Chapter Summaries

Odin explained that Asgardians were finite tools of the world, while humans could continue to grow, and revealed his plan to destroy Asgard so its people would become ordinary humans. He identified Xia Yu as a variable whose presence seemed to increase the fortune of those connected to him.

• Odin made tea for Xia Yu and explained that gods had fixed limits to their power, unlike humans, who could keep surpassing themselves.
• Odin said he believed Asgardians had to become human on Midgard if they wanted to survive rather than be discarded through Ragnarok.
• Odin revealed that he had planned to create his own Ragnarok by destroying Asgard, which would sever the source of Asgardian divine power and leave its people mortal.
• Xia Yu recalled scenes from the future involving Hela, Thor, Surtur, and Asgard's destruction.
• Odin told Xia Yu that he was a variable absent from the future fragments Odin had seen, and that people with fortune gained more of it when they came closer to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu received the inheritance of Asgard’s God of War from Odin, transforming his Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill into the Black Tortoise Golden Body Art. He then visited Odin’s treasury to absorb the Eternity Flame and swallowed a clump of it, leaving Thor stunned and asking how it tasted.

• Xia Yu gave Odin a box of condoms, and Odin roared furiously after discovering what they were.
• Odin gifted Xia Yu the golden rune of Asgard’s God of War, and Xia Yu absorbed it, evolving his Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill into the Black Tortoise Golden Body Art.
• Tmall gave Xia Yu a mission to absorb some of the Eternity Flame and purify his Nine Yang Divine Skill.
• Odin let Thor show Xia Yu around the treasury, where Xia Yu found the Eternity Flame and grabbed a clump of it without being burned.
• Xia Yu swallowed the Eternity Flame, and Thor nervously asked whether it tasted good.

After gaining immense power from the Eternal Flame, Xia Yu learned that Odin planned to send him and Thor to Earth so Thor could continue his training. Odin made the two swear brotherhood, leaving Thor bound to follow Xia Yu’s lead on Earth.

• Thor remained wary of Xia Yu after seeing him swallow the Eternal Flame, while Xia Yu benefited from its power and waited for Odin to send them to Earth.
• Odin told Thor he would return to Earth for more training and ordered him to follow Xia Yu’s arrangements there.
• Thor objected to obeying Xia Yu, but Odin threatened to strip him of his divine power and forbid him from going to Earth.
• Odin staged a Huaxia-style oath ceremony, and Xia Yu and Thor swore to become brothers, with Xia Yu as the elder brother.
• Before leaving for Earth, Xia Yu asked which book Odin had copied the ceremony from, and Odin said its passage was called “Peach Garden Oath.”

Xia Yu returned from Asgard with Thor, who stayed in New Mexico with Jane Foster, then reported to Nick Fury in New York and gave him information about the universe. At the Avengers' base, Xia Yu and Natasha planned to settle in while Fury arranged identification for Thor and prepared for the team to assemble.

• Xia Yu left Thor in New Mexico with Jane Foster, bought him a phone, gave him ten thousand dollars, and told him to call if he needed anything.
• Xia Yu flew to New York and met Nick Fury and Natasha at the future Avengers base, where he recounted his time in Asgard and said Odin had sent Thor to Earth for experience.
• Xia Yu gave Nick Fury books about the universe and major civilizations, and asked him to get Thor legal identification and help start the Avengers Initiative.
• Nick Fury said Coulson would provide Thor's documents, Hawkeye would return from his mission soon, and Steve Rogers was ready; he told Xia Yu to contact Stark.
• Xia Yu and Natasha explored the base and chose to find the biggest room, while Xia Yu offered to pay for the team's daily necessities.

Xia Yu prepared for the Avengers’ first gathering and learned that Tony Stark could help solve the problem of maintaining their new home. The gathering began with Thor and Tony fighting after trading insults, while Xia Yu and the others watched.

