Sam flew back to the mansion and landed softly in the courtyard.
He opened the front door and walked inside.
For the first time in a long time, the massive house was completely quiet.
He was all alone.
He walked into the kitchen and pulled out his phone.
He dialed Natasha's number. She answered on the second ring.
"Is the house too quiet for you?"
Natasha answered, her voice sounding amused.
"Very quiet,"
Sam chuckled, pouring himself a glass of water.
"I see you took Hela with you today."
"She didn't want to sit around doing nothing,"
Natasha explained, and Sam could hear Hela ordering someone around in the background.
"She is actually very good at my line of work. She has a very sharp mind for strategy. How did things go in Sokovia?"
"Better than expected,"
Sam smiled.
"I will tell you all about it tonight. Have fun, you two."
Sam hung up the phone.
He leaned against the kitchen counter and smiled.
Everyone he cared about was finally moving forward and living good lives.
Jean, Ororo, and little Anna had gone back to Charles's school after the weekend.
Tony was incredibly busy at Stark Industries.
He and Pepper were working day and night, cleaning out any corrupt people Obadiah Stane had left behind.
They were making the company completely clean for their new baby.
Peggy, Steve, and Bucky had teamed up.
They were traveling the world, hunting down the very last hidden Hydra bases.
After all the pain Hydra had caused them, the three old friends actually loved what they were doing.
Even Thor was having a great time.
He was back on Earth, taking Jane out on a proper date.
Because Sam had taught them dual cultivation, Jane was no longer weak or sick.
Their relationship had completely changed from a heavy, dramatic tragedy into a light, happy romantic comedy.
Sam walked into the living room and sat down on the large, comfortable couch.
"Everyone is busy saving the world or falling in love,"
Sam said out loud to the empty room, letting out a relaxed sigh.
"And I don't really have anything to do."
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
His mind drifted up to the stars.
There was still plenty of time before the mad titan, Thanos, would come to Earth looking for the Infinity Stones.
Thanos was still sitting on his floating throne, waiting in the dark.
Sam counted the stones in his head.
"I already have three,"
Sam whispered to himself.
He had the Space Stone locked safely away.
The Mind Stone was sitting peacefully in the center of his soul.
And the Reality Stone was perfectly fused with his main flying sword.
"Three left,"
Sam thought.
The Time Stone was safely hidden in Kamar-Taj, protected by the Ancient One.
He didn't need to worry about that one yet.
The Power Stone was far away across the galaxy.
It was still locked inside a metal orb, sitting in the ruins of an ancient temple on the dead planet of Morag.
And finally... the Soul Stone.
Sam opened his eyes. A sharp, clever smirk appeared on his handsome face.
The Soul Stone was hidden on the dark planet of Vormir.
It was the most tricky and dangerous stone of them all.
To get it, the ancient magic demanded a terrible sacrifice.
A soul for a soul. You had to lose the person you loved the most.
"Normal people have to pay that heavy price,"
Sam laughed softly, shaking his head.
"They are bound by the mortal rules of life and death. But I am a Cultivator. We make our own rules."
Sam looked down at his hands, feeling the massive, endless ocean of Golden Core energy spinning inside his chest.
He would never sacrifice the women he loved. He didn't have to.
"Just wait until I break through to the Nascent Soul stage,"
Sam promised himself, his eyes flashing with brilliant, ancient power.
"When my soul is fully formed... I have a few tricks up my sleeve that can deceive even the Heavens themselves."
Sam stood up from the large couch.
The house was too quiet, and he was getting incredibly bored.
"I need some fresh air,"
Sam said to himself.
He left the mansion and walked out into the busy streets of New York City.
He decided to just play around and live like a normal human for the day.
He walked down the crowded sidewalks, buying and eating almost everything he could find.
He ate hot dogs, giant slices of pizza, sweet churros, and a huge bowl of spicy noodles.
While he was eating, he casually saved people by pure chance.
He saw a heavy flower pot falling from a high window, so he secretly used a tiny bit of his Qi to push it back onto the edge.
He saw a thief trying to steal a purse, and he smoothly tripped the man without anyone noticing.
He moved like a ghost. No one even knew a god-like Cultivator was helping them.
Later in the afternoon, Sam was sitting on a park bench, finishing a cold ice cream cone.
That was when he saw three teenagers walking together.
There was a skinny boy with messy brown hair, a sharp-looking girl with curly hair named MJ, and his best friend carrying a heavy backpack named Ned.
