Black Phoenix Heir
Chapter 165 — Elder Benton
Roughly an hour passed.
Victor was still sitting in Tony's office, waiting.
He had already lost track of how many times he had looked toward the door.
Then—
Click.
The doorknob slowly turned.
Victor looked up.
The door opened.
A familiar figure stepped inside.
Elder Benton.
Victor hadn't seen him in roughly six months, but he recognized him immediately.
The same emotionless face.
The same cold eyes.
The same man who had stood over him when he first awakened in this world.
Benton stepped into the room, initially looking confused.
He hadn't expected the name Victor Ashcroft to mean anything to him.
Then his eyes landed on the boy sitting in the chair.
He stopped.
His memories came rushing back.
Six months ago, this boy had awakened inside the Alchemy Tower.
Benton remembered the experiment.
He remembered watching the boy awaken his Black Flame.
And he remembered giving him a token.
At the time, it had been nothing more than a whim.
Perhaps the boy would become useful someday.
Perhaps he wouldn't.
Benton hadn't expected much.
But now…
His eyes narrowed.
The boy in front of him was no longer a Rank 4 Body Tempering cultivator.
Spiritual Energy quietly pulsed from Victor's body.
Spirit Gathering.
Rank One.
Benton stared at him.
Something wasn't adding up.
He studied Victor for another moment before making his decision.
This wasn't the place to have that conversation.
Benton turned toward Tony.
"Thank you, Tony. I'll take it from here."
Tony nodded.
Benton looked at Victor.
"Follow me."
He turned around and walked out.
Victor immediately scrambled out of his chair.
As he passed Tony, he noticed something strange.
The man looked almost sorry for him.
Victor frowned.
Wasn't Elder Benton here to help him?
Why did Tony look like he was watching someone walk toward his execution?
1
Victor pushed the thought aside.
There was no turning back now.
He gave Tony a small smile and followed Benton into the corridor.
Elder Benton didn't say a word.
They passed through several hallways before reaching an elevator.
Benton stepped inside.
Victor followed.
The doors closed.
A moment later, the elevator began moving upward.
Victor watched the display.
Second floor.
He had never been this high in the tower before.
Slaves weren't allowed up here.
When the elevator doors opened, Victor stepped out and immediately noticed the difference.
The stone walls were gone.
The second floor was constructed from a strange metal alloy covered in intricate magical inscriptions. Thin lines of light traveled through the walls, forming complex arrays that Victor couldn't begin to understand.
The entire floor felt more advanced.
More organized.
More important.
Everyone walking through the corridors had a focused expression. They carried documents, materials, or strange alchemical equipment, moving from one place to another without wasting time.
It was also much quieter than the first floor.
Benton approached another security door.
He pulled out a holographic card and scanned it.
A soft tone sounded.
The door unlocked.
Victor raised an eyebrow.
Even Elder Benton needed clearance to enter this area.
They continued walking.
Benton never spoke.
Not once.
He had glanced at Victor earlier, scrutinizing him carefully, but after that, he acted as though Victor wasn't even there.
The silence only made Victor more uneasy.
What exactly was about to happen?
Maybe he shouldn't have shown Tony the token.
Maybe using Elder Benton's name had only made things worse.
But there was nothing he could do about it now.
After another ten or fifteen minutes, Benton finally stopped in front of a door.
A plaque beside it displayed his name.
Elder Benton.
Benton opened the door.
He stepped inside.
Then he motioned for Victor to follow.
Victor entered.
The door closed behind them.
Click.
Victor looked around.
The room was surprisingly ordinary.
A desk sat near one wall, covered with papers and documents.
A chair rested behind it.
Along another wall was an alchemical table with a large cauldron and several neatly arranged tools.
It was half office.
Half laboratory.
Everything about the room suggested that Benton spent most of his time here either performing alchemy or dealing with paperwork.
Victor only had a few seconds to take it all in.
A hand suddenly grabbed his throat.
Bang!
Victor's back slammed against the wall.
His eyes widened.
He hadn't even seen Benton move.
The Elder held him against the wall with one hand, his fingers wrapped tightly around Victor's throat.
His expression was no longer emotionless.
A faint snarl crossed his face.
"You're going to speak."
Victor's hands instinctively grabbed Benton's wrist.
"I'm going to ask questions."
Benton's grip tightened.
"You're going to answer them."
His eyes narrowed.
"Do you understand?"
Victor nodded.
Benton stared directly into his eyes.
"First."
He paused.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
Victor frowned.
Benton's expression hardened.
