For a full half-hour, Lin Tian lay motionless on the floor. Had this happened out in the streets, he would've been rushed to the hospital by passers-by long ago, yet nobody was here to do so now. Although the hustle and bustle from the dormitory's corridor echoed around him, Lin Tian was utterly alone within his room.
"I can't believe this isn't a dream. Looks like luck does favor me occasionally!" Lin Tian opened his eyes, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head from having hit the floor and quickly looked at his left hand. The ring on his middle finger, shimmering with a silver glow, first caught him off guard, and then filled his heart with ecstatic joy. "The ring has changed. Is this the ring recognizing its owner?"
After a moment, Lin Tian managed to collect his tumultuous thoughts. Even though he had confirmed that everything was indeed real, he still felt as if he was immersed in a dream.
Lin Tian, a freshman at Hail Ocean University, was notably average looking. The kind you could lose in a crowd. For nineteen years, the one extraordinary moment in his otherwise mundane life had been when he miraculously managed to get accepted into Hail Ocean University, one of the top universities nationwide in his college entrance examination. His life might have continued in such a dull manner had it not been for his ten-dollar purchase of a supposed "family heirloom" three days ago, which hijacked his chance of living an ordinary life!
Three days ago, Lin Tian bought that ring. Afterward, however, he tossed it into a drawer because the ring, black as pitch, would have been too embarrassing to wear. God only knows how much longer it would have remained buried in that drawer if he hadn't smeared it with fresh blood while reaching into the drawer today!
"Wang Hao, should I thank you or hate you?" Lin Tian murmured to himself as he laid on his bed, lightly touching the ring. In his mind's eye, he could see each supernatural event that occurred after his blood touched the ring.
...
"Destined one, congratulations on inheriting my Star Ring. Oh, I’ve scanned through your memories before this, I trust you wouldn't mind?" Lin Tian found himself in an immense empty space. In front of him, an orb around one meter in diameter emitted a dreamlike radiance, rendering it impossible to discern what was inside the orb.
Lin Tian was momentarily disoriented. He couldn't understand how he had suddenly ended up in this peculiar place from his dormitory. "Destined one, this space is within the Star Ring. You're currently a consciousness entity. As for me, hmm, you can call me Ancestor Nameless. I am just a fragment of my original consciousness left behind," an elder in black robes forestalled Lin Tian's confusion.
"Ancestor Nameless, why am I here? What is this Star Territory?" Regaining his composure, Lin Tian respectfully saluted the elder and asked.
The black robe elder's voice became even more ethereal: "I have reached the limit of power attainable in this plane more than fifty billion years ago. Three hundred years ago, my original consciousness left this plane. Crossing planes, none of your belongings can come with you. I didn't have many belongings, the only one was this Star Ring. Within it, there are many interesting civilizations I had discovered over the years, around a hundred thousand or so. Now, this Star Ring belongs to you. You've been brought here because I want to pass down a few things. If there's anything you don't understand, ask now. After this, I will completely disappear from this plane."
Fifty billion years, collecting civilizations, Lin Tian was stricken by the elder's words. "Ancestor Nameless, you said this is the Star Ring? But the civilizations?" Lin Tian hesitated. Beyond the orb in front of him, the surroundings were entirely empty. There were no signs of civilization whatsoever!
The elder in black robes smiled slightly and pointed at the orb in front of them. "Within this, there are more than a hundred thousand civilizations, co-existing in an enormous galaxy. Its size is no lesser than the Milky Way you inhabit."
"There's a galaxy within this?!" cried an astonished Lin Tian. "A mere trick. I've had a hobby of collecting civilizations, hence the invention of the Star Ring!" The black-robed elder spoke nonchalantly. "Even though the Star Ring recognizes you as the master now, it doesn't mean you're the ruler of those trillion lives within those hundred thousand civilizations. You need to understand this!"
"Ah, Ancestor Nameless, the Star Ring acknowledging me, what are the benefits for me?" Lin Tian didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
The black-robed elder didn’t mind Lin Tian's directness, saying, "The Star Ring has chosen you. You can freely enter and exit the hundred thousand civilizations that I have gathered in there. And every real-world week, you will have a chance to resurrect once within the Star Ring world. Furthermore, these resurrections can accumulate! You can learn some things in the Star Ring world, and you can also bring some of those things out."
