On the twenty-fifth, the weather was sunny and pleasant, coinciding perfectly with the weekend.
Gavin Chin and Gwen stood at the winery entrance receiving guests.
Pepper, on the other hand, truly adored Gwen.
She presented her with a personally selected gift and stayed near the entrance chatting casually, rather than heading inside right away.
Gavin thought the reception of guests was coming to an end.
He was about to deliver his opening remarks and invite everyone to eat and drink their fill when an unexpected visitor arrived.
Sensing eyes on him, Gavin turned around to see a bald woman in moon-white robes standing a short distance away—the Ancient One.
He motioned for Gwen to head inside first to tend to the guests.
Gwen nodded hesitantly, cast a quick glance at the Ancient One, and gestured for Gavin to follow her inside soon before heading in.
Gavin watched Gwen go.
When she looked back, he smiled and pointed toward the hall with a quick swivel of his finger.
Seeing her make her way to Aunt May and begin helping with the wedding reception guests, he finally turned around, cupped his right eye, and walked toward the Ancient One.
“Deep breaths, Gavin.
The dizziness is normal,” he quietly consoled himself.
Fortunately, the Ancient One made no hostile moves and held a gentle expression, which helped him relax slightly.
The moment he had set eyes on the Ancient One, a sharp pain had flared in his right eye.
Gwen had surely sensed something, but his calm demeanor had managed to fool her.
“Master Ancient One,” Gavin greeted her.
Facing the guardian of Earth in the flesh, he truly felt the immense pressure she radiated.
If her expression had shifted or if she had made a move, Gavin likely would have unlocked his Mangekyo on the spot—though he wasn’t even sure if he had that capability yet.
By now, the sharp throbbing in his right eye had subsided, leaving only lingering tremors.
“Gavin, you are even more cautious than I imagined.
That is a virtue, yet it also makes you overly sensitive.
I expected to meet you sooner—after all, you need my help, don’t you?” The Ancient One looked at Gavin as he lowered his right hand, openly extending her goodwill.
Gavin let out a dry smirk.
He had anticipated visiting Kamar-Taj eventually, so he knew he couldn’t escape her observation along the timeline.
However, he hadn’t expected her to seek him out so early.
Mainly, he was genuinely apprehensive.
He was uncertain what kind of variable his presence posed to the guaranteed victory the Ancient One guarded.
If interfering with the Avengers’ progression ended up erasing that victorious outcome, she certainly wouldn’t leave him unchecked.
After all, he wasn’t a native of this world.
The Ancient One was right—he was far more hyper-vigilant when it came to her.
When she appeared, more thoughts had flashed through his mind in a single second than during six months of reading, driving his emotions to an unprecedented surge that triggered the agonizing pulse in his right eye.
The Uchiha bloodline was far from flawless; extreme emotional upheaval triggered eye evolutions.
Having fused the bloodline, Gavin enjoyed greater stability compared to the Uchiha clan, making evolution harder, but it came with the side effect of intense physical pain during emotional surges.
Gavin knew full well that his usual easygoing composure stemmed from his mindset as a transmigrator.
A transmigrator endowed with a Golden Finger naturally possessed a sense of standing above the rest of the world.
It was the inescapable mentality of most transmigrators: when you understood the essence of the world, grasped its future trajectory, and possessed the power to reshape it, you felt like a god.
You could act polite and courteous, but the sense of superiority burned deep into your soul could not be erased—even when this world was no longer just movies or comics, but a living, breathing reality around you.
Yet the Ancient One represented a tangible threat to that status.
Thus, Gavin remained silent in response to her words.
He had never intended to contact her in the near future, planning instead to wait until he was strong enough to face her as an equal.
“Starting in September of last year, everything I foresaw began to shift,” the Ancient One said gently.
“Amidst the chaotic web of futures, thousands of new accidents and failures emerged.
Yet alongside them came more than a dozen new paths to victory.
So, child, you are very important to me.
Your existence is not a curse upon this world, but a fountain of possibilities.” Indeed, he was vital.
That was why the Ancient One, who monitored Gavin constantly, had risen from her meditation last night after seeing that blood-red eye in the sky.
Opening a portal, she had hauled Nick Fury over to impart a physical lesson in reason.
She had warned Nick Fury that as Director of SHIELD who claimed to represent humanity in protecting the Earth, his methods needed to be honorable, rather than pulling tricks to drive people into a corner like Song Jiang.
If he didn’t understand the reference, he should read *The Water Margin* to see how Song Jiang ended up, and study Chinese history starting from Chen Sheng and Wu Guang until he understood.
Gavin was stunned.
He hadn’t expected the Ancient One to hold him in such high regard.
“When was this?” Gavin asked, referring to when she had first observed the altered futures—when she had discovered him.
“The day after you arrived.” The Ancient One walked slowly toward the reception hall, gesturing for Gavin to follow.
“In fact, I appeared near you back then, hesitant,” she said.
“However, your arrival is not unique.
In other universes, singular entities from beyond have also appeared.
Some brought ruin, but most brought good.
