Chef in the Apocalypse

’Disciple!?’ Jayce had been through a roller coaster of emotions over the past few minutes, causing his brain to have trouble keeping up. Firstly he had almost suffered from Qi deviation before almost being burned alive.

Afterwards he felt the joy of making a breakthrough and surviving the whole ordeal, but the receding power of the Magma Pools threw him into a state of anxiety. Now after running for his life after his secret was exposed, he was now faced with a new emotion.

Complete and utter confusion.

"W-What!?"

Elder Qing seemed to find his expression to be rather humorous, as he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

"You heard me. While I’d like to give you a choice, the fact that you’re in possession of the Divine Body Arts doesn’t leave you with many options." He said.

Seeing the confusion still etched in Jayce’s face, Elder Qing decided to explain it properly.

"You’re probably wondering why I could guess you practice the Divine Body Arts." He gestured towards the Magma Pools which were a shell of what they once were.

"I don’t know of any other Body cultivation arts that can allow someone to absorb an Flame Spirit."

"Flame Spirit?" Jayce muttered. He distinctly remembered the sound of roaring flames when the surge of Qi entered his meridians while he was in the Magma Pools.

Elder Qing nodded. "A Flame Spirit is the Law of Fire manifested in physical form. While there are a lot of different types of Flame Spirits, they are generally used to comprehend the Laws, not to be absorbed."

"Since you did not burst into flames, I could only assume that you possessed a strong body cultivation technique. This paired with your mysterious background allowed me to make a guess."

Elder Qing shrugged exaggeratedly before continuing, "But who would have thought that I would guess correctly." He then smiled, looking directly into Jayce’s eyes.

"Consider yourself fortunate it was me who had found out your secret, otherwise things could have gone terribly awry."

Jayce could somewhat follow the Elder’s line of reasoning, however he felt like he was missing a big piece of information. "Elder, would you please explain. Why do you think me cultivating the Divine Body Arts means I’m not from this world?"

"Haha, well that’s because I also cultivate the Divine Body Arts. You could say that we are of the same lineage, considering my Master is the creator of the technique."

"What!? Your master is the Golden Haired General?" Jayce felt an explosion echo through his brain at the revelation.

"Golden Haired General? Ah, I suppose he does have long blond hair." Elder Qing scratched his beard in contemplation.

Only now did Jayce realize the ramifications of such a claim. Rubick had told him that there were others like him who were waiting for the Earth to evolve so they could reclaim their home.

He originally thought that he was referring to only those who had been present at the battle that day. Come to think of it, there were only around 30 or so people who had remained at the end of the battle.

However, he had no idea how long ago that battle took place. Cultivators seemed to have an extended life span and he had never asked how old Rubick was, so he didn’t have a time line.

Yet judging by the buildings in the Vermilion Flame sect alone, he could see the heavy influence of Chinese architecture present. Not only this, everyone’s names were traditionally Chinese, something that was no longer present on Earth.

Jayce himself was half Chinese, however his name was western. This was because of the structure change with the implementation of the world government, essentially removing borders and allowing people of all race and culture to travel and mix.

’Are there humans on other worlds besides Earth?’ Jayce thought inwardly. There would have to be, considering only 30 cultivators had survived that battle on Earth, even then they were all male.

Seeing Jayce caught up in his thoughts, Elder Qing cleared his throat.

"Ahem, so about becoming my disciple. This is the only way to hide what happened down here. I can say you had a breakthrough after I taught you the Divine Body Arts. With your foundation, it’s not too farfetched that you managed to break through."

Jayce pondered for a moment, before answering. "When you said I didn’t really have a choice, what did you mean?"

"Ah. Well, I can’t really divulge this information unless you agree to become my disciple." Elder Qing said, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

If he were to request any of the disciples to become his sole disciple, they would jump at the chance. Well perhaps not Xia, but it still hurt his pride a little that this boy was so reluctant.

"And why should I trust you?" Jayce asked, still yet to let his guard down.

Elder Qing let out a sigh, but he was confident his next words would have an effect. He waved his hand, sending Qi out to create a barrier around them to keep away prying ears.

"Because I already know about the invasion in 12 months time. In fact, I’m part of the forces who will come to Earth’s aid."

Jayce’s eyes widened, almost not believing his ears. This Elder was part of the forces Rubick was talking about? The ones that would return and fight alongside them when Earth’s barrier finally dispersed.

He fell to his knees and placed his head on the ground, kowtowing a moment later.

"Disciple greets Master." He said the words aloud, filled with conviction.

Elder Qing smiled, relishing in the moment. Now that he knew that Jayce was from Earth, he felt a strong connection. Perhaps it was because they were from the same world.

"Arise my disciple. Let’s head back for now, I need to notify the Sect Master that I’ve taken you as a disciple. Be sure not to speak a word of Earth, or what body arts you’re cultivating. I’ll find time to fill you in tomorrow." Elder Qing stated.

"Yes Master." Jayce said, getting to his feet.