Sam took a bite of his ice cream.
Because his Golden Core was so strong, his hearing was perfect.
Even over the loud city noise, he heard their quiet whispers easily.
"Peter, you have to be more careful,"
MJ whispered, looking around with her sharp eyes.
"You left your mask sticking out of your backpack during chemistry class."
"She is right, man,"
Ned agreed, whispering loudly.
"What if the teacher saw it? What if the whole school finds out you are Spider-Man?"
"I know, guys, I know,"
Peter Parker sighed, rubbing his tired eyes.
"I was just in a huge hurry. I was up until 3 AM stopping a robbery. I am just so tired."
Sam stopped eating. He looked at the young boy.
Sam felt amused, but a deep, heavy worry quickly washed over him.
He knew exactly who Peter Parker was.
He remembered the old Spider-Man movies from his past life.
In every single story, Peter's life was a complete mess.
He was a pure, good kid, but the universe always punished him cruelly.
Peter always lost his uncle. He lost his aunt.
He lost his best friends.
He was always broke, always hurting, and carrying the massive weight of the whole city all by himself.
"I hate the way his story goes,"
Sam thought to himself, his eyes turning very serious.
"He gives the world everything, and he gets nothing but pain."
Sam stood up and threw his napkin in the trash.
He was not going to let this good kid suffer the Spider-Man curse.
He was going to change Peter's fate right now.
Sam walked smoothly across the path and stepped right in front of the three teenagers.
Peter, MJ, and Ned stopped walking.
They looked at the tall, handsome man in surprise.
"Excuse me,"
Sam said, offering them a very warm, peaceful smile.
"Are you Peter Parker?"
Peter blinked. He looked a little nervous.
"Uh, yes sir,"
Peter answered politely.
"Can I help you?"
"No, but I can help you,"
Sam said gently. He lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear.
"You really need to zip up your backpack, Spider-Man."
All three teenagers completely froze.
Ned dropped his jaw.
MJ's eyes widened, and she took a protective step closer to Peter. Peter's whole body tensed up, ready to fight or run.
"How... how do you know that?"
Peter asked, his voice shaking.
"Relax, Peter,"
Sam chuckled softly, keeping his hands open to show he was not an enemy.
"I am not here to hurt you. I am not going to tell your secret to the news."
"Then what do you want from us?"
MJ asked bravely. She did not back down at all.
Sam looked at her and smiled. She was a very brave girl.
"I want to teach him,"
Sam answered honestly, looking directly into Peter's wide eyes.
"You are a very good kid, Peter. But you are fighting a very dangerous war all by yourself. If you keep doing it alone, you are going to get hurt. And worse, the people you love will get hurt."
Peter swallowed hard.
His spider-sense was not warning him of danger, but he could feel that this man was incredibly powerful.
"Who are you?"
Peter asked quietly.
"My name is Sam,"
He said, holding out his hand.
"And I think it is time you had someone to watch your back."
Ned gasped out loud.
He pointed a shaking finger at Sam, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"I know you!"
Ned whisper-yelled.
"I know exactly who you are!"
Ned quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
His thumbs moved incredibly fast as he opened a video app.
He found what he was looking for and shoved the bright screen right in front of Peter and MJ's faces.
"Look!"
Ned told them, completely freaking out.
The video on the phone was a little shaky, but it clearly showed the sky over New York City during the great alien invasion.
It showed a man standing calmly on a glowing pink flying sword.
With a wave of his hand, hundreds of smaller glowing swords shot through the air, completely destroying the alien ships in seconds.
Peter's mouth fell wide open. He looked at the video, and then he looked back up at Sam.
"No way,"
Peter breathed out, stepping closer.
"You are... you are the Flying Swordsman! You are the leader of the Avengers!"
Sam smiled and gently pushed Ned's phone down.
"Just Sam is fine, Peter,"
He said kindly.
"But you are a big-time hero!"
Peter said, his voice going high with pure excitement.
He completely forgot to be scared.
He was totally geeking out.
"You fight aliens! You save the entire world! I just... I stop guys from stealing bicycles. I help old ladies cross the street. I am just a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
Sam looked at the young boy with deep, genuine respect.
"And the neighborhood needs you, Peter,"
Sam told him, his voice holding a heavy, comforting truth.
"Saving one person on the street is just as important as saving a million people. You have a pure heart. That makes you a true hero."
