Actually, the situation with Tony's chest was quite complicated, as the shrapnel was too close to his heart, making the surgical risk extremely high.
Initially, Pepper had contacted many top Doctors from both home and abroad, but without exception, all of them were scared away.
After all, there was a high probability that the surgery would fail.
If something went wrong, a figure like Stark could die on the operating table.
No one dared to take such a risk.
Otherwise, why wouldn't Stark consider removing the shrapnel when he had palladium poisoning?
It was because the difficulty was too great!
No matter who the person mentioned in the diary was, the fact that he successfully performed such a surgery was enough to show how top-notch his skill was.
It was just a pity.
Doctors as a group were not important figures in Tony's eyes, and Tony had habitually ignored them back then.
Thus, he missed the opportunity.
However, fortunately, now that the diary mentioned it, there was still a chance to remedy the situation.
"Jarvis!"
Tony immediately instructed Jarvis casually, "Check the guest list from that academic conference in Bern at the time."
"I am already doing that."
Jarvis's voice sounded, and then a document was immediately projected, "Found it!"
An Asian face was displayed before Stark.
"So it was him!"
The Playboy finally recalled.
Dr. Wu, a cardiac surgeon.
Wait a minute, it seems that Ethan was the one who introduced him to me at that time!
Ethan really was his benefactor.
And if that was the case…
Tony Stark very naturally made a decision.
When the time was convenient, he would find this Dr. Wu and have the shrapnel in his body removed!
Although with the Arc Reactor, those shrapnel could no longer cause any harm to Tony.
But if given a choice, who would want to keep such souvenirs in their body?
Those foreign objects in the body, of course, the sooner they were removed, the better.
"Dozens of Iron Man Armors exploded?"
Nick Fury, in front of another diary, instantly couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
What a spendthrift!
He truly was a super spendthrift!
Those were dozens of Iron Man Armors.
Even without having specifically asked Tony, Nick Fury could roughly estimate that each Iron Man Armor was worth at least a few small targets!
Even if he had moved past his psychological trauma and no longer relied on the Iron Man Armor, there was no need to blow them all up, right?
Tens of billions, just thrown away like that?
No matter how rich he was, he couldn't be this wasteful, could he?
Moreover, those Iron Man Armors were unique in the entire World, and no one else could replicate them.
How could their value be simply measured by money?
You should know that even S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't beg for those Iron Man Armors, yet you, on the other hand, treated them like fireworks and blew them up!
Comparing oneself to others truly makes one furious.
[Speaking of which, Stark being able to overcome his psychological trauma really has Kilian to thank.]
[If Kilian hadn't pushed Stark to a dead end, who knows when Stark's anxiety would have gotten better.]
[Haha, helping Stark cure his illness with his life, he truly is Stark's good teacher and friend.]
[But then again, even if Kilian wasn't killed by Pepper, he probably wouldn't have lasted much longer.]
[Who told him to imitate anyone but specifically choose to court death by imitating the Ten Rings?]
[Xu Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings, is an old monster who has lived for over a thousand years, and he also has the Ten Rings, a heaven-defying divine artifact, in his possession.]
[The Ten Rings, although their origin is currently unknown, their background must be heaven-defying!]
[You should know that in the Main Universe, they are treasures that split from Nezha's Universe Ring! They are completely not inferior to Thor's Thor's Hammer!]
So, that's how the anxiety of the other me was cured?
A strange expression subtly appeared on Tony's face.
It had to be said that this matter was indeed beyond the Playboy's expectations.
So, things looked quite interesting.
Tony got anxiety because of the New York Battle, which is why he created the Iron Legion.
It was precisely because of this Iron Legion that Tony eliminated Kilian's Extremis Warrior army.
And at the same time.
It was also precisely because of this battle that Tony's anxiety from the New York Battle was cured!
To put it more simply, without the New York Battle, Tony wouldn't have been able to deal with Kilian.
And without dealing with Kilian, Tony's post-New York Battle sequelae wouldn't have been cured.
This is such a perfect closed loop!
It was as if it was a script meticulously woven by someone.
