Staring at the pulsating, shimmering gift pack icon, Huang Wen's heart hammered against his ribs. This was it. The universally accepted cheat code of every transmigrator ever. This little digital present was his starting capital, his golden ticket, his raison d'être in this strange, superhero-infested world.
He took a deep, steadying breath. He consciously avoided any of the superstitious rituals he'd seen online. No hand washing, no baths, no burning ceremonial incense.
"Nope. Not happening."
As he often rationalized: Mysticism can't save the unlucky, and money can't change fate. Huang Wen, the pragmatist, believed only in one thing: the 'Pad' Strategy. You always sacrifice the cheap draws first to cushion the odds for the important ones. Unfortunately, with only one single Newbie Gift Pack, he had zero padding material. It was all or nothing.
"Wow! The Golden Legend!" A sarcastic voice, naturally his own, whispered in his ears. It was, of course, a cynical hallucination attempting to preemptively cope with disappointment.
He mentally tapped the gift pack. The icon exploded into two majestic, holographic lottery wheels hovering mid-air.
The first wheel was the Tier Selector. It was split into six slices: Mortal, Extraordinary, Legendary, Epic, Fabled, and Mythical. What truly solidified Huang Wen's unique perspective was the observation that the area for each tier—from the trash-level Mortal to the god-tier Mythical—was exactly the same size.
That's the beauty of it. To the System, it's always 50/50: either it flashes or it doesn't. Success or failure. All those percentages are just psychological warfare.
The second wheel was the Type Selector: Character Lottery, Skill Lottery, and Item Lottery. All three slices were equal in size.
"Alright, let's stop overthinking the metaphysics of the System." Huang Wen didn't hesitate. "Let's spin."
With a dramatic WHOOSH! of rushing digital wind, the first wheel blurred into a dizzying streak of color. It spun with impossible speed, and Huang Wen genuinely couldn't tell where the pointer was relative to the tiers. He closed his eyes briefly, listening to the synthesized whirring.
When he looked again, the pointer was resting gently, perhaps even mockingly, on the Mortal level.
A profound, yet expected, wave of disappointment washed over him. "Seriously? Mortal? I get transported to a world with literal cosmic cubes and I start at the bottom?" He briefly regretted not being able to spin the second wheel first, just to get a better 'cushion' for the first.
"Ah, well. It is what it is." He shrugged, the fatalistic acceptance of a webnovel veteran. "The 'cushion' theory still holds, I just accidentally used the good gift pack as the cushion."
He focused on the second wheel. Let's hope the sacrifice was worth it.
WHOOSH! The Type Selector spun rapidly, a silent prayer escaping his lips for a Skill or an Item—something practical, like a high-tier cultivation manual or a self-healing pill.
When the wheel slowed, the pointer settled squarely on the Character Lottery.
"I knew it!" Huang Wen smacked his forehead lightly. "The best reward from the worst tier! Classic System logic. You always give the best bad result."
The wheels vanished, replaced by a simple prompt in front of him:
New Player Gift Pack Opening Rewards:
Tier: Mortal Type: Character Lottery
Activate? [YES / NO]
Without a second of hesitation, Huang Wen clicked YES.
A blinding flash erupted, so bright it temporarily whitened his vision. It wasn't the slow, shimmering flash of Mythical power, but a sharp, clean burst of white light.
The screen stabilized.
"Congratulations! You have obtained the Mortal-Level Character: Ip Man (based on the Ip Man film series, selected from Ip Man characters with the highest overall qualities)."
Huang Wen smiled genuinely this time. The explanation clarified the selection: an "Optimal Level" Ip Man, meaning he possessed the pinnacle of martial arts knowledge, combat experience, and physical conditioning within the scope of the film universe.
"An optimized version. I like the sound of that," he nodded, approvingly. "This is actually a fantastic result. It perfectly aligns with my current identity and the whole 'Revitalize the Martial Arts Hall' mission. A stronger Wing Chun Grandmaster is exactly what I need before I draw a cosmic powerhouse."
Plus, if you think about it, I really am destined to cross paths with Ip Man. We're both of the 'Wen' generation now!
