Conditions for absorbing the Soul Stone

Xia Yu's expression changed instantly; his biggest secret had been revealed to him.

Although Xia Yu knew from the ID number he received that he had no secrets here, this was the first time in so many years that someone had said it so directly, especially in front of Ancient One.

Ancient One didn't show much change in expression. In her understanding, this world contained endless dimensions and Parallel Universes, so she wasn't surprised at all that there were time travelers coming here.

She and Odin were already quite certain that Xia Yu was not from this world.

However, considering that this place was passed down from ancient times, and that Xia Yu had entered the correct password, she knew that things were not so simple.

Seeing Xia Yu's drastic change in expression, Ancient One put aside her next question and looked directly at Xia Yu, clearly observing from the sidelines.

Xia Yu forced a glance at Ancient One.

Although he knew that the Ancient One and Odin could see the differences in him, having it said so bluntly still made him feel ashamed as if he had been stripped naked and had his bare bottom exposed in front of others.

But we can't worry about that now; finding out the truth is what we should be doing right now.

"Why are you waiting for me? Who are you, or rather, who are you all? What is your purpose?"

Xia Yu got straight to the point with the old man.

The old man didn't answer Xia Yu's question, but what he said next shocked Xia Yu even more.

"Thanos has disappeared, what are you going to do? We haven't received the Soul Stone quest yet, are you wondering why there have been fewer and fewer notifications from Tmall lately?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu could no longer remain calm.

He stood up abruptly.

"System, you still know about systems? You're the one who sent me through this world? You're the one who put the system inside me?"

Xia Yu stood up, pointing at the old man with trembling hands.

Who exactly is this person before me? A legendary deity?

The old man seemed to know what Xia Yu was thinking.

"I'm not a god. To put it simply, I was just created here to wait for you. In your understanding, I might be like JARVIS F.R.I.D.A.Y., except that I don't exist in a computer or server."

This is very easy to understand. The old man is a created life form, like artificial intelligence. But then again, isn't the ability to create a life form out of thin air a sign of God?

Ignoring Xia Yu's stunned expression, the old man continued speaking to himself.

"Actually, I'm not exactly a complete life form. You can think of me as a mental remnant, or compare me to JARVIS F.R.I.D.A.Y.. I'm not a complete artificial intelligence; I'm just a small program with only a few specific functions."

"I know you're full of questions right now, but my authority doesn't allow me to tell you everything. I can only tell you, system, you call it Tmall, right? Tmall is just an initial guide."

"Haven't you noticed? When you came into contact with the first Infinity Stones, your abilities no longer came from the Tmall. The many martial arts techniques within were merely ways of applying energy. For example, the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms you used frequently in the early days were just to increase energy density and unleash greater destructive power. You no longer need them."

"The later functions are simply to gradually teach you how to use your power, following the plot and your body's adaptation."

You no longer need it.

With a wave of his hand, the old man caused an uncontrollable phantom image to appear inside Xia Yu's body.

The old man pulled it directly into his hand, and it transformed into a round ball of yellow light.

This matter was beyond Ancient One's comprehension, so she wisely refrained from interrupting and quietly watched Xia Yu and the old man's conversation from the sidelines.

Having said all that, Xia Yu calmed down.

"So, the system, like you, was created by someone, and my transmigration was also artificially controlled?"

Xia Yu plopped back down and asked in a very straightforward manner.

"As I said, I don't have enough authority. My task is to help you remove the system. As for your transmigration, as far as I know, it wasn't controlled by anyone, at least not by the person who created me."

"Listen to me quietly first."

Xia Yu wanted to ask something more, but the old man waved him off.

"You don't need to ask any more questions. I'll tell you everything I can at once. You've already absorbed the energy of four Infinity Stones. In fact, since you absorbed Ego, you've been able to absorb the energy of the fifth one, the Time Stone."

"There are two things you need to pay attention to next. First, absorb the energy of the fifth gem. Because of your arrival, many things and time in this world have changed, but the major turning points have not changed. This is very good, otherwise, if it reacts, you will definitely not be able to resist it with your current strength."

"After absorbing the fifth Infinity Stone, don't go looking for Thanos. He will naturally appear after Ragnarok occurs in Asgard. Isn't this what you call plot inertia?"

The old man smiled at Xia Yu, finding the concept of "plot inertia" somewhat amusing.

"So, Thanos is still the same as before, trying to steal the Infinity Stones. That doesn't seem too difficult, does it?"

The old man chuckled, Xia Yu quickly interjected with a question.

"I can't answer that question. I can only tell you that you want to reverse some predetermined fates, especially for chosen ones like Tony Stark and Natasha. Things certainly won't be the same as before, but once you fully control the Six Infinity Stones, everything can change."

"Remember, with the Six Infinity Stones, power isn't the key; the key is to fully absorb them and change your own Source. The Soul Stone is the most crucial of the Six Infinity Stones. Obtaining it isn't difficult, but to completely replicate its Source, even if you replicate the Source of the other five stones, it still won't be enough."

As the old man spoke, he picked up another date and popped it into his mouth.

"Then how can I replicate its Source? You mean my Source isn't powerful enough?"

Xia Yu quickly asked.

I'm still unclear about my own situation, but the Soul Stone is related to changing my fate, so it's good to find out about that first.

"As you may already know, the original Infinity Stones was just one piece, but it later split into six. You can think of it as a computer; the six stones represent the graphics card, sound card, memory, hard drive, and so on. The Soul Stone is like the motherboard, the key component that connects all the parts together. All six together are not simply the sum of six ones; they are equal to infinity."

"Therefore, you must possess a powerful soul Source. The Infinity Stones were originally the prototype, the core of a universe. You will learn about their true origin later, but to make your soul Source powerful enough, you also need to absorb some things created by the rules of the universe."

The old man spat out another date pit.

"For example?"

Xia Yu pressed for more details.

For example, Asgard!