In the unknown void, gales swept across the heavens and earth, and thunder roared like dragons.
Kai sat cross-legged in the void, forming hand seals, attempting to guide the power of the tribulation lightning to refine himself.
"Is this my limit!" Kai sighed inwardly, his body cracking like porcelain, and endless pain gradually blurred his consciousness.
Just as he thought he was about to perish, a strange force pulled his soul into another unknown world.
When Kai opened his eyes again, what greeted him was a clear blue sky and a shimmering sea.
His body felt light and tender. After an internal scan, he found that he had transformed into a young boy.
"Where... is this?" Kai looked down at his youthful hands, feeling a vitality he had never experienced before.
As his consciousness delved deep into his body, a dominant power suddenly awakened.
Instantly, the world seemed to freeze, and a violent aura erupted from Kai's body, like an invisible hurricane sweeping in all directions.
Kai's gaze sharpened abruptly. The surrounding air seemed to be compressed to its limit, trembling with a low hum.
Several birds flew by in the distance, losing consciousness in mid-air and plummeting into the sea. The waves churned like mountains, as if intimidated by some invisible force.
"This power..." Kai frowned. This was not the spiritual energy he was familiar with, but a pure mental pressure.
He focused slightly, directing this aura forward. A sturdy ancient tree, under the pressure, collapsed with a crash.
"What a peculiar power?" Kai murmured. Although he knew nothing about any of this, with his experience as a martial arts grandmaster, he quickly grasped the basic application of this power.
Kai was on an uninhabited small island.
Surrounded by dense forests and steep cliffs, ocean waves crashed against the island's edges day and night.
He quickly adapted to the rules of this world, discovering that spiritual energy could not be absorbed here, but physical training had astonishing effects.
"Since spiritual energy is unusable, then I'll make my physical body the foundation!" Kai began his self-cultivation on the isolated island.
Combining his martial arts experience from his previous life, he created a set of seventy-two body-tempering exercises.
As his cultivation deepened, Kai's physique grew stronger day by day, and his physical strength continuously broke through its limits.
In just a few weeks, he was able to integrate that dominant "mental power" into his hands and feet, unleashing terrifying might.
However, he could only bear one-tenth of the mental power in his hands and feet without injury; any more, and his body would suffer damage.
The morning sun bathed the sea and sky, and the ocean surface was like a smoothed mirror, shimmering with golden light.
Kai stood at the top of the seaside cliff, practicing. Just then, he keenly noticed a ship approaching on the sea.
Standing at the front of the ship was a straw-hatted young man, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a red sleeveless jacket.
His smile was bright, and his dark eyes sparkled with innocence and passion.
He stood at the bow, saw Kai, waved his arms at him, and excitedly shouted, "Hey!"
Behind the young man was a green-haired swordsman, with three long swords slung across his back. His muscles were well-defined, and his entire being exuded a strong sense of pressure.
He wore a simple white shirt with a green belt tied around his waist, and his sword sheaths hung at his side, as if he could draw his swords and fight at any moment.
His short green hair was as wild as weeds, and his gaze was sharp as a blade, carrying a cold and unyielding demeanor, with a hidden sharpness in his silence.
Finally, there was an orange-haired girl. She stood at the back of the ship, cautiously observing Kai.
The girl had a slender figure and fair skin. Her orange-red hair fluttered slightly in the sea breeze, and her bright eyes held a hint of wariness.
She wore a tight blue and white striped short-sleeved top and a fitted short skirt, outlining her tall figure, making her appear intelligent and capable.
But a hint of helplessness showed in her brows, as if she was already accustomed to the daily antics of the two people on the ship.
After the ship docked, the straw-hatted young man was the first to jump onto the beach. A wide smile was on his face, and his tone was full of curiosity: "Hey! Who are you?"
"Kai." Kai replied calmly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them one by one.
"I'm Luffy! This is Zoro, and Nami!"
The young man grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth, his voice a little excited, "We're pirates! Your aura is very strong, join us!"
Kai frowned slightly.
Although the young man in front of him had a calm aura, he possessed an indescribable resilience, as if he would remain unshaken no matter how terrible the storm.
The swordsman behind him exuded a dangerous aura no different from a wild beast, and the orange-haired girl, despite her wariness, remained calm and composed, clearly not an ordinary person.
"Pirates? Doesn't sound like good people!" Kai thought to himself.
Though he had no interest in "pirates," the unknown nature of this world and the unique temperaments of the three individuals before him sparked a hint of anticipation.
After a moment of thought, Kai nodded. He was already eager to see what kind of world this was.
Zoro held his sword, his gaze like a blade, and said in a low voice, "You don't look like an ordinary person. We'll find a chance to spar."
Nami sighed helplessly, hands on her hips: "Another weirdo! Looks like there's one more trouble..."
The small boat slowly pulled away from the shore, carrying the group away from the isolated island where Kai had lived for several weeks.
At Luffy's request, they prepared to sail towards the Grand Line.
Nami stood on the ship, looking at the nautical chart, her expression focused and slightly serious. The sunlight shone on her orange hair, dyeing it with a golden glow.
"Entering the Grand Line like this is just too reckless!" Nami said on the ship, looking serious and earnest.
"You're right, we also need to eat meat!" Luffy heard Nami's words and swallowed an apple core in one bite. "We can't just eat apples!"
"I really want some booze!" Zoro rested his head on his hand, slouching on the ship like a 'lying lazily on the ship like a couch potato'.
"What are you two talking about!" Nami, seeing them talking to themselves and not listening to her at all, threw an apple at Zoro's neck.
The rebounding apple was instantly caught by Luffy, who stretched out his arm and popped it into his mouth.
"We're not just short on people, we're short on a ship too!"
"A little further south, there's an inhabited island. It would be great if we could get a decent ship there!"
Nami looked at the nautical chart, pointing out their current predicament and suggesting a plan to the others.
"Alright, time to eat meat!" Luffy cheered happily!
"And my booze!" Zoro also became excited.
"You two...!" Nami became exasperated, speechless and helpless.
Kai stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the endless ocean, listening to their conversation, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
"This world is different from anything I've known before. Since I'm here, let's see what kind of surprises it can bring me," he murmured to himself.
He decided to temporarily follow Luffy's pirate crew, partly to explore this unfamiliar world, and partly to continuously improve his strength through cultivation and combat.
The small boat carrying them slowly sailed south.