"Sam, my friend,"
Tony smiled, picking up the pouch very carefully.
"You just gave the best engineer in the world the best seeds in the universe. Give me a little time, and I will grow you a magical forest right here in the basement."
Sam left Tony to his science and flew back to his own quiet mansion in New York.
When he walked through the door, he could immediately feel a sharp, clean energy in the air.
Natasha was in the bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
She had taken the Heavenly Pill.
Her skin was glowing with a pale, beautiful light.
She had reached the absolute peak of the Qi Gathering Stage, and she was waiting for him.
"You're glowing,"
Sam said softly, closing the door behind him.
Natasha opened her eyes. They were bright and clear.
"I was waiting for you,"
She whispered.
"Help me cross the door, Sam."
That night, they practiced Dual Cultivation.
But this time, it was very different. Sam was no longer at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
He had a Golden Core. His body was filled with endless, heavy, pure Yang energy.
As they held each other, Sam guided his golden energy into Natasha.
It wrapped around her cool Yin energy perfectly.
With a soft gasp, Natasha felt the invisible wall inside her shatter. Her Qi pathways opened wide.
The rushing river inside her expanded into a deep, calm pond.
She had successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
But as the energy settled and the room grew quiet, Natasha didn't look completely happy.
She rested her head on Sam's chest, listening to his slow, immortal heartbeat.
She closed her eyes and focused on the energy flowing between them.
Then, she frowned.
"Sam..."
Natasha started, her voice quiet.
"I can feel it now. I can feel the difference between us."
Sam gently stroked her red hair.
"You did perfectly, Nat. You are much stronger now."
"I am,"
She agreed, lifting her head to look into his eyes.
"But you are not. I just took your energy to level up. But my energy... it didn't help you at all, did it?"
Sam stayed quiet for a moment. He didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Your Golden Core,"
Natasha continued, pressing her hand against his stomach.
"It feels like a massive, burning sun. My Yin energy is just a small cup of water. I am taking all the benefits, but I cannot give you enough cold energy to balance your heat. I am not helping you cultivate anymore. I am just holding you back."
Natasha was a spy. She was trained to look at the hard truth, no matter how much it hurt. She looked deep into Sam's calm eyes.
"Tell me the truth, Sam,"
Natasha said, her voice steady and serious.
"To keep growing... to balance that massive sun inside you... do you need more Yin energy? Do you need to dual cultivate with more women?"
Sam looked at the woman he loved. He respected her too much to lie.
He remembered the ancient texts of the Cultivators.
The higher the stage, the more extreme the energy became.
"Yes,"
Sam answered honestly. His voice was soft but firm.
"The Golden Core is pure, heavy Yang. If I keep growing without enough Yin to cool it down, the fire will eventually burn me from the inside out."
He took her hand and held it gently.
"One person's Yin is not enough anymore, Nat. Even if you reach the Golden Core stage with me, it wouldn't be enough to balance the fire. The more powerful I become, the more Yin I will need. To form a perfect array and keep the energy safe, I would need to share energy with multiple women at the exact same time."
Natasha took a slow, deep breath.
A normal woman might have yelled, cried, or slapped him.
But Natasha Romanoff was not a normal woman.
She was a survivor, and she knew exactly what was coming for the Earth.
She knew about Loki, about the giant metal monsters, and the things waiting in the dark universe.
Sam was their shield. If the shield broke because of a simple human emotion like jealousy, the whole world would burn.
Natasha leaned down and rested her forehead against his.
"I see,"
She whispered. She wasn't angry. She just sounded determined.
"You are basically a god now, Sam. You carry a weight that I can't even imagine. If you need more energy to protect us, to survive what is coming... then you cannot stop growing."
She looked back up at him, a small, fierce smirk appearing on her lips.
"If you need an array of women to keep your heart from burning,"
Natasha said, her eyes flashing with a sharp, practical light.
"Then we will just have to find the right ones. But let's get one thing straight, Cultivator... I am still the first."