"Bring things out? Are there limits?" Lin Tian's eyes widened in excitement, "Of course, taking things out of the Star Ring world consumes energy. Different objects require different amounts of dimensional power," the black-robed elder explained.
"Dimensional power? How do I gain that?" Lin Tian frowned.
"The Star Ring can absorb ten dimensions of power within a day. This dimensional power can be used to extract items from the Star Ring world, or directly used to strengthen oneself. How you use it is up to you," the elder in black-robed said, "There are other points you can ask Xiao Ling later on. Xiao Ling is the apex intelligence of a twelfth-tier civilization empire, now a part of the Star Ring. Once the Star Ring recognizes you as its master, it will also recognize you as its master. Xiao Ling, come out and meet your new master." The black-robed elder looked towards the empty air, beckoning.
Before Lin Tian, a flash of white light burst, and a cute little angel fluttering with wings appeared before him.
"Master, I am Xiao ling!" The little angel looked at Lin Tian and squeaked.
"Xiao Ling, get along well with your new master. Fortunate one, my mission is now complete and it's about time for me to dissipate." The black-robed elder gave one last glance towards the little angel and Lin Tian, then gradually vanished into nothingness before Lin Tian's eyes.
...
Inside the dormitory room 306.
"So, how do I enter the Star Ring?" Lin Tian laid on his bed, muttering to himself. "Master, if you concentrate your thoughts on the Star Ring, you can choose to either enter it spiritually or physically," Xiao Ling's voice sounded in Lin Tian's mind.
"Xiao Ling, can we communicate directly through thoughts?" Lin Tian kept silent, thinking about this. "Yes, master, Xiao Ling can understand anything you want her to, like that last sentence, but she won't know about the matters you don't want her to!"
Nodding quietly, Lin Tian focused his attention on the Star Ring on his left hand, quickly finding two choices - to enter the Star Ring spiritually, or physically. Taking advantage of the empty dormitory, Lin Tian chose to enter physically, and with a single thought, his figure on the bed vanished.
"Xiao Ling, why has this place become so small?" Lin Tian appeared in a small room that only covers four cubic meters with no doors. The walls were emitting faint white light. In the center, there was a spherical object with one-meter diameter, while Xiao Ling fluttered her wings, flying in the air.
"Master, the size of this space is determined by your mental power. Your current mental power can only sustain a space of this size," Xiao Ling explained. "Xiaoling, can this space be used as a storage area? How to increase mental power?" Lin Tian asked.
"Yes, master, this space can be used as a storage area. There are many ways to increase mental power, such as through practice, gene drugs, or directly consume dimensional power to permanently increase your mental power," Xiao Ling answered, "Master, your current physical condition is extremely poor. It's recommended to spend some dimensional power to increase your physical attributes, or else you might encounter dangers easily."
"Xiao Ling, how many dimensions of boundary force does the Star Ring currently possess?" Lin Tian asked.
"One hundred and one dimensions, of which one hundred were left to you by the old master. The additional one was absorbed by the Star Ring after recognizing you as its master."
"Xiao Ling, can you help me test my body?" Lin Tian asked. "I have already tested for the master. Do you want to see the test results?" Xiao Ling responded. Lin Tian nodded his head: "Display it."
A light curtain appeared in front of Lin Tian.
Cell Strength: Forty-five, Average human: Fifty, Average soldier: One hundred, Special soldier: Two hundred.
Cell Vitality: Forty-three, Average human: Fifty, Average soldier: One hundred, Special soldier: Two hundred.
Mental Power: Sixty-two, Average Human: Fifty.
Lin Tian was perspiring heavily, except for his Mental Power, which was slightly higher than the average human level, both his Cell Strength and Cell Vitality were below average. "Xiao Ling, what are Cell Strength and Cell Vitality?" Lin Tian asked.
