Chapter 85.
"It seems we're seeing Tony first! Mr. Danny Rand, how about we go together? I can introduce you to some new friends—they're all partners with special abilities!" Felix's tone was questioning as he addressed Danny Rand, who still stood respectfully at his side.
"Whatever Master Felix wishes," Danny replied, for what else could he say?
His own master had left him here, naturally, he had to follow Felix's lead. Besides, his only goal was to get to New York afterward, no matter the journey.
"Alright, it's decided then! We'll go together. Master Mordo, would you like to come along?" Felix felt relieved seeing how agreeable Danny Rand was. If he could just meet Tony and the others with Danny by his side, securing Iron Fist's entry into the Justice League would be halfway done.
"I won't join you. I'll stay here and urge them to practice magic. Karma-Taj's talent pool is dwindling, and we need to train useful masters as quickly as possible." Mordo had been aware of Felix's temporary leadership since his arrival, knowing Felix intended to –hand over the Sorcerer Supreme title eventually. Despite Felix's earlier requests for Mordo to drop the formalities due to his own youth, Mordo remained consistently respectful, a deference that sometimes made Felix feel a little awkward.
"Okay, okay, I told you not to be so polite to me, but you never listen! Then you stay busy, we'll be heading out." Felix waved a helpless hand at Mordo, already preparing to depart for Tony's. He then extended his hand toward Danny Rand, intending to teleport them, as it was far more convenient than using a portal.
"Don't be nervous; I'm just touching you," Felix said, trying to comfort Danny, whose face had noticeably paled the moment Felix's hand made contact.
In truth, the instant Felix reached out, Danny's training under Lei Kung had triggered an almost instinctual evasive reaction. Yet, while his mind responded, Felix's speed was so extreme that Danny's body couldn't keep up. He had no time to dodge before Felix's hand was already resting on his shoulder.
"This... how is this possible?" Danny was stunned, unable to believe it. With such speed, if Felix had attacked instead of merely touching him, would he have had any chance to resist? Even as Felix's comforting words reached his ears, Danny remained profoundly shocked. If Felix had truly attacked, he might be dead right now.
He recalled his master's teachings, while mages possessed greater physical attributes than ordinary people and even practiced melee combat, their primary means of attack was magic. So why did the Sorcerer Supreme possess physical prowess superior to his own, hard-trained body, leaving him utterly defenseless with a mere touch?
Did I meet a fake Sorcerer Supreme?
"Master Felix, where are we?"
While Danny was lost in thought, the world around him seemed to blur. When he finally focused and surveyed his surroundings, he realized the scenery had completely changed. They were no longer in the same place.
"Alright, this is Tony Stark's villa. I'll introduce you later. Also, you don't need to call me 'Master', just 'Felix' is fine. We're actually around the same age." Felix withdrew his hand, looking at the astonished Danny Rand, and explained aloud.
"Hey, Felix, your ability is really convenient. I just called you, and here you are!" As Danny absorbed Felix's explanation, still observing the unfamiliar environment, a voice suddenly cut in. Danny turned towards the sound and saw two people approaching, walking side by side.
"Hi, Dr. Banner, long time no see. How have you been recently?" Felix seemed to deliberately overlook Tony, who had spoken first, and instead greeted Banner directly.
"Long time no see, Felix. I've been doing well lately! While working with Stark sometimes feels like being an employee crushed by an unscrupulous boss, it's far better than constantly fleeing military chases day and night." Banner offered Felix a warm smile, seemingly getting along well with Tony, even joking at his expense.
"Bruce, how can you say that? I provide you food, your living space, all I ask is for you to help me research things. How does that make me an unscrupulous boss?" Tony feigned innocence, speaking in an aggrieved tone.
"Besides, we're both high-IQ individuals in this alliance, so we two have to work harder! Unlike some people who ignore the world all day, living in a quiet place, enjoying flowers and birds, drinking tea, and reading books!" Though Tony spoke to Banner, his gaze flickered pointedly at Felix.