So I decided to wait.
I left only after you reconciled with yourself and reached out to Benjamin Parker.
By then, more than a dozen victorious possibilities had already manifested.” “Among those possibilities, I saw many futures where I survived.
As someone who has lived for centuries, knowing that a worthy successor exists—that I can lay down the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and explore the unknown—is quite a temptation.
If one can live, why choose to die, wouldn’t you agree?” They arrived at the hall.
The Ancient One motioned for Gavin to give his speech first before returning to her.
Gavin nodded and excused himself.
Her words contained a wealth of information that he needed time to digest.
Accepting the guests’ congratulations, Gavin urged everyone to enjoy the food and drink, exchanged a few words with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and then rejoined the Ancient One to continue their conversation.
In those brief moments, Gavin had pieced together the situation.
He had accepted Uncle Ben’s goodwill and cast aside any dark impulses, aligning himself with the lawful side.
That was likely when the Ancient One had confirmed the direction of the future.
Before that, when he hadn’t even grasped the purpose of the Civil and Martial Saint system and was utterly lost, she couldn’t have seen his future clearly.
As for the thousands of bad outcomes, they were most likely tied to the volatile risks of the Uchiha bloodline.
Gavin refrained from asking—anything that could derail the world was certainly bad news for him as well.
The Ancient One stood in the middle of the hall, conspicuous yet strangely isolated; almost no one seemed to notice her presence.
“Speaking of which, you ought to have sent me an invitation, Gavin.” “What do you mean?” Gavin blinked in surprise.
Surely it wasn’t that melodramatic—did Gwen have ties to Kamar-Taj too?
He knew Gwen’s background well.
Through high school, despite being the school beauty, growing up on a farm with few playmates had made her withdrawn and quiet in New York, keeping her distance from classmates.
Only after Gavin entered her life did her world brighten, making her lively and expressive.
That was why her family had accepted and embraced him so quickly—otherwise, marrying their daughter after less than a year of dating would have been a pipe dream.
It was because Gavin had brought out a vibrant side of their sweet girl, proving how much he meant to her.
Wait, had the Ancient One played a hand in that as well?
Was she just orchestrating things for her own amusement?
“As you know, I have made certain achievements in the study of the mind,” the Ancient One said with a light smile.
“I simply offered her a bit of guidance that drew her attention to you.
What followed between you two was entirely your own doing.
Still, according to Chinese tradition, shouldn’t I at least receive a cup of matchmaking wine?” Her logic had been simple and direct: since he wasn’t a local, settling down as a devoted son-in-law was the best anchor.
The result had been surprisingly effective.
The deep-seated loneliness in Gavin’s soul had kept him from turning Gwen away.
Choosing the lawful path had quelled his chaotic impulses, leaving him wanting nothing more than a quiet life with a loving wife and family.
In his past life, he had been a simple, honest man.
Meeting a girl like Gwen, who cherished him wholeheartedly, felt like divine cosmic reward for good deeds past—never imagining the Ancient One had nudged things along.
“For that, I must thank you, Master Ancient One,” Gavin said sincerely.
“Gwen is wonderful, and I love her very much.” “As long as you don’t resent my interference,” she replied gently.
“Live your life well, and do not burden yourself with pressure.
Even without you, I could still pursue that single thread of hope.
Since your arrival, you have already created vast shifts in destiny.
Even if you do nothing from this day forward and live peacefully on the farm until your final breath, several victorious outcomes remain.” She wasn’t exaggerating.
Whether it was a Bajiquan-trained Spider-Man or a super-powered Tony, both were enough to rewrite major events and tilt the scales toward victory.
Even if Gavin retired right now, the Ancient One felt newfound confidence in the future.
“However, I rather like the term SHIELD has coined for you,” the Ancient One smiled.
“They refer to Tony as belonging to the ‘Chin Faction.'” “If you wish, you can try recruiting people you favor.
The Chin Faction is quite nice, though it is a bit sparse at the moment.” It was indeed sparse—including Spidey, there were only three of them.
Gavin had no intention of weaving a vast web of influence.
After all, his goal wasn’t world domination; he simply wanted a comfortable life and to provide greater security for the Lawson and Parker families.
Tony had both wealth and armored suits, which was the most direct way Gavin could think of to protect both families in the short term—hence his increased contact with Tony.
Had Tony not been an option, Gavin would have sought out Kingpin, steering him onto the right path to secure protection for the Parkers.
The Ancient One looked at Gavin with a remarkably soft expression.
“Gavin, you have done far better than I expected.
Unlike singular entities in other universes who wield their powers to drastically alter reality and throw the future into chaos, you have respected their original lives while offering meaningful redemption.
This has actually made the outcome much clearer.
I feel considerably relieved; observing the future is far simpler now, and the reduced weight on my shoulders allows me to take steps toward an even more flawless victory.” The Ancient One clapped her hands together and stood up.
“So, Gavin, when would you like to visit Kamar-Taj?
I believe you have the talent to become a sorcerer—you seem quite interested in magic.”