The Ancient One gazed calmly at the three fruits floating above Qin Xiao's palm.
"Shouldn't you explain what each of these fruits does first?" she asked.
Her tone was even, but her eyes were sharp — the eyes of someone who had lived for centuries and learned caution through experience.
Qin Xiao nodded. "Of course."
"The Age-Age Fruit allows you to freely alter your own age — or the age of anyone you touch.
You can turn someone into a child or an old man at will.
The Regression Fruit can reverse a person or object back to the state it was twelve years ago.
If something hasn't existed that long… it gets erased entirely.
As for the Wash-Wash Fruit, it lets you 'wash' people or things as if they were laundry — and in doing so, it can even cleanse away a portion of their evil."
For the first time, the Ancient One's expression flickered with genuine surprise.
"Fascinating," she murmured. "The Age-Age Fruit grants longevity or youth as a reward.
The Regression Fruit gives one the chance to start over.
And the Wash-Wash Fruit… it purifies evil itself.
The more I hear, the more I'm convinced — the power behind you truly is that of a righteous entity from another dimension."
Qin Xiao: "???"
He blinked, utterly bewildered.
Wait… you can interpret it like that?
But the more he thought about it, the more sense it weirdly made.
Maybe… the system had intended it this way all along?
Why else would it have assigned those particular fruits to those specific people?
To Frank, it had given the Swamp Fruit, perfectly complementing his mastery of weapons and guerrilla tactics.
To Kingpin, the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, enhancing his monstrous physique with raw explosive power.
To Tony Stark, the Yomi-Yomi Fruit, granting him a shot at rebirth — fitting, since his frail body could fail at any time.
And now, these three fruits — the Age, Regression, and Wash fruits — matched the Ancient One's character so precisely that even she was interpreting them as symbols of divine righteousness.
Was the system truly that calculating?
Did it… predict personalities and futures before assigning fruits?
Qin Xiao's head spun with questions.
The Ancient One, meanwhile, looked more certain than ever.
After all, a power that could cleanse evil could never belong to a demonic force.
Qin Xiao finally shook off his daze. "So, Master Ancient One… which one will you choose?"
Only one could remain. The others would vanish back into the system, dormant until a new match appeared.
He was genuinely curious.
In his mind, the Ancient One seemed the perfect match for the Wash-Wash Fruit —
a power to literally cleanse darkness from people's hearts, uniting the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One's eyes swept over the three fruits.
Then she raised her hand… and picked one.
"This one," she said quietly. "It feels right."
As she lifted it, the other two fruits dissolved into motes of light and disappeared.
Qin Xiao's face twisted in disbelief.
The Age-Age Fruit!
Of course.
Even an ageless sage still cared about age.
So in the end, women really are all the same… even one who's lived for centuries.
He almost laughed — and then froze as the Ancient One gave him a look that said, I heard that thought.
"Ahem—Master Ancient One," he said quickly, trying to change the subject. "Will you be eating it now, or later?"
"I'll study it first," she said simply. "I want to understand which dimension this fruit's power originates from before I consume it."
Naturally. A Sorcerer Supreme would never act as rashly as Frank Castle.
Only when all mysteries were exhausted would she even consider eating it.
"Fair enough," Qin Xiao said with a shrug. "Then… does this mean I can begin learning magic?"
The Ancient One smiled faintly. "What kind of magic do you wish to learn?"
"Two, mainly," Qin Xiao replied without hesitation.
"The Sling Ring Portal, and the Mirror Dimension."
He had his reasons.
A portal would let him move freely across the world.
The mirror realm would give him a private, limitless space to test and train his Devil Fruit abilities without holding back.
The Ancient One nodded in understanding.
"You already possess tremendous power.
Training within the Mirror Dimension is the safest way to refine it.
And to exit that dimension, you will need a portal.
Those two spells truly suit you."
With that, she gestured, opening a glowing golden doorway within the New York Sanctum.
Together, they stepped through — emerging in the courtyard of Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One handed Qin Xiao a Sling Ring.
Then, with a graceful motion, she unfolded the Mirror Dimension around them.
Reflections twisted and blossomed into fractal geometry as their surroundings became a kaleidoscope of shifting planes.
There, within that mirrored world, she began to instruct him — patient, methodical, and precise.
Qin Xiao listened with full concentration, absorbing every detail.
Time in Kamar-Taj flowed differently.
Days blended into nights, and training blurred into meditation.
Until finally…
Qin Xiao had mastered his first spell.
P.S. Qin Xiao's first spell is about to debut — stay tuned!