Page 79
Outside is a spacious martial arts training ground, surrounded by buildings with a classical temple atmosphere, including main halls, corridors, wing rooms, bell towers and drum towers.
There was a group of apprentices practicing in the martial arts arena. They were wearing plain white short-sleeved uniforms. Some of them were drawing golden lines in the air with their hands, while others were practicing their fists and feet in pairs.
A girl with pigtails in a yellow vest wandered among the apprentices, sternly correcting their movements while giving some instructions.
Lei Mu recognized him, Casillas, a traitor who would betray Ancient One and join the Demon in the future.
There was also a fat, sullen-faced man sitting on the outskirts of the crowd, reading a book in his hands, as if everyone owed him nine pounds and fifteen pence.
This person is called Wang. In theory, he will be the next generation of Sorcerer Supreme... because Doctor Strange has never been the Sorcerer Supreme.
These people did not notice Gu Yi and others passing by.
At the side of the martial arts arena, turn left and walk a distance to reach the teahouse.
The walls and floors of the teahouse are all made of classical and elegant wood, with a strong oriental flavor. The chairs, coffee tables, tea sets on the coffee tables, and various decorations are also mostly made of wood.
From the New York Temple to Kamar-Taj, it is easy to see that the mystics prefer original things.
Many places and objects in the room are painted with patterns of unknown meaning, giving the place a religious feel.
The dim sunlight shines in through the hollow wooden windows and falls into this quiet room, adding a sense of tranquility and mystery.
"Please take a seat."
Gu Yi guided the two of them to sit down on the futon on the ground and personally poured a cup of tea for each of them.
She enthusiastically invited the two to taste her tea. "This is the tea we grow at the foot of Mount Everest. It has a pleasant fragrance and is refreshing."
Drinking the bitter yet sweet tea, Lai Mu asked jokingly, "Is it the black tea from Mount Everest?"
Gu Yi sat across the small coffee table from the two of them, and asked as he poured himself some tea, "Does this sentence seem to have another meaning? I saw that I asked you this three hundred and forty-three times, but you never explained it once."
"Uh... didn't you see why I didn't explain?"
Ancient One shook his head helplessly, "I can use the power of the stone to see through the changes of time, but even so, I can't fully understand another person's inner thoughts."
Chapter 21. Rough Stone! For Free!
Lai Mu finished his tea and put the cup on the coffee table.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand holding a green glowing gem a few millimeters away and placing it next to his cup.
His heart skipped a beat as if he was hit by Thor's hammer. He looked up suddenly and looked at Ancient One opposite him... Could this thing be the Time Stone?
"What are you doing?"
It was the first time that Lai Mu looked at the other person so closely and carefully.
Ancient One has deep eyebrows and eyes, pupils of the Celtic green color, a high nose bridge, and a rounded face. Hundreds of years have left many marks on her face, but have also polished her temperament... If she was young, she would probably be a great beauty.
At this moment, the other party was looking at him with a smile, and his tone was quite understated, "When I invited you to Kamar-Taj, I promised to give you a gift."
This... is just given to me like this?
The Time Stone, which represents one sixth of the universe, is right in front of him. Lai Mu looks at it, a little hesitant. "I remember that one of the duties of the Supreme Sorcerer is to protect the Time Stone?"
What is the Time Stone? Is it a precious gemstone?
Alice tilted her head slightly and looked at the stone in confusion.
Ever since she came to Kamar-Taj, she has been silently digesting the many incomprehensible things she has seen and heard. Now a stone has jumped out whose name alone is incomprehensible.
The Ancient One on the opposite side shook her head, with a relieved smile on her face, "Even if it is a duty, there will always be a day to complete it and let it go."
Gu Yi drank the small cup of tea in his hand carefully and attentively, and said slowly, "I have seen countless futures. No matter what, at this moment, it will come to your hands."
"You are not originally from this dimension. Before you arrived, no timeline could see any trace of you."
"Until a long time ago, you suddenly appeared... After that, you were present in all timelines, and the long river of fate was out of anyone's control. Anyone who did not obey Him would be drowned by the turbulence."
All who disobey Him will be drowned by the turbulence?
Lai Mu frowned, he didn't quite understand this sentence.
Who is He? What exactly does turbulence refer to? Will those who will be drowned also include the Ancient One himself?
Before Lai Mu could ask the question in his mind, Gu Yi's voice suddenly became solemn and slow, "But... I want to warn you."
“When you are not strong enough, do not try to peek into the future, let alone change the past. The former will make you bear a burden that you should not bear, while the latter will lead to a time paradox and a cycle that cannot be escaped - these will not only endanger the world, but also bring the most direct danger to yourself.”
"If one day you feel you are ready and strong enough, then you can choose to do something with it."
"Or if you don't want it anymore, you can return it to Slantchi at the right time. This is the burden he should bear."
"But before you actually get it, I need a promise from you."
The Time Stone is right before our eyes and within reach, but if Ancient One doesn't agree, no one can touch it.
