Chapter Summaries

After visiting Yinsen at Kamar-Taj, Lin Hai told him about Tony Stark’s decision to shut down weapons manufacturing and reveal that he was Iron Man. Lin Hai then remembered the imprisoned Demon God Pioneer and went to check whether it was still alive.

• Peter regretted missing Nick Fury’s visit, but soon returned to fighting crime around New York.
• Lin Hai asked Master Hamil how Yinsen was adjusting to life at Kamar-Taj and learned that he spent his time reading ordinary books.
• Lin Hai visited Yinsen, who said he wanted a computer to read news and research information, and promised to bring him one.
• Lin Hai told Yinsen that Tony had shut down Stark Industries’ weapons division, fought Obadiah in the Iron Monger armor, and revealed his identity as Iron Man.
• Lin Hai went to the training grounds and remembered the Demon God Pioneer imprisoned in a nearby building, then headed over to inspect it.

Lin Hai found the Demon God Pioneer near death in the Containment Chamber and ended its life with his Life Force. Wanting to study the dimensional undead creature, he asked Master Hamil for help, and they headed to examine the body.

• Lin Hai entered the Containment Chamber and found the chained Demon God Pioneer still barely alive.
• Lin Hai struck the Demon God Pioneer with a sphere of Life Force, destroying its chest and extinguishing its remaining Soul Fire.
• Lin Hai considered how to study the corpse and decided to seek Master Hamil's expertise.
• Lin Hai told Master Hamil about the dead Demon God Pioneer and asked how to examine it.
• Master Hamil agreed to help, and he and Lin Hai left the library for the Containment Chamber.

Hamil processed the Demon God Pioneer's remains and gave Lin Hai a pendant containing concentrated undead energy and a pouch of bone dust. He advised Lin Hai to study the crystal with his unusual Life Force, leaving Lin Hai with new materials and a possible way to deepen his understanding of dark and death energies.

• Hamil studied the Demon God Pioneer's remains and took them to his courtyard to process them.
• Lin Hai returned to Kamar-Taj after Hamil texted him that the work was finished.
• Hamil gave Lin Hai a pendant that safely contained a black crystal of concentrated undead energy.
• Hamil handed Lin Hai a pouch of bone dust, explaining that it could be used to strengthen magical equipment.
• Hamil recommended that Lin Hai use his Life Force to study the crystal, and Lin Hai left with both items.

Lin Hai began a cautious practice of refining his Life Force through contact with the black crystal’s Dark Energy. He and Gwen brought Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry to Huaxia for New Year celebrations, then returned with their friends to Brooklyn Heights.

• Lin Hai let a tiny strand of Life Force touch the black crystal and found that it returned with a deeper hue and livelier fluctuations.
• Lin Hai chose to continue the slow, controlled cultivation method rather than risk another near-death power increase.
• Lin Hai and Gwen invited Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry to celebrate the Huaxia New Year with Lin Hai’s family.
• Lin Hai’s family welcomed the visitors, who shared a New Year’s Eve feast, watched the Spring Festival Gala, and set off fireworks.
• Lin Hai and his friends exchanged New Year wishes and received red envelopes before leaving Huaxia for New York.
• Peter reminisced about the food and fireworks while Harry sat quietly, processing the visit.

Lin Hai and his friends continued training and developing their abilities while pressure mounted on Tony over Stark Industries and its Iron Man technology. Lin Hai recalled that Ivan Vanko was secretly building a reactor and suit, leaving the story poised for the coming events surrounding Tony.

• Lin Hai continued practicing Spear Zen, managing Stark Industries stock, and gradually adapting his Life Force to the crystal’s death energy.
• Gwen advanced to Intermediate Mage and began mastering Vishanti's Projection and Astral Projection.
• Peter trained with Harry, Gwen, and Lin Hai, while Harry expanded the Nova Armor’s capabilities after failing to improve its power supply.
• Tony rejected pressure from Stark Industries’ board and the United States military to weaponize Iron Man technology.
• Lin Hai thought of Ivan Vanko, who was secretly developing a Miniature Arc Reactor and Whiplash Suit in Russia.

