Yao Shen had not allowed himself to reveal any outward sign of weakness during his excursion with Patriarch Lei Weiyuan, but now, in the privacy of his quarters, he sighed wearily before slumping against a plush divan’s cushioned side,

His soul still ached lightly from repeatedly forming Divine Sense Brands in short succession and few, if anyone at all, knew the toll his Human Dao Domain left upon his mind. There was indeed a reason why Yao Shen opted to take a break each time he ‘died’ during the unsealing process, the mystique behind its inner mechanisms less… impressive then one might assume.

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a state of meditative rest, giving his soul time to recover from the exertion.

His rest turned out to be more short-lived than he had hoped, the first rays of sunlight cascading through the windowpane, gently rousing him awake. A bleary-eyed Yao Shen blinked away the exhaustion he felt, cycling Water Qi through his body for a burst of rejuvenation.

Before they parted yesterday, he had already informed Lei Weiyuan to make arrangements for the conclave. In a few hours from now, a Guardian would lead them to the chosen premises, likely to be the Flame Patriarch’s residence itself.

Yao Shen withdrew a few sheets of papyrus and a sharpened piece of charcoal from his spatial ring before he began to sketch out schematics with unnerving precision.

After all, he had preparations to make.

It was, in fact, Flame Patriarch Lei Weiyuan who had arrived personally to escort the contingent from the Sky Division.

His personage was not required for such a trivial task, but Yao Shen took it as an acknowledgement of their improved relationship.

And his arrival made things more convenient, for he was in no mood to slowly walk through the streets of the administrative district out of consideration for the guardian escorting them.

They took to the skies at Yao Shen’s behest, reducing an hour’s walk to a matter of minutes, as they directly alighted upon the sixth floor of a grandiose pagoda, easily the most imposing structure in the residential district.

It may be a far cry from his own Silveni’s Heirloom, but not every sect could boast a Soul Emperor Level Construct as their Patriarch’s residence.

A strong aroma of tea leaves suffused the well-lit room, an ornate teapot resting upon a short-legged table the source of the redolent fragnance. It reminded Yao Shen of the first rains of the monsoon season back on Earth, the petrichor emanating from the wet grass rejuvenating and soothing to his soul— as if Mother Nature herself were expressing her love for the world.

Plush cushions were placed equidistantly on either side of the table, the Elders from the Sacred Flame Palace that were considered qualified to attend this meeting already seated in a cross-legged position.

Yao Shen took his seat in the center, and the two Patriarch’s sat opposite him. The remaining contingent from the Sky Division seated themselves on Yao Shen’s side, paying no particular heed to the order.

Silence permeated in the room as the venerable members in attendance waited for tea to be served. Yao Shen took a moment to examine a vivid mural that was painted directly upon a wall, covering its entire length. It depicted the blurry silhouette of a cultivator dressed in crimson robes, wielding a flaming sickle that stretched on for double the height of a mortal man, arrayed against what seemed to be an entire legion of cultivators dressed in deathly black robes.

At first glance, it seemed to be the depiction of an over-exaggerated tale but.. the choice of weapon gave him some pause. A sickle was extremely unwieldy in actual combat and across his years, Yao Shen had barely seen any cultivator of note utilizing it, even for experimentation.

His momentary distraction ended as a young girl entered the room, wearing a simple green kimono and ceremonial sandals. She held a tray in her hands that held glazed clay cups that had been recently heated, placing them before each of the elders with practised motions. Then, she reached for the teapot before pouring tea with blurring motions, filling each cup till the three-fourth mark before moving to the next.

The reason behind her haste soon became evident, as the moment the lukewarm tea made contact with the cup it began to rapidly froth and bubble up. What was scalding hot for mortals could only be considered warm for cultivators, so Yao Shen reached for the cup after scanning it for poison with his Divine Sense.

The art of True Poison brewing was supposed to be lost to time, but after unsealing his first Origin Treasure he did not have the same level of confidence in what ‘most cultivators’ believed to be true. Either way, caution did not hurt.

Yao Shen took one long sip from his cup, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes. He took another sip. It was as if liquid silk flowed his gullet, words alone seemingly insufficient to describe how preternaturally smooth the tea was. Warmth spread throughout his body, his breathing suddenly feeling cleaner, lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. The world, or atleast his perception of it seemed more… optimistic, brighter in a sense.

For a moment, it was as if the sins of a lifetime of cultivation had washed away, leaving behind only purity.

It was a facade, but one he allowed to influence himself. If only for a little while.

Then the sensation faded, seemingly receding as quick as it had begun influencing him. Yao Shen realized that his cup was empty as the magical sensation left him.

“What is tea called?” Yao Shen asked, his tone one of appreciation.

“Cloud Tea, Grand Patriarch,” One of the Elders replied.

A light chuckle escaped him, before he replied, “A fitting name, indeed. Good Tea.”

His words seemed to act as a signal, as the contingent from the Sky Division offered their compliments after him. Even the Earth Patriarch, Kang Long, seemed to be impressed by the Cloud Tea.

The Flame Division had not held back in its hospitality.

Now that the pleasantries were over, gazes slowly began to shift to Yao Shen, waiting for him to speak.

“On this day, representatives from the Sky Division, namely myself and Elder Meili Zhu, the Flame Division, namely Patriarch Lei Weiyuan and the Elders of the Flame Divison and finally, from the Earth Division, Patriarch Kang Long, are all present. I would like to commence today’s proceedings with a Dao Discourse.”

A Dao Discourse was a clash of ideals, where one’s status and qualifications held no meaning, only the weight behind their words. The Cultivators present exchanged confused glances at Yao Shen’s proclamation. On one hand, Dao Discourse’s could be immensely beneficial to weaker cultivators, who could compete with their comprehension of the Dao— giving them the chance to learn from their opponent.

However, at the Nascent Soul Level, one did not simply trade secrets so easily, especially when the relationship between the three divisions was so….tenuous.

Lei Weiyuan was the only one who remained unperturbed, having gained a deeper understanding of Yao Shen’s methods and goals.

“Grand Patriarch Yao Shen, what Dao shall serve as the topic for the discourse?”

Yao Shen gave the Flame Patriarch a searching glance, before a sly smile made its way to his face.

“Human Dao.”