Chapter Summaries

Xia Yu traveled to Los Angeles to inspect land for a herb-growing venture with Tony Stark, then learned Tony had been attacked in Afghanistan. The chapter ended with Xia Yu waiting anxiously for news of Tony’s fate.

• Tony Stark called Xia Yu at four in the morning and asked him to inspect land in Los Angeles for their company.
• Xia Yu flew to Los Angeles, inspected the farm with Pepper Potts, and agreed that the land was suitable.
• Pepper told Xia Yu that Tony had gone to Afghanistan to pitch missiles to American troops, and Xia realized the Iron Man story had begun.
• Natasha called Xia Yu that night and reported that Tony Stark had been attacked by missiles in Afghanistan and was missing.

Xia Yu traveled to Afghanistan and infiltrated the Ten Rings to arrange a way to help Tony Stark escape captivity. After Tony agreed on a date to break out, Xia Yu prepared to gather controlled Ten Rings members for an assault on the camp.

• Xia Yu learned that accepting system missions would change the plot and be necessary to build strength for a future battle, then traveled to Afghanistan to find Tony Stark.
• Xia Yu found a Ten Rings outpost in Miyeno Town, controlled its owner and several members, and learned Tony Stark's location.
• On the seventy-ninth day of Tony's captivity, a blond Ten Rings member passed Xia Yu's message to Tony and arranged to return in three days to discuss help.
• Tony Stark told the blond man he needed one week, then urged Yinsen to speed up their work after learning Xia Yu was nearby.
• Xia Yu asked the blond man to help him enter the camp, but the man warned that doing so would expose them and suggested a safer plan.
• Xia Yu sent the blond man back to ask whether Tony could defend himself while Xia Yu gathered controlled Ten Rings members for an attack on the camp.

Xia Yu rescued Tony Stark and Yinsen from the Ten Rings camp, but The Mandarin ambushed them as they fled. Xia Yu stayed behind to fight him while Tony escaped, and the chapter ended with Xia Yu countering The Mandarin’s whirlwind attack.

• Xia Yu killed the guards outside the cave, rescued Tony Stark, and carried Yinsen’s body out as Blondie arrived with the others.
• Xia Yu and Tony fled the camp, but The Mandarin struck two of their cars with lightning and confronted them.
• Xia Yu ordered Blondie to drive Tony to safety, then attacked The Mandarin with the Heaven Reliant Sword.
• The Mandarin used his rings to block Xia Yu’s strike and attack with fire, cold, and wind, but Xia Yu countered the whirlwind with Dugu Nine Swords.

Xia Yu stalled The Mandarin by pretending to negotiate over Tony Stark, then ambushed him with a Gatling gun after the system confirmed Tony was safe. The Mandarin survived behind a ring-generated shield and chased after Xia Yu in a rage.

• Xia Yu claimed he was a mercenary and bargained with The Mandarin to let him pass in exchange for one hundred million dollars.
• The Mandarin arranged the transfer, and Xia Yu delayed him by demanding proof that the payment had gone through.
• After the system confirmed Tony Stark was safe, Xia Yu approached The Mandarin and pulled out an M134 Gatling gun.
• Xia Yu emptied the ammunition belt against The Mandarin's red shield, then threw the gun at him and ran.
• The Mandarin was struck by the Gatling gun, then activated a ring and chased Xia Yu at high speed.

Tony Stark returned to the United States while Xia Yu stayed behind to fight the Mandarin in the desert. The Mandarin struck Xia Yu with a powerful shockwave, leaving him badly injured as the Mandarin worried he might have killed him.

• Tony Stark boarded a helicopter and was sent back to the United States after officials promised to search for Xia Yu.
• Natasha learned that Xia Yu's watch had transmitted his location and realized his life was in danger.
• The Mandarin pursued Xia Yu across the desert after Xia Yu's Gatling-gun attack enraged him.
• Xia Yu threw a crate of grenades at the Mandarin, breaking one of the Mandarin's rings and sending him onto a dune.
• Xia Yu headed for an abandoned village, but the Mandarin slowed him with icy light and struck him with a shockwave.
• Xia Yu flew more than a hundred meters and spat blood, while the Mandarin feared he had killed him.

Xia Yu stalled the Mandarin while secretly healing and strengthening himself, then tricked him into approaching by throwing a jade pendant. The Mandarin picked it up just as Xia Yu produced weapons and attacked.