• Xia Yu called Tony Stark about cleaning their large home, and Tony offered to adapt some unfinished products for them.
• Nick Fury arranged jobs for Jane Foster’s group and recruited Jane’s father into S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Tony arrived at the Avengers’ gathering, and Coulson gave Xia Yu an ID for Thor that listed him as Xia Yu’s adopted younger brother.
• Tony and Thor insulted each other after Thor called Tony’s armor ugly, and Thor hurled Mjolnir at him.
• Tony and Thor fought through the compound and into the nearby woods as Xia Yu, Natasha, Coulson, and Hawkeye watched.

Xia Yu watched Thor and Tony fight until Captain America intervened, then stopped the brawl with a palm strike and called the team to a meeting. When Captain America criticized him for not stepping in sooner, Xia Yu had Thor reveal his age and call him big brother.

• Xia Yu, Hawkeye, Natasha, and Coulson watched Thor and Tony fight outside the base while Xia Yu commented on Tony’s armor.
• Nick Fury arrived with Captain America, and Captain America shielded Tony from Thor’s hammer before urging them to stand united.
• Tony and Thor rejected Captain America’s intervention and charged at him, so Xia Yu blasted all three apart with the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.
• Xia Yu called everyone to a meeting, then Captain America reproached him for letting the fight continue.
• Xia Yu asked Thor his age and their relationship, and Thor said he was Xia Yu’s little brother.

At the Avengers’ first meeting, Xia Yu’s strange ability to produce anything from his Space Ring disrupted the gathering before Nick Fury explained why he wanted to assemble the team. Xia Yu proposed that the Avengers remain independent from S.H.I.E.L.D. and political authorities, and the others agreed, while Hawkeye ended the discussion by asking about the Frost Giants’ destroyed planet.

• Xia Yu produced drinks, snacks, and a Jericho Missile from his Space Ring, startling everyone except Thor until Nick Fury told him to put it away.
• Nick Fury explained the Avengers Initiative and argued that Earth needed a shield against threats from the wider universe.
• Captain America questioned whether forming the team would prevent war, while Thor asked whether Earth was truly in danger.
• Nick Fury argued that Earth could not rely on Asgard or other powers for protection and needed to defend itself.
• Xia Yu proposed that the Avengers remain autonomous from S.H.I.E.L.D., the government, and the World Security Council, and Tony Stark, Thor, Captain America, and Natasha agreed.
• Hawkeye revealed he had been wondering whether the Frost Giants’ destroyed planet had been split in half like the Apple logo.

Xia Yu approached Bruce Banner to recruit him into the Avengers, arguing that suppressing the Hulk was dangerous and offering help with his research and transformations. Banner refused, and Xia Yu ended their conversation by pointing a Gatling machine gun at him.

• The Avengers chose Bruce Banner as their first recruitment target, and Xia Yu went alone to meet him in India.
• Bruce Banner recognized Xia Yu as the Dragon Knight and said he wanted to be left alone.
• Xia Yu warned Banner that suppressing the Hulk would eventually cause greater destruction and invited him to join the Avengers.
• Banner refused, saying he was tired of fighting and feared the Hulk would endanger people.
• Xia Yu promised a better laboratory and offered to help control the Hulk, but Banner still declined.
• Xia Yu produced a Gatling machine gun, pointed it at Banner, and told him he had no choice.

Xia Yu brought Bruce Banner to the Sahara to transform Hulk somewhere isolated and try communicating with him. Hulk briefly accepted juice before punching Xia Yu away, and Xia Yu prepared to let him vent.

• Xia Yu pressured Bruce Banner into joining the Avengers and traveling to the Sahara, where the team could safely face Hulk.
• The Quinjets carried Bruce Banner and the Avengers into the desert, and Xia Yu knocked Banner out of the aircraft to trigger his transformation.
• Xia Yu offered Hulk juice and tried to befriend him, but Hulk drank the juice and then punched Xia Yu more than a hundred meters away.
• Hulk charged at Xia Yu and swung a heavy punch down at him, which Xia Yu blocked with both hands.

Xia Yu fought Hulk in the desert, trying to restrain him without seriously injuring him, but Hulk kept growing stronger as his anger rose. After repeated attempts to strike Hulk’s sleep point failed, Xia Yu threw sand in his eyes and fled, calling for Thor to help.