Lin Hai and Gwen decided to conceal their identities during future public battles by wearing masks, and Gwen began designing them. Lin Hai asked Master Hamil to craft two durable, secure magical masks, and Hamil agreed to begin once Gwen finished the designs.

• Lin Hai warned Gwen that public fights could expose their faces and disrupt their lives, so they agreed to use masks instead of full hoods.
• Gwen began researching mask traditions and sketching designs, while Lin Hai supported her efforts.
• Lin Hai identified the need for masks that stayed secure in combat and resisted damage, and decided to ask Master Hamil to make them.
• Lin Hai visited Master Hamil at Kamar-Taj and explained the masks’ requirements.
• Master Hamil agreed to prepare materials and begin crafting the masks after Gwen completed the designs.

A week later, Gwen showed Lin Hai the finished mask designs she had created for them, explaining the personal meanings behind each detail. Lin Hai loved his design, and they planned to give both drawings to Master Hamil to make the masks.

• Gwen interrupted Lin Hai's daily contact with the black crystal and led him to the study to reveal her final mask designs.
• Gwen showed Lin Hai her white mask design, featuring phoenix feathers, magical runes, and stars, and explained their meanings.
• Gwen presented Lin Hai with a black mask design featuring dragon imagery, a single ring of magical runes, and Golden-Thread Bamboo patterns.
• Lin Hai thanked Gwen and said he loved his design, and Gwen suggested they take the designs to Master Hamil.

Lin Hai and Gwen collected the masks Hamil had made from their designs and admired their craftsmanship and magical qualities. Hamil explained the masks’ unusual materials, including cosmic Star Mystic Crystal, Alfheim’s Star Spirit Stone, and magically strengthened Adamantine.

• Lin Hai and Gwen brought their final mask designs to Hamil at Kamar-Taj, and he agreed to make them.
• Three days later, Hamil called Lin Hai and Gwen to collect the finished masks.
• Lin Hai examined both masks and praised Hamil’s craftsmanship before Gwen eagerly inspected them.
• Lin Hai asked what the masks were made of, and Hamil explained that Lin Hai’s mask used Star Mystic Crystal while Gwen’s used Star Spirit Stone from Alfheim.
• Hamil explained that the gold sections were Adamantine and that the green bamboo leaves on Lin Hai’s mask were a nature-infused variant of Star Spirit Stone.

Master Hamil explained the masks’ defensive, wearable, and identity-concealing functions to Lin Hai and Gwen. They activated the masks and tested them, discovering that the concealment field blurred their appearances and distorted energy signatures.

• Master Hamil explained that the masks could be thrown to create emergency magical shields about three meters across.
• Master Hamil described how magic arrays secured the masks to their wearers’ faces for about twenty-four hours and allowed them to be removed by withdrawing the stored magic.
• Lin Hai and Gwen activated their masks and confirmed that they fit securely without obstructing vision or breathing.
• Lin Hai and Gwen activated the masks’ additional function, surrounding themselves with different-colored concealment fields.
• Master Hamil explained that the fields blurred their outlines and interfered with energy-based tracking while they continued supplying magic.

Hamil explained that the magical masks he made for Lin Hai and Gwen were his way of repaying Lin Hai for restoring his hand and supporting their efforts to protect Earth. Back at the villa, Peter and Harry admired the masks and persuaded Gwen to design ordinary ones for them in exchange for doing chores.

• Hamil described how Lin Hai's healing restored his ability to use intricate spells, and said his handmade masks were a small return for that help.
• Lin Hai and Gwen promised Hamil they would do everything in their power to protect Earth, then returned to their Brooklyn Heights villa.
• Peter explained that he had come to stay with Lin Hai and Gwen after Aunt May had been nagging him and Uncle Ben refused to cover for him.
• Lin Hai explained that Hamil's masks were magical equipment requiring magical power, disappointing Peter and Harry when they realized they could not use the functions.
• Gwen offered to design Peter and Harry ordinary masks, and they agreed to do three months of chores in exchange.

As the Stark Industries Expo and the threats surrounding it approached, Lin Hai warned Peter and Harry to prepare and recruited Matt and Elektra to help protect civilians. During a visit to Tony, Lin Hai kept his magical knowledge private, leaving Tony increasingly frustrated.