However, this was undoubtedly just a coincidence, nothing to dwell on, and Tony didn't waste any more time.
After a slight internal grumble, he began to refocus his attention on the diary.
A surprised expression immediately appeared on his face.
From the tone of the diary, it seemed that the Ten Rings Gang was founded by Kilian!
The Playboy had been racking his brain trying to figure out what Kilian's relationship with the Ten Rings Gang was.
Tony had conceived many possibilities, but he had to admit, he never expected the other party to be the big boss of the Ten Rings Gang directly!
Did that Kilian guy play such a big game?
That was a global terrorist organization!
But then again, considering that Kilian already controlled a super-soldier army, it didn't seem like such a big deal for him to also create the Ten Rings Gang.
However, the fact that the Ten Rings Gang was a pirated version founded by someone else was something Tony had absolutely not expected.
So, what kind of organization is this Ten Rings?
And who is Xu Wenwu, the leader of this organization?
"Jarvis, search for Xu Wenwu, see if you can find anything."
After a brief ponder, Tony immediately issued this command to Jarvis.
However, unfortunately, Jarvis found many people named Xu Wenwu, but they were all ordinary individuals, nothing noteworthy.
They should not be the Xu Wenwu mentioned in the diary.
Of course, there was also the possibility that Xu Wenwu of the Ten Rings was too well disguised and Jarvis couldn't find any flaws.
But no matter which situation it was, Tony wanting to know Xu Wenwu's identity now was clearly wishful thinking.
The Playboy also decisively gave up.
But that Xu Wenwu, he actually lived for over a thousand years?
That was too terrifying!
Could this Xu Wenwu not be human at all?
Tony had chatted with Thor when Thor came to Earth before; Thor himself had only lived for over a thousand years!
Besides that, Xu Wenwu actually possessed a divine artifact not inferior to Thor's Hammer!
A divine artifact!
Goodness, this was even more incredible.
Although more information about Xu Wenwu was currently unavailable, from the few words revealed in the diary, this person was undoubtedly also a super God.
And amidst his surprise, Tony immediately had Jarvis search for the keywords "Ten Rings" and "Nezha."
As for the Ten Rings, of course, no useful information was obtained.
But Nezha, on the other hand, was found with a single search.
"Sir, this is a deity from Chinese mythology and legends, recorded in numerous Chinese related texts."
"Simply put, this is a powerful God of War with three heads and six arms."
"The Universe Ring mentioned in the diary is a treasure used by this deity Nezha."
Jarvis's voice immediately sounded in Tony's ear.
At the same time, a large section of various related materials was also projected before Tony's eyes.
After a quick glance, Tony was directly stunned.
This, it turns out, this deity from Chinese legend actually exists!
Well, even a legendary God like Thor exists, so why can't a deity like Nezha exist?
Of course.
The diary also made it clear that the Nezha mentioned here is the Nezha from Main Universe 616.
However, parallel Universes are inherently highly similar Universes, especially in terms of some fundamental cosmic compositions.
Therefore, in other Universes, including his own Universe, Tony felt that these deities undoubtedly also exist.
So this, this is the true face of this World!
Although the former Tony was smarter than most people in the World, limited by the backward Earth civilization, he was just like everyone else, a frog in a well.
That only changed the moment he received the diary.
The diary slowly unveiled the veil of this World for Tony, allowing him to realize the shocking true appearance of this World!
[This is also why the Soul Eater sealed in Taro would choose to mislead Xu Wenwu, right?]
[Because the Soul Eater knew that Xu Wenwu, who controlled the Ten Rings, had the ability to break the Great Dragon's seal.]
[Of course, Xu Wenwu indeed accomplished this, truly releasing the Soul Eater.]
[If it weren't for Xu Wenwu's son Shang-Chi being capable enough, the World would probably have been shrouded in the shadow of the Soul Eater.]
[However, judging from that great battle, although Xu Wenwu had the Ten Rings for a thousand years, he never truly mastered them, whereas Shang-Chi achieved this as soon as he obtained the Ten Rings.]
[It's just unknown who the Ten Rings sent a signal to when Shang-Chi activated them.]
