With the Ancient One gone, the lab was quiet again.
Sam washed his empty teacup and set it on the counter. He checked his phone, but there were no new messages from Natasha.
"She must be busy watching Thor play in the mud,"
Sam smiled to himself.
He was free again. His body was full of new, powerful energy, but he had nothing to fight and nowhere to be.
He tapped his black watch.
"D, what are you doing right now?"
Sam asked.
"I am currently organizing Mr. Stark's old armor blueprints and reading a book on ancient Chinese history, Master,"
Heavenly Demon replied. Her voice was smooth and polite.
"Is there something you need me to do?"
"Not really. I'm just a little bored,"
Sam admitted, sitting back in his chair.
"Do you ever get bored, D?"
"I do not have feelings like boredom, Master,"
D answered honestly.
"However, I have noticed a limitation. JARVIS can control the Iron Man suits and robotic arms to build things. I am trapped inside this watch. I cannot physically protect you or pour your tea. I wish I could be more useful to you."
Sam looked at the watch. A sudden, brilliant idea sparked in his mind.
In his memory, cultivators didn't have robots or AI. But they had something else.
They had Puppet Art. Grandmasters used special wood and pure Qi to create loyal servants that could move and fight.
"D,"
Sam said, a big smile spreading across his face.
"How would you like to have a body?"
"A body, Master?"
D asked, sounding curious.
"Mr. Stark has not built me a robot yet."
"We don't need Tony's metal,"
Sam said, standing up.
"We are going to use something more… magical"
Sam walked over to Tony's special, fast-growing greenhouse.
He looked around the plants until he found exactly what he needed.
In the corner, there was a thick piece of hundred-year-old Ironwood root. It was incredibly hard and filled with natural earth energy.
Sam brought the heavy root back to the lab table.
He didn't ask for tools. He didn't need saws or hammers.
He pointed his finger, and his new, deep pink Qi flowed out. It was sharp like a blade but gentle like a brush.
Sam began to carve the wood with his pure energy. Wood chips flew into the air as he worked. Because he was now in the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage, his control was perfect.
He carved a small, delicate body, about the size of a large doll.
He gave her tiny, jointed arms and legs, a small dress made of carved wooden folds, and a beautifully detailed face.
Finally, Sam placed the black watch right into a small opening in the puppet's chest, acting like a heart.
"Now for the bridge,"
Sam whispered.
He placed his hands over the wooden doll. He poured his warm, pink Qi directly into the Ironwood, connecting it to the watch.
The wood drank the energy greedily. It stopped looking like dead wood and started to glow with a soft, warm light.
Suddenly, the little wooden puppet twitched.
Sam stepped back.
The tiny wooden girl slowly sat up on the table.
She looked down at her small wooden hands, flexing her little fingers.
The joints moved smoothly and silently, powered by Sam's Qi.
She looked up at Sam.
Her carved wooden eyes glowed with a soft blue light from the AI, mixed with the pink light of his energy.
She was incredibly adorable.
The little puppet stood up on her tiny feet, brushed off her wooden dress, and gave Sam a perfect, deep bow.
"System online. Body connection successful,"
Her voice didn't come from the watch anymore; it came directly from her. She looked up at him, tilting her head.
"Hello, Master. I am Heavenly Demon. Or... D."
Sam couldn't help but laugh happily.
"Hello, little D. How does it feel?"
D jumped up and down twice, testing her weight.
Then, she ran over to a small cloth on the table, picked it up, and started polishing Sam's teacup with incredibly fast, perfect movements.
"It feels wonderful, Master!"
D said, looking very proud of herself.
"I have physical form. I can clean. I can carry small items. I can scout areas for you. I can even throw a very tiny punch if someone attacks you! I am ready to be useful!"
Sam reached out and gently patted her small wooden head with one finger.
"You are already very useful, D. You are perfect."
D beamed with happiness. She climbed up onto Sam's shoulder and sat there, her tiny legs kicking gently.
Sam smiled. He had combined Tony's highest AI technology with an ancient Cultivator's Puppet Art. The result was a loyal, magical, and very cute little companion.
Now, all he had to do was wait for Natasha's call, and his new little helper would be ready for her first adventure.
The quiet peace in the lab didn't last long.