Peter felt a warm feeling spread through his chest.
He was so used to hiding his secret, feeling tired, and carrying the heavy burden all alone.
Hearing the leader of the Avengers say he was a true hero meant everything to him.
"Wait,"
Peter said, bouncing on his heels a little bit.
"Are you really serious? You, the biggest hero in the world, actually want to teach *me*? You are giving me a chance to be an Avenger like you?"
"I want to give you a chance to be even better than me,"
Sam answered honestly.
"I want to teach you how to be strong. I want to show you how to protect your city, and how to protect yourself, so you never have to lose the people standing right next to you."
Sam looked over at MJ and Ned, showing Peter exactly who he needed to protect.
Peter looked at his two best friends.
Ned was nodding his head super fast, giving Peter two massive thumbs up.
MJ crossed her arms, but she gave Peter a small, very supportive smile.
Peter turned back to Sam. The tired look in his eyes was completely gone. It was replaced by a bright, burning fire.
He reached out and shook Sam's hand firmly.
"Yes, sir,"
Peter said with a huge smile.
"I am ready to learn."
Sam smiled and gestured for them to follow him.
He led the three teenagers away from the busy park and out of the city.
A short time later, they stood in front of Sam's massive, beautiful mansion.
Peter, MJ, and Ned looked at the huge gates with wide eyes.
"Whoa,"
Ned whispered, his jaw dropping.
"You actually live here?"
"I do,"
Sam said, leading them through the gates.
But he did not take them to the front door.
Instead, he walked them around the side of the large property.
He led them to a separate, quiet building in the back.
It was a massive, fully equipped training ground.
Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver key.
He handed it gently to Peter.
"This is your spare key to the training ground,"
Sam told him.
"You can come here to practice and get stronger whenever you want."
Peter took the key, looking incredibly honored.
"Thank you so much, Sam,"
Peter said happily.
"Can I go inside the main house to hang out, too?"
"No,"
Sam answered firmly, but with a small, amused smile.
"Why not?"
Peter asked, looking a little confused.
"Because I live in the main house with my wives,"
Sam explained simply.
"We highly value our private time together. Trust me, Peter, you do not want to walk into that house by accident."
Peter's face instantly turned bright red like a tomato.
"U-Understood!"
Peter said quickly, waving his hands in the air.
"No main house! Totally get it!"
Sam chuckled softly. He looked at the young boy.
He knew that the fastest way to gain power in this world was through dual cultivation.
But he quickly brushed that thought away.
Peter and his friends were still way too young for that kind of sacred magic.
"Today, I am going to teach you the absolute basics of normal cultivation,"
Sam said, his voice turning serious.
He walked over to the center of the training mat and sat down.
He looked at MJ and Ned.
"Come here. You two need to sit down as well,"
Sam instructed them.
Ned blinked, pointing a finger at his own chest.
"Us?"
Ned asked.
"But we don't have spider powers. We are just the guys in the chair."
"Not anymore,"
Sam said, looking at them with deep, honest eyes.
"Peter's enemies will eventually find out who he is. If you remain normal, fragile humans, you will become his biggest weakness. The bad guys will use you to hurt him."
MJ looked at Sam.
Her face was very serious. She understood his words perfectly.
"So, we need to learn how to fight,"
MJ said, stepping onto the mat without any fear.
"You need to learn how to survive,"
Sam corrected her gently.
"If you are strong, Peter will never have to worry about you. He can focus on winning his battles."
Sam opened his hand.
Three perfectly round, glowing golden pills appeared on his palm.
A sweet, peaceful smell immediately filled the training room.
"These are Heavenly Pills,"
Sam explained.
He handed one pill to Peter, one to MJ, and one to Ned.
"Eat them,"
Sam told them kindly.
"They will completely wash away the dirt in your mortal bodies. They will open up your hidden energy pathways and make it much easier for you to break through the first walls of power."
Peter looked at the glowing pill in his hand.
Then, he looked at his two best friends.
MJ gave him a firm nod. Ned looked incredibly excited.
Together, the three teenagers popped the pills into their mouths and swallowed them.
Instantly, a warm, powerful golden light began to glow from inside their chests.
Their tired bodies suddenly felt incredibly light and full of energy.
"Cross your legs and close your eyes,"
Sam said softly, guiding them into a brand new world.
"Focus on your breathing. Let the magic do its work."