Boiling Telekinesis and a Frozen Heart

The instant he returned to his apartment in the Marvel Universe, before the slight dizziness from the spatial transition had fully faded, an even more surging tide erupted from within Li Wei! The immense telekinetic source sealed within the Voidspace Stone, originating from the CHP Crystal, had lost the Crystal's restraints and the array disc's suppression. Like a flood bursting through a dam, it crazily surged into every limb and bone, battering his meridians and pouring directly into his sea of consciousness!

"Urgh—!" Li Wei groaned, feeling as if his head were about to explode! Countless chaotic fragments filled with primal savagery and disordered thoughts surged in alongside the vast energy—the contamination of a higher-dimensional lifeform's residual consciousness, along with... the emotional echoes of fear, rage, and despair from Andrew, Matt, and Steve as they died! Before his eyes seemed to appear Andrew's twisted, disbelieving face, Matt's despairing cries, Steve's limp body, and the spurting, warm blood... Scenes of slaughter intertwined with berserk energy, nearly swallowing his reason.

"Hold fast to your true self!" He bit down hard on his tongue, and the sharp pain instantly cleared his mind somewhat. Without hesitation, he activated the Astral Visualization Technique with all his strength! Within his consciousness, the star formed by his spiritual body spun faster than ever before, radiating a cool silver glow as it desperately resisted the blue tide's impact and contamination. At the same time, Kamar-Taj's meditation technique activated on its own, and Vishanti's sacred runes lit up within his sea of consciousness, bringing order and stability. However, this telekinetic power was simply too immense, far exceeding the limit his current mind could bear.

Tiny beads of blood began seeping from his nostrils and ears. Veins bulged across his skin, and his entire body resembled an energy furnace on the verge of exploding.

[Warning! Host's mental capacity overloaded! Risk of energy losing control has reached 83%! Immediate release of excess energy or deep-channeling is recommended!]

The system issued a piercing alarm. "Release it? No! This is power I seized for myself!" A vicious glint flashed through Li Wei's eyes. He recalled the feeling of holding life and death in his hands in that underground cavern, recalled the absolute control that power brought. "Refine it... for me!" He abandoned the relatively gentle method of channeling and chose a harsher, more dangerous path, one far more fitting for a plunderer—forced refinement! He used the Astral Visualization Technique as an anchor to stabilize his mental core;

He used Kamar-Taj's magic as hammer and anvil to temper the incoming telekinesis, and his own unyielding will as flame to burn away the chaotic consciousness and lingering emotional echoes! It was an incomparably painful process. His sea of consciousness seemed to become a battlefield, its stars flickering unsteadily and its runes trembling violently. He felt as though his soul were being torn apart and reassembled. Time passed bit by bit. Outside the apartment, day turned to night, and night gave way to dawn.

Li Wei sat cross-legged within the small Mirror Dimension he had constructed. Berserk blue energy currents, silver starlight, and golden runes swirled around him, clashing, intertwining, and merging intensely. His expression twisted one moment and calmed the next. His body trembled faintly, but he never collapsed. No one knew how long it took before the violent blue currents finally began to settle. Their color was no longer a chaotic dark blue, but became deep and tranquil, speckled with starlight and traces of magical runes like a miniature universe of stars. He had successfully used his own will as the dominant force to forcibly "brand" this immense foreign telekinetic power with his own mark, completing the initial refinement! ... Li Wei slowly opened his eyes. Deep within them, a blue stellar vortex seemed to flash past before they returned to calm, yet beneath that calm lay an even deeper, sharper light.

With a thought, the heavy solid-wood coffee table in the living room silently floated into the air, perfectly steady without the slightest tremor. He could even clearly "see" the wood grain and sense the minute changes in stress within it. This degree of control far surpassed the crude applications of the original protagonists in Chronicle. Next, he tried combining telekinesis with magic. He extended his index finger, and a spark burst forth. Under the precise control of his telekinesis, the flame twisted and stretched, instantly transforming into a tiny dagger made entirely of fire, yet condensed as though solid! The dagger danced nimbly at his fingertip, accelerating one instant and abruptly stopping the next, displaying astonishing control. "Telekinesis provides unparalleled precision and direct interference with matter, while magic brings transformations in energy form and power on the level of rules.

"Li Wei sensed the changes within himself and came to an understanding. "Together, they are no longer a simple one plus one." He slowly rose and stretched his body. His body seemed to have received a trace of nourishing feedback from the telekinesis, becoming lighter and sharper. Yet the joy of increased power did not last long. When his gaze swept across the mirror-smooth barrier of the Mirror Dimension, he seemed to see that bloody scene in the underground cavern once more. He walked up to the barrier and looked at the face reflected there. It seemed unchanged, but his eyes were already different. He felt no regret. In that situation, it had been the most efficient and definitive choice. Hesitation would only have gotten him killed. But... did he truly feel nothing at all? No. Those had been three living human lives, ended by his own hand.

Something cold and heavy seemed to settle at the bottom of his heart, making its surface calmer, but also... colder. He had not become a murderous maniac. Rather, he had clearly realized that on the path to becoming stronger, some sacrifices and killings were unavoidable. He regarded them as a necessary "price." This understanding was more frightening than simple fear or excitement. It signified a kind of mental "maturity" and "adaptation," a plunderer's calmness and... indifference.

"Power itself is neither right nor wrong. What matters is the person wielding it, and... whether the price of wielding it falls within what one can bear." He murmured softly, as if persuading himself and establishing a new creed. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the Mirror Dimension and returned to his real apartment. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and bright, yet it seemed unable to fully dispel the chill that had seeped into his bones from killing and forced refinement. He knew he had changed.

He had become more suited to surviving and plundering in this perilous multiverse. Next, he needed to thoroughly familiarize himself with this newborn power and consider how to use it to shift the larger landscape in the Marvel Universe.

[Ding! Detected that the host has successfully fused with a high-purity telekinetic source. Mental barriers greatly strengthened. Energy control precision increased to the Microscopic Level. Overall strength assessment raised to [City Level (Mid-Stage)].]

[Please note: Forced refinement has caused some mental impurities to settle. It is recommended that the host gradually purify them through the Astral Visualization Technique or by seeking specific mental purification abilities.]

The system's notification affirmed his gains while also pointing out the hidden danger. Li Wei looked out at bustling New York, his gaze profound. "The purification issue can wait. Now... it's time to visit Stark's laboratory. Perhaps I can begin trying to forge the first true 'weapon' that belongs to me."