"In my hometown, Tibetan people treated me like a Living Buddha (in Tibetan Buddhism)," he said.

When accounts of his storytelling prowess reached Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, he was recruited by Tibet University in 2010. He studied Tibetan history and language. Upon graduation in 2014, he was offered a job at the university's China Tibetology Institute.

At the institute, he is tasked with telling and recording the Gesar stories so they can be preserved and made available as audio recordings, videos, and in books, including electronic versions. Seven books based on his stories have being published so far.

With advanced literacy in both Tibetan and Mandarin, and as the first King Gesar storyteller in Tibet with a university degree, Sithar can reach a variety of audiences, said Namgyal, one of his colleagues at Tibet University.

"With clear articulation, Sithar Dorje is distinguished from other storytellers because he makes his stories understandable to most of his audience with different dialects," Namgyal said.

Sithar can recite 105 episodes of King Gesar's story in total, equal to more than 20 printed books. Two teachers at the university, which is tasked with preserving the King Gesar epic, are designated to assist in preserving his store of literary treasures.

Jamyang Drakpa, a classmate, is a good friend and a fan of the storyteller, though he admits that he doesn't have a full appreciation of Sithar's storytelling mastery.

"I hardly understand a word he sings, however, I enjoy the melody and the facial expressions he makes during his performance," Jamyang said.

Now in his second year of graduate studies, Sithar wishes for more time to spend with family or play soccer, which he loves. But his workload is heavy.

"I always miss my time on the soccer field, but one happy thing for me at the moment is that I can spend some time with my parents in Lhasa," he said.

As for the future, the King Gesar dreams keep coming.

"With one new dream every year, new stories are continually born in my brain," he said.