"Stop for a moment!"
Just as Doctor Strange was struggling through his practice, Baron Mordo suddenly spoke up, halting everyone's training.
It turned out that the Ancient One was striding over with another sorcerer, her steps hurried.
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Strange alone," the Ancient One said to Baron Mordo and the others.
"Clear the area," Baron Mordo replied, then had the other trainees leave one after another.
On the vast courtyard, only four people remained: the Ancient One, the sorcerer beside her, Baron Mordo, and Doctor Strange.
"It's because of my hands!"Doctor Strange was the first to explain himself to the Ancient One.
"It has nothing to do with your hands!"The Ancient One replied decisively, her tone brooking no argument.
"How could it have nothing to do with my hands?" Doctor Strange retorted instinctively.
If his hands hadn't been ruined, would he be in such a miserable state now?
"Master Hamir!"
The Ancient One did not continue arguing with Doctor Strange, instead calling over the sorcerer she had brought.
That sorcerer said nothing. He simply walked to the Ancient One's side, then stopped in front of Doctor Strange.
He extended his right hand and rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing it.
No—more accurately, revealing his left arm.
Master Hamir had no left hand at all.It had been severed cleanly at the wrist!
"No way?"Peter Parker couldn't help blurting it out. This Master Hamir had no hand—could he really still use magic?
"Impossible! That's impossible!"Doctor Strange, lying in his hospital bed, shook his head repeatedly, as if his intelligence had been gravely insulted.
The other participants instantly realized what the Ancient One intended to demonstrate, and all of them felt a bit stunned.
Could someone with a severed hand really cast spells?
They soon had their answer.
Master Hamir extended both arms—or rather, his arms—and began making gestures.
As he moved, an extremely complex and exquisite magical shield formed right in front of Doctor Strange.
The smooth, flowing execution left everyone speechless.
They were thoroughly shaken.
This was outrageous.Pure madness.
No hands, yet his magic was this refined?
Seeing Master Hamir's "performance," Doctor Strange could no longer say a word. He lowered his head deeply.
This was basically public execution.
Just moments ago, he had confidently claimed that his failure was due to his injured hands. The very next second, a one-handed sorcerer casually put him to shame.
The slap to the face was loud and merciless.
"If it's not because of his hands, then why is Doctor Strange learning so slowly? Don't tell me his talent is actually terrible?"
After being stunned for a moment, Peter Parker voiced his confusion without much thought.
If it wasn't the ruined hands, then what else could it be?
Aside from his hands, Doctor Strange wasn't any different from the others.
The rest of the participants grew curious as well.Could Doctor Strange really be… slow?
Or perhaps he simply hadn't had his moment of enlightenment yet?
"Thank you, Master Hamir."
On the screen, the Ancient One dismissed the "Yang Guo of sorcery," then continued instructing Doctor Strange.
"Try to cut flowing water, and it only flows faster. You must learn to follow the current, borrowing momentum, as if the power originates from yourself."
"But if I go with the flow, how do I control it?" Doctor Strange looked utterly confused. "That just won't work."
"All things in the world have their own way," the Ancient One said calmly."You achieved success through your intelligence, but that is all."
"Awaken, Stephen. Let go of your ego, and only then can you become strong."
As she spoke, the Ancient One raised her hand and opened a space portal, taking Doctor Strange through it.
Whoosh—!
A bone-chilling wind rushed toward them, snow whipped up from the ground and slapped against their faces.
Doctor Strange realized he was standing in a land of ice and snow.
"Wait… this is—" he said in shock.
"Mount Everest," the Ancient One answered before he could finish.
Why bring Doctor Strange to Mount Everest?
Everyone watching was baffled.
But recalling the phrase "at a life-and-death moment" in the answer options, a vague realization dawned on them.
If their guess was right, the Ancient One's teaching methods were downright savage.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"The Ancient One admired the endless snowy mountains as she spoke.
"Yes—beautiful," Doctor Strange replied helplessly. "Freezing, but beautiful."
"At this temperature, a person who stays longer than thirty minutes risks severe organ damage, even death," the Ancient One said abruptly.
"Perfect."
"As for you? You'd probably pass out in under two minutes."
After saying that, she turned around and walked straight back into the portal.
"Submit, Stephen."
Whoosh!
The portal vanished, taking the Ancient One with it.
Only her voice lingered in the icy wind.
"No! No!"
Doctor Strange shouted in panic, lunging toward where the portal had been, but it had already disappeared.
He fell flat on his face in the snow.
Just like that, Doctor Strange was "abandoned" on Mount Everest.
"So that's what 'life and death' meant in the options," Thor said in realization.
Everyone had assumed it referred to a deadly battle with enemies. No one expected the Ancient One to manufacture a life-or-death scenario herself—for teaching purposes.
