Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 4: Chapter 4—The Library

Chapter 4 — The Library

Victor stood between the endless shelves, watching the strange figure that had appeared before him. He still wasn’t sure what he was looking at. The figure wore a long robe that seemed almost too plain for a place this strange, and its face revealed very little. There was something unsettling about its presence, though Victor couldn’t quite explain what it was. It didn’t feel threatening. If anything, it felt... lonely.

The figure stared at him for several seconds. Then it sighed.

"Finally."

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Finally?"

"Someone actually arrived."

There was an odd amount of relief in the figure’s voice. It looked past Victor, toward the endless rows of books, and for a moment its expression became almost bitter.

"Do you have any idea how long I’ve been here? Of course you don’t. Nobody ever asks. They simply arrive, take what they can, and leave. If they arrive at all." The figure waved a hand toward the shelves. "Do you know how many books are here? Thousands. Perhaps millions. I’ve read the same ones so many times that I can remember entire sections without looking. I’ve memorized damaged pages. I’ve argued with myself about books written by people who have been dead for longer than I care to remember."

The figure paused, apparently realizing that it had started rambling.

"Do you know how boring that becomes when there is nobody to discuss any of it with?"

Victor remained silent.

The figure looked at him.

"I haven’t spoken to anyone in a very long time."

Victor studied him for a moment before replying, "I noticed."

The figure’s expression tightened slightly. It looked almost embarrassed.

"Yes. Well... regardless, you’re here now."

Victor glanced around the enormous library. "Where is here?"

"This is the Library."

Victor gave him a flat look. "I figured that part out. I mean, what is it?"

The figure turned toward the endless shelves, and its expression became more serious. "It is a place that preserves knowledge. More importantly, it is part of your bloodline inheritance."

Victor’s attention sharpened. "My bloodline inheritance?"

His mind immediately went to the black flame.

Victor slowly turned, taking in the endless shelves once again. The realization was difficult to process. He had entered this place by following the black flame, but he hadn’t expected to find something like this waiting on the other side. "Then all of this belongs to me?"

The figure nodded toward the shelves. "Your access is limited by the level of your flame cultivation. The stronger your flame becomes, the more of the inheritance you will be able to access."

Victor’s eyes moved across the library. Only now did he notice the faint barriers surrounding many of the books. Some shelves were hidden behind translucent walls of light, while enormous doors covered in unfamiliar symbols blocked entire sections. There was an almost oppressive amount of knowledge here, yet most of it might as well have not existed.

"How much can I access now?"

The figure pointed toward a small section of shelves.

"Just this for now."

Victor followed the gesture.

"That’s it?"

"At your current level."

Victor sighed quietly. Somehow, that felt about right. He had awakened a mysterious bloodline, discovered an impossible library, and found out that almost everything inside it was locked away from him. Apparently, the universe had decided to give him hope in carefully measured portions.

"The Black Phoenix Flame Cultivation Manual."

Victor’s expression changed.

"Black Phoenix?"

The figure nodded.

"That is the bloodline you carry."

Victor was silent for a moment. Benton had been unable to identify it, and apparently neither could anyone else in the tower. Yet this strange being had named it without hesitation.

"What exactly is the Black Phoenix?"

The figure’s expression became more serious.

"That is a question for another time."

Victor frowned. "Why?"

"Because you’re not ready for the answer."

It was an irritating response, but Victor had already learned that some questions simply didn’t have answers yet. He looked back toward the available section.

"How do I get the cultivation technique?"

The figure’s mouth curved into a faint smile.

"That’s easy"

The Spirit raised one hand.

Somewhere deep within the library, a book shifted from its place.

Victor heard the faint sound of pages moving between the shelves. Then something began traveling toward them at an impossible speed. His instincts warned him a moment before he saw it.

A small glowing orb shot from between the shelves.

Victor’s eyes widened.

"Wait—"

The orb slammed directly into his forehead.

Pain exploded through his skull.

For an instant, Victor couldn’t move. His entire body seemed to lock in place as something poured into his mind. It wasn’t a memory. It wasn’t words. It was understanding.

He suddenly knew how to circulate energy toward the black flame. He understood how to draw World Energy into it without allowing the flame to interfere with his Core. He understood how to nourish the flame, how to strengthen it, and how to begin cultivating it.

The knowledge simply existed inside his mind as though it had always been there.

Victor slowly recovered from the shock and rubbed his forehead. Victor wasn’t sure whether he was beginning to dislike the man or simply becoming accustomed to his strange personality.

He closed his eyes and examined the knowledge that had been forced into his mind. The Black Phoenix Flame Cultivation Manual was more complicated than he had expected. His normal cultivation strengthened his body and Core through World Energy. The flame cultivation was different. It gave him another path, one that could develop alongside his existing cultivation.

Two forms of cultivation.

One body.

One Core.

And the black flame.

Victor’s thoughts began moving quickly. If the technique worked as described, then his weakness might not be as permanent as it seemed. He was still only a Rank Four Body Tempering cultivator, but the black flame gave him something the original Victor had never possessed.

A path that belonged entirely to him.

Before he could ask another question, however, Victor felt something change.

The library seemed to become distant.

The shelves blurred around him, and the figure standing before him became less distinct.

"What is happening?"

"Your time is up."

Victor frowned. "What?"

The Spirit looked at him calmly. "You’re returning."

Victor glanced around, suddenly unwilling to leave. There were still countless questions he wanted answered.

"There are more techniques?"

"Of course."

"When can I access them?"

The Spirit sighed. "When your flame reaches Rank One. Until then, there is nothing else here that you can access."

His consciousness was already beginning to pull away.

Then the Spirit’s expression changed. Realizing that Victor wasn’t strong enough to stay any longer.

The Spirit folded his arms and muttered, "you will not be able to come back here until you reach rank one and your flame cultivation. But don’t take too long I’ve already waited long enough."

For the first time since entering the Library, Victor almost smiled.

Then the world around him disappeared.

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