Marvel's Venom, starting with a Hydra undercover agent.

These things all sound simple, but in reality, they can be quite difficult to implement.

At this moment, the Ancient One also picked up a cup of hot tea, looking at the scenery in the distance, lost in thought.

Just then, the sorcerer Mordo walked up behind her and said, “Ancient One, another person has come to our door. It seems he wants to heal his hands. He looks disheveled, but also very rude and impolite.”

Just as they were discussing how to improve their strength, Master Modo left the tea room briefly, but has now returned.

Upon hearing Mage Mordo's report, Mage Ancient One seemed to have anticipated all of this, and said without any emotion, "Ignore him. Go and guide the other mages in their combat training."

Upon hearing the Ancient One's words, Mighty Mordo knew that she didn't want the man who wanted his hands healed to enter Kamar-Taj, so he nodded and left the tea room to instruct the other sorcerers in combat training.

Holm raised his head upon hearing this, his eyes filled with undisguised shock and confusion.

He remembered this scene; it was Doctor Strange's origin story. But logically, it's still quite some time before Stephen Strange's car accident happened, since even the events of Avengers 1 haven't occurred yet.

Seeing Holm's bewildered expression, the Ancient One chuckled and said, "I've already said before that this world has changed a lot because of your arrival, so don't be surprised."

Wanda had no idea what the Ancient One and Holm were talking about, and could only blink in confusion.

Chapter 289, Stephen Strange

At the entrance of Kamar-Taj, beneath the rustic wooden door are several steps. On the steps, a white man with a full beard and messy hair sits there somewhat dejectedly, still knocking on the door with resentment.

"Please open the door and let me in. I'm not a bad person; I'm here to get treatment for my hands..."

Seeing that no one paid attention to his shouts and no one opened the door for him, Stephen Strange stopped shouting and leaned against the wooden door to rest, panting heavily.

Looking at his scarred and trembling hands, he felt a surge of frustration and depression.

"boom!"

He slammed his fist on the step below, then, after feeling the pain, hugged his arms and continued sitting, grimacing.

Seeing the strange looks he received from passersby, Stephen Strange closed his eyes and leaned against the wooden door to rest.

The accumulated fatigue finally surfaced throughout his body, causing him to drift off to sleep while still leaning against the door.

In his dreams, his experiences during this period flashed by like a revolving lantern.

His name is Stephen Strange. He was an outstanding student from a young age and was a genius. He holds a medical doctorate from Columbia University and is a neurosurgeon at a famous hospital in New York.

He is like Stephen Hawking in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgery is a very prestigious field of medicine. He has published many important research reports and invented many advanced treatment methods. Many patients have benefited from his treatment methods, and he has gained a lot of honors and wealth as a result.

His extraordinary talent from childhood and the wealth and fame he later gained made him feel elated. He felt like the protagonist in a story, just as excellent, just as handsome, and just as charming.

He thought his peak life was just beginning, and that his fame would grow with time and the display of his talent.

The Nobel Prize, a world-renowned expert in the field of neurosurgery, and a whole host of other honors and titles await him.

Until the car accident some time ago, all his future plans were shattered. His hands, which he was so proud of and which were praised by countless patients and doctors as the hands of God, were torn and riddled with holes by the windshield, other glass shards, and gravel in the accident.

After multiple surgeries and repairs, his hands have only recovered to what they are now: covered in scars, trembling uncontrollably, unable to hold a water glass, and unable to even shave himself.

The exorbitant cost of the surgery cost him his accumulated wealth, and his paranoid personality and manic arrogance also cost him the companionship of his beloved.

If he could choose again, he would never have said those words in his frustration and anger. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world, and time cannot be turned back. He had deeply hurt the other person's heart, and his actions made it impossible for him to ever express his love again.

Later, during a casual rehabilitation session, the guy who looked down on his arrogant attitude told him about a paralyzed patient he had previously refused treatment for who had been able to stand up again after such rehabilitation training and was even able to play basketball nimbly on the court.

He was filled with doubt and uncertainty, yet he dared not let go of this hard-won glimmer of hope.

