Ability Manifestation

Tony Stark stood where he was.

He stood there stunned for quite a while.

Only then did he come back to his senses.

After thinking it over for a moment,

he hurriedly dialed a dedicated line.

The call connected almost instantly, and a steady, powerful voice immediately sounded in his ear.

"Stark?"

"Have you made up your mind?"

"To join my Avengers Initiative?"

Washington, D.C.

Triskelion.

Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. director's office.

A burly, fierce-looking bald Black man, built like a massive bear, stood by the window with an eyepatch over one eye, looking out at the broad, shimmering river.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

However.

Tony Stark's next words made him furrow his brow, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"Fury."

"I can take part in the Avengers Initiative you mentioned."

"But..."

"I'm not calling about that. I want to know—does S.H.I.E.L.D. have any mages?"

Stark stared blankly ahead.

At that moment, the Mystic Portal had already vanished into thin air.

There was no evidence, nothing at all, that could prove he had witnessed magic with his own eyes.

Even his personal bodyguard, Happy Hogan, who had arrived late, showed a trace of confusion when he heard Tony Stark's words.

"Boss..."

"You're not hallucinating, are you?"

"Magic?"

"How could that possibly exist!"

Happy Hogan burst into laughter.

Yet Stark's expression was extremely serious.

He did not look like he was joking at all.

On the other end of the line,

there was a long silence.

Only after a long while did Nick Fury's somewhat hesitant voice sound.

"Tony."

"I can tell you clearly that there are no mages within S.H.I.E.L.D."

"But in Westchester County, New York, there is a Mutant Academy."

"Could it be that you saw... a Mutant?"

Nick Fury guessed.

"A Mutant?"

Stark's eyes were blank.

Rumor had it that Mutants possessed all kinds of abilities, bizarre and all-encompassing.

Senator Robert Kelly was also actively pushing the Mutant Registration Act.

He made it sound completely convincing.

Although Stark had never seen a Mutant before,

he temporarily accepted that explanation.

But Tony had already made up his mind. He would definitely find this mysterious Eastern Mutant!

Beep.

Beep beep beep.

Listening to the busy signal from the receiver, Nick Fury's expression grew complicated, and a trace of concern suddenly rose in his heart.

A Mutant had approached Tony Stark...

What was the intention?

Could it be to stop the Mutant Registration Act?

Although S.H.I.E.L.D. had long known of X Academy's existence, it also knew that beyond X Academy, there was an evil Brotherhood of Mutants!

The leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants was called Magneto!

He was an Omega-Level Mutant.

He possessed the godlike talent to control magnetic forces across the entire world!

Moreover, the Brotherhood of Mutants had Mystique, who could change her appearance at will, even altering her genes and irises.

Her ability was extremely similar to that of the Skrulls.

However...

There was simply no point in the Brotherhood of Mutants approaching Tony Stark!

He could not possibly shake General William Stryker's authority.

Nor could he stop the implementation of the Mutant Registration Act!

This bill had already been submitted to the Security Council and received the approval of its secretary-general, Alexander Pierce.

It had become an unstoppable trend!

Then what exactly did this Mutant's appearance signify?

Tony Stark and Nick Fury were undoubtedly both exceptionally shrewd men.

Yet they had no idea...

The person involved had really just been passing by.

[Because of your appearance, you brought about a major turning point in Tony Stark's fate. Reward: 200 Luck Value.]

A line of text appeared.

Chen Ji's eyes widened.

What was going on?

Just by appearing, he had brought Tony Stark a major turning point in fate? There was such a good thing?!

200 Luck Value!

While it was not enough to upgrade a Blue Entry once, nor enough to spin the Talent Draw Wheel once,

it allowed him to see limitless possibilities!

It seemed...

Tony Stark was the genuine cash cow!

The Cursed by Knowledge, through nearly every word and action, every thought that flashed through his mind, could potentially trigger an unprecedented storm!

Could it be that, because of his appearance, Stark was about to pursue Dual Magic and Martial Cultivation?

Or perhaps Tony intended to develop an entirely new suit of armor?

With Tony Stark's financial and material resources, along with the artificial satellites launched by Stark Industries...

Tony could find Chen Ji at any time!

[Name]: Chen Ji

[Identity]: Guardian Mage

[Talents]: Academic Prodigy (Blue), Grandmaster (Blue), Self-Taught (Blue), Fortune After Misfortune (Blue), Crowd Favorite (Blue), X-Factor (Purple), Half a Move Ahead of Heaven (Black), Covetous Burden (Black).

[Luck Value]: 375.9

After returning to the New York Sanctum,

Chen Ji immediately checked the Entry Panel.

A smile could not help but curve across his lips.

The Entry System!

It was his greatest support!

The only disappointment was that the Purple Entry [X-Factor] had yet to show any effect!

It frustrated him to the extreme.

Could it be...

that the Mutant ability he had awakened required a crucial opportunity before it would emerge?

Chen Ji shook his head.

He tossed all his worries aside.

Then, he saw Sally Valence change into casual clothes. Her tall, graceful figure was as exquisite as that of a runway model.

She descended the stairs with measured steps.

"Chen?"

"Don't tell me you've been waiting for me all this time?"

Sally blinked her beautiful eyes, her face full of vigilance.

As an heir of a Hidden Family, she understood the nature of the world all too well.

To a Mystic Arts Mage with no backing whatsoever, the vast foundation accumulated by Hidden Families over generations was an incomparably precious treasure!

Without resources,

no matter how peerless you were, no matter how gifted you were, you would ultimately fade into obscurity.

After all, Hidden Families were hidden because they almost all lived within Earth Secret Realms created by Leyline Nodes.

The cosmic energy within Earth Secret Realms was more than ten times denser than that of the ordinary world.

"...Ms. Sally."

"I just went out for a morning run."

"See you later."

Chen Ji waved, brushing past her.

Sally Valence sniffed the masculine scent lingering in the air, her brows drawing together slightly.

What was going on...

Why had her heartbeat sped up?

And all of this was thanks to the Blue Entry.

[Crowd Favorite] (Blue): Your popularity exceeds all imagination. Every gesture and movement radiates charm.

"My damned charm..."

Chen Ji laughed helplessly.

Then, he infused it with magic power, traced the correct mark, and entered his room.

From the hidden compartment beneath his bed, he took out the Orb of the Cosmos.

The next second.

A Mystic Portal opened.

He headed directly to Morag.

An ancient, pitch-black temple stood atop a high mountain.

The sky was dark and gloomy.

He slipped into the temple and gently twisted open the Orb of the Cosmos.

In order to test the power of the Purple Entry [X-Factor],

he decided to absorb the Power Stone's energy once more!

After all, when his Gene Mutation had occurred, the system had already explained that his transformation originated from the Power Stone!

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the spot.

Before long, he manifested a Soul Anchor and viciously drove it into the Power Stone!

In an instant.

The space-time around him underwent another earth-shaking change. He found himself atop a giant stone arena as dazzling purple light radiated outward.

With each rhythmic inhale and exhale...

boundless cosmic energy surged madly into his body.

Like the bottomless Mariana Trench, Chen Ji accepted every last bit of cosmic energy!

This sent Chen Ji into wild delight!

"I'm actually like that Weird Doll, Sugar..."

"Have I broken my limiter too?"

"The amount of mystic energy my cells can contain is simply..."

"Beyond imagination!"

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