"But you're not a good person either, which is good. You have enough skill, enough power to rival the God King, and the ability to rapidly increase your strength in a short time. You can master magic in a very short time. You have the ability to protect the Time Stone, and you also have the power to use the Time Stone to protect this world."
"You are the best transition between me and the originally designated next Sorcerer Supreme."
Meikyō was somewhat stunned by this unexpected gift.
But the allure of the Ancient One was not over yet.
"Once you become the Sorcerer Supreme, even entities like the Time Variance Authority won't be able to bother you, as long as you don't obstruct things that are destined to happen and will have a significant impact on time. The Sorcerer Supreme is not just the Sorcerer Supreme; behind the Sorcerer Supreme are powerful figures like the Vishanti."
The Sorcerer Supreme has two powerful backers.
One is Vishanti, and the other is the Eternity of this generation; both are Multiverse- level figures.
It's clear that Master the Ancient One really wants to retire.
However, Meikyō resisted the enormous temptation.
Everything comes at a price, but if one can obtain the power and strength to match it, and also have the means to escape smoothly, then it's not impossible.
The Ancient One showed great sincerity.
But the problem is that Meikyō has its own affairs to attend to.
"I am very tempted, Master the Ancient One. Thank you for your kind offer, but in my world, there is a greater danger that I need to solve."
Meikyō apologized to the Ancient One.
"Oh, I know, that's why you came here. But there are also Sorcerer Supreme who guard the Time Stone in other worlds, and the personnel of the Time Variance Authority can also reach it. You can't get it here, and it's the same in other places. But... I have another suggestion."
The Ancient One winked at Meikyō.
"How about a trial period? I can help you become stronger first. After you solve the problems of your universe, you will help me take on the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme until the next Sorcerer Supreme Strange, grows up."
This time, Meikyō did not refuse.
The Ancient One gave so much!
"So... what should we do next?"
The Ancient One, carrying the Meikyō, left the New York Sanctum through the portal.
By this time, the war of the Chitauri invasion had ended.
"The Mind Stone will be stolen by Hydra. Don't worry, once they've done what they're destined to do in the timeline with the Mind Stone, you can forge another Mind Stone and place it there. Just put it back in its rightful place before 2015. It's that simple."
The Ancient One sat upright in the antique-style Zen room, brewing tea.
"The Cosmic Cube will be sent to Asgard by Thor, the crown prince of Asgard, and sealed in Odin's Vault. Coincidentally, I have had many dealings with Odin during my hundreds of years as the Sorcerer Supreme. As long as the Sorcerer Supreme pays a certain price, he is qualified to borrow cosmic magic for a period of time. Of course, this price must be paid after you become the Sorcerer Supreme, or you can have Strange pay it later if you wish."
The Ancient One said to the Meikyō.
"Um... dumping the problem on Strange? Is that even allowed?"
Meikyō asked in surprise.
Are Sorcerer Supreme so fond of leaving troublesome matters to their juniors?
"Of course, perhaps you could use this as one of the tests for Strange to succeed as the Sorcerer Supreme? That's a good idea. I became the Sorcerer Supreme after defeating all the spellcasters at the Wizarding Congress convened by Zaku Newton and then defeating the Griffin that stole Oshtur's power during the test. Of course, that was Sir Isaac Newton's mission."
"And who is Oshtur?"
Meikyō heard another unfamiliar name.
"She was one of the first ancient gods to appear on Earth at the same time as Gaia, the Earth Goddess. She was the mother of Agamotto, the first Sorcerer Supreme. Oshtur, the all-knowing one, together with Agamotto, the all-seeing one, and Hoggs, the ancient god, became the triune Multiverse God, Vishanti."
Meikyō listened attentively, trying to deduce more information from the Ancient One's words.
The multiverse deity Vishanti is composed of three powerful gods.
In other words, only by merging these three deities can they be elevated to the level of the Multiverse.
Is this related to the prefix they used to refer to Vishanti?
