Chapter Forty-Four: The Supreme Mage's Smile

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“Greetings, Supreme Sorcerer,” Yang Xin offered a Taoist salute.

“Greetings, fellow cultivator!” The Supreme Sorcerer returned the gesture.

“Uh…” Yang Xin was momentarily stunned.

“Is it strange to you?” The Supreme Sorcerer smiled.

“Yes, it is. I imagined many possible scenarios when meeting you, but this was not one of them,” Yang Xin admitted. The reason he sought out the Supreme Sorcerer was because of the troublesome Treasure Distribution System acting up again.

“She lives in Kamar-Taj, often exploring the world and the mysteries of magic. She once aided the Black Knight in Texas to fight crime; she has traveled across the universe and multiverse, obtaining the Eye of Agamotto from the Eternal One; she fought and defeated a powerful griffin, and acquired the Book of the Vishanti, which records all white magic in existence…”

This was the description the system gave when it generated a new treasure, instructing Yang Xin to seek out this person.

Seriously, could the system have made it any clearer? It was obviously referring to the Ancient One.

Just thinking about the Supreme Sorcerer made Yang Xin’s scalp tingle. The Hulk was powerful, true, but at least he was still human. Facing the Hulk, Yang Xin had a way to cope—Nick Fury’s Sharingan could, to some extent, restrain the Hulk. But the Ancient One was something else entirely; she had transcended the human realm.

To become her enemy? There’s no way to win. Running is also impossible. It seemed the only option was to wait for death…

Looking into the Ancient One’s tranquil, fathomless eyes, Yang Xin was certain she had already seen through everything. For the first time, he found himself at a loss before a character from the plot.

“Leaving your guests at the door is hardly the way to treat them,” Yang Xin said slowly, steadying his restless heart with a deep breath.

“A guest? A visitor from beyond?” The Ancient One tilted her head.

“Even a guest from beyond is still a guest. A friendly one, not a hostile one,” Yang Xin replied calmly.

“Please,” said the Ancient One, making a gesture of invitation and leading Yang Xin and Natasha into the New York Sanctum.

Yang Xin let out a long breath, relieved to have passed this first trial. Otherwise, what awaited him would not have been hospitality, but the full might of the Supreme Sorcerer.

“Where are we?” Natasha whispered after they had walked through a circular, spark-spitting portal.

“This is Kamar-Taj, in the Himalayas of Nepal—the Supreme Sorcerer’s place of cultivation, and the sacred ground for her order of sorcerers,” Yang Xin replied.

“But weren’t we just in New York?” Natasha activated SHIELD’s tracking system, discovering that she and Yang Xin were indeed now in the Himalayas of Nepal.

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“This is a space portal unique to the Supreme Sorcerer’s order.”

Under the Ancient One’s guidance, Yang Xin and Natasha first toured the sacred retreat of Kamar-Taj, then were led to a quiet chamber. Yang Xin knew the time for truth had come.

“May I ask, are you here on your own behalf, or representing SHIELD?” the Ancient One inquired.

Yang Xin smiled at the question.

“Why do you laugh?” The Ancient One’s expression was unreadable.

“I thought the Supreme Sorcerer was omniscient and omnipotent,” Yang Xin explained.

“Omniscient and omnipotent—that’s the stuff of legends, attributes of God,” the Ancient One replied with a wry smile.

“Does God truly exist?” Yang Xin asked suddenly.

“Whether the legendary God exists, I cannot say. But I have seen angels—and slain a few,” the Ancient One replied with a smile that carried a hint of bloodshed.

“Well, whether God exists or not, only God knows. I am here solely on my own behalf. This is Agent Natasha; she is SHIELD’s representative,” Yang Xin gestured to Natasha.

“Natasha Romanoff, reporting to the Supreme Sorcerer. I’m here representing SHIELD to ensure Mr. Yang Xin’s personal safety,” Natasha said, rising and saluting.

The Supreme Sorcerer nodded, indicating Natasha should sit.

“This is my chief disciple, Mordo,” the Ancient One said.

A Black sorcerer, Baron Mordo, the Ancient One’s chief disciple, entered with two cups of tea. After serving the tea, he did not leave, but stood behind the Ancient One, giving the meeting the feel of a diplomatic negotiation.

Yang Xin, on the other hand, was completely at ease. As long as there were negotiations, there was hope.

“Though it’s a bit awkward to say, I must: I have a great treasure—would the Supreme Sorcerer care to take a look?” As he spoke, Yang Xin made a gesture in the air, and the treasure produced by the system appeared in his hand.

It was a sapling.

But not just any sapling—this was the Chakra God Tree sapling from the Otsutsuki Clan.

In the world of “Naruto,” the God Tree is described thus: since the dawn of humanity, conflict has never ceased, and war has ravaged the earth. The land was soaked in blood, and as if to absorb all that blood, the God Tree took root in the earth and eventually bore a single fruit.

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In pursuit of this fruit, the Otsutsuki Clan appeared on earth from another world. The clan leader Kaguya consumed the God Tree’s fruit and became the progenitor of chakra, wielding its immense power to bring an end to the world’s wars in an instant.

In essence, the God Tree absorbs human blood and transforms it into chakra. After the system’s magical modifications, this sapling not only transforms blood into chakra, but can absorb any form of energy and convert it into chakra.

When Yang Xin learned that the system had produced this sapling, he instantly understood its purpose: to save the Ancient One.

The cause of the Ancient One’s eventual death had long been debated. The joke went that her special effects were too expensive, but Yang Xin believed it was because she was too weary—not just from centuries of solitary guardianship over Earth, but from the spiritual exhaustion brought on by the invasion of dark forces.

The Ancient One was the Supreme Sorcerer, master of all magic, having lived for centuries with formidable strength. As Earth’s protector, she often fought demons from other worlds alone.

Dormammu was one such demon.

The Ancient One had once been an ordinary human. After learning magic, her thirst for power led her to secretly study dark magic, which drew its energy from the Dark Dimension—ruled absolutely by Dormammu.

Because the lineage of the Supreme Sorcerer could not be broken, the Ancient One could not allow herself to die. Thus, she was compelled to draw on the Dark Dimension’s power to extend her life. Without it, she would have perished of old age long ago; using her enemy’s power wore her down and forced her to keep secrets from her disciples.

She was already so “tired,” having defended against magical threats for centuries alone. At last, when she finally found a worthy successor, she chose to let go through “death,” gaining relief at last—a way to escape her long dependence on Dormammu’s power.

The Ancient One had long since grown weary of life. She took on many disciples, hoping to find an heir, but not for lack of effort—none of her students ever truly impressed her.

The arrival of Doctor Strange gave her hope for the future—a chance for true spiritual release.

But today, on this timeline, the appearance of Yang Xin, the visitor from beyond, offered her another form of liberation.

The chakra system produced by the God Tree sapling might not be as powerful as the legacy of the Supreme Sorcerers, but it was wondrous and adaptable. More importantly, the sapling could perfectly transmute any energy into chakra.

Even dark energy is a form of energy!

The sapling in Yang Xin’s hand floated gently before the Ancient One. She touched it lightly, and it dissolved into a myriad of glowing motes, vanishing into the air. Of course, the sapling had not been destroyed—it had merged with the Ancient One.

After absorbing all of the sapling’s essence, the Ancient One smiled.

It was a smile from the heart.