Rubbing his temples, Zhao Yu lay quietly on the bed, deep in thought.
"The news only vaguely mentions the Punisher and Daredevil. Both of them are old-timers, and compared to powerful Super Heroes, their abilities are weak, not even comparable to Little Spider, so they aren't of much value. However, since Daredevil has surfaced, then his opponent Kingpin, as well as Bullseye, and Japan's Hand, should also be lurking in the shadows..."
"And Little Spider and Iron Man haven't appeared yet, but it's 2002 now, so it should be soon."
"It's better if they haven't appeared; it makes things more convenient for me."
He brushed aside these current or future Super Heroes and then thought of another minor news item: "Mutants are actually interspersed among them... Thinking about it, although before I transmigrated, due to copyright issues, Mutants and Super Heroes were separated, in reality, they can still be considered one."
"For me, Mutants are very valuable... Their innate abilities might be related to certain Cultivation physiques, so I need to observe them carefully. And these people also have their own luck, which I can manipulate."
"But..." He sighed slightly: "The most important thing now is to establish a Mountain Gate... Money..."
He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on a newspaper—it featured an arrogant-looking man with a mustache.
"You're the one!"
...
As a Super Hero and a super genius, Tony Stark's living environment was simply too superior. In the United States, even though it was a different World, it was ultimately a World of capital. With money and ability, he was naturally sought after. He had endless hot topics reported about him, an inexhaustible amount of money in his wallet, and countless women always throwing themselves at him like moths to a flame.
He could look down on anyone, despise all bumpkins, be willful, be unreasonable, yet few could do anything to him.
For Tony Stark, besides frequenting women and attending various parties, his greatest pleasure was his laboratory. As for Stark Industries, with the veteran Obadiah Stane and his assistant Pepper Potts, he didn't need to worry about anything himself.
He only needed to release new products to receive enough enthusiastic attention and praise.
He was a born protagonist, a Dragon-level figure.
"Potts, what were the actual test results of the missile? What did the Military say? They must be very satisfied, right?"
On the top floor of Stark Tower, Tony and Pepper walked out of the elevator, one after the other. Tony asked casually, while Pepper followed behind him, holding a folder.
"Well, we all know you, Tony Stark, are the World's number one genius. What could the Military be dissatisfied with about his masterpiece?" Pepper was long accustomed to Tony's confidence, or rather, his arrogance.
"You're right!" Tony unhesitatingly took this as praise for him.
"But I don't believe they won't come up with some incredible ideas. Maybe they're going to ask me to build a missile that can blow up Jupiter in one shot and then dominate the entire World."
Pepper shrugged.
The automatic metal door opened automatically as Tony approached. Tony took off his jacket as he walked in, saying, "Jarvis, let's continue with our last experiment..."
"I'm sorry, Master, I think you must see a guest first before you can continue the experiment."
"Alright," Tony slowly put down his jacket and nonchalantly walked towards the wine cabinet, saying, "Pepper, you go out for a bit. I might have a boxing match with an unexpected guest."
As he spoke, he took a bottle of high-end red wine worth tens of thousands of U.S. dollars from the wine cabinet, poured a glass, and gestured to a strange fellow in a cyan robe sitting on a nearby sofa: "Hey, buddy, want a drink? Although I don't know how you got through all the security to get here, as the Master, I must welcome you. Of course, the premise is that you can give me an explanation."
Pepper also saw the figure in the cyan robe. This figure gave off a very strange feeling, as if it was there and yet not, seeming distant but close at hand.
She looked at Tony, and from Tony's eyes, she received the message to 'stand by for now,' and then she quietly retreated.
Tony's expression remained unchanged. Although he felt a little uneasy, he was confident in his backing. He believed that no one in this World could do anything to him without reason.
"Tony Stark?"
The figure in the cyan robe looked up, revealing Zhao Yu's face.
"Yes, buddy, I am Tony Stark, the World's number one genius, the richest man. You haven't mistaken me." He shook his wine glass: "I just asked you, do you want a drink?"
Zhao Yu waved his hand: "Your inferior Water is useless."
Tony's expression froze, then he shouted, "What did you say? Inferior Water? Are you despising me? Haha..." He gave a strange laugh: "No one has ever despised me, except you."
Zhao Yu looked at him indifferently, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, making Tony feel as if he were naked. He shouted, "Hey, hey, buddy, can you not look at me like that? I'm not gay, okay?"
The light in Zhao Yu's eyes dissipated, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly as he replied, "Neither am I."
"So, buddy." Tony sat on the sofa opposite Zhao Yu, with a coffee table between them: "Can you explain to me now?"
