Master and Disciple Estranged

As a well-behaved child, a good student in his teacher’s eyes, and the child other parents held up as an example, Peter Parker had never heard such worldview-shattering words before.

The education he had received had always filled Peter with awe toward institutions such as the Federation and the police, while he held the law in the highest regard. In particular, the principle of not killing—a necessity for any proper Marvel superhero—was deeply ingrained in his worldview.

Even after becoming Thor, he had never broken the law and remained a law-abiding good boy. He was exactly the kind of superhero the Federation and Nick Fury liked best.

He had never killed anyone, which was why killing a Fishman warrior during the last battle with the Sea King had shaken his mind so badly.

After receiving a crash course from Namor, he definitely wouldn’t be as cowardly as last time when faced with blood again, but he still lacked the self-awareness of a true powerhouse.

"This, this isn’t right, Master. Those dead police officers had families and friends. They would suffer and grieve over the loss of their loved ones. If there’s a better way to solve the problem, why resort to violence?"

"What’s it got to do with me?" Zhan Liu said decisively. "Do I know them? What do their suffering and grief have to do with me?"

Peter was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to answer.

"Peter, you’ve got too many ropes tied around you. You should cut them all loose and set yourself free. Only by facing yourself can you step into the ultimate realm."

"So the so-called War Gods are all mass murderers?" Peter demanded angrily.

"That isn’t quite accurate. A War God should be someone who faces his inner self and indulges his desires without restraint. If you want to be a good person, you can be a good War God. If you want to be evil, you can be an evil War God. Someone like Tony, I figure he’ll probably become a lustful War God in the future."

"But no matter what kind of War God you are, if you don’t even know your own nature or what you want, you won’t get far on the path of Magnetic Field Rotation."

"If you indulge your desires without restraint, does that mean you can hurt others however you please?" Peter retorted furiously.

"As a powerhouse advances, he naturally squeezes the living space of others. The stronger he is, the more he squeezes. That doesn’t mean powerhouses specifically target or hurt anyone."

Zhan Liu gave an example. "Peter, when you came through the door, did you notice that you stepped on and killed an ant?"

"We’re talking about people! People with the same advanced intelligence! People who are no different from us!" Peter shouted.

"Fine. Let’s use people as an example instead." Zhan Liu shrugged indifferently.

"When you got into Midtown High School, did you notice the people who were eliminated because they scored one point less than you?"

"When you received a scholarship, did you notice the candidates who were pushed off the list by you?"

"When those college graduates found jobs and received several offers in a row, did they notice the people who interviewed alongside them but got nothing?"

Peter said unhappily, "What kind of example is that? I earned all of those things through hard work. Those rewards should belong to me."

"Is there a difference? It’s only a matter of how much harm is done. You’re just too small, so the harm you do to others is small. I’m enormous, so other people get squeezed to death outright. That’s all."

Zhan Liu spread his hands. "I had no hostility toward those dead police officers. I simply used the easiest solution at hand. This wasn’t a personal grudge."

"That’s sophistry! You’re twisting the truth! There was clearly a better way!" Peter grew even angrier.

"A better way?" Zhan Liu sneered. "The concept of ‘better’ has always been relative. The better way you’re talking about is better for others, but not better for me."

"Peter, remember this: the world will always be a zero-sum game. What people call a win-win is, in essence, both sides finding a third party they can exploit together."

"Peter, whether you want to admit it or not, the moment you became Thor, you became a ‘big guy.’ From now on, you’ll unconsciously crush more and more people to death, even if you don’t want to."

"Peter, admit it. Once you set foot on the Path of the Martial God, you’ll eventually become estranged from the term ‘ordinary person’ and drift farther and farther away."

Peter’s face went pale. His mind grew increasingly confused as he shook his head, completely unable to accept those claims. He looked at Zhan Liu sorrowfully and pleaded:

"Master, why does a War God have to place himself so high above everyone else? Can’t I be like Senior Apprentice-Brother and just be an ordinary person?"

"Tch, an ordinary person? I’m afraid only a child from an ordinary family like you would cling to these useless moral values and be willing to remain an ordinary person!"

Zhan Liu looked at Peter mockingly, tearing away the last layer of his fig leaf.

"You really think Tony knows nothing about this? He simply hasn’t said a word."

Peter’s face instantly turned white. Since Tony already knew about this, there was no reason for the better-informed Senior Apprentice-Brother not to know.

As his idol, Tony Stark held a special place in Peter’s heart.

Tony Stark’s lofty image in Peter’s heart had always been towering, but now it came crashing down.

At that moment, Peter felt as though his idol had… collapsed.

His lips trembled as he asked in a quavering voice, "So the reason the government never sent anyone to cause trouble afterward was that Senior Apprentice-Brother pulled strings behind the scenes?"

Zhan Liu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Probably not. From what I know of that bastard Tony, if he had done something, he would definitely make sure everyone knew about it. Since he hasn’t come running over to take credit and show off his favor, I doubt it was him."

"If it wasn’t him, who else could it be?" Peter’s expression was ugly, and he clearly didn’t believe it.

"Most likely someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. or the military? Maybe they wanted to use the opportunity to earn my favor or something." Zhan Liu curled his lips. "For all I know, they were the ones pulling the strings. Pretending to be good while playing the villain—whether they do good or evil, it’s all them."

Peter’s already crumbling worldview took another heavy blow.

"How is that possible? They’re government employees! How could they, how could they…"

"People flock under heaven for profit, and people rush about under heaven for gain. At the heart of everything in this world is profit. For the sake of profit, what does it matter if a dozen police officers are sent to their deaths?"

Watching Peter leave the martial arts school in a daze, Zhan Liu knew that the relationship between master and disciple would never return to what it had been.

But this lesson of life had to be taught to Peter. Otherwise, he would never know how many people would take advantage of him throughout his life, and his eventual fate probably wouldn’t be much better.

The only thing worth worrying about was how much Peter could learn from this lesson.

Especially with people harboring ulterior motives lurking in the shadows.