Dark—empty—and silent.
There was no sound of the city, no hum of machines, no neon lights that usually greeted his eyes whenever he woke up. Only a void pressing in from all directions—as if he were submerged in a boundless space.
Mo Fanglei felt that he was lying on something rough. The surface was hard, uneven—and cold. Tiny particles like sand or dust clung to his cheek. He frowned faintly.
Creak…
The sound of old wood groaned faintly above his head. Then another small noise followed—kriet… kriet…—as if something was moving between the planks.
His eyes slowly opened, and Mo Fanglei found himself inside a building that was…
Truly ruined.
The roof was worn down.
Filled with dust and a foul smell.
Spiders clung to the ceiling beams.
Even the wood was already in a pitiful condition.
Several boards were cracked—some hanging loosely as if they could collapse at any moment. Spider webs stretched from corner to corner, glimmering faintly under the dim light seeping through the gaps in the roof. The scent of dampness mixed with rotting wood pierced his nose.
Creak…
A small insect scurried across a wooden beam, then disappeared into a crack. Dust drifted lightly into the air as he moved his body.
Mo Fanglei tried to stand and paused to think about what had just happened to him—and to this building.
His head felt heavy—as if he had just awakened from a long dream that was too real. His memory of the final moment—sirens, red-blue lights, the sound of tiiiiiit—still faintly echoed in his mind.
"This place… It looks like it's been abandoned for decades. Even the smell is unbearable!" he muttered, covering his nose with his hand.
Dust fell again from above when he spoke—creak…—as if the roof responded to his voice.
"But… is this really another world? And these clothes… They look like ancient Chinese clothing." He examined what he was wearing. "And I didn't even prepare anything! How am I supposed to survive?!" Both hands clutched his head as he tried to think quickly.
The fabric he wore was long—loose—with wide sleeves and a simple sash tied at the waist. Not modern synthetic material—but coarse cloth that felt unfamiliar against his skin. He clenched it, making sure this wasn't an illusion.
Kriet… kriet…
The sound of a small rat echoed from the corner of the room.
DING!!
The sound reverberated—clear, not coming from the ruined room—but directly from inside his head.
Congratulations, Host. You have been chosen to create entertainment in this world of cultivators!!
Mo Fanglei fell silent for a moment and observed the system with narrowed eyes. "The name is Entertainment System? And there's a Starter Pack below it? This really looks like one of those cliché xianxia novels I used to read… Could it be that I'm one of them?" he muttered in disbelief at what he was seeing.
A transparent screen floated before him—light blue glowing letters neatly arranged. There were menus, icons, and a number bar showing something called EP.
"Ah… whatever. I'd better just open the starter pack," he said, immediately clicking it.
Congratulations!!
You have received 1250 EP, a basic wooden broom, a basic mop with cleaning liquid and an arcade game: Brick Block Puzzle (Standard Grade)!!
"But what is EP? And why is there a standard grade?" he asked the system.
EP stands for Entertaiment Points. They can be obtained throughcustomerswho enter the Entertaiment created by the Host.
New customers grant 100 EP
If one customer returns, yougain 75 EP, and it can increase as customers growstronger becauseof the Host's Entertainment.
Entertainment Grades:
Standard Grade
Quality Grade
Luxury Grade
Heavenly Grade
World Grade
There is no consequences if EP reaches 0. However, therewill be consequences if there are no customers for one week and your EP becomes negative.
Mo Fanglei listened carefully and quickly understood the rules. Before opening his shop, of course, he had to clean the building first using the broom and mop—and renovate the building through the system for 500 EP.
"Although most people would see this as a loss, a true businessman must take big risks for big rewards," he thought confidently.
He held the basic wooden broom—its texture rough but sturdy. When he began sweeping—shhk… shhk…—thick dust rose into the air. He coughed lightly.
The roof planks creaked again—creak…—as if warning that this building had not been touched by humans for a long time.
He mopped the floor—wipe… wipe…—the cleaning liquid's fresh scent slowly overpowering the damp, suffocating odor.
**
Three hours passed without him realizing it. The building was now clean—free of dust and foul smells—and the once-rotten roof had been restored, even gleaming.
The wood that had looked dull now appeared sturdier—cracks repaired by the system after the renovation. The spider webs were gone. The afternoon sunlight streamed in through windows that were now clear.
Mo Fanglei sat down for a moment—breathing heavily.
"This is really exhausting… Does the system sell food and drinks?" he wondered, immediately checking for a shop menu—and he found one.
A new menu opened on the system screen—food icons lined up neatly.
"Wait… 100 EP?! That's seriously expensive! But it looks like a combo package of steamed buns and a refreshing drink with a 50% beginner discount," he grumbled with an annoyed expression.
He glanced at the remaining EP—already reduced significantly after renovation.
"But is this really worth it? Ahh! I don't care! Buy!" He pressed the purchase button, and the package instantly appeared in his hands. Without hesitation, he began eating.
Steam rose from the bun. The aroma was tempting. He bit into it—soft, with juicy, savory meat filling. The cold drink refreshed his dry throat instantly.
A moment later.
"This is definitely worth it… Shouldn't I continue now?" Mo Fanglei selected the arcade Brick Block Puzzle item and tried placing it on the right side of the building—but it wouldn't work.
A brightly colored arcade machine appeared in hologram placement form—but turned red when he tried to set it down.
"Wait, why can't I place it?! Is there an electrical system here, System?!" he asked in confusion.
Correct, Host. Entertainment devicessuch as the arcade Brick Block Puzzle require electricity. You must purchase electricity for 500 EP to place it.
"It really feels like I'm building my own entertainment business… I even need electricity like on Earth," he muttered, purchasing electricity for three days.
His EP decreased drastically again.
He quickly tried placing it once more and tested the arcade to make sure it worked.
Click.
The arcade screen lit up—Brick Block Puzzle music played softly. Blocks began falling—tik… tik… tik…—and he started playing with full focus.
At the same time, someone wearing a black robe and a dark farmer's hat with a white cloth wrapped around its edges to conceal their identity appeared outside.
Their footsteps were light—almost silent against the stone road.
"What place is this? In the middle of Hunan City, yet not a single customer. Even the name looks strange." The person paused for a moment, observing the odd shop labeled: 'True Cultivator Entertainment.'
A gentle wind blew—causing the white cloth around the hat to flutter softly.
"Seems interesting…"
They slowly walked inside—the place was empty—and saw someone deeply focused on playing with a strange, brightly colored device.
The sound of the arcade machine echoed clearly in the quiet room—tik… tik… cling!
"Excuse me, are you the owner of this shop?" the person asked curiously.
Mo Fanglei stopped playing—the final block dropped with a small tok sound.
He slowly turned his head.
To be continued…