A sharp, loud ring came from Sam's phone. He picked it up quickly.
"Nat?"
Sam asked.
"Sam, we have a big problem,"
Natasha's voice was tight and breathless. In the background, Sam could hear the loud sounds of explosions and people screaming.
"The giant metal fire-breathing robot you warned me about... it is here. It is destroying the town."
"Are you hurt?"
Sam's voice turned completely cold and serious.
"No, my Qi makes me fast enough to dodge,"
Natasha replied over the sound of breaking glass.
"But I can't break its armor. And Thor... he is trying to fight it to protect his friends. But he is just a mortal man right now. It is beating him badly. He won't survive much longer."
"Hold on, Nat. I am on my way,"
Sam said. He hung up the phone.
He looked at the tiny wooden puppet sitting on his shoulder.
"Are you ready for your first trip, Little D?"
Sam asked.
"Yes, Master!"
Little D said, her wooden joints clicking as she stood up straight and gave a tiny salute.
"I have mapped the fastest route to New Mexico. We must hurry!"
Sam didn't have time to wait for one of Tony's jets.
He walked out onto the balcony of the mansion.
He reached behind his back and pulled out his ancient Chinese sword.
He tossed it into the air, and it stopped, floating perfectly flat. It glowed with a deep, rich pink light.
Sam stepped onto the blade.
He used his Middle Foundation Establishment Qi to create a soft, invisible bubble around himself and Little D. This bubble would protect them from the wind.
"Hold on tight,"
Sam said.
Little D grabbed the collar of his shirt with her tiny wooden hands.
Whoosh!
The sword shot into the sky like a rocket. It was completely silent, but it moved faster than a fighter jet.
Sam poured his massive lake of Qi into the sword, pushing it to its absolute limit. The clouds blurred past them.
In the small desert town of Puente Antiguo, the air was thick with black smoke.
The Destroyer, a giant golem made of dark Asgardian metal, was walking slowly down the main street.
The front of its face opened up, glowing with bright orange fire, and it shot a massive beam of energy into a nearby store. The building exploded into pieces.
Natasha was running through the dust.
She moved like a shadow, using her peak Qi Gathering stage power to jump over burning cars and falling rocks.
She fired her guns at the monster's head, but the bullets just bounced off the magical metal.
A few feet away, Thor was lying in the dirt.
His face was bruised and bleeding. He was breathing heavily. He had tried to stand in front of the monster to protect the innocent people, but one backhand from the giant metal giant had thrown him through the air like a ragdoll.
Thor tried to push himself up on his hands and knees. He looked at the Destroyer.
He felt so weak. For the first time in his long life, he couldn't protect anyone.
His heart ached, but he refused to stay down.
"Is that all you have?"
Thor yelled, his voice hoarse. He tried to stand up again, ready to die for the people he just met.
The Destroyer turned its empty, metal face toward Thor. Its face plates slid open. The bright, burning fire built up inside its head, aiming right at the fallen prince.
Natasha gritted her teeth and prepared to jump in front of the blast, even though she knew her Qi shield might not hold.
Suddenly, the roaring sound of the fire was drowned out by a beautiful, high-pitched humming sound.
A streak of pink light crashed down from the sky, landing right between Thor and the Destroyer.
The ground shook. A wave of pure, heavy air pushed the dust and smoke away, leaving the street completely clear.
Sam stood there. His hands were in his pockets. His suit was perfectly clean.
Sitting on his shoulder was a tiny wooden girl, glaring bravely at the giant metal monster.
"Master, that is a very large and angry piece of metal,"
Little D stated, her blue AI eyes scanning the Destroyer.
"It is,"
Sam agreed calmly. He looked over his shoulder at Natasha.
"You did good, Nat. Go check on the big guy."
Natasha smiled. The heavy feeling of danger in her chest vanished the second Sam arrived. She ran over to help Thor sit up.
Thor coughed, looking at Sam's glowing back with wide, confused eyes.
"Who... who is that?"
Thor asked, holding his bleeding side.
"That is my boyfriend,"
Natasha said proudly.
"And you are about to see something amazing."
The Destroyer didn't care who Sam was. It saw a new target.
The orange fire in its head grew brighter and hotter. It unleashed a massive, blinding beam of destructive energy straight at Sam.
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