• Xia Yu told Thor and Tony to hold back and exchanged powerful blows with Hulk, knocking him down before Hulk charged again.
• Hulk’s growing strength sent Xia Yu flying, while Xia Yu avoided using his full internal energy because he feared injuring Hulk.
• Xia Yu tried several times to strike the Anmian point behind Hulk’s earlobe, but Hulk’s defenses and attacks defeated each attempt.
• Tony suggested that Xia Yu use his fist instead of his finger, but Hulk guarded his ear and eventually caught Xia Yu and hurled him away.
• Xia Yu threw sand into Hulk’s eyes, ran across the desert, and shouted for Thor to come down and help him.

Xia Yu and the Avengers subdued Hulk with Thor’s hammer, then waited in the desert while Hulk kept struggling. As they passed the time, Captain America told them how he met Peggy Carter and spoke of the dance he had missed.

• Thor joined the fight against Hulk, and Tony and Captain America arrived to help Xia Yu restrain him.
• Xia Yu struck Hulk down, and Thor pinned him with his hammer, but Hulk remained awake and continued struggling.
• Xia Yu called Hawkeye and Natasha down, and the Avengers waited near Hulk while sharing drinks in the desert.
• The group teased Captain America into telling the story of his time with Peggy Carter.
• Captain America said he would go to the dance with Peggy at any cost.

Xia Yu persuaded Hulk to join the Avengers and return to New York as Bruce Banner, with Hulk allowed out to fight. He tested his acupoint technique on Hulk, who fell asleep after punching Thor and transformed back into Banner.

• Xia Yu served the group a feast from his Space Ring, and Hulk revealed he was hungry while still pinned beneath Thor’s hammer.
• Xia Yu offered Hulk food in exchange for a promise not to attack the group, and Hulk agreed before Xia Yu recalled the hammer.
• Hulk devoured the feast and called Xia Yu his friend; Xia Yu invited him to join the Avengers and asked him to turn back into Banner when he was not fighting.
• Xia Yu, Captain America, and Tony persuaded Hulk to return to New York as Banner and let Hulk come out occasionally.
• Hulk agreed to let Xia Yu test his acupoint technique, but after Xia Yu struck the Anmian point, Hulk punched Thor, fell asleep, and transformed into Bruce Banner.

Xia Yu trained the Avengers in the Simplified Yijin Jing while they settled into their new roles, and the completed mission rewarded him with a Rejuvenation Pill. He decided to check whether Peggy Carter was still alive before using the pill to help Captain America fulfill his dream.

• Xia Yu began cleansing the Avengers’ meridians and marrow and teaching them the Simplified Yijin Jing, while Tony and Bruce Banner set up a laboratory to study the Destroyer’s remains and develop equipment.
• Xia Yu made the Avengers perform a ritual and gave them sect titles, naming Coulson the outer disciple Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun.
• The Avengers settled into their duties, with Tony and Banner handling research, Xia Yu instructing them, and Captain America coordinating combat training.
• After Xia Yu completed the mission, the system awarded him a Rejuvenation Pill that could restore someone’s body and appearance to age twenty.
• Xia Yu decided to find Peggy Carter before giving the pill to Captain America.

Xia Yu planned to use a Rejuvenation Pill to help Captain America keep his date with Peggy Carter, but the bank that owned the Stork Club property refused his offers. He persuaded Tony Stark to buy the bank instead.

• Xia Yu revealed the Rejuvenation Pill and explained that he wanted to help Captain America keep his date with Peggy Carter.
• Tony and Dr. Banner studied the pill but could not identify its ingredients.
• Natasha found that a Paris bank owned the street where the Stork Club had stood, and the bank rejected Xia Yu's offers to buy or rent the building.
• Xia Yu complained about the bank's refusal and turned to Tony for help.
• Tony agreed to arrange the purchase of the bank.

Xia Yu and Natasha visited Peggy Carter and offered her a Rejuvenation Pill so she could reunite with Steve Rogers. After Peggy regained her youth, they restored the Stork Club and prepared a plan to bring the couple together.