Finally, he found the patient from before and witnessed the patient's performance on the court.

The patient was initially indifferent to Stephen Strange, the doctor who refused to treat him.

But when the patient saw those hands riddled with wounds and the familiar despair and last glimmer of light in those eyes, he softened and told him about the mysterious Kamar-Taj and everything he had encountered.

The idea that mysterious magic could cure injuries like lower body paralysis was something Stephen Strange, who had received decades of scientific education, simply couldn't accept.

However, the vivid examples already presented to him forced him to accept this fantastical premise.

Ultimately, when scientific medicine could no longer save his hands, he embarked on a journey to Kamar-Taj and arrived there.

Stephen Strange was deeply conflicted and torn about whether Kamar-Taj could heal his injuries.

On one hand, there was modern medicine, which he had studied for many years and achieved remarkable success in; on the other hand, there was the fact that he had personally witnessed a patient with lower body paralysis being able to stand up and play basketball again.

If he were to accept that a mysterious power could heal injuries that modern medicine cannot, it would be tantamount to negating modern medicine.

He was very proud, so he did not want to deny the modern medicine that had given him such a high status and great achievements.

Because if modern medicine is rejected, it would be tantamount to rejecting one's past self as well, making all those years of learning and achievements a joke.

But he wanted to heal his injuries, which modern medicine couldn't cure, so he could only pin his hopes on some mysterious magic he didn't want to acknowledge.

After being kicked out, Stephen Strange realized he had done something stupid: he hadn't grasped the hope he had worked so hard to hold onto.

So even though Master Modo had just told him to leave, he still stubbornly squatted at the door and refused to leave.

He stayed there from dawn till afternoon, without eating or drinking a single bite of food or water. His hair was a mess, and he lay at the entrance of Kamar-Taj like a wild man, giving off the impression that he would stay there indefinitely if they didn't let him in, and that everyone would embarrass themselves together.

"Open...open the door, please..." Stephen Strange pried at the door in a hoarse voice, his mind blank, his movements already somewhat mechanical.

Just as he continued pounding on the wooden door and weakly calling out, the door suddenly opened.

Stephen Strange didn't react in time and rolled straight through the door due to inertia.

When he saw the scenery different from outside the door, the ancient bluestone slabs, and the monk Modo standing in front of him, he realized that he had finally been let in.

Although he was very weak from not eating or drinking, the hope of healing his hands allowed him to quickly stand up. He then repeatedly said to the monk, "Thank you for letting me in. I...I came to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Master Modo raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "I know what you're here for. I've heard it all day. You don't need to repeat yourself."

"Most people come here with the same purpose as you, but they aren't as rude and unreasonable as you..."

Chapter 290, The Real World

It turned out that Master Modo wanted to say something more, but since Master Gu Yi had already decided to let the man in, he didn't say anything more.

"Follow me, the Ancient One is waiting for you inside."

Upon hearing this, Stephen Strange followed closely behind the sorcerer Mordo, passing through a series of doors until they arrived at the central tea room.

As the first guests to arrive, Holm and Wanda remained seated at a table to the side, quietly observing everything.

Holm was indeed curious about what might happen next, and the Ancient One knew what he was thinking, so she didn't say anything and just continued her conversation with the future Sorcerer Supreme.

“Ancient One, I have brought him here,” said Mighty Mordo to Ancient One, who was standing by the window looking at the scenery.

Upon hearing the voice, the Ancient One turned around to look at Stephen Strange, her expression completely calm, maintaining her detached demeanor.

“Have a cup of tea first, Mr. Strange.” The Ancient One said as she walked to the table, picked up a cup of tea, and handed it to Stephen Strange.

Stephen Strange took the tea and looked at the Ancient One, a bald sorceress whose voice was clearly female, with a hint of surprise.

He had imagined the Ancient One to be an old man with a white beard and hair.

"Thank you for the tea. I thought the Ancient One would be quite old," Stephen Strange said honestly, taking a sip of tea.