"The more energy a single cell contains, the stronger its Cell Strength, which manifests externally as greater strength, faster speed, and stronger resistance to impacts. The stronger the Cell Vitality, the stronger the ability to resist abnormal conditions. For example, when poisoned, a person with stronger Cell Vitality will have a stronger resistance to the poison. Master, do you want to consume boundary force to enhance your physical attributes?"
"How much can one dimension enhance?" Lin Tian asked. "One dimension can enhance one point of Cell Strength or one point of Cell Vitality or half a point of Mental Power."
Lin Tian pondered for a moment. "Add forty points each to my Cell Strength and Cell Vitality, and the remaining twenty-one points to Mental Power." Initially, Lin Tian wasn't planning to add Mental Power, but suddenly he thought of a problem. If his Mental Power was too low, he might not be able to control his suddenly strengthened body!
"Ok, Master," Xiao Ling said. A white light enveloped Lin Tian. After about ten minutes, the light disappeared. "Master, it's done!" Lin Tian clenched his fist; the feeling of power made him intoxicated. The increase in Mental Power also made him feel as if his mind had become much more agile.
"Master, someone is knocking on your door!" Xiao Ling said.
"Transport me out immediately! The Star Ring can become invisible, right? Make it invisible!" Lin Tian spoke, and appeared on his bed in the next moment. He glanced at his left hand, just as he'd expected, he couldn't see the Star Ring anymore. Not only was it invisible, but he also felt as if the Star Ring had merged into his flesh! "Master, since the Star Ring has chosen its owner, it can merge into the body," Xiao Ling's voice echoed in Lin Tian's mind.
Bam! Bam! Bam! "Third brother, why are you shutting the door in broad daylight, aren't you in there studying some of the behavioral arts from that eastern island country?" Zuo Yunfei's laughing voice came from beyond the bedroom door. Lin Tian got up from the bed and gave a bitter smile. Zuo Yunfei wasn't quiet, the whole floor probably heard him clearly. What a reputation.
Heading towards the door, he managed to control his own strength well under the strong force of his mind, so he did not accidentally leave footprints on the floor with a single step. Even if he tried to stomp deliberately, he lacked the ability. With a cell durability score of eighty-five, he is significantly stronger than ordinary people, but still not up to the level of a typical soldier.
The door opened, and in walked Zuo Yunfei, Wei Feng, and Xiao Bai, one after the other. They shared a dormitory at Haidian University, four people to a room. The military training had already ended, and they had spent a month together. They got along quite well, after all, they were going to spend four years of college together.
"Third Brother, who did this?" Zuo Yunfei and the others focused their gazes on Lin Tian's left arm, where a thin, long scar from a knife wound lay. In theory, Lin Tian could have used his boundary force to heal the wound, but that would raise too many suspicions. The wound was not small; how could it heal so rapidly? Moreover, utilizing the boundary force in this way would deplete it considerably. Therefore, Lin Tian chose not to let Xiao Ling erase the scar. The pain was bearable for him with his eighty-three units of spiritual strength.
"It's nothing. I accidentally cut myself," Lin Tian shrugged.
"Third Brother, aren't you considering us as your brothers? Goddamn, which son of a bitch dares to lay a hand on one of us from Room 306?" Zuo Yunfei's eyes flashed coldly. He may appear lewd most of the time, but he was no pushover. Lin Tian had always been aware that aside from him, the other three in the dorm were all influential figures. It was a mystery how the school had arranged for an average person like him to share a room with the likes of Zuo Yunfei. He had always felt a hint of inferiority about this, but now that he possessed the Star Ring, he believed that his future achievements would not be inferior to anyone else.
"Third Brother, tell us who it was. We from Room 306 can't let anyone walk all over us!" The tallest and biggest of the group, Wei Feng, standing over 1.85 meters tall, said seriously, "The wound on your arm is from a dagger. I can't be wrong about this. And you, Third Brother, don't have the habit of playing with daggers, do you?"
"Was it Wang Hao?" Xiao Bai speculated calmly. Lin Tian lightly nodded, "He didn't personally do it, but the instigator was indeed him."
"Third Brother, we owe you an apology. We never thought that coward Wang Hao would stoop so low as to target you because he can't deal with us!" Wei Feng angrily punched the bed railing, bending the steel tube with the force of his blow.
