Using the Golden Finger

Lin Xiao had once planned to wait until his Golden Finger activated before soaring to greatness, so those gifts had seemed useless and had all been kept with his mother.

Now that his Golden Finger had activated and could be used, he naturally had to retrieve them. He needed to increase his strength quickly and prepare for the Final Exam. He had no desire to truly be assigned to the Ordinary Class and then stage a comeback—that would be far too exhausting.

Jin Yunzhu did not question why he had changed his mind. Like any ordinary mother, she simply nagged him to study hard. Of course, she knew Lin Xiao's grades had not been great over the past six months, but she had not pushed him. It was not that she did not care; rather, she had long since told him that if his grades were poor, he could drop out. She and his father had already prepared enough resources for him to become a demigod.

Lin Xiao was deeply moved by this. More than once, he had wanted to tell them that he was confident he could catch up later, but he absolutely could not reveal the matter of the Golden Finger. He could only bury it in his heart and let them worry.

Fortunately, the Golden Finger had now activated. He could not wait any longer. He was about to take off, and he believed that the next time they met, his mother—who was actually several hundred years old yet still looked like a sixteen-year-old girl—would be surprised and delighted.

Demigods had long been capable of preserving their youth, with lifespans measured in tens of thousands of years. Perhaps that was nothing unusual in the strictly regulated Main World, but in other Crystal Wall Systems, every demigod was a terrifying existence capable of commanding the winds and rain, looked up to by mortals.

After finally sending his sixteen-year-old-looking mother away, Lin Xiao found himself holding an exquisite little box that emitted a faint golden glow. It contained all the New Year's money and red envelopes he had received over his seventeen years.

He nervously rubbed his hands together and opened the box. A dazzling golden light burst forth, forcing him to shut his eyes.

After a short while, the golden light dimmed enough for him to see two cards lying quietly inside the box.

"Why are there only two?"

Just as he was about to ask his mother, his Wrist Wheel displayed a message she had just sent.

"I forgot to tell you. Your father took all your things and exchanged them for two cards that suit you very well. Take a look and see if you like them."

Lin Xiao: ...

What else could he say? Whether he liked them or not, he had to look first. He took out the two cards and placed them before him, their attributes appearing one by one.

Four-Star Species Card—Gray Mist Fishmen (Common): Obtain 400 adult Gray Mist Fishmen at once.

Note: Half male, half female.

Five-Star Species Reproduction Card (Rare): Species fertility rate +300%, survival rate +300%, duration 10 years.

Note: This card cannot stack with cards of the same effect type. Only one may be used at a time.

"This..."

Lin Xiao rubbed his chin. It seemed pretty good.

He remembered that the cards his parents had given him before had generally hovered between one and two stars, with only one Three-Star Card. Seventeen cards over seventeen years—their combined value was probably about equal to these two cards, but their practicality was nowhere near comparable.

One Species Card directly gave him four hundred adult Gray Mist Fishmen, while the other Propagation Card increased their breeding speed. Based on the time-flow ratio between Subspace and the Main World, ten years in the Divine Domain amounted to only ten days in the Main World. He would see results in just ten days.

Most importantly, from the time a Divine Lifeform first opened a Divine Domain until the College Entrance Examination, they could only use one card per Main World month to increase their strength, though the chances could accumulate.

Speaking of which, Lin Xiao had always wanted to complain about the restriction of only being able to use one card per month. That meant only twelve cards a year. It was nothing for ordinary students, but for students with backgrounds, it was a real limitation.

But there was no helping it. Newly opened Divine Domains were very weak, and the contents of cards existed outside the Divine Domain's laws. Integrating them into the Divine Domain would inevitably cause fluctuations. That one-month period was needed to smooth out those fluctuations.

Generally speaking, different cards caused fluctuations of different magnitudes. For example, the fluctuations—or effects—caused by a Species Card would definitely be greater than those caused by summoning some weapons, while the effects of a high-end Five-Star Card would certainly be greater than those of a one- or two-star card.

However, students generally could not accurately assess how long those effects would last. Therefore, for the sake of uniformity, the rules were established using the one-month effect period of a Five-Star Card as the standard.

As for why card fusion opportunities could accumulate, that involved something called stability. If a Divine Domain went for a long time without fusing cards, it would naturally become increasingly stable, allowing multiple cards to be fused at once, up to the limit of its stability.

However, this situation changed slightly after the Second Year of High School. By then, students' Divine Domains had generally developed, and they stabilized faster after fusing cards, which meant they could fuse more cards.

In other words, during the first year after opening a Divine Domain, only one card could be fused per month.

In the second year, two cards could be fused per month.

By the Third Year of High School, three cards could be fused per month.

After the Third Year of High School, if one became a demigod, the upper limit would rise further. But if one still could not become a demigod, the monthly card fusion limit would remain the same as in the third year and would not increase further.

Because of the special nature of those three high school years, they were also known as the Golden Three Years. They were the three years for laying a solid foundation. If one could not become a demigod after those three years, the chance of condensing a Divine Profession would decrease year by year. The later it became, the less likely one was to become a demigod.

Of course, this rule only applied to students at legitimate schools. Students who dropped out could ignore it and use cards without limit to strengthen their Divine Domains.

But the consequence was a decline in Divine Domain stability, damaging one's foundation. Not only would it become difficult to condense a Divine Profession and become a demigod, it would be nearly impossible to Ignite Divine Fire and become an immortal true god.

Therefore, any student aspiring to become a true god would strictly follow this rule and never dare to gamble on short-term gains.

