"Focus your attention, use the Space Stone, and feel the spatial fluctuations around you."
"Space is mysterious, especially when there are no coordinates. Moving through space increases mental energy consumption."
"No, that's wrong! Too much output will cause mental exhaustion."
"Use your mind to communicate with the stone."
"Yes, just like that. But you're still in the beginner stage, unable to move freely yet."
"Think of your mental energy as a bridge, connecting you with the stone."
"You'll be able to sense its power and the vast energy inside, even its unique emotions."
Ronan never expected that instead of satisfying his curiosity, the Ancient One would leave him with an even bigger mystery.
In the following weeks, Ronan underwent hellish, intense training.
This single training session took a full two weeks.
His winter vacation was now halfway over.
However, when the two weeks ended, Ronan wasn't disheartened at all.
In fact, he was quite happy.
Because, during this time, the Ancient One had taught him how to use the Infinity Gauntlet and the Space Stone.
But there were still a few regrets.
First, Ronan couldn't tell whether it was a problem with him or with the gauntlet itself.
The replica Infinity Gauntlet didn't seem to be as powerful as the original.
Unlike the version created by Tony Stark and the others, which could only snap but not harness the powers of the individual stones, Ronan's gauntlet was different.
He could use the power of the individual stones, though he hadn't tested whether it could snap — and he wasn't about to!
The regret came from the fact that, being a knockoff, it didn't have the full capabilities.
According to the Ancient One, the Space Stone's power was far greater, but the gauntlet limited its full potential.
For example, when the Sorcerer Supreme used the Time Stone, they needed the Eye of Agamotto and Kamar-Taj's secret techniques to control the flow of time.
The Eye of Agamotto was a real artifact passed down for generations in Kamar-Taj!
Whereas Ronan's Infinity Gauntlet was just a bootleg version.
Through testing over the past few days, aside from using the Space Stone to wipe out the Ancient One's Mirror Dimension, Ronan had developed a few decent tricks.
The first and most useful technique he mastered was instantaneous movement.
Yes, when using spatial movement techniques, the most crucial factor is having a coordinate.
For short-distance and rapid movement, coordinates were vital.
Without them, moving through space could easily result in getting lost in the spatial turbulence, which was certain death.
The Space Stone bypassed this entirely — as long as Ronan could see the location, he could teleport to it instantly.
However, long-distance teleportation was quite limited.
The reason was simple: while the stone allowed rapid long-distance movement, the mental energy cost was proportional to the distance.
In other words, the farther the distance, the more mental energy Ronan needed to expend.
Compared to Mystic Portals, this technique felt impractical.
After all, Mystic Portals borrowed energy from the big boss.
Since it wasn't his own energy, he had no qualms using it liberally.
Especially now that Ronan didn't even need the Sling Ring for portal targeting or hand gestures.
Plus, Mystic Portals didn't drain his mental energy.
So, Ronan passed on using the Space Stone for long-distance teleportation.
His conclusion: "Not as good as my Mystic Portal!"
In addition to teleportation, Ronan created a small pocket dimension with the Space Stone.
This space could store inanimate objects, but time flowed the same as in the outside world.
Although the space wasn't very large, it was more than enough to store personal items.
From that day onward, Ronan finally had the must-have accessory for all travelers—a "space ring."
No more falling behind his fellow dimensional travelers.
That was a huge win.
Normally, Ronan would toss the Infinity Gauntlet into this pocket dimension, and whenever he needed it, he could dramatically tap the air, summoning a rift in space.
Then, with an expressionless face, Ronan would reach into the rift and retrieve the gauntlet.
Alternatively, he could tap the air lightly, creating a ripple in space, and the gauntlet would automatically appear on his hand.
Both methods were equally flashy — perfect for showing off!
Ronan also developed two incredibly powerful offensive techniques.
The first one was Space Distortion.
When Ronan focused on a particular point, the surrounding space would distort violently, causing devastating damage.
This move was "inspired" by a certain genius character's eye techniques.
Of course, Ronan improved it.
Firstly, the speed of the Space Distortion was much faster, completing within a few seconds.
Secondly, Ronan could distort space at three points simultaneously.
He called this move "The Trio."
Yes, Ronan named it to honor a great sage from the East.
One distortion point was called "The Lone Wolf," and two points were called "Double Trouble."
Ronan prided himself on his clever naming.
As his mastery of the Space Stone grew, he imagined there would be a four-point, five-point, and maybe even an "N-Point Distortion."
There was a little mishap when Ronan first used this technique.
He accidentally overloaded his mental energy while testing the limits, and the resulting spatial distortion nearly consumed him too!
If the Ancient One hadn't arrived in time and pulled him out, Ronan would've lost an arm, or worse, died on the spot.
After he destroyed the first training ground, the Ancient One strictly forbade him from using that move without her supervision.
Aside from that, things went smoothly.
Ronan's final and most powerful move was one he hadn't named yet.
Unlike The Trio, which destroyed enemies, this move banished them.
Yes, using the Space Stone, Ronan could forcibly banish enemies to an unknown dimension.
The strongest aspect of this move was that it was locked on!
Unlike The Trio, which could be dodged or countered with items, this move was inescapable.
Once locked on, even if the enemy hid behind an obstacle, they would still be banished.
When Ronan developed this technique, the Ancient One finally smiled.
To her, this marked the moment when Ronan had truly begun to understand the Space Stone's real potential.