Infected by the other party's seriousness, Lai Mu felt a little more solemn. He nodded slowly and seriously.
"I promise you that I will not use the power of the Time Stone recklessly. I will never peek into the future or modify the past unless I am sure I have the ability to handle it."
Gu Yi smiled with satisfaction. She waved her hand in a gesture of invitation, "Well, it belongs to you now."
Lai Mu picked up the raw stone on the coffee table with great care.
The green time stone seemed to have life, emitting flowing light, and strands of energy flowed out from it, flowing through Lai Mu's fingers into his body.
At first, the light flowing out from the original stone was just a turbulent stream, which slowly turned into the waves of a big river. Within two or three seconds, it suddenly increased dramatically and became a huge tsunami!
'Warning! Energy overload is imminent...'
The dazzling green light exploded silently, and Gu Yi and Alice subconsciously closed their eyes.
When he opened his eyes, the light had already disappeared, and Lai Mu had also disappeared. All that was left was a futon that had been eroded by the power of time and had become old and tattered.
The only people left in the quiet tea room were Ancient One, the dazed Alice, and the Magic Float Cloak that flew onto the futon and peeked around.
"he--!"
The next second, Alice stood up eagerly. She clenched her hands, raised her eyebrows, and looked nervous and angry. "Where did he go?"
"Don't worry, just a few dozen and he will be back..."
Gu Yi didn't seem surprised at all. She smiled gently and pressed her hands. A faint golden light lit up on her hands. Alice's anxious mood was instantly calmed by some invisible force.
"One, two, three, four, five..."
/——————
1991, New York.
New York in the 1990s was already a modern metropolis.
High-rise buildings, wide roads, endless streams of vehicles, subways, large shopping malls...
It was a typical night in New York.
People who get off work at night drive their cars, or take the subway or bus to return to their safe homes to rest after a tiring day, while more people are partying in places with bright lights and wine.
In an industrial park, Howard Stark and his wife Maria turned off the last light in the park and got in the car to return to their home in Manhattan.
This block is full of high-tech companies. Now, apart from the street lights, it is completely dark and everyone has gone home from get off work.
Howard, with his head full of white hair, was wearing a suit. Although he was old, he looked energetic, and his clothes and hair were meticulously dressed.
He was driving and talking to his wife with a smile, "When Tony was at home, you always complained about how disobedient and naughty your son was, and how it would have been better if you had given birth to a daughter. He's only been gone for a few months, and you can't bear to let him go? You worry about him every day, afraid that he'll get into trouble, that he'll get sick, and that he won't have enough to eat or wear. He's already in his twenties."
A blond beauty sat in the passenger seat. She tied her long hair up elegantly. The light-colored evening dress and the pearl necklace on her neck not only made her elegant, but also emphasized her elegance and grace. Time favors beauties, leaving only light traces on her body.
Maria sighed softly, and there was a hint of resentment in her eyes when she looked at her husband, but even when she complained, her voice sounded soft and gentle, "He is a piece of flesh that fell from my body. How can I not worry about him? You are nothing like me. You are busy with work every day. You work again when you get home. You don't care about me or our son..."
As they were talking, a huge beam of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere not far away, and the dazzling light pierced Howard's eyes. He slammed on the brakes, squinted his eyes, turned his face uncomfortably, and looked solemn.
"Oh my God! What happened?"
Maria put her hands in front of her eyes and saw the spectacular and incredible scene through her fingers.
Chapter 22. Sophie, the King of Wisdom
The dazzling light completely filled Lai Mu's world.
He couldn't see anything except green, and a strange drowsiness kept coming over him, making him drowsy.
"What's wrong with me, Great Sage?"
'Report, due to direct contact with the Time Stone, the Stone caused a riot, and the body was forced to absorb too much energy. It is in the process of forced evolution. During the forced evolution, the main body will be in a dormant state.'
When Lai Mu touched the Mind Stone, the stone was inside the staff, which was equivalent to a sealed state. When he touched the Time Stone, he thought that his physique was not inferior to Hulk, so he directly touched the body of the stone with his hand... This is a very dangerous move in itself. Many people in history have died because of direct contact with the stone.
Lai Mu did not die, and even because of his own special characteristics, he did not suffer any harm, but it was inevitable that an energy riot would occur in the raw stone.
"Raw Stone? ... Where is the Time Stone?"
The sleepy slime barely remembered that there seemed to be such a stone.
'It has been stored in the dimensional space for isolation.'
"Then I'll leave the outside to you, Great Sage..."
The drowsy Lai Mu could no longer hold on to the increasingly intense sleepiness and fell into a deep sleep.
'Please wait a moment!'
'Energy is sufficient, requesting to evolve unique skill: Great Sage.'
However, Lai Mu, who had already fallen asleep, was unable to respond.
"Unique skill: Great Sage applies for evolution."
The great sage repeated it again, but still no response...
So, two or three seconds later...
'The request has been approved. The unique skill Great Sage is evolving... The evolution has been completed. The unique skill Great Sage has been upgraded to: King of Wisdom.'