His sudden question caught Qiyu off guard.
Then, just as Liu Buli had guessed and hoped, Qiyu nodded seriously and said, "I can. When I was still a deity, I was in charge of the art of alchemy. But that was millions of years ago. Perhaps what you know now far surpasses what I knew back then."
Under normal circumstances, after such a long period of progress, even if Qiyu had been a deity, her knowledge should have been surpassed by current cultivators.
But the problem was, the setting of this world was far from normal.
Liu Buli let out a wry smile and shook his head. "Immortal, actually, after the War of the Gods ended, the deities disappeared, and the spiritual energy in the world almost vanished completely. It took a long time for the spiritual energy to recover even a little, and people began cultivating again. What they knew then was already far inferior to what it used to be."
As if completely taken aback by such a revelation, Qiyu's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
Liu Buli continued, "I am one of the foremost alchemists in the current cultivation world, yet there are many things I cannot fully master. Before entering this secret realm, I was praying that I could obtain the formulas for the elixirs I desired here. When I first met you, Immortal, I wondered if my luck was too poor to encounter such a situation. But then I thought again, perhaps I had misunderstood the direction from the very beginning. If my destiny was you, Immortal, then everything would make sense."
He spoke very calmly.
This was the only and certain answer in Liu Buli's heart after Qiyu had told him she was the deity in charge of alchemy.
After hearing all his explanations, Qiyu fell into a long silence. After a considerable time, she blinked and slowly asked Liu Buli, "You mean, you want to learn the art of alchemy from me here?"
Liu Buli nodded calmly.
He had originally expected that she might refuse his request, or perhaps propose some difficult conditions.
But he never imagined that after a moment of quiet, Qiyu would ask him with shining eyes, "Then, can you become my disciple?"
The question was somewhat sudden.
However, for Liu Buli, having a celestial being as a master had absolutely no downsides.
So, after less than a second of hesitation, Liu Buli readily nodded. He said, "If Immortal does not find me too foolish, I will certainly become your disciple. However, whether I can still claim to be your disciple after leaving the secret realm will be entirely up to you, Master."
His change of address was swift and decisive.
Qiyu's smile became even more radiant.
When she fully smiled, the air of grace and nobility around her diminished. She seemed to transform into a young girl of no great age, with a touch of innocent romance. Qiyu exclaimed excitedly, "I've never taken a disciple before. I had thought about it, but before I could, I died. You say I am your destiny; perhaps your existence is also a destiny for me. If what I know can be passed on, even if only to you, I will be very happy!"
Her words were heartfelt.
After observing her carefully, Liu Buli could confirm that his cheap celestial master seemed to possess no of the complex, scheming emotions that humans had.
If anything, she was like Yun Xiang, pure to the extreme. She wore all her emotions on her sleeve, making her incredibly easy to understand, and thus, incredibly rare.
Perhaps having been alone for too long, Qiyu had no concept of time. Upon hearing that she could have a disciple, Qiyu immediately set about happily preparing for the disciple-acceptance ceremony.
Liu Buli was seated on a side seat in the main hall to rest, with Lu Wuming by his side. Watching Qiyu busily searching for things, he couldn't help but ask Liu Buli, "Master, are you sure there's no problem with her?"
"What problem could there be?" Liu Buli smiled. "Although she does seem a bit naive, she is, after all, a genuine deity. If she is willing to accept me as a disciple, then it is a good thing. I will learn from her. Even if I don't learn the cultivation technique I desire, learning something else would be enough to satisfy me."
Liu Buli was indeed correct; anything learned from the mythical era was a gain.
Lu Wuming understood this, of course. But glancing back at Qiyu, who was still enthusiastically engaged, he inexplicably felt that this celestial being was somehow unreliable. Could one learn anything normal from her if they truly followed her teachings?
And speaking of which, if Liu Buli became her disciple, wouldn't she then be Lu Wuming's grand-master?
His own seniority had inexplicably dropped a generation, leaving Lu Wuming with a complex mix of emotions. However, he was not given any more time to ponder. Qiyu, having finally found what she was looking for, happily brought it before the two of them.
It was two cups and a pot of potent liquor.
She placed both cups into Liu Buli's hands and said with some hesitation, "Little disciple, I haven't observed any disciple-acceptance ceremonies before, so I don't know how this should be done. How about you pour me a cup of wine, and after I drink it, I'll officially be your master. What do you think?"
Liu Buli was amused by her casual approach to the ceremony.
Although he himself was also free-spirited and unrestrained in such matters, finding a master who shared his disposition was both rare and interesting.
Nodding obediently, Liu Buli poured Qiyu a cup of wine.
Qiyu drank it down without hesitation. As she set the cup down, she beamed at Liu Buli and sweetly called out, "Little disciple! Call me Master, let me hear it?"
Liu Buli obediently replied, "Master."
Qiyu's smile widened even further.
She even took another cup, poured herself a full one, and placed it back into Liu Buli's hands. She said happily, "Little disciple, try this. This is wine I brewed myself, Master. Although many years have passed, judging by the taste I just had, the flavor is pure and still very good."
With his cheap master saying so, Liu Buli naturally could not refuse. However, after taking the cup and bringing it to his nose to smell, Liu Buli's eyebrows immediately furrowed.
His expression became awkward for a moment, and after a long silence, he took a deep breath. Looking into Qiyu's expectant eyes, Liu Buli asked with a headache, "Master, are you sure this can be considered wine in your eyes?"