• Gwen designed masks for Peter and Harry, and Lin Hai promised to help Peter choose suitable materials to make them.
• Lin Hai warned Gwen, Peter, and Harry that major trouble could strike New York in late May or early June, and told Harry to finish testing his armor and Peter to keep his phone ready.
• Lin Hai visited Matt and Elektra, who agreed to help if an extraordinary threat endangered the public.
• Lin Hai and Gwen visited Tony and Pepper, while Lin Hai checked Tony's health and Gwen talked with Pepper about fashion and business.
• Tony peppered Lin Hai with questions about magic, but Lin Hai withheld its core secrets, frustrating Tony as he tried different ways to get answers.

Lin Hai suppressed most of Tony's palladium poisoning but left enough to preserve Tony's motivation to develop a safer reactor. He then recruited Doctor Connors to help protect New York and license the Lizard Doctor image, before warning Kingpin and Vanessa about a coming disturbance tied to the Stark Industries Expo.

• Lin Hai used Life Force to reduce Tony's palladium poisoning while deciding to leave some toxicity in place.
• Lin Hai and Gwen asked Doctor Connors to help protect civilians during a possible New York emergency and to authorize Lizard Doctor merchandise.
• Doctor Connors agreed to help if New York faced a threat and accepted the licensing proposal in principle.
• Lin Hai warned Kingpin that trouble might center on the Stark Industries Expo and advised him to avoid taking Vanessa and Charlie there.
• Lin Hai examined Vanessa after discussing the warning with Kingpin.

Lin Hai continued transforming his Life Force while Tony Stark opened the Stark Industries Expo and discovered that his blood toxicity was lower than expected. The chapter ended with Tony receiving a real summons to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee the next morning.

• Lin Hai judged that his remaining Life Force transformation would not be finished in time for the coming Iron Man versus Whiplash incident and considered Whiplash no serious threat to him.
• Tony Stark opened the Stark Industries Expo with a performance in which mechanical arms removed his Iron Man armor, then announced a film featuring his father, Howard Stark.
• Tony checked his blood toxicity index and found it was 5%, far below his estimate, and suspected Lin Hai's energy had affected the palladium poisoning.
• Tony decided to ask Lin Hai directly about his condition, then left the Expo with Happy.
• A process server gave Tony a summons to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee at nine the next morning.

At a Senate hearing, Tony mocked demands to surrender control of Iron Man and faced testimony about the armor's security risks. As Rhodey presented footage of Iron Man replicas, Tony hacked the hearing's display, leaving the chamber stunned.

• Tony called Iron Man a "high-tech prosthesis," making the hearing room laugh and Peter joke with Harry about his armor.
• The senator called Justin Hammer as a weapons expert, and Hammer addressed the committee after benefiting from Stark Industries' exit from the arms business.
• The senator directed Rhodey to read a report passage describing Iron Man as a potential security risk, then pressed him to show footage of the armor replicas.
• Rhodey presented blurry reconnaissance footage and explained that the replica suits were likely operational.
• Tony used a transparent handheld device to hack the hearing's display, putting two text-filled interfaces on the screen and stunning everyone in the chamber.

Tony exposed Hammer Industries’ counterfeit Iron Man armors at the hearing, defeating the effort to force him to surrender his technology. While Peter celebrated Tony’s victory at home, Ivan Vanko completed the final adjustments to his Electric Twin Whips in Russia.

• Tony played videos showing counterfeit Iron Man armors failing, injuring people, exploding, and twisting apart during Justin Hammer’s test.
• Hammer cut the display’s power only after struggling to find its cord, and the senator’s attempt to pressure Tony collapsed.
• Tony claimed Iron Man could help maintain world peace, then celebrated his victory at the hearing.
• Peter cheered Tony’s performance at Lin Hai’s home, while Harry felt a kinship with him and Gwen joked that Tony was more fun when Lin Hai frustrated him.
• Ivan Vanko finished adjusting his Electric Twin Whips in Russia after building a Miniature Arc Reactor from his father’s blueprints.