Sam smiled, deeply moved by her strength and her love. He pulled her close and kissed her.
"Always, Nat,"
Sam promised.
"Always the first."
A week had passed since the incident at the mall.
Inside the Xavier School, Jean was sitting in her room.
She closed her eyes and focused on her mind.
The warm, pink blanket of Qi that Sam had placed over her brain was getting very thin.
It was almost depleted.
She could hear faint whispers starting to leak in.
The loud, messy thoughts of the other students were coming back, like drops of rain before a storm.
She knew the headache would return soon.
She didn't want to go back to the pain.
Jean picked up her phone and took out the simple white card. Her fingers trembled slightly, but she dialed the number.
The phone only rang twice before a calm, deep voice answered.
"Hello, Jean,"
Sam said. He didn't sound surprised at all.
"The shield is fading,"
Jean said quickly, her voice tight.
"The voices are starting to come back. I... I want to learn. Can you teach me how to be like water?"
"Of course,"
Sam replied gently.
"I have a quiet place where we can practice. I will send you the address to my mansion."
A moment later, her phone beeped with a location. It was a large, private estate not too far away in New York.
Jean packed a small bag with comfortable clothes. She walked out of her room and looked down the hallway.
She saw Scott talking to a few students near the stairs.
Jean quickly stepped back into the shadows.
She didn't want to ask Scott for a ride. If she told him where she was going, he would get jealous.
He would argue, and he would probably try to stop her or start a fight with Sam.
She needed someone mature. She needed someone who understood.
Jean walked down a different hallway and knocked on a heavy wooden door.
"Come in,"
Ororo's soothing voice called out.
Ororo was sitting by the window, reading a book. The weather outside was calm and sunny, reflecting her peaceful mood.
"Ororo,"
Jean started, feeling a little nervous.
"I need a favor. I need a ride to the city."
Ororo put her book down. She looked at Jean's pale face and the slight panic in her green eyes.
"The shield the man gave you is wearing off,"
Ororo guessed correctly.
"Yes,"
Jean nodded.
"I called him. He gave me his address. He said he would teach me how to control it myself. But I don't want to ask Scott. He won't understand."
Ororo stayed quiet for a moment.
She remembered Sam very clearly.
She remembered his deep, warm energy. Just standing near him had completely calmed the wild, stormy weather inside her own mind.
She knew he was powerful, but she also knew he was gentle.
"I will drive you, Jean,"
Ororo finally said, standing up.
Jean smiled, feeling a huge wave of relief.
"Thank you, Ororo. Thank you so much."
"But,"
Ororo raised a finger, her face turning serious.
"I am coming inside with you."
Jean blinked in surprise.
"You don't trust him?"
"It is not about trust,"
Ororo explained, her voice firm but kind.
"I am your teacher, Jean. And I am your friend. This man has a power that we do not fully understand. If he is going to teach you his ways, I need to see it for myself. I need to know exactly what he is doing to your mind, and I must make sure it is not dangerous."
Jean understood. Ororo was just being protective.
"Okay,"
Jean agreed.
"He won't mind. His energy is too peaceful to hide bad intentions."
They quietly slipped out of the school and got into one of the cars.
Ororo drove them away from the mansion before Scott even knew Jean was gone.
An hour later, they pulled up to a large, beautiful iron gate.
Before Ororo could even press the intercom button, the heavy gates opened smoothly on their own.
"He knows we are here,"
Ororo murmured, driving up the long, winding driveway.
They parked in front of the grand mansion. The front door was already open.
Standing in the doorway was Sam.
He was wearing a simple, comfortable shirt. He looked relaxed, and his eyes were as deep and calm as the ocean.
Sitting right on his shoulder was a tiny, beautifully carved wooden doll with glowing blue eyes.
"Welcome, Jean. Welcome, Ororo,"
Sam smiled warmly.
"Please, come inside. We have a lot of work to do."
Craze: Sam is going to be Peter Parker uncle :)
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