"Why not?" Zhao Yu smiled calmly: "I need a sum of money, and this money is most suitable to be obtained from you. That's why I came today."
"Ah ha," Tony was stunned, then a look of mockery appeared on his face: "That's right, I'm very rich, I'm very wealthy. If I took all my money out of the bank, piling it up would be another Stark Tower. But buddy, I've never seen anyone like you. I want to ask, how thick is your skin? It's rare to find someone in this World with thicker skin than me."
Zhao Yu was not offended, he flicked his wide sleeve and said to himself: "I said you are the most suitable for two reasons. First, you are very rich. But in reality, many wealthy people can afford the amount of money I need. Second, I plan to take you as my apprentice because you are very smart, and that is the most important reason."
"Haha, are you giving charity?" Tony spread his arms, incredulously saying: "Apprentice? Student? Who am I? Tony Stark! Buddy, are you sure your brain is alright?"
"So, you refuse?" Zhao Yu slowly stood up, with his hands behind his back.
"Of course. No one can expect a good face from an uninvited guest." Tony shrugged.
Zhao Yu looked at him, a hint of melancholy appearing in his expression: "I originally didn't want to use force, but I cannot waste..." He slowly extended his hand, and a wisp of fluorescent light shimmered at his fingertips.
Tony suddenly fell backward, flipping over the sofa and hiding behind it.
Just as he was about to shout, a wisp of fluorescent light shot out, ignoring all obstacles and human reactions, and entered Tony's forehead.
His expression stiffened, then he screamed, "What did you do to me, you bastard!"
Zhao Yu showed a faint smile: "This is a spell, which can also be refined into a magic treasure, called the Jin Gu Curse. This spell directly acts on your soul, punishing it by chanting. There was once a monkey, born of heaven and earth, lawless, who fought his way to the Heavenly Court and stirred up the Three Realms. Even Golden Immortals had to make way for him, but in the end, he was subdued by the Jin Gu Curse."
As he spoke, Zhao Yu looked at Tony with a smile: "I want to know, what is the difference between the World's number one genius and that monkey?"
"Monkey?! You compare me to a monkey?!" Tony was incredulous: "I can't believe that there's someone in this World who compares me, Tony Stark, to a monkey. How ridiculous!"
He took a deep breath, his tone softening, and said seriously: "Buddy, you're committing a crime, you know that? If you don't want the Police to come knocking, you should remove this... spell of yours?"
Although Tony was accustomed to arrogance and had never been threatened, he had deeply felt a confinement from the depths of his soul; he was afraid!
Zhao Yu still smiled faintly, standing with his hands behind his back, his wide sleeves hanging down, his robes fluttering, exuding an ethereal aura.
"People are always self-centered. You say you are the World's number one genius, but in reality, in front of that monkey, you are just an ant. You don't know how strong his divine soul is, but why was he still subdued by the Jin Gu Curse? Although the spell I cast on you cannot be compared to the one personally cast by the Buddha, no one below a Heavenly Immortal can break it. And I suspect that in this World, even those with the power of a Heavenly Immortal might not have the ability."
Zhao Yu said leisurely: "So, for you, this is unsolvable. Unless you are willing to have your soul scatter. Otherwise, even if you reincarnate, this spell, branded in your soul, will follow you forever, never leaving, never abandoning."
"I should let you experience the fun of this spell first." Zhao Yu said, smiling. His lips moved slightly, and some indescribable incantations emerged from between his lips, turning into an invisible force that activated the spell branded deep within Tony's soul.
"Ah!"
Tony's expression tightened, and immense pain and suppression erupted from the depths of his soul. He clutched his head, rolling and screaming on the ground!
"Master, Master!"
Jarvis, the artificial intelligence, was anxious on the side. It couldn't contact the outside World, couldn't even call the Police—on a nearby table, a faintly glowing orb was confined by distorted runes—when Tony entered here, Zhao Yu activated a chance from the summoning saint token, appearing here, and casually confined Jarvis, this false spirituality that was far inferior to even a mere artifact spirit.
Looking at the World's number one genius, whose veins were bulging with pain, almost dying from agony, Zhao Yu said indifferently: "The Jin Gu Curse has multiple effects, the first of which is pain. This is a spell created by a great power based on the effects of the eighteen layers of hell. It can let you experience eighteen different kinds of pleasure, Tony, tell me, do you want to experience them?"
"No! Ah..." He fiercely clutched his forehead with one hand, his eyes bulging, his gums bleeding from biting down, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably, his whole body convulsing. He struggled to extend his other hand: "Stop, stop! I agree, I agree!"