The Mutants’ Third Path

All this time, Raven had been Magneto and Professor X’s little sidekick. Her abilities were only suited for infiltration, and her combat ability was no different from an ordinary person’s.

Now, she had suddenly been entrusted with high hopes and deemed the hope for the Mutants’ future. The change had come too suddenly, leaving her unsure how to respond.

"Ah… I, I…" she stammered, not knowing what to say.

"Raven, Magneto and Professor X have been at this for so many years, yet they still haven’t been able to change the Mutants’ circumstances. That already shows where the problem lies. Both of their paths are wrong. You must forge a third path for the Mutants—the Path of the Martial God." Zhan Liu continued to mislead her.

"Mutants are born with extraordinary gifts, so they have an innate advantage in cultivating the Ultimate Limit Qigong. Although Mutants’ innate abilities are powerful, they’re also more easily countered. The Path of the Martial God, however, has no weaknesses."

"You saw Tony and Peter earlier. Once they entered the path, they immediately stopped fearing the damage from ordinary guns and cannons. That’s something countless Mutants can’t accomplish in their entire lifetimes."

"If you reach the Magnetic Field Rotation Realm, everyone will be Magneto. Why worry about being hunted and pursued by the human government? You could even establish your own country!"

"Besides, even if Mutants fail to enter the path successfully, practicing this Qigong can still strengthen their physiques, giving them greater resistance against the threat of firearms. What’s more, it will also help them control their own abilities."

"From any angle, practicing the Ultimate Limit Qigong and embarking on the Path of the Martial God is the best choice for the Mutants."

Raven was actually a very simple person. From a young age, she had been taken in by Professor Charles and Magneto, who looked after her like a little sister.

But because of her appearance, Raven rarely had any friends.

Having no friends meant having no social circle, and thus no real life experience.

Later, one of the main reasons Raven left with Magneto was that he was a racial supremacist, and the people gathered around him were all Mutants, with all sorts of strange appearances.

Since everyone looked bizarre, naturally no one continued to mock her appearance.

It was only after that that she began to have more friends. But "more" was relative; her circle was still very narrow.

Moreover, Mutants were basically all social outcasts, losers who had been ostracized. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have followed Magneto.

Under these circumstances, her growth had actually been severely limited.

If Magneto or Professor X had been here, whether because of their stubborn ideologies or their extensive knowledge, they definitely wouldn’t have believed Zhan Liu’s words so easily.

But Raven couldn’t find anything wrong with what he was saying.

The more Zhan Liu spoke, the more she felt that her master was right. Master is right!

The more she listened, the more she felt that she really ought to be the hope of the Mutants’ future, and that she had a responsibility to lead everyone onto a new Path of the Martial God.

Before this, when she had called Zhan Liu her master, it had purely been because she didn’t want to die—a temporary expedient. Now, she was thoroughly convinced by this master and sincerely regarded him as her life’s mentor.

Zhan Liu was different from Magneto.

Working for Magneto required no thought. She only had to follow his orders. Today, she would steal one piece of intelligence; tomorrow, she would pilfer another message.

But after all these years, the Mutants were still in the same sorry state, with no change at all. She was beginning to grow tired of it.

Zhan Liu was also different from Professor X.

Professor X placed greater emphasis on shaping one’s moral values. He had to explain everything clearly: why something should be done, why it shouldn’t be done, which actions were good, and which were bad.

Professor X’s words were very reasonable, and Raven had to admit that he was right.

But those obviously correct principles were completely disconnected from what they encountered in the real world. No matter how many good deeds the Mutants performed, humans still rejected them.

Her master, Zhan Liu, was different.

He didn’t lecture her about lofty principles, nor did he care what kind of moral values she had. He simply laid out the path they should take in the future, told her how to walk it, how easy it was, and how many benefits awaited them after succeeding. Even if they failed, they would lose nothing.

He didn’t care whether she followed his ideas. The path was right there: she could walk it if she wanted, and if she didn’t, so be it.

As he put it, the opportunity had been placed before her. Whether she seized it was her own business and had nothing to do with him.

In particular, at Master Zhan Liu’s side, she had received unprecedented attention and respect.

In the past, when she had been with Professor X and Magneto, although both of them cared about her deeply, they had actually only treated her as a little sister.

They loved her, protected her, and never allowed her to encounter danger.

This had moved her deeply, but it had also made her feel extremely awkward.

When she was young, it had been fine. But after she grew up, no matter how old she became, in their eyes she was still the little sister who needed their care.

But what Raven needed was recognition, respect, and equal dialogue and communication. Even if the attitude was a little harsh—like today, when Zhan Liu had nearly killed her—she could accept it.

As a perpetual supporting character suddenly promoted to the protagonist’s position, being needed, valued, and treated as the hope of the Mutants’ future was enough by itself to make Raven choose and decide in her heart.

"Master, I’ll go back and persuade Erik to abandon his original ideas, then lead everyone onto the Path of the Martial God." Raven spoke with excitement.

Zhan Liu shook his head in disappointment and sighed.

"Raven, I told you that Magneto is an immature child. His beliefs all come from the mistaken ideas instilled in him during childhood. He’s no longer capable of leading the Mutants forward. You must shoulder the responsibility, establish another organization, and make it independent of the Brotherhood of Mutants."

"Only then can you control the direction of the Mutants’ future development and lead them farther along the Path of the Martial God."

"Establish, establish another organization?" This was completely beyond Raven’s imagination. "That doesn’t seem necessary, does it? I’ll persuade Erik. As long as it’s for the good of the Mutants, he’ll surely be willing to accept it."

Zhan Liu shrugged.

"It’s up to you, then. I’m only offering a suggestion; you can decide for yourself. But I hope you remember that someone who leads a race toward its future must never be another person’s subordinate or lackey."

"Raven, you have the ability to lead the Mutants to glory on your own. Don’t waste your talent."

"Also, don’t cancel that martial arts match. I’ll teach Magneto a lesson. Maybe it’ll help him see himself clearly."

What would a Mutant who could control magnetic fields from birth become after cultivating Magnetic Field Rotation?

Zhan Liu was extremely curious.

Thanks to book friend 20190412202540271 for the reward.