The winter of Lin Tian's final year of high school arrived earlier than usual.
During the second week of December, cold northern winds began sweeping through the city. Thin layers of frost covered the narrow streets each morning, and the sun often remained hidden behind pale gray clouds until late morning.
Lin Tian lived in a small apartment building near the older district of the city.
The building had been constructed decades ago. Its walls were faded, and the narrow hallways carried the smell of cooking oil and detergent. Most of the residents were elderly people or low-income workers.
Lin Tian's apartment was on the third floor.
The room was small and simple. A narrow bed stood beside the wall, and a wooden desk faced a window overlooking the street. A metal shelf held his schoolbooks, which were arranged carefully in straight rows.
He owned very few possessions.
A kettle.
A rice cooker.
Two chairs.
And a small second-hand laptop used mostly for schoolwork.
At five thirty in the morning on a Tuesday, his alarm clock began ringing.
Lin Tian opened his eyes almost immediately.
He was seventeen years old.
His appearance was ordinary but neat. His hair was straight and black, cut short so it would not fall over his eyes while working. His face carried calm and steady features, and his eyes held a quiet attentiveness that made him seem slightly older than his age.
He was not particularly tall for his class, but his posture was straight and relaxed.
Most people who met him described him as "a quiet but reliable boy."
Lin Tian sat up and stretched his shoulders slowly.
Outside the window, the sky was still dark. Only a faint pale blue light appeared near the eastern horizon.
He walked to the sink and washed his face with cold water.
The chill helped him wake quickly.
His mornings always followed the same routine.
While boiling water for tea, he reviewed school notes.
While eating breakfast, he planned the day's work schedule.
Lin Tian lived alone.
His parents had died when he was six years old in a highway accident.
For many years he lived in a government orphan shelter. When he turned sixteen, the city provided him a small subsidized apartment so he could attend high school independently.
Most people expected children from such backgrounds to become unstable or resentful.
Lin Tian did not.
He simply accepted reality.
Life, in his mind, was a sequence of situations that required practical solutions.
Complaining about them did not change the outcome.
By six ten in the morning he had finished breakfast.
He put on his coat and stepped outside.
The winter air was sharp and cold. His breath formed small clouds as he walked down the quiet street.
A convenience store located two blocks away was already open.
The owner, a middle-aged man named Chen Guoqiang, stood outside unloading boxes from a delivery truck.
Chen Guoqiang was a broad-shouldered man in his forties with a slightly round face and a friendly personality.
When he saw Lin Tian approaching, he raised his hand in greeting.
"Good morning, Lin Tian. You're early again."
Lin Tian walked closer and picked up one side of a heavy box.
"Good morning, Uncle Chen," he replied politely. "The truck arrived earlier than usual today?"
Chen Guoqiang laughed softly.
"Yes, the driver said he wanted to avoid traffic later. But I didn't expect you to arrive exactly at the same time."
They carried the box inside together.
While placing products on the shelves, Chen Guoqiang spoke again.
"You know, you don't have to work every single morning. Your schoolwork is already demanding."
Lin Tian adjusted a stack of bottled drinks before answering.
"It's manageable. The work hours are short, and the income helps with living expenses."
Chen Guoqiang watched him for a moment.
"You're still just a kid. You shouldn't carry everything alone."
Lin Tian smiled faintly.
"I'm used to it."
Around six forty, an elderly woman entered the store.
Her name was Liu Meilan, one of the long-time residents of the neighborhood.
She walked slowly with a cane and greeted the store owner.
"Good morning, Xiao Chen."
"Morning, Aunt Liu," Chen Guoqiang replied.
She noticed Lin Tian organizing the bread shelf.
"That boy helps you every day, doesn't he?"
Chen Guoqiang nodded.
"Yes. Lin Tian works here before school."
Liu Meilan looked at him more carefully.
"So young… yet already working so hard."
Lin Tian heard her words and turned slightly.
"Good morning, Aunt Liu," he said respectfully.
The old woman smiled warmly.
"Good morning, child. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"Yes, thank you for asking."
"Good. Don't skip meals at your age."
Their conversation lasted only a moment, but it was typical of the neighborhood.
Most people knew Lin Tian's situation.
Some felt sympathy.
Some simply respected his diligence.
None of them treated him badly.
By seven fifteen Lin Tian finished his work shift and began walking toward school.
The winter sun had finally risen above the eastern buildings, casting pale golden light across the snow-covered streets.
Students gathered near the school gate in small groups.
One of them waved enthusiastically when he saw Lin Tian.
"Hey, Lin Tian!"
The voice belonged to Li Jun.
Li Jun was taller than most students in their class and had an energetic personality that made him popular among classmates.
Lin Tian walked over.
"Good morning."
Li Jun grinned.
"You worked again this morning, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Li Jun shook his head.
"I seriously don't understand how you manage it. I can barely wake up in time for school."
Lin Tian shrugged lightly.
"It becomes easier once it turns into routine."
Li Jun laughed.
"You say that like you're already thirty years old."
Their conversation continued while they walked into the school building.
For Lin Tian, days followed a predictable rhythm.
School during the day.
Work during mornings and evenings.
Study at night.
He did not hate his life.
But it felt extremely ordinary.
On Thursday evening during the third week of December, snow began falling again.
Lin Tian finished his shift at the bicycle repair shop around six thirty.
The sky had already darkened.
Streetlights reflected off the icy road as he rode his bicycle home.
At seven eighteen, he entered a large intersection.
At the same moment, a delivery truck approaching from the side street lost control while turning on the frozen road.
Lin Tian saw the headlights sliding toward him.
His mind immediately calculated the situation.
Too little distance.
Too little time.
The truck crashed into the intersection.
And the quiet boy's life ended in the cold winter night.
Chapter 1 — The Soul Between Universes
Awareness returned slowly.
Lin Tian opened his eyes.
But something was different.
There was no ground beneath his feet.
No body.
Only endless darkness filled with distant stars.
He realized he was floating.
At first he thought it was a dream.
But the longer he observed his surroundings, the clearer it became.
He was in space.
And his existence had changed.
Where his body should have been, a radiant soul floated quietly.
The soul emitted a color that could not be described using any known spectrum.
Even the surrounding universe seemed unable to perceive it completely.
Across its surface appeared strange symbols.
Ancient runic patterns formed naturally, as if written by the universe itself.
Lin Tian remained calm.
He simply observed.
Time passed.
Years.
Centuries.
Eventually millions of years.
During this unimaginable span of time, cosmic energy constantly flowed into his soul.
The runic symbols increased.
They began forming structures similar to informational diagrams.
Lin Tian gradually realized what they represented.
They described the behavior of reality.
Atoms.
Particles.
Energy.
Gravity.
Every phenomenon in existence followed specific patterns.
The runes engraved on his soul contained those patterns.
They were not merely symbols.
They were fundamental informational structures of the universe.
Through them, Lin Tian developed a unique trait.
A power that should not exist.
Trait: One With the Universe
Description:
The soul naturally synchronizes with universal informational structures.
Instead of learning laws through cultivation like ordinary beings, Lin Tian can directly perceive and influence the informational layer beneath reality.
Abilities derived from the trait (initial stage):
Universal Perception
He can observe the flow of energy, matter, and information across cosmic distances.
Runic Assimilation
His soul automatically records patterns of existence and converts them into primordial runes.
Existence Manipulation (restricted)
Through runic structures he can alter the informational framework of matter and energy.
These abilities are incomplete at this stage.
But their potential is terrifying.
Lin Tian understood one thing clearly.
His previous human life had ended.
But something far greater had begun.