An Ordinary Transmigration

Sunlight spilled into the forest, bringing with it a vast radiance and pleasant warmth.

Waking up comfortably once again, Lin Changqiang opened his eyes while recalling the pleasant dream he'd had the night before. He peered through the gaps between his fingers at the sun above his home...

The sun?

"??? What the hell? Where's my ceiling?"

He froze for a moment, then sat up in a daze and looked around. He found himself on a towering mountain peak covered in a vast forest. At a junction before the woods, a group of teenagers were gathered together, shouting and clamoring about something.

"The medicine, I want it. And as for you, I'm going to beat you up today!"

A slightly immature yet resonant voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. Lin Changqiang looked toward the sound and saw a young boy holding a girl's hand, confronting several grinning youths before him.

Though young, the boy had a resolute face. His features weren't exactly handsome, but his steady expression and calm eyes revealed a deep inner confidence.

The girl he was holding was even more striking. She looked no more than twelve or thirteen, but her picturesque brows and eyes, paired with hair like a cascading waterfall, were truly stunning.

"Lin Dong, did I hit your head too hard during our last spar, or did you break it yourself?"

Lin Shan, who looked significantly sturdier than his peers, swaggered out from the front of the crowd with his arms crossed. Seeing this, the onlookers shook their heads in mockery or pity, as if they were already witnessing the tragic scene about to unfold.

"Brother, don't fight him. I don't want the Crimson Sun Grass anymore."

Knowing her brother was no match for Lin Shan, Lin Qingtian hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, her beautiful eyes filled with urgency.

"Lin Dong? Crimson Sun Grass?" Connecting the two, Lin Changqiang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Could this be the world of Martial Universe? Does that mean that big oaf over there is Lin Shan, and the girl is Lin Qingtian?"

"You don't want it now? Too late!"

Seeing Qingtian's anxious expression, Lin Shan curled his lip into a smirk. He stomped his right foot hard, covered the distance in a few strides, and swung his fist toward the boy's chest. A low, whistling sound of wind accompanied the strike, appearing quite formidable.

Yet, facing this powerful punch, Lin Dong didn't dodge or retreat. A faint, calm smile quietly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Slap!

To the astonishment of the crowd, Lin Dong simply reached out his right hand and caught Lin Shan's attack with ease. The force he exerted grew, making it impossible for the latter to even pull his fist back!

"Body Tempering Stage Four?!"

Everyone around was stunned. Everyone knew that Lin Dong had only reached Body Tempering Stage Two after half a year of cultivation. How had he jumped straight to Stage Four in just over ten days?

"It seems Lin Dong has already obtained the Ancestral Stone."

Familiar with the plot, Lin Changqiang frowned in disappointment. Clearly, he had arrived a few days too late.

The Ancestral Stone was the second-ranked divine object on the Tianxuan Continent, second only to the Plane Embryo, and it was also the easiest treasure for him to acquire.

Since the Ancestral Stone was gone, he would have to find another way.

Lin Changqiang frowned as he recalled other opportunities in the surrounding towns. However, after thinking for a long time, he could only come up with opportunities that required significant strength to obtain. With his current cultivation, trying to get them was like a ninety-year-old man wandering into a tea house—pointless.

"I need to gain strength to get opportunities, but I need opportunities to gain strength?" Feeling the weak power within his body, Lin Changqiang's mouth twitched slightly.

"Changqiang? Changqiang? Why are you still standing there?"

Lin Dong waved his right hand in front of Lin Changqiang's face. He cared about the guy, as he was the only one among the Lin Family juniors who had a decent relationship with him. Besides, if it weren't for the timely warning, Qingtian would have been bullied by that bastard Lin Shan.

The voice in his ear disrupted his thoughts. Lin Changqiang snapped back to reality and realized that Lin Dong had already chased Lin Shan away. Even the onlookers had dispersed, leaving him standing there like a stone statue.

"Heh, I was just stunned by how strong you've become," he blinked, spinning an excuse without a blush or a skip in his heartbeat.

"That's because you're too lazy. If you practiced as diligently as I do every day, you wouldn't still be at Body Tempering Stage Two."

Lin Dong shook his head and patted Lin Changqiang's shoulder helplessly. While he was grateful that the other boy always helped him and Qingtian, he couldn't appreciate his gluttonous and lazy nature. Furthermore...

This kid actually liked Qingtian!

At the thought of this, Lin Dong narrowed his eyes. He didn't linger any longer, bid Lin Changqiang farewell, and hurried away from the back mountain with Qingtian. Seeing them disappear, Lin Changqiang couldn't help but curl his lip: "Hey? Can you turn off the cheat code first?"

The second-ranked divine object of the Tianxuan Continent—was that something a commoner with trash talent like him could catch up to through hard work?

Of course, complaining was just complaining; he wasn't truly jealous of Lin Dong. After all, even with the Ancestral Stone, how many people could work as hard as Lin Dong?

This guy spent the entire day training like a madman, almost never stopping. He only used the Ancestral Stone's Spirit Liquid for a bath when he was completely exhausted, and as soon as he was back to full health, he started training again.

Not only that, but even when he slept at night, he would practice martial arts or train his Spiritual Power within the Ancestral Stone's mental space. Out of the twelve hours in a day, he spent nearly ten of them training!

This guy was a total grinder—the kind who lived and breathed effort!

Beyond the grind, Lin Dong's tolerance for pain was extreme. Crushing his own spirit with a millstone and repeating the process after recovery, tempering his body with heavenly lightning, or enduring the Gang Wind—Lin Changqiang felt his scalp tingle just thinking about it.

"System? System? Are you there?"

His tentative call received no response. Lin Changqiang let his head droop in disappointment. He reached out and fumbled around his body, but the result was equally disheartening.

No Magic Beast hero skills, no ring hiding an old master, no black paper inside his body...

"I finally transmigrated, only to be stuck in this tiny Qingyang Town, watching Lin Dong fight the Demon Emperor all by himself..." Lin Changqiang's eyes flickered, his mood sinking.

Almost every boy had once harbored unrealistic dreams—to roam the world with a sword, to hold absolute power, or various other things. Lin Changqiang was no exception.

"Ding. Detected the host's intense desire. Glory of All Heavens System has been bound. Wishing you prosperity in your martial path."

"What is this? Better late than never?"

The boy took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly filled with surprise.

Looking back now, I feel like my writing was so immature at the beginning.