Agamotto's omniscience likely refers to a perspective that transcends dimensions. Oshtur's omniscience provides the level of power required for Multiverse being, enabling them to bear and fully utilize Agamotto's omniscience, coupled with Hoggs's old age...
This likely refers to the characteristic of being Eternity, transcending time, and unaffected by time.
Could these be characteristics required of a powerful being at the Multiverse level, and only by fulfilling these requirements can one become a powerful being at the Multiverse level?
The Ancient One seemed to have become interested and continued:
"It seems to be a tradition of the Sorcerer Supreme to delegate some tasks to the next generation. Sir Isaac Newton became the Sorcerer Supreme after passing Zhang Jiao's test, and Zhang Jiao became the Sorcerer Supreme after completing the mission of the Queen of Sheba."
"Newton? Zhang Jiao? Queen of Sheba?"
"Oh, yes, the Zaku Newton who got hit on the head by an apple. In his later years, he made great achievements in alchemy and became a powerful sorcerer. After becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, he faked his death to escape. Zhang Jiao is the one who shouted 'The heavens are dead, the Yellow Zhang Jiao are in charge' at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is one of the Daoists in history who are most skilled in using thunder magic, and also the Sorcerer Supreme most skilled in this area. The Mjolnir that you just saw Thor use not only has runes on it, but also a spell that Zhang Jiao set up at Odin's invitation. As for the Queen of Sheba, she is the Queen of Sheba in the Old Testament of the Bible."
Meikyō felt a toothache.
You're telling me that Newton and Zhang Jiao also held this position?
"Oh, don't be too surprised. The Sorcerer Supreme are all powerful mages, and to become a powerful mage, one generally needs to possess extraordinary wisdom. Therefore, they have all left a significant mark on history to some extent. Compared to them, I am just a relatively mediocre one among the Sorcerer Supreme, and I have not been able to leave anything in the history books. In fact, I have made many compromises in order to shoulder the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme, which is why I want to find a suitable successor as soon as possible."
The Ancient One smiled and then placed the tea in front of Meikyō.
"This is tea brewed using the tea-brewing technique that Lu Yu used, which I saw with the Time Stone. It tastes a little different from the tea we have now, but it's very good. You can try it."
Meikyō tried a sip of the tea and felt a little uncomfortable, but the taste wasn't bad and was acceptable.
Perhaps he wasn't used to the tastes of the ancients.
"Alright, let's begin our studies now."
After finishing his tea, the Ancient One stretched out a hand towards the Meikyō.
Lying in the palm of his hand was a Sling Ring.
"I'm not sure if you can replicate the power of space; it's very profound."
Meikyō smiled, twirled her right hand in the air to open her own Teleportation Circle, and drew a circle in the opposite direction with her left hand, opening another Teleportation Circle using the same secret technique she had seen the Ancient One use before.
"You really surprise me, but I still suggest you wear the Sling Ring. It will enhance your affinity with space and your ability to mobilize arcane energy, and reduce energy consumption. This is especially important for mages like us who have borrowed our power at a price."
Upon hearing Meikyō put on the Sling Ring.
"So, let me think about where to start teaching you."
One month later.
"Okay, let me think of what else I can teach you."
The Ancient One rubbed his head, feeling a bit of a headache.
She never imagined that someone could learn most of the spells she had mastered over three hundred years in just thirty days.
Aside from those large-scale forbidden spells that require making contracts with demons and other -Dimensional Demon Gods and using massive external energy to perform, Meikyō has learned almost all the magic she knows.
He has mastered a series of arcane arts, including teleportation, Mirror Dimension, and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
The Ancient One was certain that the Meikyō was the most powerful sorcerer on Earth besides herself.
"You have already learned Astral Projection, but you should still use this ability with caution. In the Infinity Multiverse, there are too many terrifying beings, some so terrifying that ordinary humans would be corrupted by just a glance. After you become the Sorcerer Supreme, I will take you to the outer dimensions to meet Vishanti and receive his blessing. Only then will you have the ability to safely travel through the astral plane with your soul."
The Ancient One took a sip of tea and gave some instructions.
