Tony Stark blinked and returned the Meikyō.
Stark didn't make the Meikyō wait a week; he created a replica of the Mind Stone in just four days.
"The perfect craftsmanship, apart from not being able to unleash the same power as the Mind Stone, is almost indistinguishable from the Mind Stone in both appearance and use."
Meikyō played with the imitation Mind Stone in his hand, marveling at it.
However, this was merely an added effect during the creation of the Mind Stone to prevent Hydra from noticing anything unusual. Making good use of this imitation Mind Stone was no easy task, as Tony had set up numerous obstacles. It would take Hydra at least three years to even begin to figure out how to use it.
In the hands of an ordinary person, this item can exert the effects of mental charm and mental enhancement. Unless the opponent is Superman with a strong will, it can generally produce good results. In the hands of a mage, it is also a high-quality magical artifact.
While it certainly can't compare to top-tier items like the Cloak of Magic, it was, after all, made by a Sorcerer Supreme, and that Sorcerer Supreme was named Tony Stark.
Everything produced by Stark is a masterpiece.
In less than three years, the replica Mind Stone will be taken back by itself, and the original will be put back to participate in the important time-space nodes of the Age of Ultron and the birth of Vision.
"It's time to take action."
In less than three minutes, Meikyō found an opportunity in the Hydra base to replace the Mind Stone.
"The process of using and understanding the Mind Stone is also a process of strengthening one's own spirit and mind. This thing is a good match for the Sharingan, and it may also strengthen my Yin Release. If I can really sublimate Yin Release into Yin Power, then there will be another way to advance the Rinnegan."
Two months later.
At the summit of the Himalayas, amidst snow-capped peaks, howls winds.
Meikyō sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, holding the Mind Stone that emitted a yellow light in his left hand.
A Psychic Power barrier opened up, preventing the cold wind and blizzard from annihilating this small space.
Suddenly, Meikyō opened her eyes, a flash of purple light passing through them, followed by a surge of powerful pupil energy.
In an instant, clouds and mist churned, and avalanches rose and fell on the hillside.
"The Yin Power... So this is the Six Paths Yin Power!"
Meikyō stood atop the mountain and began to laugh wildly.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that there were six black Tomoe in one of his eyes.
However, the six Tomoe were somewhat dim, and even looked as if they might disappear at any moment.
By using the Mind Stone to enhance his spirit, Meikyō can temporarily strengthen his Yin Release to its limit and purify a small amount of Six Paths Yin Power when using the Mind Stone.
Although it is rare, having it and not having it are two different concepts.
"No rush, this is not the limit! I need to extract more Six Paths Yin Power to stabilize the level of this Rinnegan. The limit will be when both Rinnegan are fixed at the Six-comma state!"
Feeling the Six Paths Yin Power contained in his right eye constantly nourishing and enhancing the power of his Rinnegan, Meikyō excitedly clenched his fist.
He has not yet fully mastered the Six Paths Yin Power.
Without the Mind Stone, he cannot create the Six Paths Yin Power on his own.
But at least I have made progress now. In the state of Six-comma, I can see more things using the Mirror God Eye.
Moreover, Meikyō had a premonition.
The Six Paths Yin Power can enhance eye power, but if one directly uses the Six Paths Yin Power to replace eye power, then the power of the Rinnegan's Dojutsu can be enhanced again!
He now desperately wants to take more time, while he can use the Mind Stone within the next two or three years, to create more Six Paths Yin Power, and then use all of this Six Paths Yin Power to gain insight into the Infinity Stones.
Because of the Mind Stone and the Six Paths Yin Power, the upper limit that I can currently reach has been raised once again!
The first thing to do is to use the Six Paths Yin Power to strengthen the Dojutsu and directly perceive the Mind Stone. Ideally, you should be able to create the Six Paths Yin Power even when you can't use the Mind Stone.
At the very least, it can speed up the process of creating the Six Paths Yin Power.
Forcibly suppressing his excitement, Meikyō hurriedly sat down. His strong will, combined with the Mind Stone, allowed him to enter a state of calm in an instant, generating the Six Paths Yin Power.
