Xiao Han entered the meditation room, his gaze lingering on Ancient One for a moment.
This Guardian of Earth appeared so ordinary, yet contained unfathomable power.
"Sorcerer Supreme." Xiao Han nodded slightly. "It seems my arrival has caught Your attention."
Ancient One waved gently, and a cup of tea appeared before Xiao Han out of thin air.
"Please sit. Your presence is like a torch in the dark night, difficult not to notice."
Xiao Han took the teacup and sat down cross-legged.
The tea's aroma filled the air, carrying a strange energy fluctuation.
"So, You're here to warn me to leave Earth?"
"On the contrary." Ancient One took a sip of tea. "I'm here to thank You."
Xiao Han raised an eyebrow. "Thank me?"
"You stopped Loki's plot and prevented a war between the Nine Realms." Ancient One's gaze went through the window, looking into the distance.
"And You taught Thor humility, which is crucial for the future King of Asgard."
Xiao Han narrowed his eyes. He didn't know what Ancient One was up to. Based on his understanding, Ancient One should have said he disrupted the timeline, not praised him.
But he still chuckled lightly. "I just did what I wanted to do."
"It is this kind of purity that is rare." Ancient One put down her teacup.
"Xiao, how much do You know about this Universe?"
"Enough."
A golden light flashed in Xiao Han's eyes. "For example, I know Dormammu is coveting Earth, and Thanos is collecting the Infinity Stones."
Ancient One's expression fluctuated for the first time. "You even know all this..."
"I also know Your secret."
Xiao Han looked directly into Ancient One's eyes. He probably understood what Ancient One knew about him.
Perhaps she only knew he was an outsider but was unclear about his identity.
"The Time Stone in the eye of agamotto, and the power You draw from the Dark Dimension."
The air in the meditation room instantly froze. Mordo outside the door subconsciously gripped his magic artifact.
Ancient One was silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled. "Interesting. It seems I underestimated You."
She stood up, her robe billowing as if in a wind. "Since that's the case, how about we talk somewhere else?"
She drew a circle with her hands, and a portal shimmering with golden sparks opened before her.
Beyond the portal was the snow-capped peak of the Himalayas.
Xiao Han stepped through without hesitation.
The biting cold wind had no effect on him. The snow under his feet didn't even leave footprints under the effect of the Biofield.
Ancient One followed him out of the portal. "It's quiet enough here. We can speak freely."
"What do You want to know?" Xiao Han asked directly.
"Your purpose." Ancient One's expression turned serious.
"With such power, yet You choose to stay on Earth, what exactly do You want to gain on Earth? Including, Your origin."
Xiao Han looked at the distant, continuous mountain range. "A home."
This simple answer made Ancient One slightly startled.
"My origin? Perhaps You won't believe it, but I'm actually a Kryptonian. I just accidentally came to this World." Xiao Han spoke casually, immediately starting to make things up.
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Here, I gained a new life. I just want to live my life my way and protect what I believe is worth protecting."
"Including being an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Including doing anything I want to do." Golden light flowed in Xiao Han's eyes.
"As long as they don't provoke me."
Ancient One pondered for a moment. "What if I invite You to join Kamar-Taj and become the new Sorcerer Supreme?"
This proposal stunned Xiao Han. "Why me?"
"Because You can see things I cannot." Ancient One's voice suddenly became weary.
"I have guarded this World for too long, Xiao.
The Time Stone has shown me countless possible futures, but in all timelines, there is one common end, my Death. Although that is my own thought."
Xiao Han keenly noticed the meaning in her words. "You are preparing for the handover."
Ancient One nodded. "Dr. Stephen Strange still needs time to grow. And Your appearance... is a variable. A being that shouldn't have existed."
"Furthermore, Your arrival has made the timeline unclear; I can no longer see it."
The wind and snow on the mountaintop grew stronger, but an invisible barrier formed around the two, and snowflakes quietly melted several meters away from them.
"I cannot accept." Xiao Han finally replied. "I have my own path to follow."
Ancient One seemed to have anticipated this answer long ago. "Then at least promise me one thing: when darkness descends and Earth needs You, You will step forward."
Xiao Han smiled. "That depends on what I think at the time."
Ancient One also smiled. "That's enough."
She opened the portal again. "Want to visit the library? Kamar-Taj's collection might be useful to You."
Xiao Han's eyes lit up. "That's a good suggestion."
Inside the Kamar-Taj library, ancient bookshelves soared into the sky, and the air was filled with the scent of parchment mixed with sandalwood.
Xiao Han stood in the center, the golden patterns on his black battle suit faintly visible in the candlelight, creating a strange contrast with the surrounding ancient magic atmosphere.
"This is the most complete collection of magic texts on Earth."
Ancient One stood with her hands behind her back, her wide yellow robe billowing as if in a wind. "It contains the crystallization of wisdom left by successive Sorcerer Supremes, from Vishanti to Agamotto."
Wong, the librarian, watched Xiao Han warily. "Sorcerer Supreme, who is this...?"
"A guest, Wong." Ancient One said gently. "He has the right to examine any book he wishes."
Wong's mouth dropped open in surprise, but he quickly regained his professional demeanor. "What categories do You require?"
"All of them."
Xiao Han's Super Vision had already begun scanning the bookshelves. "Especially those about the Multiverse and the Dark Dimension."
"Sorcerer Supreme, these texts are too dangerous. Even experienced masters need guidance to..." Wong was immediately surprised upon hearing this.
"Let him see." Ancient One interrupted softly, her gaze remaining on Xiao Han.
"I believe Mr. Xiao knows his limits."
Xiao Han nodded slightly, activating his Super Vision. The entire library's structure was parsed by him in an instant.
The classification of the bookshelves, the arrangement of the texts, and even the areas hidden by magic were all revealed under his super senses.
The text on the spine of every book, the symbols on every page, and even the hidden content sealed by magic were all within his vision.
"Interesting."
Xiao Han walked to the nearest bookshelf, his fingers gently tracing a row of heavy texts inlaid with gems.
"Your magic system is completely different from Asgard's. They rely on the divine power in their bloodline, while You... borrow the power of dimensions."
Xiao Han continued towards the spatial theory section, his finger hovering over a row of texts inlaid with sapphires.
"Your magic is built on borrowing dimensional energy, which explains why You need the Sling Ring as a medium."
Wong's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You just glanced at the bookshelf classification and..."
Xiao Han had already taken down "Basic Principles of Space" and was rapidly flipping through it.
His fingers turned the pages at a speed unattainable by humans, lingering on each page for no more than a second.
Texts that would take ordinary people months to study were fully memorized by him in less than two minutes.
"Spatial folding... Dimensional positioning... Energy anchors..."
Xiao Han closed the book, a thoughtful light flickering in his eyes.
He raised his right hand and tried to trace the trajectory of a portal as described in the book, but only a few weak sparks were generated in the air, which then dissipated.
Ancient One's mouth curved slightly upward. "It seems even Superman needs to follow the basic laws of magic."
Xiao Han wasn't offended. "I'm just testing the theory."
He pointed to his temple. "All the knowledge here has been memorized, but I temporarily lack the energy channel for casting spells.
I will consider using the energy within my body as a medium to use magic after I go back."
Wong's expression changed from wariness to pure shock. "You... You memorized the entire book?"
"Not just this one."
Xiao Han walked to the next bookshelf. "'Introduction to the Mirror Dimension', 'Fundamentals of Astral Projection', 'Compendium of Defensive Spells'... These are all on my reading list."