Of course, no one believed the Ancient One would truly let Doctor Strange freeze to death. If he still couldn't open a portal, she would surely reappear.
Still, this method…
Most people would never be able to accept it.
Brutal. Simply brutal.
On the screen, the scene shifted back to Kamar-Taj.
"How did he do?" Baron Mordo asked curiously.
"He" clearly referred to Doctor Strange.
"We'll know in a few seconds," the Ancient One replied, uncertain herself.
"Again?"Baron Mordo sighed. Apparently, this wasn't the first time she'd used this tactic on new students.
"I should maybe—"
Mordo reached for his Sling Ring, intending to retrieve Doctor Strange, but the Ancient One stopped him.
So the two of them waited, to see whether a miracle would occur.
Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened.
Even the Ancient One grew anxious, unconsciously fanning herself—a clear sign of unease.
Had Doctor Strange frozen to death on Mount Everest?
Whoosh!
Just as the two were about to lose patience, a space portal finally appeared before them.
Doctor Strange, nearly frozen into an ice block, stumbled through and collapsed onto the ground.
The image froze there.
It had to be said—this sequence shattered everyone's expectations.
Doctor Strange's aptitude was nowhere near as astonishing as they had imagined. In fact, it was utterly average—borderline clumsy.
If not for the Ancient One's extreme methods, who knew how long it would have taken him?
"So… we were wrong?" Scott Lang shrugged."No. Actually, we were right from the start. Doctor Strange's talent completely exceeded our expectations—just in the opposite direction."
"Heh, Strange, I learned magic faster than you," Thor joked.
"Oh? Is that so?" Strange shot back from his hospital bed. "Then why don't you know a single spell?"
"I'm just not interested," Thor replied smugly. "That flashy stuff? Can't be bothered."
Everyone wisely chose not to expose him.
"Maybe he just didn't get it at first," Peter Parker said quickly."Once he found the trick, he probably improved rapidly."
"I had a classmate like that—average at first, then suddenly skyrocketed."
"Exactly! That must be it!"
"Regardless," Captain America concluded, "Doctor Strange becomes the Sorcerer Supreme in the future. That's beyond doubt. Arguing about this now doesn't really matter."
"Oh, it matters," Tony Stark said mercilessly."At the very least, it entertained us. Did you see Strange's face when that one-handed sorcerer formed a magic shield? Priceless. Too bad we can't use phones here—I'd have taken a picture."
"Stark, you might've done even worse," Strange snapped irritably.
Tony Stark had been around for so long and was still just as punchable as ever.
[Question: After Sam Wilson hands over Captain America's shield, whom does the U.S. government choose as the new Captain America?]
[A. Clint Barton][B. James "Rhodey" Rhodes][C. Sharon Carter][D. John Walker]
[Friendly Reminder:Answer correctly to receive one dose of KW74;Answer incorrectly and one random attribute will be deducted, including but not limited to knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc.]
The system's prompt suddenly sounded, interrupting the discussion.
A new question appeared.
This one concerned the new Captain America.
From previous questions, everyone already knew that although Steve Rogers had passed the shield to his close friend and comrade Sam Wilson, Sam ultimately chose not to inherit the mantle.
Instead, he turned the shield over to the authorities.
Meaning Sam Wilson was not the second Captain America.
So who was?
This question would finally reveal the answer.
"Another Captain America succession problem," Tony Stark said, glancing at the screen."Only this time, it's not Steve choosing—it's the government."
A personal choice versus an official appointment—those were very different things.
"We've discussed this before," Captain America followed up."The successor needs to meet certain criteria: ability, character, background. At the very least, nothing that looks bad on paper."
"At first glance, everyone in the options fits."
"Barton, Rhodey, Sharon Carter—we know them all. But who is John Walker?" Strange asked curiously from his bed.
"He appeared in the previous round of questions," Captain America explained."So we did some investigation afterward."
"He's the first person in U.S. history to receive three Medals of Honor. He's handled top-secret counterterrorism and hostage rescue missions. His record is outstanding, his background clean—by all accounts, he's flawless."
"I don't really know what three Medals of Honor mean," Peter Parker admitted, "but he sounds insanely impressive."
"So option D is entirely possible, meaning it's still undecided?" Thor suggested.
"Agreed," Scott Lang nodded. "We can't rule it out yet."
"Alright," Tony Stark said. "Let's tentatively mark D. Now let's check the other options."
His gaze landed on option A.
"Barton? The government wouldn't care that Barton has a family. From an official standpoint, he fits the bill."
"Even if his military record isn't as dazzling as John Walker's, he has something Walker doesn't—he's already a household-name hero."
Clint Barton had appeared in the previous Captain America succession question, and everyone had already analyzed him.
On every front, Barton checked the boxes. The only reason he was previously excluded was his family.
That mattered to Steve Rogers—but to the government?
Not at all.
..............
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