Chapter Summaries

Lin Hai warned Nick Fury that something unusual might happen in Mexico State, prompting Fury to consider recruiting him and his friends alongside Tony Stark for the Avengers Initiative. Fury met with Tony and offered him a consultant role, but Tony left after learning he was not recommended as a full member, then asked Fury to present an award to him and Rhodey.

• Lin Hai called Nick Fury and warned him that his divination suggested something unusual would happen in Mexico State within the year.
• Nick Fury agreed to watch Mexico State and considered recruiting Lin Hai, his friends, and Tony Stark for the Avengers Initiative.
• A week later, Nick Fury met Tony at a S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house and showed him Natasha Romanoff's assessment.
• Tony read that Iron Man was approved for recruitment but Tony Stark was not recommended, and Fury said he could serve only as a consultant.
• Tony told Fury he could not afford him, then asked him to present an award to Tony and Rhodey, and Fury agreed to look into it.

After Tony received his medal, Lin Hai prepared for the coming Thor incident while Peter and Harry planned improvements to Peter’s suit. They focused on completing a new reactor first, leaving Peter eager to build portable armor.

• Senator Stern presented Rhodey and Tony with medals, and Tony relished Stern’s forced congratulations.
• Lin Hai watched the ceremony with Peter, Gwen, and Harry, then assessed the threat posed by the Destroyer and prepared by refining his Life Force and considering the Plum Blossom Spear.
• Gwen continued studying defensive magic to protect the group against powerful enemies.
• Peter and Harry worked on improving the reactor they recovered from Ivan Vanko and discussed building a new one.
• Peter asked Harry about upgrading his suit, and Harry suggested portable backpack armor made from lightweight materials before telling him to finish the reactor first.

Peter and Harry completed an improved reactor, and Lin Hai persuaded Tony to optimize it in exchange for healing Tony’s chest and shrapnel injuries. Tony also supplied two combat-assistance chips, while Lin Hai prepared to fulfill his promise before the New Year.

• Peter asked Lin Hai for advice about upgrading his and Harry’s suits, and Lin Hai suggested saving rare materials for a major upgrade next year.
• Peter and Harry completed Spider One, an optimized reactor with better efficiency than Ivan Vanko’s.
• Lin Hai brought Spider One to Tony and offered to remove Tony’s shrapnel and heal his chest if Tony optimized the reactor.
• Tony accepted the deal, provided an optimization plan and two intelligent combat-assistance chips, and Lin Hai delivered them to Peter and Harry.
• Lin Hai planned to heal Tony before returning home to celebrate the New Year.

Lin Hai removed the shrapnel from Tony Stark’s chest, extracted his reactor, and healed the wound and other damage to Tony’s body. Tony emerged healthy and relieved, while Pepper thanked Lin Hai.

• Tony called Lin Hai and asked him to come to his villa to treat his chest.
• Lin Hai used Life Force to locate and draw the metal fragments out of Tony’s body without causing pain.
• Lin Hai pulled the reactor from Tony’s chest and placed it on a tray with the removed shrapnel.
• Lin Hai healed Tony’s chest and cleared away the damage left by years of injuries and illness.
• Tony mistook the blood and tissue on his chest for a complication until Lin Hai wiped it away and showed him his healed skin.
• Tony thanked Lin Hai, and Pepper tearfully expressed her gratitude.

Lin Hai invited Gwen, Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry to join him on a Chinese New Year trip to Ta Lo, and the group spent the night at his parents’ home before departing. The next morning, Peter struggled to explain that he had stayed awake all night from nervousness while sharing a bed with Mary Jane.

• Lin Hai invited Peter and Harry to Ta Lo, and Peter asked to bring Mary Jane; Lin Hai agreed as long as she followed the photography rules.
• Peter called Mary Jane, and she accepted the invitation, turning the planned trip for two into a group trip for five.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry visited Lin Hai’s parents, shared dinner, and settled into rooms for the night.
• Lin Hai and Gwen fell asleep together, while Peter lay stiff beside Mary Jane, too nervous to sleep.
• The next morning, Harry teased Peter about looking exhausted, and Peter insisted he had stayed awake all night rather than doing what Harry assumed.
• Mary Jane checked on Peter and quietly told him not to overthink things next time, leaving him even more embarrassed.