Aside from his daily routine of entering the One-Punch Man World and using the Gravity Training Room with Tatsumaki to strengthen his physical body, Meikyō devoted almost all his time to creating the Six Paths Yin Power.
In the first few days, the Six Paths Yin Power was not stored up at all; it was mostly used by the Meikyō to perceive the Mind Stone.
It wasn't until ten days later that the accumulation of Six Paths Yin Power stabilized somewhat.
Thirty percent was used to enhance and upgrade the Rinnegan, fifty percent was used to understand the Mind Stone, and the remaining twenty percent was saved as a reserve.
And the rate of accumulation is getting faster and faster.
As the progress of understanding the Mind Stone accelerates and the Rinnegan becomes stronger, the speed at which the Meikyō generates the Six Paths Yin Power continues to increase.
Although it's not yet possible to create them on its own without relying on the Mind Stone, the speed is already more than twice as fast as it was at the beginning.
The six Tomoe in the Rinnegan have stabilized, while those in the left eye are slowly brewing.
In a few more days, a faint shadow should appear.
Just as Meikyō was frantically accumulating the Six Paths Yin Power, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
This feeling came from the outside world, but it was impossible to pinpoint where it was or even describe what it felt like. It was just that instinct told Meikyō that it was related to space.
"It looks like you've been standing here in the wind for a long time."
The Ancient One's voice came from behind.
In the midst of heavy snowfall, the Sorcerer Supreme wore a thick down jacket and an oxygen mask, the same kind he wore when climbing high-altitude snow-covered mountains.
"The Ancient One, what are you doing...?"
"As you can see, I have become weaker, Meikyō."
The Ancient One stared at Meikyō Dao.
"Even though my lifespan has been extended thanks to Dark Energy, my body is still decaying in a slow but irreversible process. Although my magical strength will not change, my physical body is slowly collapsing. In four years, I will reach a point where I am even more fragile than a normal human. Therefore, in the original timeline, I would die in front of Strange, falling from a high building while fighting Dormammu."
"And now?"
"Some things have changed, but not all of them. I will still fall from a great height and die in front of the next Sorcerer Supreme."
The Ancient One spoke nonchalantly about how she would die.
For her, death was not the end, but a new beginning.
"Alright, Master the Ancient One, you came here because you sensed those unusual movements just now, right?"
Meikyō said to the Ancient One.
The Ancient One nodded slightly and waved her hand, creating an illusion.
"Time and space are always unpredictable, and so is space. Some spatial phenomena are always peculiar. For example, the World Tree is a strange spatial phenomenon that exists between higher-dimensional spacetime and reality. It connects nine places in the real world. In ancient times, the god-king Buri believed that these nine planets were derived from the World Tree. Later, this theory was overturned by his grandson, the Third Hokage god-king Odin, but it has still been passed down as a myth."
"A thousand years ago, before I even uttered a sound, the Sorcerer Supreme was still the Daoist Zhang Jiao. Odin, in order to gain greater power and wisdom, sacrificed his own eyes and hung himself on the World Tree for seven days and seven nights, thus gaining omniscience and mastering the powerful runes. This gave Odin the power and profound wisdom to rank among the Father God, allowing him to rule the Nine Realms. The reason Odin was able to find the World Tree was because the Nine Realms were aligned at that time, and even the Midgard, which is located at the center of the Nine Realms and is the Solar System where Earth is located, was also aligned. When higher dimensions and reality are reflected, unpredictable disturbances will occur in space."
The Ancient One told a myth to the Meikyō —it was a real story, but it certainly sounded like a myth.
"So the spatial disturbance just now was the same phenomenon happening again?"
Meikyō asked the Ancient One.
But the Ancient One shook her head.
"It's not exactly the same. This time, the Nine Realms are connected, but the Solar System hasn't seen a nine-planet alignment. According to scientists' calculations, the next Solar System alignment won't happen until 2149, and the next alignment of the Nine Realms and the Nine Planets won't happen until two thousand years later. However, this still causes changes in the space between the Nine Realms, blurring the boundaries. Although it's impossible to have the opportunity to contact the World Tree like Odin did a thousand years ago, but..."