"You think I wouldn't notice an Evil God worshipper?"
Victor froze.
What?
"Do you think I'm stupid, boy?"
Victor's mind raced.
Why was Benton calling him an Evil God worshipper?
Yes, his cultivation had skyrocketed.
But how did that automatically make him an Evil God worshipper?
Benton continued.
"The only way you could increase your cultivation that quickly is if you sacrificed for the Evil God."
Victor's eyes widened.
Benton stared at him.
"There's an easy way to tell."
Something suddenly entered Victor's body.
His inner world.
Benton was scanning him.
Victor remained still.
Inside his inner world, the Black Flame burned quietly.
Its true nature was hidden.
To anyone looking from the outside, it was simply an unusual black flame.
Victor wasn't worried about Benton recognizing the Black Phoenix Flame.
He was more concerned about what else the man might find.
Several seconds passed.
Then Benton's expression changed.
"How peculiar."
He continued holding Victor against the wall.
"You don't have any trace of the Evil God in your soul."
Victor remained silent.
Benton stared at him.
"How did you increase your cultivation so quickly?"
Benton's eyes narrowed.
"No."
He shook his head.
"There's still something I'm not understanding."
His grip tightened slightly.
"There must be some way you increased your cultivation through the Evil God organization."
Victor finally spoke.
"What's the Evil God organization?"
Benton's expression darkened.
"Silence, boy!"
A wave of pressure slammed into Victor.
His entire body stiffened.
The pressure wasn't merely physical.
It crashed directly into his mind.
Victor's vision blurred.
For a moment, even keeping his eyes open became difficult.
Benton slowly reduced the pressure.
"I don't know how you did it."
His voice was cold.
"I don't know how you hid the effects of the Evil God."
He stared directly into Victor's eyes.
"But know this."
"I will figure it out."
His hand released Victor.
Victor dropped to the floor.
He caught himself with one hand and immediately began gasping for breath.
His throat burned.
Anger flashed through him.
For a moment, he wanted to fight back.
Then he forced the thought down.
He was in Benton's territory.
And Benton was far stronger than him.
Victor remained on the floor and waited.
Across the room, Benton's expression slowly changed.
The anger began to fade.
He couldn't simply assume this boy was part of the Evil God faction.
There was no trace of the Evil God's influence in his soul.
And if Victor really had somehow hidden it, Benton hadn't discovered how.
He looked down at him.
"Tell me, boy."
His voice was calmer now.
"What have you done to increase your cultivation so quickly?"
Victor rubbed his throat.
It still hurt.
He had already given Tony a story.
He would have to use the same explanation here.
But Benton was different.
A simple lie probably wouldn't survive.
So Victor decided to stay as close to the truth as possible.
A half-truth was safer.
"Yes, Elder Benton."
His voice came out slightly raspy.
"Roughly six months ago, my entire team was chased by a Beast Soldier in Basement Level Five."
Benton remained silent.
Victor continued.
"During the escape, I fell into an area beneath the ground."
He paused.
"I found what I believe was a heaven-defying treasure."
Benton's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't know how long I remained there."
Victor carefully avoided giving an exact number.
"When I woke up, my cultivation was already only one step away from Spirit Gathering."
Benton said nothing.
"The pool was filled with an enormous amount of energy."
Victor continued.
"I absorbed as much as I could. By the time I left, there was almost nothing remaining."
He slowly rubbed his throat.
"I made my way back toward the Tower."
Victor took a breath.
"About a week ago, when I was close to returning, I felt that I could finally break through."
He looked at Benton.
"So I did."
Silence.
Victor continued.
"I think whatever treasure I found helped prepare my Core for the next realm."
He hesitated.
"And my Black Flame helped as well."
Benton's eyes moved slightly.
Victor continued.
"I used it to absorb and refine a large portion of the energy."
Benton remained silent.
His expression was difficult to read.
But the explanation wasn't impossible.
An alchemical flame could be used to refine certain treasures and energies. If Victor had truly found an extraordinary energy pool, then using his Black Flame to absorb it wasn't completely unreasonable.
Perhaps the boy had simply gotten lucky.
Perhaps he had stumbled across something extraordinary and somehow survived.
Benton stared at him.
Victor waited.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Neither of them spoke.
The room remained completely silent.
Victor sat on the floor, wondering whether Benton believed him.
Benton stood across from him, apparently considering what he should say next.
Neither knew exactly what the other was thinking.
And neither knew what the other intended to do.
For the moment, they simply remained there in silence.
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