The next day, in Odin's palace.
Odin the Allfather held Gungnir in his hand, sitting on a resplendent throne. His empress Frigga accompanied him.
Odin looked at Thor who was standing below him. His chest welled with pride. Thor had not only regained the power of the God of Thunder: he even became stronger.
Thor could freely control his power even without Mjolnir. This was immense progress that even shocked the wise Odin.
This progress was somewhat inconsistent with the future that Odin had predicted. Odin had used his powerful divine power to predict the future, foreseeing the coming of the Twilight of the Gods.
Odin recalled Surtr, the Flame Giant. Odin and his two brothers had once gone to kill Surtr to stop the Twilight of the Gods, only to find that Surtr could not be killed.
Instead, to delay the Twilight of the Gods, Odin and his two brothers had stolen the source of Surtr's power, the Eternal Flame. He currently had the Eternal Flame stashed away in his treasury.
Vili and Ve, Odin's brother, had voluntarily stayed behind to cover his retreat, permanently sealing the way to Muspelheim.
They transferred their power to Odin and formed the Odinforce, granting Odin the power equivalent to three Godhead-level entities.
The Twilight of the God was inevitable for Asgard. That was why Odin had urgently fostered Thor's growth. Odin was growing old, and his power had grown too uncontrollably. His death is nigh.
But now...the future had changed by unforeseen influence. Even someone at Odin's level could no longer predict its trajectories. Odin feared this unknown future, but he also saw a glimmer of hope...
...
"Thor, how have you obtained this great progress?"
The fluctuating future had exceeded Odin's expectations. He couldn't hold his curiosity about the change in Thor's growth and the direction it would take Asgard.
"Father...I think it was because of a Midgard human. When I wallowed in despair of my lost divine power, he taught me that my divine power was not given, but was born with me.
"He even showed me how to control my divine power, but unfortunately I couldn't apply his lesson until the Destroyer appeared..."
Thor had no reason to hide from his father's questions. He told Odin everything about Li Yue, even the fact that Li Yue could control the divine power of thunder.
"A mortal from Midgard who can control thunder?"
Odin fell into deep thought. This situation was the first even for him. He then recalled someone that had broken the spell on Mjolnir. This person should be the same as Thor had described.
"To be recognized by Mjolnir, this person must possess a righteous heart and noble character!"
Odin, in all his wisdom and arrogance, arbitrarily assigned a righteous character to Li Yue.
"It should be alright to entrust the future of Asgard to a human with a true heart!"
Odin didn't think that Li Yue's strength would possibly surpass his own, so if Li Yue could lift the Mjolnir, it could only be because Mjolnir recognized Li Yue.
Even Midgard's guardian, Ancient One the Sorcerer Supreme could not surpass Odin's strength to forcibly lift Mjolnir. It was understandable why Odin would dismiss that possibility.
Odin obviously would never guess that Li Yue lifting Mjolnir was entirely a coincidence.
...
"Father, he is actually a guest of Asgard right now. Do you want to meet him?" Thor asked in a low voice after Odin spent some time in silence.
"Oh? He is in Asgard? Did he come here with you through the Bifrost?"
Odin used his divine senses, sending a sensory wave throughout Asgard.
.
Li Yue didn't sleep last night; he projected his soul out of his body to cultivate. He couldn't waste his time here, since the rate of energy absorption on Asgard was much faster than on Earth.
With the third star in his spiritual sky fully lit up, he could cross over to that world at any time.
This was the result of Li Yue's training to control his energy. He could already control his multiversal travel, and it wouldn't activate randomly ever again.
However, Li Yue was not in a hurry to go to the next world. He still had business on Asgard, and he didn't know what the next world would be like, so he wanted to prepare first.
...
Not long after Li Yue got up, the Three Warriors Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral found him. They spoke at length about how they would eat meat and drink with him later, before sparring.
Li Yue was physically and mentally exhausted. He finally rid of the Three Warriors and returned to his room. He wanted to just relax and cultivate for a while, but just as his soul projected from his body, he suddenly felt a shockwave. He returned his soul to his body.
Li Yue felt an oppressive divine power sweep over him. This power contained the presence of a king, compelling everyone to submit.
This could only be Allfather Odin's aura!
Li Yue sighed in relief. This wave was only a probing aura, not an offensive one.
Li Yue experienced the extent of Odin's power again. As expected of the master of the nine realms, an existence befitting of a heavenly godhead.
Li Yue somehow felt that Odin already knew about his presence in Asgard. He should receive a summon soon.
...
Sure enough, a few minutes later, a palace guard knocked on Li Yue's door, saying that Allfather Odin had invited him. The guard's attitude was very respectful.
Li Yue accepted the invitation and gestured to the guard to lead the way.
Li Yue followed the guards to Odin's palace. He looked at the murals on the ceiling, depicting how Odin had brought peace to the nine realms, but Li Yue knew that Odin hid a lot of truth about other people, such as the existence of his eldest daughter, Hela.
Distracted by the majestic luxury of the immortal palace, Li Yue didn't realize that he had arrived in front of Odin's audience chamber. The guards stopped and gestured for Li Yue to proceed.
"Thank you!"
Li Yue walked through the door. It was his first time meeting Odin, but he felt no fear; he was confident he could escape any attack that Odin might launch.
Worst comes to worst, he could simply open the gate to the next universe. He didn't think that Odin would cross the multiverse just to kill him.
Of course, if Li Yue really thought that Odin would attack him, he wouldn't have agreed to meet Odin in the first place.
...
"This lowly Li Yue greets the Allfather and the Heavenly Empress!"
The first person that Li Yue noticed in the audience hall was Thor, who was smiling like a fool from the side.
Next, he noticed Odin and Frigga sitting on the throne. He stepped forward and cupped his fist, bowing respectfully toward the powerful host.