The Ancient One raised her head and looked towards the horizon.
A rainbow-like beam of light streaked across the sky and descended to the other side of the earth.
"But this is the best time to repair the Rainbow Bridge in Asgard. If Odin's son is to descend, it should be at this time. But why... did he go to the other side of the continent?"
The Ancient One was puzzled.
"I'll go take a look. I've heard that this Asgard crown prince... isn't quite right in the head, so it's possible that something else has happened to him."
Meikyō opened a spatial portal as if deep in thought, and arrived in New Mexico, United States.
Based on the perceived spatial fluctuations, Thor's arrival location should be nearby.
In fact, the exact location is also easy to pinpoint.
Heavy rain poured down from the sky, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
This phenomenon occurs whenever Thor descends to earth with his Mjolnir Mjolnir.
"Excuse me, ma'am, someone has called the police to say you have illegally entered someone else's home..."
"Buzz!"
A powerful, awe-inspiring surge of dark red energy emanated from the area, attracting Meikyō's attention.
Upon closer inspection, it was emanating from a woman.
Jane, are you alright?
Thor held Jane Foster in his arms and asked with concern.
However, Jane had already fallen into a coma.
Upon hearing Meikyō's footsteps, Thor gripped Mjolnir with his other hand and watched Meikyō.
"Who are you? Did you cause all this trouble for Jane?!"
"Didn't you come to Earth to find me?"
Thor looked at the Teleportation Circle slowly closing behind Meikyō and immediately understood what was going on.
"Are you that mage from Midgard? I brought the things; could you check on Jane for me?"
Thor pulled out a container containing the Cosmic Cube and asked the Meikyō.
Meikyō took the Cosmic Cube with one hand and placed the other hand on Jane's wrist, seemingly diagnosing her, but actually quietly activating the Destiny Reading.
His understanding of the Time Stone has now reached a very high level.
At this moment, the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, along with a small amount of the Six Paths Yin Power, is used to activate the Destiny Reading. Even if the effect is not as good as the Time Stone, it is enough to allow the Meikyō to temporarily see the most important time-space nodes in the future.
Because of those things attached to Jane.
The Aether, also known as the Reality Stone!
Having the opportunity to access the Reality Stone, how could he not look into the future?
He needs to devise a plan based on future timelines, a plan that will allow him to possess the Reality Stone for a period of time, in a reasonable manner and without affecting important temporal and spatial nodes.
I have gained a considerable understanding of time and the mind, and I can hold onto them for a relatively long period of time.
The space is now in our own hands.
According to the agreement between the Ancient One and Odin, the Meikyō has the right to use the Cosmic Cube for the next two years, and only needs to return it in time within the two years.
The next time the Space Stone appears at a significant point in time and space will be in 2018.
While the Power Stone and the Soul Stone are still on distant alien planets, the Reality Stone is his only and best option for contact.
This is almost the only chance.
After gaining some insight, Meikyō gradually felt more confident.
There's room for maneuver!
"Master, what exactly happened to Jane?"
Thor asked Meikyō anxiously.
"Her body has been invaded by a foreign force comparable in level to the Cosmic Cube. Only a mage proficient in nanoscale healing magic can expel these things from her body."
With the healing abilities of the Meikyō, there is a way to Aether from Jane Foster's body, and although Jane will be affected to some extent, her life will not be in danger.
However, in order not to disrupt the normal flow of spacetime, this matter must continue in Asgard.
I have to go along too, otherwise there will be no room for maneuver, and I can't cause too much of a disturbance to spacetime.
"You're not good enough, mage?"
"I can keep her alive for now. If you can find a mage with powerful healing magic, I can also help."
Thor slapped his forehead, Satori.
"My mother, she was a princess of Vanaheim when she was young, and she possessed very strong light magic. She healed the wounds I suffered in battle, and she can definitely heal Jane too!"
Thor had one arm around Jane and the other raised Mjolnir.
"Heimdall!"