic military equipment manufactured by the Sun Moon Empire, corresponding to the combat strength of Soul Kings and Soul Emperors. He had paid a tremendous price to obtain it back then. Now that it was being exchanged at a reduced valuation for so little, he could not help feeling regret.

But thinking of his current situation, adrift and with no one to rely on, he gritted his teeth and finally nodded in agreement.

"All right. Deal."

Lin Yue then stored the Soul Tool in the system space and pushed a weighty stack of Gold Soul Coins in front of Jiang Yu.

Then he took one Gold Soul Coin from it and tipped his chin toward the Game Pods inside the shop.

"See those Game Pods over there? Lie down inside, and you'll get a chance to choose a Martial Soul. After that, whether you exit or continue experiencing another world, you'll have twin Martial Souls."

Following his gaze, Jiang Yu looked at the neat row of silver pods. His Adam's apple bobbed as he asked hesitantly:

"Then... are there any god-level Martial Souls among them?"

Lin Yue chuckled, his tone calm yet certain.

"I'm not exaggerating when I say that even Martial Souls that have never appeared on either continent of the entire Douluo Star are absolutely included in my Martial Soul selection."

Hearing this, Jiang Yu was filled with mixed feelings and silently sighed to himself.

If he had encountered this little shop more than two years ago, perhaps he would never have ended up wandering in exile like this, nor would he have had to endure so many cold looks on this unfamiliar continent.

As he thought, his gaze happened to sweep over the Prize Machine nearby, and he asked curiously:

"Boss, what does that thing do?"

Lin Yue explained patiently:

"One draw costs a hundred Gold Soul Coins, and nine hundred Gold Soul Coins buys ten draws. What you get depends entirely on your luck."

Jiang Yu nodded thoughtfully. Without asking anything more, he turned and walked toward a Game Pod.

As the pod's door slowly closed, a little light appeared in his pitch-black field of vision, and a vast river of stars spread out around him.

A pale blue Virtual Screen appeared before his eyes immediately afterward.

Looking at the densely packed Martial Soul icons on it, Jiang Yu had a clear goal and began searching for god-level Martial Souls.

Before long, his gaze locked onto an icon.

The Martial Soul was named Radiant Sacred Dragon.

It was an enormous dragon covered entirely in platinum scales. Each scale seemed condensed from pure light, and an aura of holiness and majesty suffused its body.

Its eyes were like two blazing white suns, as though they could pierce through all falsehood and darkness.

[Thanks to reader Tako for the nine recommendation votes. Bowing to the big shot-thank you for your support.]