"You must not be human."
The woman brimming with celestial aura twitched her red lips under the veil for a moment upon hearing Luo Yu's words.
It felt as if this man was insulting her, yet not quite.
Right now, she was a bit puzzled.
Seeing that the man didn't speak for a long time, the woman couldn't help but ask, "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"
Luo Yu shook his head with a light chuckle, glancing at the ancient zither shining with flowing light in front of him, and speculated about the identity of the person before him.
"Anything you want to tell me, you naturally will, and there's no point asking about what you don't want to say, right?"
The woman found herself at a loss for words, facing such an unusual mortal for the first time.
He wasn't playing by the usual rules at all.
However, thinking of the earth-shattering music this man could play, it seemed normal for him to have a unique personality.
With a gentle sweep of her hand, the environment of the quiet room changed in an instant.
A foggy expanse unfolded, with white clouds drifting by, making it feel as if they were amidst the clouds.
Observing the man with a calm gaze, her eyes revealed surprise.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Luo Yu glanced left and right and countered, "Why should I be afraid?"
The woman was at a loss for words again.
This man was perhaps a bit too unique.
Logically, a mortal suddenly brought into a different environment should be utterly terrified and afraid, yet this man didn't show a hint of panic?
Alright, forget these details.
"I am a deity from the Divine Realm, and your zither music moved me, so I appeared before you," she said.
Having introduced herself, the woman stared at Luo Yu, hoping to find a trace of surprise on his face.
No surprise was found; not only was he not panicked, but he also looked as if it were all to be expected.
Inside, the woman felt disheartened, wondering what the background of this mortal was.
Ordinary people react with either excitement or trembling reverence upon seeing a deity.
Yet this man looked utterly indifferent.
"Hey, mortal."
"The Goddess appeared before you, and you're not excited?"
Luo Yu couldn't help but roll his eyes, nodding in feigned agreement.
"Excited, very excited."
The woman heard no excitement, only full-on perfunctory.
Instantly, her self-esteem took a serious hit.
As a deity despised by a mortal, she felt as though she had lost all prestige.
She bit down on her silver teeth, letting out a pleasant hum.
"You are now within my domain, your life and death are completely under my control, aren't you afraid I might harm you?"
Luo Yu shook his head, chuckling lightly, "If you wanted to harm me, you would've done it already, wouldn't you?"
"Uh…"
The woman suddenly didn't know what to say, feeling utterly out-talked by this man.
This guy doesn't ask anything, does he expect me to eagerly sell myself to him?
That would be a bit humiliating, she thought, torn inside.
Yet recalling the zither music that had amazed her, she looked at Luo Yu with complex eyes.
"Can you tell me, how you, a mere mortal, managed to play such a transcendental piece?"
Luo Yu's eyes showed helplessness as he spread his hands, "Then can you tell me, why can't a mortal play such a piece?"
"This…"
His simple counter-question left her deep in thought.
Indeed, why assume that what deities can't do, mortals definitely can't do either?
She scrutinized the man in front of her carefully.
She found that this man was indeed very special, completely different from other mortals.
Not only did he possess such mastery of the zither, but he was also able to maintain a composed attitude in the presence of a deity, fearless.
The woman's beautiful eyes couldn't help but show a light of admiration, and curiosity about this man welled up inside her.
Luo Yu, on his part, was also observing the woman.
He sensed that this deity had no airs about her and did not exhibit that condescending, dismissive attitude towards the common people, seeming quite amiable.
"What's your purpose for bringing me here?" he asked.
The woman felt like breaking down in tears; this guy finally took the initiative to ask her a question.
"I am the Music Deity from the Divine Realm, and this is merely a projection of me."
"This Seven-stringed Jade Phoenix Zither is my Divine Artifact and the legacy I've left behind in the Mortal Realm. I created this Qinge to find a successor."
"Unfortunately, for many years, no one has managed to pluck the strings ninety-nine times."
"Today, at long last, my wait for a fated individual has ended."
"To be honest, your appearance is a pleasant surprise to me."
"Wait." Luo Yu interjected, "Are you saying that one doesn't need to play a complete piece, and simply plucking the strings ninety-nine times is enough to gain the deity's inheritance?"
The Music Deity sighed, "When I set up the inheritance, I never imagined that a person like you would appear."
"Being able to pluck the strings ninety-nine times already makes you the perfect successor in my eyes."
"All I can say is, you really are remarkable. To play such a world-shaking piece with a mortal's body, even I can't help but sincerely admire your talent."
"I will set up the Music Deity's Nine Trials for you. After nine tests, you will become a true deity, just like me."
"Wait." Luo Yu looked puzzled, "I appreciate your admiration."
"However, as for this Music Deity's Nine Trials, I think I'll pass."
"What?" The Music Deity's beautiful eyes widened, "You can't be so greedy as to refuse the trial and become a god directly, can you?"
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm not planning on accepting the inheritance for the time being."
Luo Yu shook his head, politely declining. With the Dragon God Martial Soul within him, he had no need for her position among the deities.
Even one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings he'd casually absorbed was stronger than the Music Deity.
He couldn't help but marvel at how useful the Thousand Illusion Mask Gu Yuena had given him was.
The Music Deity had completely failed to detect his true talent and appearance.
Hearing Luo Yu's refusal, the Music Deity stood frozen in place.
Rejected?
He actually rejected it?
One must know that the deity's inheritance holds a fatal attraction for mortals, more tempting than any treasure. And yet, this fellow scorned it?
"Do you... do you understand what a deity's inheritance means?"
Luo Yu answered, "It means becoming a god and gaining immortality."
The Music Deity was shocked, "And you're still declining?"
"Yes." Luo Yu nodded.
The Music Deity felt like going mad. This was not at all what she had envisioned.
She had thought that by appearing in person and stating her purpose, this guy would be over the moon and gratefully accept the inheritance.
Why didn't he seem interested at all, as if he even had a slight disdain?
The Music Deity said, "You might not know, but my inheritance is different from other deities'."
"They select mortals based on their Soul Power talent and set up various hardships."
"As for me, I don't care about all that. I only care about their musical accomplishments and character."
"You've met my standards, so even if your talent were worse, I'd still pour resources into training you, boost you to the limit of human strength, until you become a deity."
After saying all this, she felt that the mortal should be beyond excited by now.
But upon looking carefully, the man remained as calm as still water.
"By the way, may I ask what Deity Level you are?" Luo Yu inquired.
"Three... third level."
The Music Deity replied subconsciously, but quickly became stunned.
"How do you know there are levels among deities?"
Luo Yu replied, "I've heard about it."
The Music Deity scrutinized the man repeatedly.
"Hey, you're not looking down on me because my Deity Level is low, are you???"
"For those of us engrossed in the art of music, having strength is useless, right? Immortality is what matters, giving us the eternal capital to delve into the arts."
The Music Deity's voice paused; her expression under the veil became a bit twisted.
"Once you become a deity, we could discuss these musical theories together. In the years to come, it would be great... companionship, wouldn't it be joyful?"
Looking at the earnest, passionate gaze of the goddess before him, Luo Yu felt there was an underlying implication in her words.
He felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Um... I might be more interested in improving my strength."
The Music Deity shook her head, her emotions stirring.
"Stop lying, someone wholly focused on improving their strength couldn't have achieved such an extraordinary realm in their piano music, couldn't possibly play a piece like that?"
"Cough cough, not to hide it from you," Luo Yu said bashfully, "playing the piano is just a hobby of mine."
"What?" The Music Deity's beautiful eyes bulged.