Lin Xiao had not used a single card yet, but he had already accumulated eight usage opportunities. Now, he could use the Golden Finger to strengthen low-level cards into high-Star Level cards, maximizing his strength within the limited usage conditions.

He put away these two cards along with the previous three, then lay back down in the Divine Domain Login Pod. As the pod door closed, pale blue mist poured out. This was a special energy unique to the game pod. It could calm the mind while also providing the nutrients needed to sustain the body.

He removed the Crystal Ring from its card slot and put it on his head. Closing his eyes, he willed it into action. Lin Xiao felt his consciousness sink into boundless darkness, unsupported and untethered, with only countless specks of starlight in the distance.

This was Subspace, the space between the Main World and the Chaotic Void Sea. The Divine Domains of all human civilization—from Divine Lifeforms like him to demigods, true gods, and even the legendary Great Divine Powers—were all located within this Subspace. Those countless points of starlight were different Divine Domains.

Through the connection between the Divine Domain Login Device and his Divine Domain, Lin Xiao descended into his Divine Domain once more. A golden phantom appeared above a not particularly large expanse of space.

Lin Xiao's Divine Domain was five kilometers long, three and a half kilometers wide, and one kilometer high, including the depth below the soil and the space above ground. Of it, 78% was shallow sea, 15% was peninsula, and 7% was islands.

Looking down from the sky, the entire world resembled a painting. Its horizontal span was its length, its vertical span its width. More than half of the area on the right was sea. Along the western coast of the world was a band of coastal hills, covered with a few lichen plants and coconut trees. A long beach stretched from the top all the way to the bottom. The Gray Mist Murloc Tribe was located in the bottom-left corner of the Divine Domain.

There were a small number of islands, each only dozens or hundreds of square meters in size, scattered throughout the sea. Most of their surfaces were bare rock, with a little moss in the center, but no resources whatsoever.

Aside from the Gray Mist Fishmen, the main species in the entire Divine Domain, there were only four other species: Sturgeon Schools, Sardine Schools, Green Shrimp, and Blue Crabs. These were the initial species set when the Divine Domain had first been opened, mainly meant as prey for the Gray Mist Fishmen.

Overall, this Divine Domain was extremely barren. Under normal circumstances, without any other changes, it would be nearly impossible to get into even the worst university with only these resources.

In other words, he might never be able to condense a Divine Profession and become a demigod in this lifetime.

The reason Lin Xiao had been able to endure for so long with such confidence, aside from possessing a Golden Finger, was mainly because he had been born into a decent family in this life. His parents were both demigods. They were not among the best, but they were far above the worst. As their only son, he would have no problem obtaining the resources needed to become a demigod in the future.

Less than an hour had passed since Lin Xiao last left the Divine Domain, but according to the time flow between the Main World and the Divine Domain, more than half a month had already passed inside the Divine Domain. By now, the Gray Mist Murloc Tribe had long forgotten the battle from over half a month ago. The entire tribe had returned to normal. A large group of Gray Mist Fishmen, led by a Murloc Chieftain whose body was N times stronger than those of its kin, were fishing in the shallow sea with sharpened branches, Stone Awls, and bone forks.

This Murloc Chieftain was usually the leader of the Gray Mist Murloc Tribe, but whenever Lin Xiao needed it, he could take over its body and descend through it. It was, in a sense, his exclusive vessel for descent.

Besides that, every Lord of the Divine Domain actually had a true body, but very few would reveal it. Most, like him, maintained a commonly used vessel.

Although it was called the God-Sealing Game, it was not truly a game where one could revive infinitely. Once one's true body died, one was truly dead.

Lin Xiao did not disturb these Kinfolk. After looking around, he transformed into a streak of golden light and flew to the far right side of the map, an area that counted as deep sea to the Gray Mist Fishmen. There was an island there. The Murlocs never came to it, and he used it as a temporary foothold.

All five cards were laid out in a row.

First, he put away the Four-Star Species Card that could recruit four hundred Gray Mist Fishmen at once, along with the Five-Star Species Reproduction Card. Then his gaze fell upon the remaining three cards.

Three-Star Resource Card—Fertile Black Soil (Rare).

Three-Star Skill Card—Thrust (Common).

Two-Star Skill Card—Severe Pain (Common).

Lin Xiao held his chin and thought for a moment. The two Skill Cards could be combined.

In truth, he had long had all sorts of ideas about how to use his Golden Finger. Unlike other Golden Fingers that required exploration, he had understood the functions of his Magic Cube very clearly from the moment he obtained it. He had often simulated possibilities in his mind before.

He had actually had two vague ideas in mind, but one of them involved the other cards stored with his mother. Now that all those cards had been exchanged for these two high-Star Level cards, that idea was certainly ruined. That left only one option.

That was... He extended a hand, and a point of white light flew out. Amid a dazzling flurry of transformations, it formed a Magic Cube.

With a thought from him, the Magic Cube rapidly expanded to the size of a soccer ball and floated before him.

He reached out and drew the Three-Star Resource Card, "Fertile Black Soil," from in front of him. He probably would not be able to use this card for a long time, so it was perfect for dismantling.

He pressed the card against the Magic Cube, and it sank straight inside. The next second, the Magic Cube began to rotate, radiating a faint glow.

With a soft, crisp click, the rotating Magic Cube stopped. Then, in Fang Ning's perception, the Resource Card inside the Magic Cube had vanished, replaced by a strange energy stored within it.

"Creation Cube... then I'll call it Creation Energy!"

Lin Xiao flexed his fingers, then took out the second card, the Two-Star Skill Card "Thrust," and placed it into the Magic Cube. The Magic Cube began to rotate once more.