Marvel: Tony Stark's Journey in the Omniverse

Tony stood in front of Luo Feng, a man whose presence alone exuded both discipline and lethality. He was a warrior monk who had abandoned the peaceful tenets of Buddhism to perfect his martial arts through combat. His cold, calculating eyes sized up Tony when the kid spoke.

"Hello, Shifu Luo Feng, I am Tony Stark." He said while giving a polite bow.

Luo Feng inclined his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "I am Luo Feng, the Buddha who picked up the butcher's knife. The arts I know are not for the faint of heart. They were forged in war and tempered in blood. Strict discipline is required. Why do you seek Shaolin Kung Fu?"

Tony straightened his posture. "Because the places I will go are rife with danger. All sorts of perils will come my way, and I refuse to be unprepared."

Luo Feng's eyes gleamed with something close to envy. "How fortunate you are. I dream of a time long past when men lived and died by the sword, but those days are gone. Tell me, where is this place you speak of?"

Tony smirked. "Shifu, my teleportation abilities allow me to travel not just across space, but across dimensions."

Luo Feng's expression didn't waver, but his interest was undeniable. "Fascinating. What has been your most dangerous entity you have encountered so far?"

With false bravado, Tony puffed out his chest. "I faced a Time Lord and lived to tell the tale."

Luo Feng's lips curled slightly in amusement. "A formidable feat. When you develop your powers enough to take others with you, I must accompany you! But first, we must shave your head."

Tony blinked. "Really, Shifu?"

Luo Feng nodded solemnly. "All young monks must go through this."

Tony huffed. "I don't want to be a monk; I just want to learn the styles."

"Shaolin Kung Fu is not just a style; it is a way of life," Luo Feng corrected him. "Now that I am here, you will learn it properly, or you will be disciplined." He pulled a thick wooden stick seemingly out of nowhere and smacked it against his palm.

Tony gulped. "I thought monks were peaceful!"

"Wrong, my young, prejudiced disciple! Normal monks are peaceful at heart but always ready for war and I am at best a fallen monk!" Luo Feng declared. "Next, you must learn Chinese. Some concepts are harder to grasp in your Western tongue."

Tony squinted at him. "Now you're being prejudiced, teacher!"

Luo Feng ignored him and pointed to a small bottle. "Begin by taking your 'Dan,' disciple, and we will start with Chinese while doing conditioning."

Tony sighed. "It's not a 'Dan'; it's NZT-48."

Luo Feng crossed his arms. "If I call it a Dan, then it is one! You need more conditioning if you can talk so much."

Tony groaned. "Fine."

Luo Feng nodded approvingly. "We must talk to your father about acquiring Shaolin temples and training facilities. Everything will be built here on-site. It will be like I never left."

Tony sighed. "Let's get on with the training. What's first?"

"There are seventy-two arts of Shaolin," Luo Feng began. "Thirty-six external arts and thirty-six internal arts. You will become intimately familiar with them, but for now, we start with the five basic stances."

Tony nodded. "Lay it on me, Shifu."

Luo Feng pointed at the ground. "The five fundamental stances: Ma Bu, Gong Bu, Pu Bu, Xie Bu, and Xu Bu."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "And what do they mean?"

Luo Feng smirked. "Ma Bu means 'horse stance.' It actually looks like one is sitting on a horse. Your goal is to sit as low as you can. Keep your back straight, your knees out, and your feet in—quite challenging, to be honest. That is why Ma Bu is a requirement before you learn any Shaolin form."

Tony nodded. "Makes sense. What's next?"

"Gong Bu translates to 'bow stance,'" Luo Feng continued. "It is a long step where your back leg and upper body form a bow. Try to keep your back foot on the floor and ensure your feet point in the same direction. If possible, bend your hips slightly forward."

Tony mimicked the stance. "Alright, got it."

"Pu Bu is the 'flat stance,'" Luo Feng went on. "You take a long side step, stretching one leg out while squatting down on the other. Your upper body bends toward the straight leg. Make sure your knee doesn't fall inward."

Tony followed his instructions. "Next?"

"Xie Bu, also called 'cross stance' or 'rest stance.' One foot steps behind the other, and then you squat down. It looks like you are sitting, but it is far from a break."

Tony did as he was told, already feeling the burn. "This is tougher than I expected."

Luo Feng smirked. "Finally, Xu Bu—'false stance.' Your weight is 95% on the back leg, and the front leg barely touches the ground. It prepares you for pistol squats."

Tony followed suit, wobbling slightly. "That's it, Shifu?"

Luo Feng crossed his arms. "Those are the basics of the basics. Since you possess superhuman dexterity due to your NZT Dan, perfect control over every muscle, this should be easy for you. Now repeat them for eight hours while I teach you Chinese. We will also go over the three main components of Shaolin, the martial arts, Buddhism and traditional medicine which includes acupuncture and herbology.

Tony (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻."

Tony deadpanned. "Eight hours?!"

Luo Feng smacked his stick against the ground. "You are still talking! Hold the horse stance!"

Tony groaned. "I should've just gone with boxing."

Many hours later, Howard stopped by, watching his son struggle through the grueling training. "How's it going?"

Luo Feng raised an eyebrow. "If you can comment on our practice, you can join us."

Howard chuckled. "Looks like everything is going great. The construction crew will arrive tomorrow to build everything to your specifications. Have fun, Tony."

For the next year, outside of his regular studies, Tony crammed the Shaolin lifestyle from sunup to sundown, preparing himself for the next step in his journey through the Omniverse.