Stephen remained trance-like for nearly three minutes before finally coming out of it.
"Ow!"
As soon as he regained consciousness, Stephen lost the support of the time magic and fell from mid-air, crashing to the ground with a thud and a pained cry. Without the help of the Cloak of Levitation, he had no way to cushion his fall.
...
"Strange, what was that just now? What kind of magic did you use?"
As Doctor Strange's spell concluded, Li Yue and the others hurried over, their faces full of curiosity. Wong, in particular, didn't even ask if Stephen was okay first; he was more interested in the spell Stephen had used.
"I used a spell to observe the future…"
"Wait a minute, Wong, aren't you the librarian? Didn't you read the book on time magic? How could you not know what spell I just used?"
Now on his feet, Stephen responded initially but then realized something was off and asked Wong with genuine curiosity. As the Kamar-Taj librarian, Wong should have read the book on time magic and recognized the spell.
"... Do I have to admit that I don't have your freakish talent and couldn't understand the complex content on time magic?"
Wong's face showed a rare look of embarrassment. While it was true, saying it out loud would be pretty humiliating.
"Strange, not everyone is like you, with photographic memory and a genius-level aptitude for magic,"
Li Yue interjected, seeing Wong's awkward expression. He had read the book on time magic multiple times but couldn't fully grasp its concepts or perform advanced spells. This was why the Time Stone hadn't been helpful to him unless he had the Dwarven King forge an authentic Infinity Gauntlet.
...
"Is time magic that difficult? I didn't find it that hard. I succeeded on my first try! I actually find other types of magic more challenging, often failing several times before getting them right,"
Stephen said casually, adding, "Especially space magic—I find it the hardest to learn."
"... You're showing off, but I can't even argue with you,"
Li Yue and the others felt speechless at Strange's nonchalant bragging.
"Alright, let's stay on topic. Strange, did you see anything useful in the future?"
Li Yue, dropping his playful tone, asked seriously and looked at Stephen expectantly.
"Um, I didn't see anything significant. Maybe because I haven't practiced time magic long enough, I could only observe about a month into the future. Unfortunately, nothing major happens within that time frame, whether I accept or reject the title of Sorcerer Supreme."
Talking about essential matters, Strange's demeanor became serious.
"Damn, I forgot that even the Ancient One couldn't see too far into the future, let alone Strange, who's just started with time magic!"
Li Yue recalled the Ancient One's words about how his presence had made the future unpredictable. He had hoped for some functional spoilers from Strange but realized it was a wasted effort.
...
"But I did notice that in the future where I accept the Sorcerer Supreme title, you, Master Li Yue, disappear from Earth either sooner or later after passing on the title to me. What's that about?"
Strange, continuing, shared another revelation and looked at Li Yue curiously.
"Disappearing? That's probably when I travel to other multiverses. I'll be back after some time; nothing to worry about,"
Li Yue responded nonchalantly.
Most people familiar with Li Yue knew about his ability to travel to other universes. He often disappeared for periods and even brought back a living person from another universe, so there was no need to hide it from Strange.
"Travel to other multiverses? Master Li Yue, do you have a way to take us with you?"
Strange's eyes lit up with excitement as he eagerly asked Li Yue. Knowing about the existence of the multiverse but having no means to explore it himself, Strange was thrilled at the possibility.
Mordo and Wong looked expectantly at Li Yue, eager to see the legendary multiverse.
"Sorry, I can't control this ability well. If you don't mind getting sucked into a time vortex, feel free to come along,"
Li Yue responded with a look, saying, "If you're not afraid of dying, you can come." He did not intend to take significant characters from the Marvel Universe to other worlds since the places he traveled to were utterly different universes unrelated to Marvel.
"So, do you still want to go?"