The Ancient One smiled upon hearing this, looked at his trembling hands holding the teacup, and said, "Having been having surgeries so often lately must be quite uncomfortable, seven times, right?"

Hearing the Ancient One's words, Stephen Strange nodded in surprise and said yes.

He was surprised that the Ancient One knew about him, but then he realized that he had been outside all day and had introduced himself, so the Ancient One and the others should be able to find out about him, which made the matter less unbelievable.

After taking another sip of tea, Stephen Strange made no attempt to hide his intentions and spoke directly to the Ancient One.

"I came here because you once cured a patient named Pan Boen, who was severely paralyzed from the waist down and had virtually no chance of ever standing up again."

"But he recovered after coming here and was even able to play basketball and do sports."

Upon hearing Stephen Strange's words, the Ancient One thought for a moment and realized there was indeed such a person. Then she nodded and said, "Penborn, I remember now. I'm very happy for him that he has recovered."

Upon hearing the Ancient One's affirmative answer, Stephen Strange became slightly excited, and his voice unconsciously grew louder: "You helped him stand up again, and even walk and move around. He was a severely paralyzed patient."

"How did you manage to completely cure the severely damaged C7 and C8 segments of the spinal cord?"

Upon hearing Stephen Strange's question, the Ancient One shook her head and said, "In fact, his recovery was not due to my healing."

"It's just that he couldn't walk, but I convinced him that he could."

Upon hearing the Ancient One's baffling and incomprehensible words, Stephen Strange's mind went blank for a moment, but he still tried to explain it in a way that he could understand.

"Is what you're talking about psychotherapy? The method you used to convince him that he can walk again?"

The Ancient One, holding a teacup, paced slowly by the window and looked at Stephen Strange, saying, "You used to be an excellent doctor, so please think about it: when you reconnect the damaged nerves, are you healing, or is your patient's body healing itself?"

“It’s cells.” Stephen Strange’s mind was clear.

“It is a cell, that’s right, but cells can only regenerate in unique ways, right?” the Ancient One continued.

“That’s right.” Stephen Strange nodded.

"So what I'm doing is letting you know that you can convince your body and cells to undergo various forms of restoration," the Ancient One said, taking a sip of tea.

"The body and cells undergo various forms of restoration?!" Stephen Strange was shocked by the Ancient One's words.

He opened his mouth wide, stared at the Ancient One with wide eyes, and said excitedly, "Are you talking about cell regeneration technology?!"

"This is cutting-edge medical technology! Did you build a laboratory here?"

"Oh! I see! That's why you came to this remote place to conduct your research, because there's no oversight from the Medical Administration Council here."

"This is truly unbelievable. May I ask how the research on this method is progressing?"

Before the Ancient One could say anything, Stephen Strange had already come up with his own explanation, providing a perfectly logical account of the Ancient One's actions and the existence of this place.

In his view, the Ancient One was a hidden scientific genius who specialized in cutting-edge technology.

The so-called Kamar-Taj is the Ancient One's research institute. Because the experiments she conducted were too cutting-edge, the Ancient One placed the research institute in such a remote location to avoid being monitored by the Medical Council or having the experiments terminated.

Listening to Stephen Strange's wildly imaginative yet logically sound explanation, the Ancient One handed a freshly brewed cup of tea to the sorcerer beside her with a strange expression. Stephen Strange's explanation was truly intriguing.

Master Modo was also holding a teacup, a slight smile on his face. He had been listening intently, which was quite captivating.

"So you've found a way to make nerve cells repair themselves? My God! This is a Nobel Prize-worthy achievement," Stephen Strange was still imagining.

He seemed to already see the Ancient One standing on the Nobel Prize podium.

“I think you’ve misunderstood something, Mr. Strange.” Seeing that Stephen Strange’s thoughts were getting increasingly absurd, the Ancient One spoke up.

"What you're saying is just an explanation based on your understanding. I don't know these modern scientific techniques, but I do know how to use the mind to better heal the body."

"The mind heals the body?" Stephen Strange was once again stumped, but this time he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for the statement.