Ancient One's Sanctum

The seed of becoming a mage had also been planted in Doctor Doom's heart. He struggled fiercely to break free from the ice, but no matter how hard he exerted himself, he could not move a single inch.

Rather than feeling the slightest anger, he was exhilarated from the bottom of his heart—immensely exhilarated by the power of magic. It only strengthened his resolve to become a mage.

After successfully obtaining the Phoenix Force, Chen Xu returned to the New York Sanctum through a portal, then used a magical teleportation array to reach Ancient One's Sanctum. He pushed open its doors directly.

"Master, I have successfully obtained the Phoenix Force."

"You have successfully obtained the Phoenix Force? Wonderful. Now I can rest easy."

Ancient One knew Chen Xu was not lying, because he too could sense the new power within Chen Xu—mysterious and powerful.

Chen Xu had come to Ancient One this time for the more powerful spellbooks. But before he could speak, Ancient One's next words stunned him.

"Chen Xu, I have some matters to attend to over the next few days, so I need to leave for a while. You will take my place as the Sorcerer Supreme."

"What? Master, are you joking with me?"

Chen Xu was completely dumbfounded. Ancient One had told him to obtain the Phoenix Force, and he had thought it was for the purpose of studying it. He never expected it to be so Chen Xu could replace Ancient One.

"But I lack the seniority. I can't possibly shoulder such a great responsibility."

"It doesn't matter. I have already thought of that."

"I will have Mordo assist you. That will be enough."

"Then why not have Mordo replace you directly?"

"He is not ready yet. His strength is insufficient; he cannot take over for me."

"You do not need to do much. You only need to guard this sanctum and make sure Dormammu does not escape."

Another one of Chen Xu's clever ideas surfaced.

"Then may I take a look at the books in your study? Including the notes you made yourself."

"Of course. You may read anything in there as you please."

Chen Xu was delighted inwardly.

"Then all right. I will stand in for you for a few days."

"But there is one book you must remember—remember this above all else. Never let yourself be seduced by the Darkhold, or you will become Chthon's puppet."

After giving Chen Xu his instructions, Ancient One opened a portal, stepped into it, and vanished. No one knew where he had gone.

Chen Xu stood in the sanctum with a bewildered expression, still unable to process it all. In truth, he had the urge to laugh. Just like that, he had become the Sorcerer Supreme.

Chen Xu did not actually laugh. He merely thought about it before plunging straight into the library of Ancient One's Sanctum. The books here were not something the other sanctums could compare to.

Chen Xu immersed himself in study and research. Naturally, he wanted to learn every spell here, read every book, and memorize every scrap of knowledge in them before Ancient One returned, leaving nothing out.

But would things really go as Chen Xu wished? Of course not. After Chen Xu took over from Ancient One as the Sorcerer Supreme, Dormammu, master of the Dark Dimension, went completely mad. He launched a frenzied attack once a day, severely cutting into Chen Xu's reading time. Chen Xu was both furious and helpless, because there was simply nothing he could do to Dormammu.

"Fuck, Dormammu, have you lost your damn mind? Attacking once a day? Aren't you tired? Even if you aren't, I'm exhausted."

Dormammu spoke to Chen Xu in his incomparably deep voice. "Chen Xu, what exactly did Ancient One offer you to make you help him like this?"

Dormammu's tone was filled with dissatisfaction and anger toward Chen Xu.

But Chen Xu ignored him completely. He directly unleashed the mental power that could pierce the multiverse, and the seals were instantly strengthened countless times over. Dormammu could only retreat helplessly. Gradually, Dormammu's voice faded from the sanctum. Only after Dormammu had completely disappeared did Chen Xu truly let out a breath of relief.

Dormammu has gone crazy. What's going on? The moment I took office, he started attacking every day like a madman. Is this fucking discrimination?

Dormammu's frenzied attacks even made Chen Xu feel that Dormammu was picking on him for being young and looking easy to bully, so he came to cause trouble every day.

This made Chen Xu furious. Dormammu's behavior also made the other Temple Mages want to laugh, because it really did seem as though he was bullying Chen Xu for his youth.

Although Chen Xu was only the acting Sorcerer Supreme, his strength had earned all of their recognition.

Ever since Chen Xu took office, Dormammu had acted like he had been pumped full of stimulants, attacking the sanctum's seals like mad. This left them helpless, because they could not stop him at all. In the end, it was almost always Chen Xu who used his mental power, powerful enough to pierce the multiverse, to reinforce the magical seals and force Dormammu back.

Chen Xu roared at Dormammu in the Dark Dimension:

"Dormammu, what the fuck are you doing? Have you fucking gone insane?"

Yet Dormammu was not annoyed in the slightest upon hearing Chen Xu's words. He seemed extremely excited instead.

"Who cares? I fucking want to piss you off. Even if it annoys you to death, I'll keep doing it."

"You..."

Chen Xu was truly close to being driven mad by Dormammu, yet he was helpless. He could not actually open the seal and challenge him to a one-on-one duel, could he? With Chen Xu's current strength, it was impossible to say who would win or lose against Dormammu. But Chen Xu did not dare try.

Just like that, Dormammu harassed Chen Xu for an entire week. Then, all of a sudden, Dormammu quieted down. No one knew what he had gone off to do. Chen Xu was overjoyed. At last, he could read. He thought Dormammu had finally come to his senses and given up, and would no longer attack the sanctum's magical seals.

Chen Xu buried himself in the books, not even eating dinner. He wanted to read as much as possible while Dormammu was not around to bother him, because one day Dormammu would surely go mad again and waste time with him all over again.

At this moment, Dormammu gazed excitedly at a soul before him. He let out an evil yet heartfelt laugh of delight. "Thousands of years... thousands of years... your soul finally belongs to me."

In the sanctum, Chen Xu heard that Ancient One had returned. This left him deeply puzzled. Dormammu had only just disappeared, and Ancient One returned immediately afterward. It was too much of a coincidence. Besides, when Ancient One had left, Chen Xu had felt that he seemed to be in a hurry, as though he would be gone for a long time. Yet he had returned so soon? Chen Xu found it extremely strange and suspicious.

Ancient One pushed open the sanctum doors and entered.

"Chen Xu, you have worked hard. I have finished my business and returned. You may go back to your New York Sanctum now. There is no need for you to stay here any longer."