"[Ding! Detected that the host has completed the current Universe mission. Return to the original World?]"
Xiao Han glanced at the System interface, a slight smile playing on his lips: "No rush, I'll look around some more."
Just as he was about to head elsewhere, a golden portal suddenly spun open before him.
The Ancient One flew out of the portal, her wide yellow robes gently swaying in the wind.
Her gaze was deep and calm, yet carried an undeniable majesty.
"You are not from this World," the Ancient One's voice was light, but firm.
Xiao Han chuckled, not answering directly: "We meet again, Ancient One."
The Ancient One's brows furrowed slightly as she gazed at Xiao Han.
"You mean... you know another me?" There was a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Not only do I know You, just a few days ago, You wanted me to be the next Sorcerer Supreme."
Then, Xiao Han slightly raised his fingertip, golden magic energy flowing in his palm, outlining a familiar rune, the protective spell of Kamar-Taj.
"Your magic," the Ancient One was even more curious.
"But the source of your energy is neither Vishanti nor the Dark Dimension."
"The Sun," Xiao Han smiled, "I've reconstructed the magic System in my own way."
The Ancient One was silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on Xiao Han.
"Those two Stones do not belong to You," she said slowly.
"I know."
Xiao Han nodded, "But if it stays here, Thanos will take it in the future. And, the Time Stone was also taken, and the one who gives it away will be Stephen Strange."
The Ancient One's breath hitched slightly.
"What did You say?"
Xiao Han instantly understood in his heart, perhaps his actions were too fast, Dr. Banner hadn't even started crossing over yet.
Thinking of this, Xiao Han looked directly into her eyes: "In the future, Strange will voluntarily give the Time Stone to Thanos because he saw the only possibility of victory, but the cost is the demise of half of all life."
The Ancient One's expression froze.
Her fingers tightened slightly, as if calculating some possibility.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely certain," Xiao Han nodded.
"There's no way to prove it, because this is a decision outside of the timeline."
The Ancient One closed her eyes, her fingertips gently touching the eye of agamotto on her chest.
A moment later, she opened her eyes, her expression complex.
"The Time Stone indeed cannot be seen, so, You took it to prevent all of this?"
"Not entirely."
Xiao Han said frankly, "I just think that instead of letting it fall into Thanos's hands, it's better for me to keep it. If it's truly needed in the future, I will return."
The Ancient One looked at him deeply, and suddenly smiled.
"Interesting, another me, would actually allow You to be a candidate for Sorcerer Supreme?"
Xiao Han shrugged: "She seemed to appreciate me quite a bit."
The Ancient One gently shook her head, a hint of helplessness and relief in her eyes.
"Perhaps, I should also consider retiring early."
Xiao Han raised an eyebrow: "Not planning to protect for a few more centuries?"
"Time, for me, is no longer a constraint," the Ancient One smiled slightly, "However, before I leave, I have a question."
"Hmm?"
"Have You learned the magic of cross-dimensional contact?"
Xiao Han shook his head: "Not yet, but I can learn it now."
The Ancient One smiled, and with a gentle swipe of her finger, a golden rune appeared in the air.
"This is Kamar-Taj's cross-dimensional communication technique. If You can truly learn it, perhaps You can try to power it with your energy."
Xiao Han stared at the rune, a faint golden light flashing in his eyes, the solar energy within his body rapidly flowing, and a wisp of scorching golden light condensed at his fingertips.
The next second, the rune was lit up, and a cross-dimensional energy fluctuation rippled out.
A trace of awe flashed in the Ancient One's eyes.
"You learn very quickly."
Xiao Han put away his magic and smiled: "Thank You, perhaps next time we meet, we can talk about life after retirement."
The Ancient One gently nodded, and just as she was about to turn and step into the portal, Xiao Han called out to stop her.
"What is it?" The Ancient One was a little confused.
"Looks like we have to go together," Xiao Han said with a smile.
Just now, Xiao Han's Super Vision had already seen the situation in Brooklyn, New York.
There, Bruce Banner was checking if anyone was in the Sanctum.
And he, too, received a mission prompt from the System.
"[Hidden mission triggered: Resolve the coming Thanos, save the Avengers.]"
"[Mission reward: 10000 Growth Points, one random reward.]"
New York Sanctum
Bruce Banner stood before the rooftop door of the Sanctum, nervously adjusting his clothes. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
"Is anyone here?" Banner looked around, the Sanctum was empty, only ancient books and magical artifacts were quietly displayed.
Just then, a golden portal opened before him, and the Ancient One walked out slowly, followed by a man in black armor with a golden S symbol on his chest.
Banner was startled, then recognized the Ancient One, but the man, he had never seen before.
"Ancient One!" Banner quickly stepped forward, "I am Bruce Banner, from the future, I need your help."
The Ancient One smiled slightly, looking at him calmly: "I know who You are, Dr. Banner. Time travel is not common, but I foresaw your arrival."
Banner breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly became nervous again: "Then You know the purpose of my coming here?"
"The Time Stone."
The Ancient One nodded, "But I'm afraid, You are already too late."
Banner was taken aback: "What do You mean?"
At this moment, the man standing beside the Ancient One spoke: "Because the Stone is with me."
Only then did Banner carefully examine him.
Black battle suit, golden patterns, deep eyes that seemed to see through everything.
His presence was extremely strong, just standing there gave off an invisible pressure.
"Who are You?" Banner asked warily.
"Xiao Han," the man smiled slightly, "You can call me Superman."
"Superman?" Banner frowned, he had only heard this name in comics before.
"Dr. Banner, he is a visitor from another Universe," the Ancient One explained.
"He obtained the Space Stone and the Mind Stone, and the Time Stone is also temporarily in his custody."
That's right, just now, the Ancient One had already thought about how things would develop, and without hesitation, directly handed the Time Stone to Xiao Han.
But, it was temporary, it had to be returned after use, the other Stones were at his disposal.
Banner's face changed: "This is impossible! The Stones must remain on their original timeline, otherwise, it will cause catastrophic consequences!"
Xiao Han shook his head: "On the contrary. If the Stones stay here, Thanos will gather them in the future and snap his fingers to erase half of all life.
And by taking them, I can prevent all of this."
Banner's eyes widened: "How do You know about Thanos? Wait, are You saying, You have already foreseen the future?"
"No, I just know your story."
Xiao Han shrugged, "You came back to the past to collect the Stones and resurrect the people Thanos eliminated, right?"
Banner was completely shocked, this plan was only known to the core members of the Avengers, but this person in front of him knew it like the back of his hand.
Just then, Banner's communicator suddenly rang, and Tony Stark's voice came through: "Banner, something's not right! We didn't find the Tesseract here, and the scepter is gone too!
And, the Battle of New York in 2012 ended early! They're still talking about a guy named Superman, did You find anything on your end?"
"The Stones are with me, You guys go back and wait for me," Banner responded.