• The Mandarin kept his distance and questioned the wounded Xia Yu, who gave false names and fabricated stories about where he kept his weapons.
• Xia Yu asked for another hundred million, provoking the Mandarin to strike him with the poison beam from his ring.
• Xia Yu used the apparent pain to conceal his use of the Nine Yang Divine Skill and his loading of the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.
• Xia Yu pretended to reveal a treasure and threw a jade pendant toward the Mandarin, drawing him close enough to retrieve it.
• As the Mandarin bent to pick up the pendant, Xia Yu produced a case, a riot shield, and an AK, then opened fire.

After surviving the missile blast that wounded him and The Mandarin, Xia Yu spent three days recovering in a cellar with Natasha at his side. He contacted Tony Stark, who arranged for James Rhodes to bring him back while keeping Xia Yu’s injuries secret from doctors.

• Xia Yu hid in a village cellar with catastrophic injuries, while The Mandarin survived and returned to his lair to heal.
• Natasha found Xia Yu after eight hours and stayed with him in the cellar for three days as he slowly recovered.
• Xia Yu and Natasha decided to keep their relationship private and arranged for him to return by calling Tony Stark.
• Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, who had feared Xia Yu was dead, received his call and learned he was alive.
• Xia Yu told Tony to have James Rhodes carry him out on a stretcher and avoid bringing a military doctor to examine him.

After recovering at Tony Stark’s home, Xia Yu watched Tony announce the end of Stark Industries’ weapons sales and develop the Mark II armor. Tony’s first flight tests wrecked his lab and Xia Yu’s chosen car, and the two headed to a firefighter charity gala together.

• Xia Yu recovered at Tony Stark’s home, shared his adventures while keeping Natasha and the system secret, and let Tony study the Space Ring and Heart of Xia.
• Tony Stark held a press conference announcing that Stark Industries would stop selling weapons, then devoted himself to building the Mark II while Xia Yu supported him and joked about his failed tests.
• Tony successfully flew in the Mark II on the day Xia Yu no longer needed his wheelchair, but crashed through the garage ceiling and crushed the Shelby Cobra Xia Yu had chosen.
• Tony decided to replace the armor’s shell with Gold-Titanium Alloy and chose a red-and-gold color scheme after discussing it with Xia Yu and JARVIS.
• Tony invited Xia Yu to a firefighter charity gala, and reporters photographed the two arriving together.

At Tony Stark’s party, Stan Lee’s mysterious words pushed Xia Yu to stop hiding his abilities and cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. The chapter ended with Xia Yu demonstrating his power to Coulson and accidentally soaking him.

• Tony and Xia Yu met Stan Lee at the party, where Stan stared at Xia Yu, told him to follow his heart, and then denied having been there when Xia Yu asked Tony about him.
• Coulson approached Tony and Xia Yu to ask about Afghanistan, and Tony left Xia Yu to speak with him.
• Xia Yu invited Coulson to his home and agreed to discuss the desert fight, while Coulson asked about the black-robed man and Xia Yu’s identity.
• Coulson explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. had found satellite images and energy traces from Xia Yu’s fight with The Mandarin.
• Xia Yu showed Coulson his power by blasting water high into the air with a palm strike, accidentally drenching Coulson and apologizing.

Xia Yu agreed to help Tony Stark investigate Obadiah Stane’s suspected betrayal and accompanied Pepper Potts to search Stark Industries for evidence. Pepper uncovered illegal weapons records and plans for the Iron Monger armor, along with a video linking Obadiah to Tony’s kidnapping.

• Xia Yu decided to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and left Natasha a message, but Tony Stark came to visit him instead.
• Tony told Xia Yu he had killed Ten Rings terrorists and suspected Obadiah Stane of selling weapons to terrorists and arranging his kidnapping.
• Xia Yu urged Tony to accept that he and Obadiah had chosen different paths, and Tony asked Xia to accompany Pepper Potts while she searched Stark Industries.
• Tony told Xia that Pepper would meet him at Stark Industries the next afternoon, then flew away from Xia’s rooftop.
• Xia accompanied Pepper through Stark Industries, where Pepper used Tony’s USB drive to access a secret server folder containing weapons files, Iron Monger blueprints, and a video made for Obadiah after Tony’s kidnapping.

