Qin Xiao had never imagined that Master Gu Yi would simply throw out the Time Stone like that.
In Avengers: Endgame, Doctor Strange relied on the Time Stone to observe over ten million possible futures.
In Avengers, Bruce Banner went to find the Ancient One and told her that he wanted to see Doctor Strange.
Gu Yi answered bluntly that Strange had arrived five years earlier and was probably still a few blocks away undergoing surgery.
This clearly indicated that the Ancient One truly possessed the ability to foresee the future.
If that were the case, she should have known very well that Doctor Strange was her successor—the next guardian of the Time Stone.
So why would she say that she wanted to keep the Time Stone in her own hands in the future?
Based on the Loki trailer Qin Xiao had watched before transmigrating, as well as Gu Yi's words at the beginning of the film, there existed a so-called "Time Variance Authority."
They were supposed to be responsible for arresting anyone who disrupted the predetermined flow of the timeline.
For example, Loki—who was destined to be taken back to Asgard and imprisoned—ended up escaping with the Tesseract instead.
There was no doubt that he had broken the sacred timeline.
So why didn't they come for him?
Was it because of institutional limitations?
If it was due to system rules, then if the TVA could be blocked, why couldn't the Ancient One be blocked as well?
What kind of future had she seen?
And why did he have to go to Kamar-Taj to study magic with Doctor Strange?
Qin Xiao had once believed that, in the Marvel world, he possessed a godlike, omniscient perspective.But now, it felt as if layers upon layers of mist had descended before his eyes—waiting for him to peel them away one by one.
He originally wanted to ask the system.
But the system was upgrading.
If it was going to upgrade sooner or later, why now?
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The more Qin Xiao thought about it, the angrier he became. He lashed out and kicked over a massive metal trash bin—over a meter tall and two meters wide.
The iron bin toppled over, spilling garbage piled as high as a two-story building.
Bits of trash rained down from the sky.
"I don't want things to be this way! Do whatever you want! Let me grow slowly to the very end—I want to see who will be able to defeat me then!!!"
"CLANG!"
His shout ended with the deafening crash of the trash bin hitting the ground. At last, some of the frustration in his heart was released.
Stop thinking about things you can't understand, Qin Xiao told himself.You already know the method. Just wait, grow stronger step by step. When the time comes, there'll be nothing left to fear.
Just as he was about to leave the desolate alleyway, he suddenly noticed a white man standing in front of him, holding a dagger and staring at him blankly.
Two twisted clumps of toilet paper sat on the man's head, along with a blood-stained napkin plastered to his face.
Several strands of spaghetti coated in meat sauce still dangled from the blade of the knife.
Judging from where he had been standing, he must have been hiding behind the trash bin earlier, gripping the knife and preparing to rob him.
When Qin Xiao kicked the bin over, the man must have been scared stiff.
He was thin as lightning—clearly a junkie.
But the way he stood there, frozen and dazed, reminded Qin Xiao of the mantis-style fighter from Shaolin Soccer.
The posture was exactly the same.
"Robbery?" Qin Xiao took a step forward and asked.
"No, you've misunderstood," the robber replied expressionlessly, lifting the spaghetti-covered knife and shaking his head. His scarf fluttered in the wind."I'm eating."
"Dining here?"
"Yeah. The air here is really nice, isn't it?"
"Nice hat. Do you have any cash on you?"
"Fifty dollars."
"Enough for a cab ride to Stark Industries?"
"More than enough."
"Hand it over. Thanks."
Qin Xiao took the bills and patted the robber on the shoulder.
Crack.
A soft but unmistakable sound rang out—Qin Xiao had crushed the man's shoulder blade with his palm.
…
At the New York Sanctum, Gu Yi had appeared calm and all-knowing in front of Qin Xiao, like a master who would never reveal his secrets.
But after Qin Xiao left, he sat down on the sofa, his face dark with anger.
"How could this happen? What exactly went wrong?"
The Ancient One sat silently on the sofa, murmuring to herself.
After a while, Gu Yi seemed to make up his mind.
He sat cross-legged, forming seals with both hands. The Time Stone floated between his palms, emitting a faint green glow.
As the light spread outward, Gu Yi's body began to tremble violently.
The shaking grew faster and faster, until afterimages of his body were left hanging in the air.
It was as if countless ancient gods were overlapping upon one another.
Numerous faces of the Ancient One appeared from different angles—some twisted in pain, some solemn and dignified, others filled with joy.
The vibrations intensified. The green light pulsed faster. More and more phantoms surrounded Gu Yi.
Just as everything seemed about to reach its limit, all the trembling, illusions, and green light suddenly collapsed inward—then rose again.
Silence returned.
"Pff!"
Gu Yi opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Disbelief filled his face.
Then, overwhelming ecstasy surged through him.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
If Qin Xiao had seen Gu Yi in this state, he would never have believed this was the same person he had just met.
Eyes bloodshot, mouth hanging slack, Gu Yi sat cross-legged on the sofa, staring at the sky and laughing like a madman.
But Qin Xiao knew nothing of this.
After robbing an unlucky robber of fifty dollars, he hailed a taxi straight to Stark Industries' New York branch.
Officially, it was a branch office—but in reality, things had changed after Tony Stark lit up the Los Angeles headquarters with fireworks.
More and more companies had begun shifting their focus to New York. After all, it was the world's financial center.
Otherwise, the Stark Expo wouldn't have been held there.
The branch office had, in effect, become the true headquarters.
The taxi stopped in front of the building, and Qin Xiao stepped out.
Car horns sounded nearby.
A striking, deep-red Acura NSX convertible pulled up beside him.
Who else could it be but Tony Stark?
"I distinctly remember lending you the company car and a driver," Tony said."So why did you take a cab back? You know, I'm rarely this generous."
"No need to be polite. I thought it would take a long time, so I let the driver go first. Didn't expect it to be over so quickly."
Qin Xiao shrugged helplessly.
"Looks like you're in a bad mood today. Get in—I'll take you somewhere. I guarantee you'll feel better immediately."
Tony patted the passenger seat.
"Why don't you change cars? Convertibles are way too flashy—and I don't like the color. It's deep red.Too ostentatious, Tony. Not my style."
The NSX was a limited edition—something even the wealthy couldn't easily buy anymore. Qin Xiao suddenly recalled the way Tony had once looked at him like a poor nobody, and his heart felt a little sour.
"Tell you what," Tony said."If you come with me to do one thing, this car is yours. I told you—I'm rarely this generous."
Qin Xiao's eyes lit up. He immediately dragged Tony into the passenger seat.
"Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"You know, when I was a kid, my parents always said our hometown's specialty was bayberries. Have you ever eaten them? Sweet and sour—absolutely delicious. When they're fully ripe, they're exactly the same color as this car.Oh my god, I love this color! Isn't this basically the color of my hometown?!"
Tony: "..."
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