Taro?
Tony's expression immediately shifted.
This word undoubtedly appeared for the first time in the diary, but it wasn't the first time the Playboy had seen it.
Or more precisely, the Playboy had just seen it not long ago!
He remembered clearly that this word had appeared in the related materials about Nezha that Jarvis had found!
"Jarvis, is the 'Heavenly Realm' where Nezha lives called Taro?"
Tony quickly sorted out his thoughts and then sought confirmation from Jarvis.
"Yes, sir, in Chinese mythology and legends, Taro Heaven is the highest and broadest heaven, the collective name for the Three Pure Heavens, and the highest Heavenly Realm ruled by the Three Pure Venerable Gods."
Jarvis explained to Tony while also projecting relevant information about Taro before Tony.
Tony quickly scanned it.
Although some specific terminology was translated, making it a bit confusing for him.
After all, the Taoist theoretical system was not something a foreigner could fully grasp in a short time.
Even a top scientist like Tony Stark.
However, even so, Tony understood one thing.
Taro was indeed the Heavenly Realm in Chinese mythology and legends!
So, it's confirmed!
His previous guess was correct; his Universe indeed contained Nezha and other Eastern deities.
And by extension, the Norse Pantheon has long been proven to exist, so what about other pantheons?
Such as the Greek Pantheon, Roman Pantheon, Egyptian Pantheon, and other pantheons?
Previously, Tony only thought that those were stories that only children would find fascinating.
But now, Tony no longer thought that way!
He was no longer a frog in a well.
"Soul Eater!"
Next, Tony's gaze returned to the diary, and his expression immediately became serious.
This name was also mentioned for the first time in the diary, but from the various descriptions, it was clearly also a super villain.
Firstly, judging by the name, "Soul Eater," this should be a terrifying existence capable of devouring others' souls.
Furthermore, the fact that it could even mislead someone like Xu Wenwu indicated that this entity could not only devour souls but also control or influence people's consciousness.
In short, from a skill perspective, this was a powerful "soul-type" enemy.
Besides that.
Being sealed by the Great Dragon and capable of casting a shadow over the entire World, the Soul Eater's strength was even more evident.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a much more terrifying enemy than the Chitauri who invaded New York.
The thought that such a level of threat existed in the World made Tony's heart feel heavy.
The only comfort was that Xu Wenwu's son Shang-Chi was also so powerful, having even defeated an entity like the Soul Eater.
However, from the diary's implication, it seemed Shang-Chi also defeated the Soul Eater by utilizing the power of the Ten Rings.
What about Xu Wenwu?
He was undoubtedly defeated by the Soul Eater!
It seemed that Xu Wenwu had never truly mastered the power of the Ten Rings for a thousand years, so he couldn't unleash their true strength.
But Shang-Chi managed to do so, thus defeating the Soul Eater.
So, in the end, it all came back to the Ten Rings!
It seems this Ten Rings thing is truly something extraordinary.
However, when Shang-Chi activated the Ten Rings, did it also send out some kind of signal?
Tony's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
Although he didn't know what was going on, given the Ten Rings' significant background, this probably wasn't a good thing.
[Based on Marvel's usual tendencies, I speculate that the Ten Rings might have sent a signal to Kang the Conqueror.]
[Kamar-Taj has no records related to the Ten Rings, and Captain Marvel, who is proficient in alien civilizations, couldn't find any clues either.]
[Plus, various clues indicate that the Ten Rings also have a great connection to Ms. Marvel's bracelet.]
[So, there's a high probability that the Ten Rings, like that bracelet, came from another timeline!]
[Looking at the entire Marvel, who else can manipulate time at will besides Kang the Conqueror?]
[The Kang Dynasty is about to descend!]
[This is a super big boss who conquered the Multiverse!]
To the readers who asked about the second chapter last night, I apologize. I had something to do last night and couldn't update. This old hack also posted a dedicated single chapter explaining it, but it was in the 'Related Works' section, causing some readers not to see it. It seems that in the future, if something comes up, I should post it in the main text. Finally, I want to thank all the readers for their support, and I'd also like to ask for subscriptions.