Xia Yu helped Pepper Potts copy evidence proving Obadiah Stane’s involvement with terrorists and illegal weapons sales, then assisted her in bringing the evidence to Agent Coulson. After learning that Obadiah’s arrest would require extensive coordination, Xia Yu accepted a system mission to protect Pepper and help Iron Man defeat Iron Monger.

• Pepper Potts copied files implicating Obadiah Stane while Xia Yu blocked him from approaching her computer.
• Xia Yu accepted a system mission to protect Pepper and help Iron Man defeat Iron Monger, with an extra reward for killing Iron Monger himself.
• Pepper met Agent Coulson and showed him the evidence, while Xia Yu told Tony Stark that Obadiah had arranged his kidnapping and supplied weapons to terrorists.
• Xia Yu told Tony to stay home while Coulson coordinated with government agencies to obtain authorization to arrest Obadiah Stane.

Xia Yu battled Obadiah Stane in the Iron Monger armor while Tony Stark recovered and flew to confront him. After Xia Yu got Pepper Potts to safety, Tony took Iron Monger into the sky, and Xia Yu headed to Stark Industries to wait for them to return.

• Obadiah Stane stole Tony Stark's small Arc Reactor, leaving Tony to use the Heart of Xia and then fly with James Rhodes toward Stark Industries.
• Xia Yu, Agent Coulson, and Pepper Potts reached Obadiah Stane's hidden facility, where Xia Yu kicked down the iron door and found the Iron Monger prototype.
• Obadiah Stane attacked the group in Iron Monger, but Xia Yu caught his punch, dodged his blows, and taunted him as Coulson and the others escaped.
• Obadiah Stane fired a machine gun at Xia Yu, who drew him toward the entrance and found Pepper still there.
• Tony Stark arrived and confronted Iron Monger, while Xia Yu carried Pepper several blocks away before returning toward the battlefield.
• Xia Yu saw Tony Stark take Iron Monger into the sky, then went to Stark Industries to wait for them to come back down.

Tony Stark battled Obadiah Stane’s Iron Monger after both suits lost power at high altitude, but Stane recovered and cornered Tony on the roof of Stark Industries. Tony was slammed onto the skylight above the building’s Arc Reactor, with Pepper too far away to help and Xia Yu unreachable.

• Tony Stark baited Obadiah Stane into flying Iron Monger high enough for it to ice over, then escaped as the suit lost power.
• Tony Stark used Mark 3’s backup thrusters to reach the roof of Stark Industries, where Xia Yu had just entered the elevator.
• Obadiah Stane thawed out during his fall, seized Tony, and crushed the powerless Mark 3 until Tony fired incendiary rounds that damaged Iron Monger’s targeting system.
• Tony Stark asked Pepper for help and asked where Xia Yu was, but Xia Yu’s broken phone prevented her from receiving Pepper’s call.
• Tony Stark climbed onto Iron Monger’s head and damaged its armor and wiring before Obadiah Stane grabbed him and slammed him onto the skylight above the Arc Reactor.

Xia Yu defeated Obadiah Stane by dismantling Iron Monger and killed him despite Tony Stark’s attempt to stop him. The system then rewarded Xia Yu with 8,000 Points and a lottery draw.

• Iron Monger attacked Tony Stark on the roof while Xia Yu arrived and taunted Obadiah Stane.
• Obadiah fired a missile at Xia Yu, who dodged it and used the Heaven Reliant Sword to disable Iron Monger.
• Xia Yu approached the immobilized Obadiah as Tony emerged and begged him to wait.
• Xia Yu ignored Tony and stabbed Obadiah through the armor, completing his mission.
• Tmall awarded Xia Yu 8,000 Points and one system lottery draw.

Xia Yu and Tony Stark defeated Obadiah Stane, then went to Xia Yu’s home with Pepper Potts, where they found Nick Fury waiting. Fury raised the existence of other superheroes and hinted at a larger initiative.

• Xia Yu told Tony that leaving Obadiah Stane alive could endanger him and Pepper, then sat with Tony after the fight.
• Xia Yu mocked Tony for claiming to be the protagonist and dismantled the Iron Monger, while Tony took its Arc Reactor.
• Agent Coulson and government officials arrived to find Obadiah Stane dead and the Iron Monger reduced to scrap, and Xia Yu claimed a meteor had done it.
• Tony handled the government response, and he, Xia Yu, and Pepper went to Xia Yu’s home for hot pot.
• Nick Fury surprised Xia Yu at home and asked whether he thought he and Tony were the only superheroes in the world.
• Xia Yu confronted Fury about concealing the Hulk’s destruction in Harlem and threatened him for trespassing.