• Xia Yu told Peggy Carter about the Avengers, Steve's lingering regret over their missed date, and the Rejuvenation Pill.
• Peggy accepted the pill and asked Natasha to give her a new identity while keeping the rejuvenation secret from everyone except Natasha.
• Peggy regained her youth, and Stark Industries acquired the Stork Club street and the bank behind it for the restoration project.
• Coulson kept Captain America busy training S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new operations team while Xia Yu and the others prepared the reunion plan.
• Xia Yu and his team restored the Stork Club to Peggy's memories, and Xia told Coulson the plan would begin Saturday at eight o'clock.

Steve Rogers followed a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to London and found himself on a recreated 1945 street leading to the Stork Club. There, Peggy Carter appeared for their long-delayed date and asked whether he had learned to dance.

• Steve Rogers agreed to meet a gravely ill agent's grandfather, whose last wish was to see Captain America.
• The agent led Steve through a staged 1945 London street, where crowds celebrated the Allied victory and newspapers hailed his defeat of Hydra.
• Steve recognized the date as May 12, 1945, and realized he was walking toward the Stork Club for his date with Peggy Carter.
• Steve entered the club as the band played "It's Been a Long Long Time," and Peggy appeared in a red evening gown.
• Peggy greeted Steve and asked whether he had learned to dance during his sixty-year delay.

After helping Steve and his companion enjoy a private reunion, Xia Yu and the others returned to New York. Loki left for Earth to retrieve the Tesseract for Thanos, while Nick Fury recruited Dr. Selvig to study it, unaware that Loki had appeared behind the doctor.

• Xia Yu and Tony left Steve and his companion together, then returned to New York after Xia Yu told them to stay away for a week.
• Loki argued with Thanos’s black-robed servant before Thanos sent him to Earth with a scepter to retrieve the Tesseract.
• Thanos assigned a dark figure to take Sanctuary II and help Loki if needed, warning him not to act rashly if the mission went smoothly.
• Nick Fury showed Dr. Selvig the Tesseract and persuaded him to help study its energy.
• Loki’s spectral figure appeared behind Dr. Selvig as Nick Fury discussed the Tesseract.

After Stark Tower’s completion kept Tony Stark busy, Bruce Banner grew increasingly lonely and dwelled on his past relationship with Betty Ross. As the Avengers teased Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter about retracing their wartime route together, Banner quietly left the room unnoticed.

• Tony Stark stayed occupied with Stark Tower’s completion and promotional events, leaving Bruce Banner alone in the lab.
• Bruce Banner brooded over being the only single Avenger and struggled with insomnia as memories of Betty Ross returned.
• Natasha said Steve Rogers wanted to retrace the European route he and Peggy Carter had taken during World War II.
• The Avengers joked about Steve and Peggy taking a honeymoon, while Xia Yu teased them about having a child.
• Bruce Banner got up and left the room while everyone was still teasing Steve and Peggy.

Bruce Banner secretly followed Betty Ross, unable to stay away from her, until he rushed to her rescue when two men pulled her into an alley. He was shoved against a wall and kissed by an unseen figure.

• Xia Yu asked Natasha why Banner and Coulson had been absent, and Natasha explained that Banner needed a life of his own while Coulson had been called back to S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Hawkeye invited Thor to meet his children, and Thor agreed to dress casually for the visit.
• Banner secretly watched Betty Ross and followed her home for several days, while Betty used her phone camera to photograph the person tailing her.
• Betty recognized Banner in one of the blurry photos and decided she would not let him leave her again.
• Two men pulled Betty into an alley, so Banner abandoned his attempt to stay hidden and rushed after her.
• Someone shoved Banner against a wall and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

Betty Ross reunited with Bruce Banner and persuaded him to stop running from their relationship, while Banner told her about joining S.H.I.E.L.D.’s emergency squad. As they settled into life together, an unseen watcher confirmed Banner as a target.

• Betty Ross revealed that she had staged a scene with hired extras to draw out Banner, then confronted him about following her and leaving her.
• Betty Ross took Banner home, where he explained that he had joined a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. squad with Captain America and Tony Stark.
• Betty Ross told Banner she could not start over without him, and Banner promised he would not leave her again.
• Banner began picking Betty Ross up from work and spending his evenings with her as a couple.
• A man watching from a distant apartment identified Bruce Banner as the target and called to report it.