The Endless Sea
Turtle Island
On a large rock, a handsome young man with sharp eyes and long golden hair sat motionless, gazing at the boundless sea stretching endlessly before him. His stare was vacant, as if his mind had drifted far from this place.
It had been three days since he had possessed this body.
Previously, he had been nothing more than an ordinary office worker who spent his free time reading novels, especially those about transmigration. Never had he imagined that one day he himself would experience the same fate—being flung into another world like the protagonists in the stories he often read.
Yet, the world he had arrived in was far different from what he had envisioned.
Typically, protagonists in transmigration novels would land in worlds teeming with mutated monsters or unique races. But him?
He stared at the endless expanse of the sea and nearly wanted to vomit blood.
This world was entirely surrounded by water. He didn't know how much land remained, but from the memories of this body's original owner, only one thing was certain—the island he now stood on.
The island was the size of a small country from his past life. Not overly large, but not small either. With over 10,000 inhabitants, it felt densely populated.
Life here was relatively primitive. There were no phones, machines, or other modern technologies. This place resembled an ancient village.
Yet, despite the simplicity of this environment, he could at least live comfortably thanks to his identity.
He was the village chief's heir.
As the sole descendant of the current village chief, his status was extraordinary. The villagers believed their leader was a descendant of the gods—a fact marked by golden hair and eyes, traits exceedingly rare here. Only those of the chief's bloodline were born with such features.
However, what truly set the village chief apart from ordinary villagers wasn't just appearance—it was their power.
The villagers were ordinary people with no special abilities to combat the monsters that frequently attacked them.
Yes, this world was perilous.
The vast sea hid terrifying creatures lurking in its depths. From the memories of this body's previous owner, he knew that repulsive, two-legged monsters with bulging eyes often raided the village and preyed on its people.
Fortunately, his father—the current village chief—could confront these creatures.
He had seen in the predecessor's memories how his father slaughtered those sea monsters with golden flames enveloping his hands.
With those golden flames, his father eradicated the monsters as easily as crushing ants.
Witnessing this, he developed one burning desire: to become as strong as his father.
"It seems I still have a long way to go to reach Father's level," he muttered, staring at the sea.
Thankfully, he already knew how to grow stronger.
He took a deep breath and calmly said, "Panel."
Suddenly, a translucent screen appeared before him, glowing gold with shimmering edges like an advanced hologram.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Leonis Aurellion
Age: 16/90
Realm: First Stage Body Tempering
Cultivation Method: Heavenly Burning Golden Flame – First Stage (0/100)
Skills: Basic Fist (Perfect) (0/500)
Soul: 2
-Novice→ Basic understanding/beginner stage.
- Minor Success → Early achievements or progress.
- Major Success → Significant milestones.
- Perfect → Flawless mastery.
- Supreme → Ultimate/peak level.
---
This was the status panel that appeared after his reincarnation into this world.
In his heart, he felt this panel was his "golden finger"—the tool that would help him reach the pinnacle of this world, like the protagonists in the stories he'd read.
Seeing his humble stats, he felt content. At least he hadn't received some annoying system that would endlessly assign him tasks.
Honestly, he preferred this. Though it lacked sentience, as long as the panel helped him grow stronger, that was more than enough.
Leonis Aurellion stared at the golden panel floating before him, his mind swirling with thoughts.
"So I'm currently at the initial stage of Body Tempering…" he murmured, stroking his chin.
From the predecessor's memories, he knew Body Tempering was divided into six stages:
1. Skin Tempering – Strengthening the skin to resist attacks.
2. Muscle Tempering – Condensing muscles to enhance physical strength.
3. Bone Tempering – Hardening bones to rival steel.
4. Blood Tempering – Purifying blood to improve energy flow.
5. Organ Tempering – Fortifying internal organs for efficiency and durability.
6. Body Fusion – Unifying all bodily aspects to achieve perfection.
Only after completing all six stages could one step into the Innate Realm—the realm his father had reached.
"Such a long journey…" Leonis sighed.
What frustrated him more was the Heavenly Burning Golden Flame method. It was a secret technique only inheritable by the village chief, passed down through generations from their ancestor, Azrael Aurellion.
This method allowed its user to control the Golden Flame, a blaze said to be bestowed by the gods. The flame burned not just the physical body but also the soul, making it devastating against sea monsters.
Yet, looking at his current progress…
Cultivation Method: Heavenly Burning Golden Flame – First Stage (0/100)
Still zero. A big, fat zero.
Leonis rubbed his forehead and exhaled deeply. "Aren't I the transmigrated protagonist? Why do I feel like a level-one NPC?"
He closed his eyes briefly to calm himself. "No use complaining. If I want strength, I must start from the basics."
He stood up, watching the twilight sky darken.
Just then, a deep voice sounded behind him.
"Had enough brooding?"
Leonis turned to see a middle-aged man with a muscular build and long golden hair tied back. Regulus Aurellion, his father, stood with arms crossed, his golden eyes sharp and authoritative.
Leonis gulped. His father was not one for small talk.
"If you're done pondering your fate, let's begin training."
Leonis blinked. "Training?"
Regulus nodded. "Did you think power comes freely? Starting tomorrow, you'll train with the village warriors at dawn. At night, you'll train alone. Talent means nothing without effort."
Leonis wanted to protest, but his father's glare silenced him.
So this is what having a strict father feels like?! he cried inwardly.
But if he wanted to match his father's strength, he had no choice.
"Understood," he finally said, steeling his resolve.
Regulus smirked. "Good. We start at dawn. Be ready."
With that, his father turned to leave.
"Father… are there others like us beyond this sea?" Leonis suddenly asked.
Regulus halted.
"Our ancestors claimed humans exist at the sea's end," he replied without turning. "But I don't know if it's true."
"Stop daydreaming. Focus on becoming strong enough to protect this village."
Watching his father's retreating figure, Leonis turned back to the setting sun.
Then he followed his father home.