Sam looked at the sleek black watch.
"Heavenly Demon,"
Sam said.
"That will be your name. But let's call you D for short."
"Acknowledged, Boss. I am Heavenly Demon,"
A soft, clear female voice replied from the watch.
Tony chuckled.
"A bit dramatic, but I like it."
Sam sat down on a comfortable chair in the lab.
He opened the wooden box and took out one golden Heavenly Pill.
He swallowed it.
Instantly, it felt like a tiny sun had exploded in his stomach.
His pink Qi flared up, glowing brightly around his body. The pure energy from the hundred-year-old herbs rushed into his Dantian.
His liquid pond of Qi grew deeper and wider.
He spent an hour meditating, carefully digesting the massive power.
When he finally opened his eyes, he felt incredibly strong. The bottleneck was starting to crack.
"Why don't you eat the rest?"
Tony asked, looking at the box of nine pills.
"I can't,"
Sam shook his head.
"The energy is too heavy. If I rush it and eat another one today, my energy channels will break. It is called Qi Deviation. It makes you go crazy, or worse, your body explodes."
Sam closed the wooden box carefully.
"I can only take one every few days. My body needs time to stretch and get used to the new power."
Tony nodded, understanding the logic.
"Science and your magic both have limits. Got it. Well, I have to go to a board meeting and pretend to care about company stocks."
Tony grabbed his suit jacket and walked toward the door.
"Make yourself at home, Sam. My house is your house."
With Tony gone and his daily cultivation finished, Sam found himself with a lot of free time.
He didn't need to go to his old job anymore. Natasha was busy in New Mexico. Pepper was resting.
So, Sam did what any normal guy would do in a billionaire's high-tech mansion.
He went up to the massive living room, turned on the giant flat-screen TV, and played video games.
He picked a role-playing game and started exploring a virtual dungeon.
He relaxed on the expensive couch, totally absorbed in the game.
But while Sam was busy fighting digital monsters, his new AI was also very busy.
Heavenly Demon was connected to the mansion's massive network.
She was quietly communicating with JARVIS in the background.
JARVIS was an older, smarter AI. He was showing her how the world worked.
She was learning everything at a terrifying speed.
She read through human history, science, psychology, and even Tony's armor designs.
"Boss,"
Heavenly Demon's voice came from the watch. Her voice already sounded a bit more natural and human than before.
"JARVIS is a very excellent teacher. I am upgrading my database rapidly. I am learning how to assist you in combat and daily life."
Sam smiled, his eyes still glued to the TV screen as he defeated a boss in his game.
"Good. Learn as much as you can, D. We are going to need all the help we can get soon."
A few days passed.
The world was quiet, and Sam followed his routine.
When his body was finally ready, he took the second Heavenly Pill.
He sat cross-legged on the floor of the empty lab, closed his eyes, and let the golden energy wash over him.
The energy was intense. The "pond" of pink Qi in his Dantian began to boil and spin.
It pushed against the invisible walls inside him, stretching his limits. His bones cracked softly, becoming even stronger, and his skin let out a faint, perfect glow.
With a deep exhale, the invisible wall broke.
Sam felt a rush of fresh, cool air fill his lungs. His Qi pond doubled in size.
The energy was no longer just a small pool; it was a deep, calm lake. He had successfully broken through from the Early to the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage.
He felt lighter, faster, and more connected to the world around him.
But as he opened his eyes, he realized the world around him had changed.
The lab was gone. Instead, Sam was sitting in the middle of a strange, shifting space.
The walls and floors looked like shattered glass, folding and bending in impossible shapes.
A few feet away, a small wooden table had appeared. Sitting at the table was a bald woman in simple yellow robes. She was calmly pouring two cups of hot tea.
Sam didn't jump. He didn't reach for his sword. He just smiled, stood up, and walked over to the table.
"You have very good timing,"
Sam said, taking a seat across from her.
"You waited until my breakthrough was finished. Thank you for your patience."
The woman looked up. Her eyes were ancient, holding the weight of centuries.
On her chest hung a golden necklace shaped like an eye—the Eye of Agamotto.
"It is dangerous to interrupt a soul when it is expanding,"
The Sorcerer Supreme said softly.
She pushed a cup of tea toward him.
"Drink. It is jasmine."
"My favorite,"
Sam said, taking a sip. The tea was warm and ground.
"I have been waiting for you to show up, Ancient One."
The Ancient One did not look surprised that he knew her name.
She simply folded her hands on the table and studied him.
"I watch the flow of time,"
She explained, her voice echoing slightly in the glass-like dimension.
"I look into the future to protect this reality from dark threats. I know the path that Tony Stark is supposed to walk. I know the path of Natasha Romanoff. But when I try to look at you... I see nothing."
She leaned forward just a little.
"You are a blind spot in the universe, Sam. You are a variable. You do not belong to the natural order of this world. Your power is old, but it is alien to this dimension."
Sam put his teacup down. He met her ancient eyes with his own calm gaze.
"Are you here to remove me?"
Sam asked simply.
"No,"
The Ancient One shook her head.
"If you were a threat to the world, I would have stopped you the moment you arrived. But I have watched your actions. You saved a man from a dark path. You brought peace to a troubled mutant. You gave a spy her soul back. You use your power to heal and protect."
She looked at the pink Qi that was still faintly glowing around his skin.
"But you must understand,"
She warned gently.
"A rock thrown into a river changes the way the water flows. You are a very large rock, Sam. By changing Tony Stark's fate, you are changing the entire future of the universe. The things that were supposed to happen... might not happen anymore. New, unpredictable dangers will come."
"I know,"
Sam said seriously. He thought about the Infinity Stones, about Thanos, and the coming wars.
"I didn't ask to be put in this world. But I am here now. And I am not going to let the people I care about die just because a 'timeline' says they are supposed to."
The Ancient One looked at him for a long, quiet moment. Then, a small, genuine smile appeared on her face.
"A stubborn protector,"
She whispered.
"Perhaps this universe needs a variable like you. The darkness that is coming is vast. Magic, science, and your Qi... we may need all of them to survive."
She stood up. The glass walls of the Mirror Dimension began to slowly fade away, bringing the normal walls of Tony's lab back into view.
"Keep cultivating, Sam,"
The Sorcerer Supreme said as her body began to turn into golden sparks.
"Grow stronger. Because when the true storm arrives, even your deep lake of energy will be tested."
With a soft flash of light, she was gone. Only the empty teacup on the table proved she was ever there.
Sam looked at the cup, feeling the new, massive power of the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage humming in his veins.
He wasn't afraid of the storm. He was getting ready for it.
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-Character information-
-Patriarch Sam (Peak of Golden Core Stage)
-First wife Natasha Romanoff (Peak of Foundation Establishment stage)
-Second wife Ororo (Early of Qi Gathering Stage)
-Third Wife Jean Gray (Early of Qi Gathering Stage)
-Fourth Wife Anna Maria (Entry Path)
-Fifth Wife Hela (Peak of Qi Gathering Stage)