Chapter 1

Night is dark and the wind is high!

On a secluded path, the wild grass grows as high as the knees, and the occasional chirping of insects adds to the eerie silence. Compared to the distant skyscrapers with their bright lights, this place seems like another world.

"Shit!"

A sudden curse echoed on the road, and a young man's figure stumbled forward. He raised his head and finished the last sip of beer in his hand, then fiercely crushed the can with both hands and threw it away with all his strength.

"Why am I so unlucky? Fatso, I curse your grandpa!" Ye Xuan's face was flushed red, and he took a deep breath, shouting into the vast field with the appearance of a drunkard on a rampage.

"Burp!" A surge of alcohol made him burp loudly, and he suddenly shook his head, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, muttering to himself, "No, cursing his grandpa, I'm not losing out. I don't have any fondness for men."

He lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes gazing at the distant lights, his eyes filled with disappointment, and he muttered, "Just because I saw you sitting with the boss's woman? I'm not a gossip, and I didn't say anything. Do you really have to fire me?"

"Fatso, do you know how much effort I put into this job? I curse your combat ability to last only ten seconds!"

"And, Lord, how long do you want me to be so unlucky? I lost this job for this reason, the last one because I accidentally bumped into the supervisor in the elevator, the one before that because I saw the boss's wife with a subordinate, the one before that because the boss's son's girlfriend said a word to me, and the one before that... But it doesn't matter, Lord, do you think you can beat me, Ye Xuan, with this? Wait and see, when I wake up tomorrow, I'll be a hero again!"

After a series of wild shouts, Ye Xuan finally vented some of his frustration. Due to the alcohol, he suddenly felt a headache and gently massaged his temples, then staggered toward his rented place.

Ye Xuan's rented place was in a very secluded area, with no proper cement road, only a bumpy dirt path that would splash mud all over you if it rained. Of course, this rental wasn't without its advantages: it was large, about 120 square meters, and although it was a mud and tile house, the most important thing was that the rent was only 200 Huayuan per month.

Although he was quite drunk, Ye Xuan didn't fall over as he walked on the bumpy dirt path, swaying from side to side. He howled like a wolf, singing a song by the famous Chinese action star Chen Long: "I stumble and fall like the waves, with a thousand grievances I laugh, I rise and fall, swaying but never falling, I know the world in a bottle of wine..."

Fortunately, there were no houses along this road, or someone might have come out to chase the "wolf."

Singing like this, Ye Xuan finally reached the end of the road, a small courtyard covered with tiles.

The small courtyard was very old, with the walls covered in the marks of time. In front of the courtyard stood a snow maple tree, with a trunk about a meter thick. The withered branches, like the devil's claws, covered the small courtyard, making it look eerie and terrifying.

It was said that this small courtyard was haunted, which was why it was so cheap. However, Ye Xuan only took this legend as a joke, as he had lived there for two years and had never seen a ghost, not even a shadow.

"Don't laugh at my madness, for it's hard to find a true heart,

Fear not the drunkenness, for it leads to a vast sky,

Be wild, be mad, be drunk, in this very night."

As he howled, he fumbled around his body for the key.

"Ya!—Ya!—"

Suddenly, a shrill and old cry came from above, making the night even more chilling.

Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, Ye Xuan, with a drunken face, didn't react at all. He stopped looking for the key, turned around, and looked up with his blurry eyes. A black figure stood on a branch several meters high, its blood-red eyes coldly staring at Ye Xuan.

"Ya! Ya!—"

The shrill cry sounded again, as if mocking something.

"Damn it, keep cawing, cawing your sister, I knew today would be so unlucky, and it turns out I met you, this stinking crow."

Seeing the crow on the branch mocking him, Ye Xuan's anger flared up like a rocket, his hair standing on end. He bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it at the crow with all his might.

"Die!" Ye Xuan roared.

Bang!

The stone hit the tree trunk, startling the crow, which flew up, flapping its wings and circling in the air.

"Ya!—Ya!—"

Suddenly, the crow let out a sharp cry, its blood-red eyes flashing with a blood-red light. It spread its wings and shot down like an arrow, its black beak gleaming with a cold light, aiming for Ye Xuan's forehead.

"Ouch!"

His scalp tingled, and then a sharp pain shot through his forehead, making Ye Xuan cry out in pain.

"Damn it!"

Ye Xuan, enraged, reached out to grab the crow, but the crow was incredibly agile, and with a quick flash, it flew back into the air.

"Ya! Ya!—"

The crow's voice seemed to mock Ye Xuan, clearly more playful.

"Damn it, not only do people bully me, but even you, this flat-feathered beast, come to bully me. Just wait, I won't let you off today."

A surge of blood rushed to his head, and Ye Xuan felt as if his lungs were about to burst. He was about to bend down to pick up some stones to fry the crow for a drink when a sudden dizziness hit him. The world spun, and the next moment, he blacked out and lost consciousness.