Mary Jane visited Ta Lo with Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry, where she saw its magical creatures and the Azure Dragon. Lin Hai began his final Life Force transformation beside the lake, and after two days his power started radiating outward in rhythmic waves.

• Lin Hai brought Mary Jane and the others to Ta Lo, where Old Chen welcomed them and guided them toward the lake.
• Peter showed Mary Jane Ta Lo's Nine-Tailed Foxes, Qilin Horses, Vermilion Bird descendants, and other creatures before she saw the Azure Dragon.
• Lin Hai declined the Azure Dragon's invitation to fly and meditated with the metal sphere in the lakeside pavilion while Gwen stayed beside him.
• Old Chen took Peter and Mary Jane to see Ta Lo, while Harry visited the weapon workshop to seek dragon-scale scraps for their suits.
• After two days, Gwen felt wind and saw a cyan glow spreading and contracting around Lin Hai as the Azure Dragon watched from the lake.

Lin Hai absorbed the Dark Energy that entered his dantian and transformed his Life Force into a more advanced power that united life and death. He emerged with less total energy but greater confidence facing the Destroyer and Thor, while Gwen and the Azure Dragon watched over him.

• Lin Hai completed harmonizing his Life Force with the black crystal, but Dark Energy followed his withdrawing energy into his body.
• The Dark Energy reached Lin Hai's dantian, where his two golden Divine Dragons restrained it as he guided his Life Force to absorb it.
• Lin Hai's Energy Core transformed into a smaller, denser core with a deep azure and dark-gold color, and his energy reached the threshold of Demon God-level power.
• Lin Hai recognized that the transformation had reduced his total energy and considered using Ego's flower bud to replenish it.
• Lin Hai inspected his body, found no abnormalities, and opened his eyes to Gwen standing nearby as the Azure Dragon watched from the lake.

After Lin Hai absorbed the Demon God Pioneer's remaining energy and completed his transformation, he and his friends relaxed in Ta Lo before celebrating Chinese New Year with his family. Back in New York, Lin Hai and Gwen researched Asgard at Kamar-Taj to prepare for what might come.

• Lin Hai told Gwen that the Dark Energy had transformed his Life Force, and he pocketed the now-empty sphere that had held the Demon God Pioneer crystal.
• Lin Hai and his friends spent nearly two weeks in Ta Lo, where they worked and relaxed with the villagers before celebrating Chinese New Year's Eve with his family.
• After the holiday, Peter and Harry returned to their underground laboratory to work on Tony's optimization plan, while Lin Hai and Gwen visited Kamar-Taj to research Asgard.
• Mage Hamil led Lin Hai and Gwen to the library's Nine Realms records, and they studied information about Asgard, the Bifrost, and the Destroyer.
• Gwen took detailed notes so she could help Lin Hai research when he was busy.

After Nick Fury reported an unusual incident near Puente Antiguo, Lin Hai told Gwen, Harry, and Peter that figures from mythology might be involved and warned them to stay alert. They agreed to go with him to New Mexico after breakfast.

• Nick Fury called Lin Hai and sent him the location of the incident near Puente Antiguo, along with Coulson's contact information.
• Lin Hai called Peter and told him that they would investigate the unusual event in New Mexico.
• Peter arrived at Lin Hai's home, where he, Gwen, Harry, and Lin Hai ate breakfast together.
• Lin Hai warned the group that the danger could involve figures from mythology and urged Peter to trust his Peter Tingle and retreat if anything felt wrong.
• Gwen, Harry, and Peter agreed to stay alert, and Lin Hai said they would prepare to leave for New Mexico after breakfast.

