When this news reached K'un-Lun, Peter was entirely unaware. Instead, it was Iron Fist, Daniel Rand, who received the message first.
He did not pass it on to Peter.
"Why not tell him?"
Shou-Lao questioned in confusion. The ancient being was incapable of grasping many concepts of the modern world, including the stock market, so he asked out of sheer curiosity, "Is this that important?"
"It means his friend is in trouble—and it's a massive crisis. If he finds out, he'll undoubtedly choose to rush back and help. But the problem is, even if he returns right now, there's very little he can do to help."
Daniel spoke calmly. Over the past few days, along with Peter's relentless practice and his pre-existing foundation in magic, he had basically achieved the initial stage of making the chi flow throughout his body.
And this alone was already sufficient to meet the threshold for undergoing the Immortal Weapon trial. Granted, for an ordinary practitioner, this would still be far too early, as a mere entry-level mastery wouldn't suffice to complete an Immortal trial. But Peter was different; he was already exceptionally powerful on his own, so simply circulating and practicing chi wouldn't enhance his strength by much.
Conversely, it would actually be somewhat simpler for him to become an Immortal Weapon first before advancing his chi cultivation. Doing it this way wouldn't delay his progress or waste any time.
"At a time like this, a tranquil state of mind is paramount."
Sitting cross-legged in front of Shou-Lao, Daniel regulated his chi as he spoke. However, Shou-Lao didn't entirely agree with his perspective: "Perhaps telling him is exactly what needs to be done. That way, it would serve as an even greater test to temper his mental fortitude."
Daniel remained silent. Starting yesterday, a series of safety accidents at Stark Industries had thrust the company into the eye of a storm. Its stock value had plummeted by an unprecedented fifty percent, causing countless amounts of wealth to evaporate in an instant. This was a catastrophic blow to Stark Industries, particularly during the thick of the Stark-Roxxon corporate war. It dealt a near-fatal strike directly to Stark Industries, leading many to believe that this commercial war had already reached its conclusion.
Word was that a vast number of corporations had already gathered around like a pack of piranhas, preparing to feast on a magnificent meal.
Yet the culprit behind all of this wasn't a technical flaw within Stark's own technology, but rather a minor move orchestrated by Mephisto. In other words, if Spider-Man were told, he would highly likely charge right back to New York this very instant.
What would be the use of rushing back now? It would be far better to complete the Immortal Weapon trial first, ensuring that his hard work over the past half-month wouldn't go to waste.
Meanwhile, within the Spider Kingdom, Peter was sitting cross-legged on a single strand of web, meditating. A grappling hook was slung across his shoulder as he adjusted his state of mind. Just like during his last bout, he wore no armor, utilized no magic, and possessed no symbiote.
He focused on the flow of chi within his body, while simultaneously feeling the vibrations of the spider web beneath him. As the amplitude of the tremors grew larger and larger, Peter suddenly snapped his eyes open and plunged downward from the web. Turning around in mid-air to look up, he saw the sharp talons of the Mountain Spider piercing through the exact position where he had been a moment ago.
He hurled out his grappling hook, and the claw successfully caught onto a strand of web. Utilizing the momentum, Peter swung himself onto another strand. Then, exactly like last time, he unleashed his entire body's bio-electricity to agitate the web itself, thereby disrupting the Mountain Spider's perception.
Following that, he turned invisible.
Immediately after, the Mountain Spider vanished into thin air as well.
Mimetic camouflage was also one of the Mountain Spider's abilities. Its essence as an Immortal Mythical Beast was similar to that of Thor and his peers—an evolution born of stories, specifically a grand amalgamation of various spiders from Eastern folklore and mythology. Naturally, it also possessed the ability to camouflage itself.
On the other hand, bio-electricity was something the Mountain Spider truly lacked. After all, the ancients had no idea that spiders could actually discharge electricity.
Staring at the spot where the Mountain Spider had vanished, Peter understood that the creature intended to use his own previous tactic against him. If both of them were invisible, relying on the vibrations of the web to perceive each other would put both at a disadvantage. Meanwhile, his Spider-Sense was blaring continuously with warnings, unable to provide precise feedback, whereas the Mountain Spider itself still possessed the method of chi perception.
However... Peter's Spider-Sense had evolved long ago. While Spider-Man Noir's Shadow Perception was useless in most situations, it could prove invaluable at a critical juncture. Peter closed his eyes, located the Mountain Spider, and turned around to fire his grappling hook, snagging its back. Then, leaping with all his might, he landed right onto the Mountain Spider's back.
"This ends now!"
According to the anatomical structure of a spider, its heart was a massive, tubular blood vessel running along its back used to pump blood. Taking a deep breath, Peter drove his hand like a blade deep into the Mountain Spider's back, then yanked it backward—but pulled out nothing but ordinary flesh.
Amidst his bewilderment, the Mountain Spider flipped its body violently. Its sharp talons missed him by a hair's breadth, and the creature burst into a roaring laughter.
"I am not a real spider, I am a god, boy! How could a god's anatomy be identical to a real spider's?"
Gods were the products of stories, and the creators of these tales obviously lacked the means to dissect a spider. So what happened? Peter had been blinded by modern knowledge.
"But if I retreat now, I won't get such a perfect opportunity next time... Wait."
While suspended in mid-air, a sudden stroke of inspiration hit Peter. As he cast his grappling hook, he channeled his already scarce chi into it. The rope instantly became dead straight and rigid, and the claw pierced directly through the wound on the Mountain Spider's back, impaling it completely. Following the line of the hook, Peter slid down right to the Mountain Spider's wound and surged his entire body's bio-electricity, pouring it straight inside.
The electrical current rippled along the wound through the Mountain Spider's entire body. The beast's frame instantly stiffened, crashing down onto the spot. Only then did Peter tear open its outer shell, locating a human-like heart burning with a green flame. The moment he ripped it out, the Mountain Spider's body began to dissipate into nothingness.
"Alright, next is the step... Come to think of it, Daniel said the Mountain Spider is the weakest of the Immortal Mythical Beasts, and the Mountain Spider said it would go easy on me during the trial. Did it actually go easy on me or not?"
Returning to the Mountain Spider's shrine, Peter muttered to himself as he walked into the brazier designated for the ritual. In truth, the entire ceremony was exceptionally straightforward: locate the burning heart of the Immortal Mythical Beast, place the heart into the brazier, and then plunge both hands into the fire. The immortal power would enter the body through the burning process, which would then be combined with one's own life energy via the circulation of chi.
The Immortal Mythical Beast would also achieve resurrection and rebirth through this very ritual.
Feeling the heat of the flames, Peter took a deep breath. For the very first time, he could visually perceive his body growing stronger. Every single fiber and every single inch of his flesh was autonomously developing. It wasn't an external force invading his system; rather, his own life force was expanding exponentially alongside this massive surge of fire.
A mark resembling a spider also began to manifest across his chest.
Historically, every iteration of the Iron Fist would bear a dragon mark upon their chest.