The successful teleportation made Finney overjoyed, but unfortunately, it could only be activated while wearing the 'Possessed by Evil' costume; in normal state, it was just flickering sparks.
"So, just how far has Doctor Strange developed his magical talent?!"
Finney silently wept inwardly. He had dedicated a year to mastering this one spell and still hadn't succeeded, while in the future, Doctor Strange seemed to have simply gone to the Himalayas and frozen for a while before mastering it.
Learning teleportation gave Finney more confidence in the dangers ahead. If he couldn't beat them, he could at least run away; this one move was enough to deal with most people.
Finney then turned his gaze to the system; the nearly full experience bar meant he could soon draw his fourth skill.
Drawing a skill every year—this was something Finney had never dared to dream of before. Besides his first skill, he had spent seven years on the second and eight years on the third.
But he almost acquired the fourth skill in just one year, though the price he paid was some strange titles like 'Karmar-Taj Battle Maniac,' 'Armored Mage,' and 'Mad Knight Who Can't Use Magic.'
This insane rate of improvement was inseparable from Kamar-Taj, and he was incredibly grateful to have come here; otherwise, where else could he find such a safe and efficient 'dungeon'?
Now, Finney's only hope was to acquire the fourth skill before Tony Stark's return, and ideally, another powerful one.
"Teleportation!"
Looking at the fiery red teleportation circle before him, Finney felt a surge of satisfaction. Finally, he wouldn't have to go back and forth through the temple or ask others to open the portal.
"But having to wear the sling ring is quite troublesome."
Back in Kamar-Taj, Finney thought to himself. Although everyone seemed to have a sling ring during training, these things were actually very precious and their control was quite strict.
However, Finney was not without a solution. Just like the compass he had given special effects with the 'Golden Great Evolution Technique', now that he had the Suspension Ring, he could also create a similar ring to give it the same effect.
However, the Sling Ring is different from a compass; its power has a significant impact on reality, so its creation is definitely not as simple as that of a compass.
And what's worrying is that it might suddenly malfunction after some use.
Fortunately, there's no rush now. He had previously requested to use one of the Sling Rings for an extended period for his cultivation, so there's no need to rush to return it.
Putting the Sling Ring issue aside for the time being, Finney considered how to quickly acquire his fourth skill. If he cultivated step by step every day, it might take another month or two to acquire it.
Although he should be able to keep up with the time, he felt it was safer to do it sooner.
"Looks like I need to work harder!" Finney gritted his teeth and made a decision.
Actually, the best way to gain the most experience is to fight the Ancient One, but only if the Ancient One cooperates. Initially, he had also sought guidance from the Ancient One, hoping to gain experience through combat.
But unfortunately, the Ancient One was too strong; he always lost after only a few moves, and the experience he gained was less than that of Mordo, who at least let him fight longer.
Only when the Ancient One is at sea can he possibly gain experience from her, but clearly the Ancient One isn't that free.
Besides using skills in combat, there's another way to gain experience faster: skill breakthroughs.
After nearly a year of training, 'Possessed' is still 'Possessed', but it's much stronger than it was a year ago.
Keep in mind that Kamar-Taj is a melee mage class; without a strong physique, how can one fight in close combat? Therefore, after a year of training, while Finney hasn't reached the point of evolving 'Possessed', he's almost ready to unlock its other ability—an
ability many dream of:
invisibility!
When he recently equipped 'Possessed', he could already feel that he was just one step away from unlocking this ability; he only needed to put in a little more effort.
To unlock it sooner, Finney decided to double his training for the next week. If that still didn't work, he'd have to find more elite experience-boosting monsters like Mordo and regular experience-boosting monsters like the King.
Unfortunately, accidents often happen more suddenly than expected. The very next day, two pieces of news shocked the entire media and even the nation, disrupting Finney's plans.
Tony Stark was back!
He announced the permanent closure of the weapons development department!
Watching Tony Stark on television, covered in wounds and sitting unkempt beside a podium announcing he would no longer be in the arms business, everyone knew he had changed. He was no longer the arrogant genius and womanizing playboy he once was.
Aside from Finney, probably few people knew whether these changes were good or bad. Of course, for Obadiah Stane, it was likely only bad.
"What happened to him?"
Skye, watching the television broadcast, couldn't help but ask Finney. She knew Finney was mysterious, inexplicably knowing many things.
"He thought he was maintaining world peace by manufacturing weapons, but he realized he was wrong, so he's going to try a different approach!"
Finney explained, but Skye looked unconvinced. In truth, no one would believe it. Stark Industries' core business was arms; closing that department was tantamount to cutting off his own arms.
Giving up a company worth hundreds of billions just because she realized she made a mistake in the past? No one would believe that reason.
"Alright, stop standing there, do me a favor."
Seeing Skye standing there dumbfounded, Finney thought for a moment and said to her, "Buy as much Stark Industries stock as you can, as much as you can!"
"Are you sure?"
Skye looked hesitant.
"Don't worry, he's a genius. He wouldn't be so decisive as to abandon the weapons division if he didn't have some serious skills. Stark Industries stock will only become more valuable in the future. Whether you become a little rich depends on your actions."
Seeing Skye's expression, Finney explained with a smile.
This stock sell-off was different from Obadiah's kidnapping, which was planned. This time it was completely unexpected. Coupled with Tony's image at the time and the incitement from some rival companies, many people genuinely believed Stark Industries was finished and began selling their shares.
Seeing this, Finney couldn't help but sigh again at the treacherous nature of business warfare. Actually, the reason he hadn't thought about making money from a company all these years was simply because it was too tiring.
The more money he wanted to earn, the more tiring it became. There were various power dynamics to manage, targeting from rival companies, and even potential internal conflicts.
The thought of starting a company gave him a headache, so in the end, he felt that having enough money was sufficient; there was no need to push the figure to an extreme.
Furthermore, if Stark Industries hadn't had Obadiah and Pepper Potts helping manage the company, Tony wouldn't be able to maintain such a relaxed lifestyle.
Perhaps in the near future, after Tony created the Iron Man suit, some might think he could withstand military pressure because of money.
But in reality, the military's wariness of Tony Stark wasn't solely due to his wealth and company size; his family connections were also crucial—his father was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Coupled with Tony's own exceptional talent and the numerous weapons he developed, which the military needed to procure, they couldn't secretly force Tony to compromise. Simply having more money wouldn't have been enough.
Of course, after all this explanation, the most important points are still two: first, he's not as talented as Tony; second, his only trusted confidante, Skye, doesn't have the management talent of Pepper Potts.
He's practically turned this older sister into a complete couch potato!
Finney thought to himself, watching Skye's weight and face grow increasingly rounder.
P.S.
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(End of Chapter)