He mentally focused on the name, and Ip Man's full stats were instantly transferred to a new window:
Character: Ip Man
Essence (Physical): 19 Points (Approaching the Human Limit of 20)
Qi (Internal Force): 1 Point (Hidden Strength; 1 Qi Point ≈ 10 Essence Points) Spirit (Soul): 0 Points
Skill: Wing Chun Master, Hidden Strength
Evaluation: Possessing the best version of Ip Man, the character is the strongest existence in their universe. They have reached the level of internal strength in the Mortal Realm and are a true Grandmaster.
"Nineteen points of Essence... close enough to the human limit that the difference is negligible," Huang Wen whistled in admiration. "No wonder this is the 'optimized' version."
His eyes snagged on the 'Qi' stat. "Hidden strength? Is this real Nei Gong from those Wuxia novels? It actually exists outside of the spiritual realm?"
The conversion rate was staggering: 1 point of Qi equal to 10 points of Essence. This meant a single point of Qi theoretically added the physical equivalent of 10 Essence points to his current base.
If this is the mortal realm's equivalent of internal strength, imagine what divine strength would be like! Is the conversion 1 to 10 there too?
No answer appeared. The System was stingy with unsolicited lore.
"Integrate!" Huang Wen declared, wasting no time.
A soft, blinding white light streamed from the virtual window and gently flowed directly into his forehead.
The process wasn't violent or painful; it was a torrent of sheer knowledge and muscle memory. Thousands of hours of training, the perfect execution of Siupai Chu (The Little Idea), the devastating chain punches, the philosophical understanding of centerline theory—it all poured into him, overlaying the already proficient memory of the original host.
His body began to tremble, but this time from intense, rapid change. He felt his muscles contract, reshape, and harden. His bones audibly CRACKED as they subtly re-aligned and strengthened under the influx of Ip Man's 19-point Essence. It was like eating a mythical ginseng fruit—all discomfort was erased, replaced by an overwhelming, surging vitality.
When the light faded, Huang Wen stood motionless for a full minute, absorbing the sheer, incomprehensible power now coursing through his veins.
He subconsciously called up his own stats again, fully expecting to see a bump from 15 to 19.
He rubbed his eyes. He stared again. The number was impossible.
Host: Huang Wen
Essence: 34 Points
Qi: 1 Point
Spirit: 1 Point (Not Activated)
Skill: Wing Chun Master, Hidden Strength
Evaluation: After incorporating the abilities of Grandmaster Ip Man, you have broken through the limits of the human body, even approaching twice the strength of the human body. You have officially entered the Extraordinary level based on physical qualities.
Current Task: 0/3 (Incomplete)
"Overlay?!" The word burst from him in a stunned whisper. "It actually overlaid! It didn't replace it, it added it! I'm thirty-four Essence points! I've entered the Transcendent Realm just by combining two peak-level human martial artists!"
The excitement was overwhelming. He didn't need weights; he needed to move.
He dashed towards the nearest wooden dummy, his footsteps light but impossibly fast. He launched into a Wing Chun sequence, his movements initially stiff, driven purely by the host's muscle memory.
But the moment his wrist connected with the wooden arm, everything clicked. The inherited knowledge from Ip Man flooded his muscles, guiding his stance, his structure, his power.
State!State!State!
The wood shuddered under the terrifying speed and compounding force of his chain punches. Every block, every thrust, every kick was flawless, imbued with the deceptive power of his newly activated Qi. He felt the Qi, that warm, humming internal energy, subtly enhance the physical impact, making a simple movement exponentially stronger.
He finally stopped, breathing heavily but not exhausted, his eyes blazing with a mixture of disbelief and sheer euphoria.
He glanced out the shattered doorway at the bustling streets of New York—a world filled with super-soldiers, billionaire geniuses, and hidden mystical masters.
"Phew," he let out a long, satisfied sigh. "Without firearms, I truly dare call myself invincible in this city."
He was no longer just the gym enthusiast who failed. He was a Grandmaster, an Extraordinary human, armed with a System and a burning mission. His new life had begun, and the world of Marvel was about to learn just how terrifying a well-mastered, overlaid Wing Chun punch could be.