Sky Eye Awakens

Ancient One did not continue explaining the special circumstances surrounding Earth in detail. Instead, she began explaining the secrets of the Infinity Stones to the two of them.

"The Infinity Stones were refined from the essences of six singularities that contained infinite energy before the Big Bang. They each control one of six basic attributes: space, time, reality, power, mind, and soul."

"The Tesseract obtained by S.H.I.E.L.D. is a container holding the Space Stone."

"Using the Space Stone, one can instantly move oneself or any object to any location in space. One can also manipulate space at will according to one's intentions, such as separating, cutting, twisting, rearranging, or even creating entirely new spaces."

"At the same time, the Space Stone itself contains an inexhaustible amount of energy. Or rather, all six Infinity Stones contain inexhaustible amounts of energy."

"But not everyone is qualified to touch the Infinity Stones. Anyone who touches one recklessly will either disintegrate if they are lucky, or, if they are unlucky, bring about the destruction of an entire planet."

"Just like what happened earlier."

Ancient One's words carried an implicit warning.

"I understand, Sorcerer. I'll warn Nick not to use it recklessly. It would be best to seal it away permanently."

Ancient One neither agreed nor disagreed. She took a sip of tea and continued:

"As for the Eye of Agamotto, which has been passed down through the line of the Sorcerer Supreme, it is the container of the Time Stone."

"The Time Stone allows its user to reach any point in time, whether the distant past or the far-off future. With this power, one can observe or experience any era."

"Therefore, if the user possesses sufficient knowledge, they can do much more—even manipulate time and causality."

"As for the other four Infinity Stones, I don't know where they are either. But without a doubt, they are all cosmic-level treasures."

"Moreover, if all six Infinity Stones are united, their wielder can accomplish anything."

"That is why the universe forbids the six Infinity Stones from being united. Anyone who dares collect the Infinity Stones will inevitably face a joint attack from every power in existence."

Zhan Liu took a deep look at Ancient One. You did that on purpose, didn't you?

To be able to accomplish anything—what a wonderful phrase.

Breaking through the limit of Ultimate Limit Qigong and reaching Fiftieth Heaven Magnetic Field Rotation would be extraordinarily difficult. Moreover, the system had only said there was "a chance to break through." Whether he could truly succeed remained uncertain.

But if all six Infinity Stones were united, perhaps they really could help him accomplish the thing he dreamed of most.

Unfortunately, he was still far too weak. At the very least, he would have to reach the limit of Ultimate Limit Qigong before he would be qualified to consider such a thing.

Zhan Liu was fanatical, but he was no madman. He was perfectly rational and knew exactly when to stand firm and when to retreat.

If the first person to come looking for trouble had been Captain Marvel rather than the Sorcerer Supreme, he probably would have understood the situation and yielded long ago.

Fighting the strong was the spirit of a War God. Fighting those utterly beyond one's reach was madness.

After Ancient One finished explaining, she raised a hand and drew another small circle. The Tesseract then dropped out of it.

She caught it and asked Zhan Liu, "Are you ready for the evolution of your Sky Eye?"

Zhan Liu shuddered and hurriedly gathered his thoughts, preparing himself.

"Come on, Master."

Ancient One gently waved the Tesseract toward Zhan Liu. A pale blue stream of energy shot out from it and poured directly into the Sky Eye on Zhan Liu's forehead.

The Sky Eye absorbed the energy voraciously, as though it had been starving for a long time.

It was obvious that Ancient One was controlling the energy output, making it exactly match the Sky Eye's absorption limit—neither more nor less.

As the energy poured in, the Sky Eye gradually changed from shriveled to full and from dull to lively.

Great joy welled up in Zhan Liu's heart. It was a telepathic sensation transmitted by the Sky Eye.

The Spatial Sky Eye was about to be born.

After approximately ten minutes, Ancient One withdrew her hand and sent the Tesseract back to its original location.

The entire process took place without regard for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s alarms. It had not made the slightest sound.

The Spatial Sky Eye on Zhan Liu's forehead had already opened. It was a vertical eye, its depths flickering with pale blue light.

He opened the Sky Eye and looked around. The ordinary meditation room appeared completely different through it. Layer upon layer of spaces intersected here in bewildering numbers, enough to make anyone dizzy.

Looking around freely in someone else's home was taboo. He understood these Eastern taboos, so he hurriedly withdrew his gaze, stood up, and bowed again in thanks.

"Thank you, Sorcerer Supreme, for your assistance. If you ever need anything in the future, just send someone to my martial arts school with a message. I, Zhan, will do everything in my power to help."

Ancient One did not stand on ceremony. She nodded and accepted his goodwill.

"If I need anything, I won't hesitate to ask. Also, the New York Sanctum is located at 177A Bleecker Street, Manhattan, New York City. If you ever need to find me, you can go there and send me a message."

"While I'm at it, let me offer you a piece of advice. Try to restrain your killing intent. In the endless future, not every outcome is a good one."

Zhan Liu tensed. He knew she must have seen some possible future, so he once again clasped his hands and thanked her.

Ancient One stood. "Now that all the problems have been resolved, I won't keep you here as guests any longer. I'll send you back."

The two of them rose and bade Ancient One farewell. She drew two circles and invited each of them through one.

After Zhan Liu stepped through the portal, he indeed returned to his martial arts school in Chinatown.

He walked out of the room and looked at a group of nominal disciples practicing in the courtyard. The disciples stared at their somewhat unfamiliar master, each of them silent, unsure what to say.

"What is it?"

"Master, you..." One disciple boldly pointed at the Sky Eye on his forehead and gestured at it.

"Oh, you already know that I'm from another world. Having one extra eye is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

"...Master, you really are an alien?"

Fortunately, modern people had seen and heard everything, and their ability to accept strange things was strong. Before long, they returned to their usual state, chatting and laughing.

Still, how many of them truly believed he was an alien, and how many suspected he was a mutant, was impossible to say.

Over at S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick sighed after hearing Captain Marvel's account.

"This time, I have you to thank. Otherwise, I never would have known the situation could have become this serious."

Carol understood Nick's personality. He would never let the matter go so easily, but she still advised him:

"His values are different from ours, and he's also a martial arts fanatic. But as long as no one provokes him first, he has no interest in bullying the weak."

"Also, I went to the New York Sanctum earlier to take a look, but I couldn't find the place at all. That address doesn't exist. Clearly, the Sorcerer Supreme doesn't have a very favorable impression of me. She seems to like that Zhan Liu more."

"It probably won't be easy for S.H.I.E.L.D. to obtain the assistance of the sorcerers."

Nick smiled confidently. "Don't worry. As long as I know where the address is, I'll definitely find a way to locate them."

"That's good. I'm leaving now. Contact me if anything comes up."

Nick watched Captain Marvel fly away until she vanished from sight, his expression gradually darkening.

The Avengers had to be formed.