After the hearing, Tony called Lin Hai to ask about the palladium poisoning in his body and how to stop it. Lin Hai urged Tony to seek a new element and suggested he study Howard’s legacy, leaving Tony considering his father’s message.

• Tony returned to his Malibu mansion and asked JARVIS to call Lin Hai.
• Lin Hai admitted he knew Tony was being poisoned and had removed some of the toxins during his checkup.
• Tony challenged Lin Hai for withholding the diagnosis, but Lin Hai argued that he was not actually a doctor.
• Lin Hai explained that Tony’s palladium reactor would keep producing toxins and suggested replacing palladium with a newly discovered or created element.
• Lin Hai encouraged Tony to draw inspiration from Howard’s video and other belongings before hanging up.
• Tony reflected on his father and wondered whether he should take a closer look at what Howard had left behind.

Tony postponed searching Howard's legacy to compete in the Monaco Grand Prix, while Ivan Vanko prepared to confront him there. Pepper became Stark Industries' CEO and hired Natalie Rushman as her assistant, and Tony arrived in Monaco with the portable Mark V armor.

• Tony set aside his plan to investigate Howard's legacy for the Monaco Grand Prix, while Ivan Vanko arranged travel documents and credentials so he could take revenge on Tony at the race.
• Tony appointed Pepper CEO of Stark Industries, and after deciding she needed an assistant, Pepper hired Natalie Rushman from the legal department.
• Pepper introduced Natalie to Tony at his Malibu villa, where Tony stared at her and asked her name.
• Tony arrived at the Monaco paddock with Happy carrying the briefcase-sized Mark V armor, a highly portable prototype with limited combat capabilities.

Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry traveled to Monaco to watch the Grand Prix and be ready if Tony faced trouble. The race began with Ivan Vanko entering the track, destroying a car with his electric whips and revealing himself as Whiplash.

• Peter persuaded Lin Hai, Gwen, and Harry to attend the Monaco Grand Prix in person, though Mary Jane could not join them because of rehearsals.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry watched from the stands as Tony prepared to race and encountered Justin Hammer at the pre-race banquet.
• After the race started, Ivan Vanko opened a passage gate and walked onto the circuit in orange coveralls.
• Ivan tore open his coveralls, revealed a device in his chest like Tony Stark's, and formed two electric whips.
• Ivan struck a red race car with a whip, sending it crashing into the barrier as the crowd screamed.

Ivan Vanko attacked Tony Stark at the Monaco race, destroying Tony’s car and pursuing him with electric whips. Lin Hai had Gwen secretly shield Tony, while Pepper and Happy raced to bring him the briefcase, and Happy finally rammed Ivan into the guardrail.

• Pepper and Happy saw Ivan Vanko attack Tony on television and rushed onto the track in a Rolls-Royce with Tony’s briefcase.
• Peter wanted to intervene, but Harry warned him that acting without his suit or mask would expose his identity; Lin Hai stayed calm and Gwen secretly shielded Tony.
• Ivan Vanko wrecked Tony’s race car and caused a pileup, then advanced on Tony as Pepper and Happy drove against the race traffic.
• Tony escaped his wrecked car and tried to strike Ivan with a door panel, but Ivan disarmed him and lashed at him with his electric whips.
• Gwen’s shield protected Tony from the impacts as Ivan knocked him down, and Happy rammed Ivan with the Rolls-Royce, pinning him against the guardrail.

Tony Stark faced Ivan Vanko at the racetrack as Happy and Pepper tried to get him to safety, but Vanko survived their car collisions and attacked again. Tony donned his new Mark V armor, leaving Harry fascinated by its rapid assembly and eager to apply the technology to his prosthetics.

• Happy rammed Ivan Vanko with the Rolls-Royce, and Lin Hai sensed that Vanko was still alive and had Gwen shield Pepper and Happy.
• Vanko woke and cut through the car door, so Happy repeatedly struck him with the Rolls-Royce while Pepper struggled to pass Tony the briefcase.
• Vanko damaged the car with his electric whips, and Pepper threw the briefcase to Tony.
• Tony stepped on the briefcase and assembled the Mark V armor around himself as the crowd watched.
• Gwen praised the armor, while Harry studied its assembly and Peter urged him to make his prosthetics transform the same way.