"Pfft~"
Ye Li couldn't help but laugh, feeling that the Ancient One's mischievous sense of humor was exactly his style.
Perhaps the Ancient One really would become his first close female friend, purely due to their compatible personalities.
As for the promising students she mentioned.
That was easy to understand———
Strange went without saying.
Wanda was the Scarlet Witch, Tony had innate magical potential (in comic multiverse canon, Tony Stark once became the Sorcerer Supreme)
By comparison, Pietro's talent... well, cough, pretty weak.
"Drink slowly; it seems you like this tea as well."
The Ancient One's smile carried a subtle, unreadable meaning as her slender left hand lifted, and her middle finger gently wiped away a drop of tea from the corner of her lips.
"Cough cough... Sorry, Ancient One."
Ye Li said awkwardly, "I accidentally sprayed some on you..."
"It's fine."
The Ancient One wiped the tea drop onto a white cloth beside her and smiled indifferently. "After all, I'm not a little girl anymore, am I~"
'...She still remembers that...'
Ye Li recalled their last meeting, when he teased the Ancient One for hiding her face with a fan like a shy maiden—then she used the Time Stone to turn into a younger version of herself...
Now that he thought about it... that graceful beauty truly had an elegant charm, one that was refined and sophisticated rather than provocative.
Seeing Ye Li lost in thought while looking at her, the Ancient One unfolded her fan, covering the lower half of her face as she stood up.
"Hmm?"
This snapped Ye Li back to reality, and he internally chuckled mischievously: 'You're hundreds of years old... and you're still getting shy from being looked at?...'
"Come."
The Sorcerer Supreme stood by the curtain leading to the inner hall and smiled as she invited the group. "Since you all came for training, how about I talk to each of you one by one?"
"Sounds like a good idea."
Tony, as thick-skinned as ever, quickly recovered from the earlier awkwardness. "So, who goes first? Strange? He seems the most impatient."
"No rush."
The Ancient One pointed her folded fan at Ye Li. "We'll talk first, Li."
"Alright."
Ye Li lifted the curtain and stepped into the inner hall with her.
…..
Tap, tap.
The Ancient One took a few steps, then turned back, folding her fan and lowering it, revealing a beautiful, youthful face. She gave him a sly smile and said, "Hehe~ Do you think I look good?"
[Oh, come on, don't mess with me.]
Ye Li rolled his eyes, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Thanks again for what you did last time."
"A mere trifle. Matters of succession can barely be considered dimensional events, but they do fall within my responsibilities."
"Responsibilities? Who assigned them to you?"
"I did. Responsibility always accompanies power, doesn't it?"
The Ancient One pulled out a magic book with a spiderweb pattern on the cover and handed it to him, "This is what you wanted to read."
Ye Li took the book, flipped through a few pages, and saw that it contained analyses on "Weaving Magic."
With this book—
He could gain a deeper understanding of "Weaving Magic" and the use of the "Web of Fate."
As expected from the Sorcerer Supreme's sanctum, it was full of rare and strange things.
Ye Li glanced up... at the glowing green artifact now hanging from the Ancient One's waist———
'And she claims she doesn't misuse the Time Stone... I didn't even ask yet, and she already pulled out the book...'
'Hmm… The female version of the Sorcerer Supreme is surprisingly considerate~'
"How about..."
"We swap for a bit and have some fun?"
Ye Li set down the magic book and raised his wrist, showing the Ancient One the black ring of his armor———
The golden Mind Stone and the deep blue Space Stone gleamed, reflecting off each other...
Compared to the Time Stone, Ye Li felt that the Ancient One was more suited for the Space Stone—her mastery of the Mirror Dimension was already top-tier.
And with the Web of Fate and the Serpent Talisman in hand, the Space Stone wasn't that useful to him anyway.
However, the Ancient One gently shook her head without directly rejecting, "The Mind Stone of the Overlord, and the Space Stone of the God King....."
"They're mine now."
Ye Li lowered his hand and picked up the book again. "No problem if you don't want to swap. I was just suggesting it. Thanks for the book, though."
"It's no issue."
The Ancient One nodded slightly. "You've altered many unfortunate paths. That girl... you will guide her onto the right one."
Ye Li wasn't surprised by this prediction. "Of course, she's really well-behaved."
"No problem."
The Ancient One nodded slightly: "You've altered many unfortunate paths. That girl... you'll guide her down the right road."
Ye Li wasn't surprised by the prediction, "Of course. She's super obedient."
"Let that future witch come in."
The Ancient One pulled a thin booklet from the bookshelf. "I will introduce her to magic. With power capable of influencing the multiverse, she must learn control."
Ye Li didn't rush to call Wanda. Instead, he looked at the booklet with curiosity and asked, "What's this?"
The Ancient One smiled mysteriously. "A handwritten copy of the Darkhold—just a small portion."
"Uh…"
Ye Li's expression stiffened. "This thing… isn't dangerous, right? Maybe just teach her white magic instead..."
"White magic isn't suitable for her."
The Ancient One smiled gently. "It only contains some low-risk support spells. I've also modified it, so there's no risk of it corrupting her mind. This is merely a starting point—her abilities don't require learning overly complex spells."
"Hmm…"
After some thought, Ye Li nodded in agreement. "Alright."
He had already bestowed Wanda with an absolute mental shield, so there shouldn't be any concerns about the Darkhold corrupting her mind.