IRON MAN: BROTHER DON'T CAUSE TROUBLE

John blinked, and suddenly, he was somewhere else.

He stood in a strange forest, surrounded by massive trees with colorful leaves—red, blue, violet, and gold. The air smelled sweet and unfamiliar, and the ground beneath his feet felt alive, gently pulsing as if it were breathing.

Before he could make sense of anything, the scene changed.

Now, he was running.

His legs ached, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he couldn't stop. He didn't know why he was running—only that something was chasing him. He glanced back and saw three figures moving unnaturally fast, their bodies blurry and shifting. Were they human? He couldn't tell.

He sprinted through bizarre landscapes—a field where the ground felt like liquid, an upside-down forest where trees grew from the sky, and a strange land where floating islands drifted through the air. Everything blurred as he ran, his mind struggling to process what was happening.

Then, suddenly, everything became clear.

A glowing portal stood before him, swirling with light and shadow. Without thinking, he rushed inside.

The moment he crossed through, his body felt heavy.

It was as if he were underwater, but the water was thick and dense, almost like jelly. He floated in this strange space, small bubbles drifting around him. There was no sky, no ground—just an endless blue-green void.

The three figures followed him.

And then the fight began.

John watched as the person whose memories he was witnessing fought against the three creatures. The battle was fast and brutal, shockwaves rippling through the thick liquid. But it was clear—he was losing.

Then, something changed.

The person let out a desperate cry, and his body began to glow. The energy around him twisted wildly, growing stronger and stronger. The three figures hesitated for just a second—

And then, an explosion.

A blinding flash of light.

Everything disappeared.

John gasped as he jolted awake, drenched in sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, his hands shaking.

"What the hell was that?" he whispered, trying to calm himself down.

After taking a few deep breaths, John stood up to get a glass of water, but suddenly, a massive headache hit him, and he collapsed to the floor.

Unknown knowledge was flooding into his mind.

He had no idea how much time had passed when he finally came back to his senses. But now, he understood what the vision meant. Not only that, but he had also discovered a clue about how to advance further.

Most importantly, John finally learned the true nature of the Infinity Stones.

It was a shocking revelation. He had always believed the Infinity Stones were naturally formed, but his worldview changed completely.

According to the knowledge he had gained, these stones were not created naturally. Instead, they belonged to someone. More specifically, they were not "stones" at all but elemental cores—the condensed essence of a powerful being.

After undergoing a certain level of evolution, spiritual energy and particle energy gather within a spiritual sea, forming a core known as an origin core. John didn't yet understand the exact process of condensing one, but if the information in his mind was true, then the original owner of these cores must have been unimaginably powerful.

And now, he finally understood how the Infinity Stones had come into existence in the Marvel universe.

The Space Stone—the very stone he had accidentally absorbed—once belonged to the person in his vision. After that person's death, their elemental core survived and somehow ended up in the Marvel universe. This meant that all six Infinity Stones did not originally belong to this universe; they had come from somewhere else.

But what truly terrified him was the fact that such a powerful individual had been forced to self-destruct just to kill their enemies.

Just thinking about the existence of beings so strong made him shudder. If only one of them could destroy an entire universe, then how insignificant was he in comparison?

Taking a deep breath, John rubbed his temples. He hadn't expected this at all.

"What if those beings come to the Marvel universe?"

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

"No… that's not possible. At least, not until Endgame. I still have time to grow. And there's also a chance they'll never come. I shouldn't scare myself like this," John muttered, trying to push the fear out of his mind.

Shaking off those messy thoughts, he turned his focus to something more urgent—how to evolve and become stronger.

After searching through the knowledge in his mind, John finally figured out how to break through to the Second Star Wizard level.

There were two primary methods to surpass the body's natural limits:

1. Mana Core or Mana Heart Formation – This method involves gathering all the energy within the body to form a core or heart of mana. It is the most common technique used by mages throughout the universe.

2. Spiritual Sea Advancement – This method requires gathering all the body's energy and, using spiritual energy as a bridge, transferring it into a vast internal spiritual sea. This was the technique used by the person in his vision.

There was also another method—creating mana veins to enhance energy circulation, a technique mainly used by Arcane Masters. However, John dismissed it because it was too complex and risky.

After evaluating his options, John found that more than two methods existed, but these two were the most suitable for him.

The first method was easier, but its downside was that it placed a limit on the growth of spiritual energy. It was better suited for physical mages or battle mages.

The second method carried some risks, but the benefits were immense. Those who used this method would see exponential growth in their spiritual energy. However, their physical growth would be somewhat limited.

For John, the choice was clear—the second method was the best.

He had also learned that most beings across the universe started by using mana, then, after a few promotions, they transitioned to Aether, and finally, after advancing even further, they could wield particle energy, also known as origin energy.

That's why John believed that by using the Spiritual Sea Advancement method, his spiritual energy would experience explosive growth. As for his physical body? It would naturally be strengthened by the origin energy passively.

"So, I am using the best energy from the get-go. That means there will be a lot of benefits in the future."

Clenching his fists in excitement, John took a deep breath.

"Now… it's time to break through."