Lin Hai and his friends prepared to visit New Mexico, where Thor’s hammer had fallen, and used a Portal to meet Coulson. They arrived as a crowd tried unsuccessfully to lift Mjolnir, leaving them at the edge of the pit with the hammer confirmed as Thor’s.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry discussed their plans and what to wear for their trip to New Mexico.
• Lin Hai called Coulson, who confirmed that the site was concealed from uninvolved people.
• Lin Hai and his friends stepped through a Portal and surprised Coulson and the nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
• Coulson welcomed Lin Hai as a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant and explained the situation at the site.
• Lin Hai watched people in a pit fail to lift a hammer and recognized it as Mjolnir.

Lin Hai and the others tried to lift Mjolnir, but none could move it. When Lin Hai used his Life Force while holding the handle, the hammer's energies entered his body and formed a new power, leaving him with an unexplained ability.

• Coulson cleared the crater and set up a S.H.I.E.L.D. camp around Mjolnir.
• Coulson, Harry, Gwen, and Lin Hai each tried to lift Mjolnir while Peter took photos, but the hammer did not move for any of them.
• Lin Hai used his Life Force while gripping Mjolnir's handle, causing nebula-like light and lightning to spread across the hammer.
• Thor sensed something strange from a nearby van, but could not identify the feeling.
• The hammer's energies flowed into Lin Hai and merged near his liver into a new power before the lights vanished.
• Lin Hai told Coulson he was fine and privately assured Gwen that he had gained a new ability.

Peter Parker made Mjolnir shift briefly while trying to pose for a photograph, but he could not move it again. Lin Hai guessed the hammer’s restriction depended on character or another specific condition, while Thor sensed another disturbance from where Mjolnir lay.

• Peter Parker gripped Mjolnir for a photograph, and the hammer shifted before he lost his grip and fell.
• Peter declared that he could lift the hammer, but repeated attempts left it motionless.
• Lin Hai reasoned that the hammer could not be moved by strength or magical ability alone and guessed that Peter had only partially met its requirements.
• Thor felt an even stronger disturbance from Mjolnir and lamented that he could do nothing without his powers.

Lin Hai and his companions accompanied Coulson to Puente Antiguo, where S.H.I.E.L.D. seized Jane Foster’s equipment and research. Lin Hai and Gwen offered to help Jane get her belongings back after S.H.I.E.L.D. finished using them.

• Lin Hai accepted Coulson’s vehicle keys and traveled with him to Puente Antiguo to find astrophysicist Erik Selvig.
• Coulson and his agents searched Selvig’s workshop and began taking its equipment, records, and data.
• Jane Foster arrived and angrily protested as Coulson explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed her research for a security investigation.
• Coulson’s agents left with the workshop’s instruments and data, leaving Jane, Selvig, and Daisy frustrated and helpless.
• Gwen and Lin Hai introduced themselves to Jane and offered to ask S.H.I.E.L.D. to return her belongings after its investigation.

Lin Hai and his companions learned that Jane’s research team had encountered Thor, whom Lin Hai identified as Thor Odinson, the Thunder God. After hearing that Thor had lost his powers and might be heading toward S.H.I.E.L.D., Lin Hai proposed that they go find him.

• Lin Hai answered Jane’s questions about the hammer while Daisy listed the research materials S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken, including her tablet.
• Eric asked Lin Hai about Bruce Banner, and Lin Hai said Banner was likely safe and working somewhere isolated.
• Jane worried that Thor might seek his hammer and be arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D., then described how she and Daisy had met him.
• Lin Hai identified Thor as Thor Odinson, son of Odin, and explained that Mjolnir was his hammer.
• Daisy revealed that she had knocked Thor out with a stun gun, and Lin Hai suggested they go look for him before S.H.I.E.L.D. did.

Lin Hai and his companions searched the New Mexico town for Thor, while Daisy tried to strike up a conversation with Harry. They found Thor at a pet store, where he recognized Lin Hai and Gwen as Kamar-Taj mages and asked for their help; the group headed back to the workshop to talk.

