Banner of the Future

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed the current universe mission. Return to the original world?]

Xiao Han glanced at the system interface and smiled faintly. "No rush. Let's look around a little longer."

He had just been about to head somewhere else when a golden portal suddenly spun open before him.

The Ancient One flew out of the portal, her wide yellow robes fluttering gently in the wind.

Her gaze was deep and calm, yet carried an authority that could not be ignored.

"You are not from this world." The Ancient One's voice was soft but firm.

Xiao Han chuckled without answering directly. "We meet again, Ancient One."

The Ancient One frowned slightly and stared at Xiao Han.

"You mean... you know another me?" There was a trace of curiosity in her voice.

"Not only do I know her, but just a few days ago, she wanted me to become the next Sorcerer Supreme."

Xiao Han then raised a finger lightly. Golden magical energy flowed through his palm, outlining a familiar rune—the protective spell of Kamar-Taj.

"Your magic." The Ancient One grew even more curious.

"But your source of energy is neither the Vishanti nor the Dark Dimension."

"The sun." Xiao Han smiled. "I reconstructed the magic system in my own way."

The Ancient One fell silent for a moment, her eyes resting on Xiao Han.

"Those two Stones do not belong to you," she said slowly.

"I know."

Xiao Han nodded. "But if they remain here, Thanos will take them in the future. And the Time Stone will also be taken. The one who hands it over will be Stephen Strange."

The Ancient One's breathing hitched slightly.

"What did you say?"

Xiao Han immediately understood. Perhaps he had acted too quickly; Doctor Banner had not even begun traveling through time yet.

With that thought, Xiao Han looked directly into her eyes. "In the future, Strange will willingly give the Time Stone to Thanos because he saw the only possible path to victory. But the price will be the disappearance of half of all life."

The Ancient One's expression froze.

Her fingers tightened slightly, as though she were calculating some possibility.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely." Xiao Han nodded.

"There is no way to prove it, because this is a decision beyond the timeline."

The Ancient One closed her eyes and lightly touched the Eye of Agamotto at her chest.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, her expression complicated.

"The Time Stone truly cannot see it. So you took it to stop all this?"

"Not entirely."

Xiao Han answered frankly, "I simply think that rather than letting it fall into Thanos's hands, it would be better for me to keep it. If it is truly needed in the future, I will return."

The Ancient One looked at him deeply, then suddenly smiled.

"Interesting. Another me actually allowed you to become a candidate for Sorcerer Supreme?"

Xiao Han spread his hands. "She seemed to appreciate me."

The Ancient One shook her head gently, her gaze carrying a hint of helplessness and relief.

"Perhaps I should consider retiring early as well."

Xiao Han raised an eyebrow. "You are not planning to protect this place for another few hundred years?"

"Time has long ceased to bind me." The Ancient One smiled faintly. "But before I leave, I have a question."

"Hmm?"

"Have you learned any magic for interdimensional communication?"

Xiao Han shook his head. "Not yet, but I can learn it now."

The Ancient One smiled and traced a line through the air with her finger. A golden rune appeared before them.

"This is Kamar-Taj's Interdimensional Communication Spell. If you can truly learn it, perhaps you can try using your energy to power it."

Xiao Han stared at the rune. Golden light flickered in his eyes as solar energy surged through his body, gathering into a blazing strand of golden radiance at his fingertips.

The next second, the rune lit up, and a wave of energy that crossed dimensions rippled outward.

A flash of amazement crossed the Ancient One's eyes.

"You learn quickly."

Xiao Han withdrew his magic and smiled. "Thank you. Perhaps next time we meet, we can talk about life after retirement."

The Ancient One nodded lightly and was about to turn toward the portal when Xiao Han called her to a stop.

"What is it?" The Ancient One asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It seems we have to go there together." Xiao Han smiled.

Just moments ago, Xiao Han's Super-Sight had already seen what was happening in Brooklyn, New York.

There, Bruce Banner was checking whether anyone was inside the Sanctum.

And he had also received a system mission prompt.

[Hidden mission triggered: Deal with the arriving Thanos and save the Avengers.]

[Mission reward: 10,000 growth points, one random reward.]

New York Sanctum

Bruce Banner stood before the rooftop door of the Sanctum, nervously straightening his clothes. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Is anyone here?" Banner looked around. The Sanctum was empty, with only ancient books and magical artifacts quietly displayed within.

Just then, a golden portal opened before him. The Ancient One stepped out slowly, followed by a man in black armor with a golden S emblem on his chest.

Banner froze for a moment. He immediately recognized the Ancient One, but he had never seen the other man before.

"Ancient One!" Banner hurried forward. "I'm Bruce Banner, from the future. I need your help."

The Ancient One smiled faintly and looked at him calmly. "I know who you are, Doctor Banner. Time travel is uncommon, but I foresaw your arrival long ago."

Banner sighed in relief, but quickly became tense again. "Then you know why I came here?"

"The Time Stone."

The Ancient One nodded. "But I'm afraid you are already too late."

Banner was stunned. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, the man standing beside the Ancient One spoke. "Because the Stone is with me."

Only then did Banner study him carefully.

Black battle armor, golden patterns, and deep eyes that seemed able to see through everything.

His presence was overwhelming. Simply standing there gave off an invisible pressure.

"Who are you?" Banner asked warily.

"Xiao Han." The man smiled faintly. "You can call me Superman."

"Superman?" Banner frowned. He had only ever heard that name in comic books before.

"Doctor Banner, he is a visitor from another universe," The Ancient One explained.

"He has taken the Space Stone and the Mind Stone, and the Time Stone is also in his care for now."

That was right. Just moments ago, the Ancient One had already considered how events would unfold. Without hesitation, she had handed the Time Stone directly to Xiao Han.

But only temporarily. He would have to return it after using it, while the other Stones were his to handle as he pleased.

Banner's expression changed. "That's impossible! The Stones must remain in their original timelines, or they will cause catastrophic consequences!"

Xiao Han shook his head. "On the contrary. If the Stones remain here, Thanos will gather them in the future and snap his fingers to erase half of all life.

"If I take them away, I can prevent all of this."

Banner's eyes widened. "How do you know about Thanos? Wait, are you saying you have already foreseen the future?"

"No. I simply know your story."

Xiao Han shrugged. "You came back to the past to collect the Stones and revive the people Thanos erased, right?"

Banner was completely shocked. Only the core members of the Avengers knew of that plan, yet this man before him understood it perfectly.

At that moment, Banner's communicator suddenly rang. Tony Stark's voice came through. "Banner, something's not right! We couldn't find the Tesseract, and the scepter is gone too!

"And the 2012 New York Battle ended early! They're talking about someone called Superman. Did you find anything on your end?"

"The Stones are with him. You all go back and wait for me," Banner replied.