"Okay, Tony, have you hacked into the David's network and monitored my life?" Felix was a little speechless. Tony clearly knew about his comfortable lifestyle, which meant he must have invaded David's system again!
"No, absolutely not! I didn't invade David! Jarvis just told me after 'communicating' with David!" Tony emphatically denied it, unhesitatingly throwing Jarvis under the bus.
"Mr. Felix, actually, Mr. Stark instructed me to..." Jarvis's familiar voice began, sounding as if it wanted to defend itself.
"Shut up, Jarvis!"
"Cough, Jarvis's program seems to be broken. I'll test him in a moment!" Tony cut Jarvis off, narrowly avoiding another betrayal. He cleared his throat, then quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Felix, who's this next to you? Why didn't you bring a beautiful woman, but a man instead this time? Have your preference changed in this short time, perhaps? Have you started bending now?"
"You're the one bending!" Felix snapped at Tony, annoyed.
"Forget it, there's no point talking to you. Let me introduce everyone. This is Danny Rand, from Kunlun. And this is Tony Stark, and Dr. Bruce Banner." Felix didn't bother arguing further, simply introducing them.
"Kunlun? Where's that? Our country doesn't have a place by that name, does it?" Tony looked puzzled. He hadn't heard of a city called Kunlun in the United States. Of course, he wasn't thinking about China, given Danny Rand's foreign appearance.
"Sir, Kunlun is a mountain in China. It is not a city," Jarvis interjected, ever the helpful assistant, even after Tony's recent 'betrayal.'
"A mountain? So he lived on a mountain? But he's a foreigner, running around on your mountain in China. Doesn't anyone care?" Tony's questions seemed to come from a place of genuine, if slightly misdirected, curiosity.
"While Kunlun is indeed a mountain, the Kunlun he comes from, is much like Karma-Taj where I'm from, a hidden power. And Kunlun exists in a different dimension from Earth, so ordinary people can't find it," Felix explained, offering a brief overview of Danny's background.
"Oh, I get it now! I knew it! I always said there had to be more forces on Earth we don't understand besides Karma-Taj. And look, here's another one! I really am quite prescient!" Instead of focusing on Kunlun, Tony's attention quickly shifted to boasting about his own foresight.
Felix was left speechless by Tony's narcissistic display.
"Mr. Felix, then the people in Kunlun you're talking about, like Karma-Taj, do they also practice magic?" Banner, ever the more pragmatic one, asked a more useful question.
"Dr. Banner, you don't need to call me Mr. Felix, just 'Felix' is fine!" Felix began. "No, while Kunlun is also an ancient, hidden force on Earth, they don't practice magic. They focus on kung fu and fighting skills. They also cultivate a more mysterious power called 'Chi', which can greatly enhance physical quality."
"Then, Felix, don't call me Dr. Banner either. It makes it sound like I'm showing off my Ph.D.'s every day. I only have seven Ph.D.'s, no need to constantly flaunt them!" Banner responded with feigned modesty.
"Only seven..." Felix felt a sharp pang in his heart. How could he, a mere academic slacker with no doctorates, compare?
"Cough, okay, let's talk business," Felix cleared his throat, trying to mask his embarrassment. "Danny Rand comes from a hidden power, and as the contemporary Iron Fist of Kunlun, his strength shouldn't be underestimated. So, I think he'd be a great addition to our alliance."
"He's eligible to join our alliance?" Tony immediately eyed Danny with suspicion. "Uh, not to question your judgment, but I don't see what kind of power this guy could have! He doesn't even have muscles like Steve. Kunlun, you say?" Tony even walked around Danny a few times, scrutinizing him like a rare specimen before voicing his doubts to Felix.
"Tony, you're missing the point. While their Kunlun does focus on physical cultivation and fighting skills, their most important aspect is the cultivation of Chi. Chi can dramatically improve a person's physical quality and reaction speed," Felix explained further.