...

Ugh, where am I?

Ye Xuan groaned and sat up from the ground. When he saw his surroundings, he immediately sobered up.

The surroundings were empty, as black as a black hole, and beneath him was a circular platform that shimmered with a sci-fi-like silver metallic luster. The platform was engraved with countless mysterious patterns, making it look very strange.

"Buzz!"

Not far from Ye Xuan, a white light suddenly flashed in the air, and a large screen, like those seen in sci-fi movies, appeared. A beautiful woman with a delicate face and an S-shaped figure appeared on the screen.

"Hello, welcome to the Dream Evolution System developed by the Cosmic Silver Company of the Xianhe Star System. I am the system spirit SHG901, and I am happy to serve you!" The woman on the screen smiled and said in a voice like a nightingale.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Faced with this sudden situation, Ye Xuan's head felt as if it were stuffed with paste, and he stared at the woman on the screen, dumbfounded.

"Respected user, you are now in the virtual space of the Dream Evolution System. I am the system spirit SHG901. Of course, as the user of this system, you have the right to rename me." The woman on the screen smiled.

"Dream Evolution System? Virtual space?" Ye Xuan blinked a few times, took a few deep breaths, and suppressed his fear and unease. His brain cells finally started working again, and he asked, "What is this Dream Evolution System for?"

"Respected user, the Dream Evolution System is the first system developed by the Cosmic Silver Company of the Xianhe Star System, aimed at human evolution. This system allows the host to enter a dream world that already exists in the host's mind. By completing certain cultivation tasks in the dream world, the host can earn cultivation points, which can be used for enhancement and evolution." The woman on the screen explained.

"Dream world?" Hearing the system spirit's explanation, Ye Xuan was stunned, unable to understand where such a dream world could come from in his mind.

"Yes." The system spirit smiled and nodded. "In your world, it can also be called a movie world. As long as you have seen a movie, you can create a dream world. That will be the place where you cultivate and train."

"Movie?" Ye Xuan found it absurd. Movies are fictional, and now this Dream Evolution System claims he can cultivate and train in a movie world. If it weren't for the system spirit in front of him and the inexplicable existence around him, Ye Xuan would have thought someone was playing a trick on him.

"How did you get here, and how did you choose me?" Ye Xuan suddenly remembered and asked.

"I'm sorry, insufficient data, unable to answer!" The woman on the screen flickered twice, as if the system had crashed, and finally said with a blank expression.

"How do I leave here?" Ye Xuan was stunned and asked again.

"I'm sorry, respected user, the system has just been activated. You need to complete a cultivation task in a movie world to leave. Please rest assured, when you appear here, your body in the real world will be under the protection of the system. Even if the most powerful nuclear weapon in your world explodes next to you, it will not harm you in the slightest. You are in absolute safety."

"What, my body is still outside?" Ye Xuan asked in surprise.

"Yes, you are now present in the system's virtual space with your consciousness, and the system is in your mind."

"How long will it take to experience a movie world? If I stay there too long, I'll starve to death even if I don't get killed." Ye Xuan frowned, worried.

"Respected user, please rest assured. The time flow in the movie world is different from that in the real world. One day in the movie world is only one minute in the real world."

"What if I die in the movie world? Will I die in reality?" Ye Xuan suddenly thought of a crucial question. After all, movie worlds are fictional, and many of them are full of dangers, such as monsters, aliens, and other high-risk creatures. His small body wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth.

"Respected user, please rest assured. The system is designed with a mechanism to protect the user. Even if you die in the movie world, you will not die in reality." The woman smiled and added, "However, if you die in the movie world, the system will suffer irreparable damage, and all your gains in the system will be completely erased, and you will revert to your original state."

Hearing that he wouldn't die, Ye Xuan was relieved, but then he heard the system spirit's next words, and his mood sank. In other words, if he died once, he would lose the system and all his gains.

However, Ye Xuan quickly recovered from his dejected mood. Getting this system was already a stroke of luck. Even if he lost it in the end, it would leave him with an unforgettable memory.

"Respected user, you have been in the space for some time. Do you want to start your first cultivation task?" The system spirit suddenly asked.

"Wait, if I enter the movie world, how do I get out? If the system keeps giving me tasks or if I don't complete them, will I be trapped there?" Ye Xuan thought of another question.

"Respected user, please rest assured. The movie world will end when the movie in your memory ends. To leave the movie world, you only need to complete the system task or wait for the movie to end."

"Alright, let's start!" Since it couldn't be avoided, Ye Xuan gritted his teeth and said.

"Alright, please wait!"

"Scanning user's memory"

"Loading movie world!"

"Scanning user's comprehensive cultivation abilities!"

"Matching movie world!"

"Match successful!"

"Respected user, the movie world you are about to enter is 'Once Upon a Time in China: The Legend of Wong Fei-hung'"

---

This book is set in a modern alternate universe. Any similarities are purely coincidental!

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