• Daisy gravitated toward Harry and chatted with him, while Lin Hai and Gwen silently watched her efforts.
• Jane spotted Thor entering a pet store and called out to him.
• Thor greeted Jane, Erik, and Daisy, then asked who Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry were.
• Lin Hai and Gwen introduced themselves as Kamar-Taj mages and offered to help Thor with his trouble.
• Lin Hai suggested they discuss the matter at the workshop, and Erik led the stunned group back there.

Lin Hai helped Thor reconsider why Odin had exiled him to Earth and urged him to discover the purpose through his own experience. Thor began to question what he needed to learn, but the answer remained unclear.

• Thor told Lin Hai that Odin had exiled him after he tried to attack the Frost Giants in Jotunheim.
• Lin Hai suggested Odin had made Thor mortal to help him gain something rather than simply punish him.
• Thor realized Odin could have imprisoned him if he had meant only to punish him, but he could not identify what he was meant to gain.
• Lin Hai told Thor that only personal experience could teach him what he needed to learn.
• Thor looked at his powerless hands and quietly repeated Lin Hai's words that he had to accomplish it himself.

Lin Hai left Thor in Eric, Jane, and Daisy’s care, then asked Peter to analyze Thor’s character and the Allfather’s purpose. Peter concluded that Thor’s exile was meant to teach him humility and restraint, and the group ended the day together in the sunset.

• Lin Hai entrusted Thor to Eric, Jane, and Daisy and left with Gwen, Peter, and Harry.
• Peter questioned whether Thor should be taken to Kamar-Taj, and Lin Hai explained that the Allfather had a purpose for sending him to Earth.
• Lin Hai asked Peter to infer what Thor’s actions and exile meant.
• Peter concluded that Thor had acted out of hunger for glory and that the Allfather had sent him to Earth to learn humility and restraint.
• Lin Hai praised Peter’s reasoning, and Peter and Harry joked and chased each other through town as the sun set.

Thor asked Jane Foster to take him to retrieve his hammer, hoping to regain his divine power. At the hammer's heavily guarded crater, Jane stopped him from charging in and suggested they use Lin Hai's connection to S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Thor helped Eric move furniture and build a bed, then grew tired without his divine power.
• Thor asked Jane to take him to the place where his hammer had landed, and she agreed.
• During the drive, Thor described Asgard and admitted that its wars and feasts now seemed exhausting.
• Jane and Thor reached the crater and watched S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fortified camp from a nearby slope.
• Thor prepared to enter the camp, but Jane reminded him that Lin Hai was working with S.H.I.E.L.D., and Thor agreed to seek his help.

Thor and Jane Foster reached S.H.I.E.L.D.’s camp and asked to see the object that had fallen from the sky. Coulson let them in after confirming they knew Lin Hai, who gave permission for Thor to try lifting it and said he would give up afterward.

• Thor and Jane approached the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp and asked an agent to let them inside.
• Coulson recognized Jane and questioned her and Thor about how they knew Lin Hai.
• Coulson let them through the fence as a storm gathered and led them toward the camp’s command center.
• Coulson called Lin Hai on speakerphone to verify their story.
• Lin Hai confirmed they could see the object and told them Thor could try to lift it, predicting he would give up.

Thor tried to reclaim Mjolnir at the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp but could not move it, leaving him devastated in the rain. Jane reminded him that Lin Hai had predicted the failure and said they could ask him for help when he arrived the next day.

• Coulson escorted Thor and Jane into the enclosure where Mjolnir stood, while Thor refused an umbrella.
• Thor gripped Mjolnir and tried repeatedly to lift and move it, but the hammer remained still.
• Thor fell to his knees in the mud and roared in despair as Jane watched.
• Jane recalled Lin Hai's prediction that Thor would give up after trying and suggested asking him for help the next day.
• Thor silently agreed to wait for Lin Hai.