"Hey, friend, is what Felix just said true? Can you show me now?" Tony, without hesitation, directly addressed Danny Rand. His bluntness was typical of him, but to someone meeting him for the first time, his demeanor was incredibly provoking.
Danny, having trained in Kunlun for nearly a decade, was usually a man of few words, and he'd said barely anything since arriving. But silence wasn't a sign of weakness, and he felt a surge of irritation at Tony's rudeness. So, when Tony demanded a demonstration, Danny obeliged.
Immediately, Danny clenched his right fist, mobilizing the chi within his body. It surged upward from his lower abdomen, passing through the dragon-shaped tattoo on his body, and flowing along his arm to his right fist. This entire process was completed in an instant. As the chi gathered, Danny's clenched right fist began to glow with a radiant yellowish orange light, almost identical to the energy wielded by a Karma-Taj wizard using magic.
Felix noticed Danny's movements the moment he began to mobilize his chi. However, in Felix's heightened perception, he detected no trace of killing intent directed at Tony, so he remained unconcerned.
"Hey, Banner, watch closely! This is going to be a good show!"
Instead, he walked over to Banner and whispered, then casually observed them, anticipating Tony's discomfort. That should be interesting, he thought.
Danny wasn't entirely skilled at controlling his chi. Furthermore, after the blessing of Shou-Lao the Undying, his chi had become incredibly potent. So, he meticulously guided the energy into his right fist, a process that took several seconds.
"Since you asked for a demonstration, watch closely!" Danny suddenly lifted his head, fixing his gaze on Tony. Then, with a thunderous motion, he launched his right fist directly at Tony's handsome face.
Like a radiant meteor streaking across the sky, Danny's right fist glowed yellow from the inside out, as if steel had been heated to incandescence. Every small blood vessel was starkly visible. His punch was incredibly fast; an ordinary person would only see a blur of yellow afterimages. In an instant, Danny's fist was upon Tony's face. Tony, being an ordinary person and not wearing his armor, had no time to react, no opportunity to duck or retreat.
"It's over, I'm probably going to be disfigured! My handsome face!" Tony thought, watching the glowing yellow fist hurtle toward him, this thought strangely surfacing in the moment of crisis.
However, Danny's fist halted less than five centimeters from Tony's face. The whirlwind generated by the swift punch swept Tony's hair back for a few seconds before settling. The intense heat radiating from Danny's fist even caused Tony's hair in front to slightly curl, as if singed by fire.
Staring at the glowing fist so close to his face, Tony couldn't help but swallow hard. He hastily stumbled backward, not paying attention, and landed ungracefully on the sofa behind him.
"Hahaha..." A burst of laughter finally brought a slightly shaken Tony back to his senses.
"Felix, you planned this? Just to watch me make a fool of myself?" Tony demanded, rising from the sofa and glaring angrily at Felix, who was still roaring with laughter.
"And you! Sneaking up on me when I wasn't wearing my armor! Have the patience to wait until I'm suited up, and then we'll fight again. I'll beat you until you can't find your teeth!" he snapped at Danny, who had lowered his right hand, his fist having returned to its normal state.
Despite his bluster, Tony still felt the immense power Danny possessed. Sure enough, anyone Felix values is no ordinary person!
"Okay, Tony," Felix interjected. "He was just messing with you, there was no malice behind his action. You've seen his strength, and it's quite impressive, wouldn't you say? Is he eligible to join our alliance?" Felix asked Tony.
"His strength is... decent. But if he's going to join our alliance, he'll have to pass some tests! If he can defeat me in my armor, I'll agree to let him join!" Tony's tone regained its typical cockiness. He had, in essence, agreed, but he was still nursing the grudge of having lost face and wanted an opportunity to get it back. Tony had only been mildly shocked earlier; after all, when he was with Felix, he always felt completely safe, knowing Felix would never let him be in actual danger.
"Wait, I think you might be mistaken," Danny interjected, refusing to play along with Tony's half-hearted challenge. "I just want to get back to New York. I have no desire to join any 'leagues.'" He flatly refused.
.......
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