Astral Projection is the last spell she has taught Meikyō so far, and it is also a relatively dangerous spell.
This spell cannot be learned simply by understanding its knowledge and principles. It requires an out-of-body soul with sufficient affinity and attraction in the real world and higher dimensions to travel to the astral plane and use the physical body as an anchor point in the real world.
Because the Ancient One possesses a portion of the power of the Vishanti, she can now travel to the surreal multiverse with the Meikyō through Astral Projection.
This is also a skill that all Sorcerer Supreme of all time must learn, because most of them used this method to draw energy from various dimensions and spaces and to make a pact with the demons—a pact made under the witness of Vishanti.
This was also an important way for the Sorcerer Supreme to meet with Vishanti and establish contact with him.
"Knock knock!"
Suddenly, the wooden door was pounded on.
"Come in."
The Ancient One took a sip of tea and looked out the door.
Wang led a black man dressed in a monk's robe into the room.
"Mordo? You're back from North Africa?"
"Yes, Sorcerer Supreme, I am in Morocco ..."
Mordo glanced at Meikyō, unsure whether he should reveal the news to a complete stranger.
"Oh, don't worry. Master Mingjing is a powerful spellcaster with power no less than mine. He will probably be my next Sorcerer Supreme. There's no need to hide it from him."
The Ancient One smiled.
Mordo looked shocked and stared at Meikyō for a few seconds in astonishment.
Wang, standing to the side, appeared quite calm.
He already knew this news from the Ancient One.
"All right."
Mordo withdrew his gaze and decided to get down to business first.
"Master the Ancient One, I discovered the Seven of Semmler in Morocco. They stole the Book of Cagliostro from the witch Lilia Carl, and it seems they want to use the book to summon Shuma Glass."
The Ancient One's expression turned unusually serious as she looked at Meikyō and explained:
"The Seven of Semmler are descendants of Agatha, the great wizard of 17th-century Europe. They possess seven forms and considerable magical power. Their father, Scratch, was also a great wizard, ambitious and always trying to obtain power from powerful beings to change the status quo of the Semmler Town."
Meikyō didn't ask what the Semmler Town was—it was actually a small town founded by the witch Agatha, a refuge for spellcasters and magical races, which had been isolated from reality due to the medieval witch hunts.
Although she learned many powerful spells from the Ancient One, Meikyō's understanding of the magical world in the Marvel universe is almost zero.
"As for Shuma Glass, known by many spellcasters as the Eye Demon, he is one of the Great Old Ones, a powerful being who has dominated hundreds of timelines in the Multiverse. Our timeline is also one of his targets. The last time his power descended was in 1944, when I almost lost my life."
Through the Ancient One's narration, Meikyō gained a general understanding.
Mordo's gaze toward Meikyō was even stranger.
Didn't the Sorcerer Supreme say that this Master of the Meikyō was a very powerful spellcaster?
What just happened isn't exactly a secret in the mystical world, so why wouldn't he know about it and need the Ancient One to explain it to him?
Filled with questions, Mordo opened the portal to Morocco.
The place where the people arrived was Rabat.
Morocco, as a relatively developed region in Africa and close to Europe, seems to be doing quite well in many aspects. Rabat is also one of the top cities in North Africa.
"Senior Brother Mordo is back!"
"The Sorcerer Supreme has arrived!"
Inside a temple, seven or eight Kamar-Taj priests who had come with Mordo to investigate gathered around.
"Everyone, this is Master Meikyō, our helper this time."
The Ancient One introduced the Meikyō) to everyone.
"The Ancient One, the descent ritual of the Eye Demon has begun!"
A white monk with his eyes covered by a cloth strip suddenly exclaimed.
His name is Kaelen, a person who once saw a part of the Nightmare's true form in a dream. After looking directly at something that mortals cannot touch, his eyes disappeared. He later became a sorcerer in Kamar-Taj. Although he has no eyes, he has a strong sense of perception that allows him to act normally.
Upon hearing this, the Ancient One pushed open the door.
The city center of Rabat is currently shrouded in an eerie black fog.