Nick Fury pitched the Avengers Initiative to Tony Stark and Xia Yu over dinner, but Tony showed little interest and Xia Yu agreed only to join the Avengers, not S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury then pressured Xia by threatening to send Natasha Romanoff on more dangerous missions, revealing that he knew about their relationship.

• Xia Yu recognized Nick Fury as a former client and explained that his abilities came from martial arts.
• Nick Fury introduced himself as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and joined Xia Yu, Tony Stark, and Pepper Potts for dinner.
• Xia Yu questioned Nick Fury about waiting in the dark for them, embarrassing him before the group returned to discussing the Avengers.
• Tony Stark showed little interest in the initiative, while Xia Yu agreed to join the Avengers but refused to participate in S.H.I.E.L.D. operations.
• Nick Fury said he would send Natasha Romanoff on more dangerous field missions, using Xia Yu's feelings for her to pressure him.

Xia Yu agreed to join the Avengers Initiative after Nick Fury revealed he had tracked Natasha Romanoff’s movements, while Tony Stark refused to join. After discussing Xia Yu’s relationship with Natasha, Tony explained why he intended to become someone who protected people in Iron Man Armor.

• Xia Yu accused Nick Fury of spying on Natasha, and Fury explained that Natasha’s movements had revealed her connection to Xia Yu.
• Xia Yu agreed to join the Avengers Initiative on the condition that he could avoid day-to-day work and only be called for missions.
• Xia Yu admitted that he had invested nearly all his money in Stark stock, and Tony Stark mocked him for it.
• After Nick Fury left, Xia Yu told Tony Stark and Pepper Potts how he had met Natasha Romanoff.
• Tony Stark explained that he had once believed his weapons protected people, but now thought the world needed someone in Iron Man Armor to step forward and protect them.

Tony Stark committed to protecting people as Iron Man, while Xia Yu discovered Tony was suffering from palladium poisoning. At a press conference, Tony abandoned his prepared statement and publicly declared himself Iron Man.

• Tony told Xia Yu he planned to devote his life to protecting people in the Iron Man Armor.
• Xia Yu used the Nine Yang Divine Skill to make Tony expel a mercury-like substance, which Tony identified as palladium poisoning.
• Coulson gave Xia Yu a phone and a Level 1 S.H.I.E.L.D. ID, explaining that Xia Yu would remain at that rank unless he accepted S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority to assign him.
• At Stark Industries, a reporter pressed Tony about the previous night's events, and Tony publicly said, "I am Iron Man."

After gaining the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, Xia Yu settled into life with Natasha and helped Tony Stark improve his fighting skills and develop new armor. He brought Tony into S.H.I.E.L.D. as a consultant and prepared for the Stark Expo, where Tony forced Xia Yu to sing as the opening act.

• Xia Yu used his system lottery to obtain the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, a ranged attack technique that unleashed streams of dragon-shaped force or combined eighteen dragons into one strike.
• Nick Fury assigned Natasha to stay in Los Angeles, where she assessed Tony Stark and helped him train alongside Xia Yu.
• Tony worked on armor for Xia Yu and combat gadgets for Natasha while Xia Yu guided Tony's physical training.
• Natasha revealed that Howard Stark had been a S.H.I.E.L.D. founder, and Nick Fury had Coulson deliver Howard's belongings to Tony, who developed the New Element and became a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant.
• Xia Yu's Stark Industries investments grew substantially as he anticipated the Stark Expo and the start of Iron Man 2.
• Tony threatened to pull Stark Industries' support from Xia Yu's Herbal medicine Group unless Xia Yu agreed to sing at the expo, and Xia Yu gave in.

At the Stark Industries Expo, Xia Yu prepared to perform while the crowd clamored for Tony Stark. He took the stage to boos and introduced “Rolling in the Deep,” joking that Tony needed time to adjust his shoe lifts.

• Natasha helped Xia Yu get ready to perform and teased him about the crowd calling Tony Stark’s name.
• Tony called Xia Yu to check whether he was ready and told him to warm up the audience.
• Xia Yu chose to sing “Rolling in the Deep” rather than reveal more unfamiliar songs in public.
• The crowd booed Xia Yu and demanded to see Tony Stark and Iron Man.
• Xia Yu joked about Tony’s shoe lifts and announced his song.