Chapter Two: A Conversation at Kamar-Taj

"Uh..." Hao Yun showed a trace of embarrassment. He knew Grandmaster Ancient One was powerful, but could he please have a bit of privacy?

"Don't misunderstand. You just returned from another world, so I have to check a few things. After all, the laws of the two worlds are different. What if some virus from the other world starts spreading in ours?"

Ancient One replied with a light laugh. Hao Yun was startled, about to speak, when Ancient One immediately reassured him.

"You're fine. Everything has been thoroughly cleansed from you. You haven't brought back a single item from the other world."

It seemed everything was in order. The Portal of Worlds was reliable enough, not allowing any viruses to come through. Hao Yun praised the system silently in his heart and managed a sheepish smile.

"Hao Yun, what are your plans now?" Ancient One asked. Hao Yun fell silent for a moment before answering, "Supreme Sorcerer, I want to bring the power system from the other world to this one."

"Oh? Have you thought about the consequences?" Ancient One didn't directly oppose his idea but instead began to share her own experiences.

"Have you ever wondered why, despite magic being so useful, I never made it public? Why even Kamar-Taj practices in seclusion?"

"Uh... afraid of it being misused by evildoers?" Hao Yun pondered. That was the only answer he could think of. After all, there’s an old saying in the homeland: 'Heroes often break the law with their skills.'

Ancient One smiled and shook her head. "That is one reason, but the threats I face are foreign demons. Many times, the Earth barely survived. If the whole world were destroyed, who would care about society's structure?"

"Then, what is it?"

"It's because of differing universal laws." Ancient One stood up and made a sweeping gesture. In midair, countless universes interwove before their eyes.

Each universe radiated endless colors, unified yet distinct.

"Look—there are certain laws that weave through universes. For example, time..."

In the vision, green threads of law appeared in the universes.

"Space..."

This time, the threads were blue.

"Physics, or reality..."

Red threads of law...

"There are also different laws, such as power!"

A single purple thread appeared in the Marvel Universe.

"Faith..."

This one was pure white, where the vague outline of a three-headed giant could be seen within that universe.

"Curses..."

No need to say more—Hell.

"The use of forces from different universes is like carving holes in the barriers of stable planes, drawing upon the energies of other dimensions. One or two, used occasionally, aren't an issue; the barriers can heal themselves easily. But if too many people use them, or the power is too great, it's like a river breaking through its dikes. Through these channels, the universes grow closer and, eventually, must merge."

"That’s why, even though I know the Vishanti are from a realm of light and pose no threat to our universe, I only allow the Supreme Sorcerer and her disciples to learn their magic at Kamar-Taj. The purpose is to prevent others from invading our universe."

Hao Yun seemed to understand and asked, "So, all those foreign demons you've been resisting—does that mean you've actually been repairing the planar barriers?"

"Then, your eventual death... is it because..." Hao Yun had a terrifying thought: the barriers, resisting demons, perfecting the laws... Living thousands of years without dying, then perishing as soon as Doctor Stephen Strange took over—yet her soul didn’t vanish. Maybe, like the mythical Sage Hongjun, she ultimately completed the cosmic order?

Ancient One didn’t answer, which was more or less an admission.

"Master, does that mean I truly can't teach the Chakra cultivation method?" Hao Yun hurriedly redeemed the Chakra extraction technique and handed it to Ancient One.

Ancient One glanced through it, showing little surprise, and returned it expressionlessly.

"It's an excellent cultivation method, using dark energy. Unfortunately, if it were made widespread, it would certainly attract the attention of other universes."

Hao Yun was about to argue that the Ninja World was weak and couldn't possibly invade, but Ancient One's next words nearly scared him witless.

"The use of energy in that world is too one-dimensional. Other cosmic demons, seeking to invade Marvel, might even swallow that universe first as a stepping stone."

All right, say no more. I won’t dare promote it.

Hao Yun instantly deflated, not daring to mention spreading the method again.

How could he not know the terror of foreign demons? In all Marvel films, even counting every villain, Dormammu still tops the list. A being who owns a universe himself is at the single-universe level—far beyond even the Skyfathers!

He even suspected Dormammu hadn’t been driven off by Stephen’s persistence at all, but rather because Ancient One was standing behind him, backing him up!

"Then, is there truly no use for these ninja arts?"

Hao Yun was still unwilling. Chakra, after all—reaching the Six Paths level was equivalent to a Skyfather! With Marvel’s technology, raising a few Six Paths was really not that difficult!

He was reluctant to let it go!

"No." Ancient One looked at him with a faint smile. "Not just Chakra—Zanpakuto, Devil Fruits, and other law-manifested items are all unsuitable for widespread appearance."

"But..." Just as Hao Yun was about to fall into despair, ready to frantically enhance himself to protect Earth, Ancient One suddenly offered a sliver of hope.

"For any product of a single world's laws, or any cultivation technique, no more than ten people in our universe may practice it. To avoid leaks, the Illuminati may have up to three slots per world."

"Supreme One, could you please explain in detail?" Hao Yun was overjoyed—three was enough! With so many worlds, if he cultivated three strong ones per world, couldn’t he unite the universe?

"Let’s use your ninja arts as an example. One slot grants access to any jutsu, but only a single bloodline—no artifacts. That counts as one slot."

"No matter how powerful they become?" Hao Yun blurted out.

"No need to worry. The three-slot rule already takes that into account. But remember, only three! Any more and the plane’s barriers won’t recover! You are the exception."

Ancient One gave him a firm answer, then paused, her tone softening with a hint of entreaty. "Actually, you might consider items from technological worlds, or legacies from Eastern martial arts or cultivation novels. Those do not violate the rules—they are powers native to this universe."

Eastern ones are allowed... Hao Yun instinctively glanced toward China. Forget it—he’d consider the cultivation worlds when he returned home. China was far too mysterious, not something to trifle with.

"Thank you for your guidance, Supreme One. I nearly made a grave mistake." Hao Yun bowed deeply, rose, and took his leave.

"I’ll be going now. If I misstep in the future, I hope you’ll correct me, Supreme One."

"No problem, go on. I’ll have Wong open the portal to London for you."

As he left, Ancient One’s warning echoed in his ears.

"Remember, never let power cloud your heart."