Secret Art Bestowment, Epiphany

"Me?" Di Tian pointed at himself quizzically.

Fang Ao remained where he was, unresponsive.

"He should come with you for what exactly?" Jiang Po started a tirade. Di Tian abruptly cut his friend short when he sensed the cultivator's vibe turn murderous.

"It's alright, I'll go with you," Di Tian said, signaling at Jiang Po to stand down. Sharply, he got to his feet and followed the man out of the cabin.

Jiang Po was barely appeased but kept his cool, following their exit with his eyes.

"Fatty," Huang Shang suddenly leaned forward to whisper in his ears, "Should we take the opportunity to activate the escape plan now?"

"Of course not, we've not planned it out properly yet," Jiang Po suddenly realized something and became incensed. "Also, why the hell are you referring to me as Fatty? My name is Jiang Po!!!"

"Oh, don't be mad, Fatty," Huang Shang said with surprising sarcasm, startling Jiang Po. What happened to the meek and reticent teenager from before?

*******

"He doesn't look like he's much older than me," Di Tian mused to himself, stealing multiple glances at Fang Ao as they walked down the compact corridor. 

Fang Ao noticed his scrutiny but ignored it. Unlike Chen Qingke, he didn't care much about interacting with "trash"– his umbrella term for mortals and cultivators weaker than himself. If not for the fact that he wanted to verify a conjecture, he normally wouldn't bother sparing a mortal like Di Tian as much as a single glance.

Of course, Di Tian caught on to Fang Ao's superiority complex, subconsciously developing a slight distaste for this cultivator himself.

Fang Ao stopped in front of his cabin and retrieved his entrance token to unlock the door. It shook for a split second and the restrictions were lifted.

"Come in," he said to Di Tian. Di Tian felt uneasy but entered anyway.

"Sit," Fang Ao sat on a grey duvet and gestured at Di Tian to settle down opposite him. 

Di Tian took his seat and felt a calm sensation fill his mind instantly. He already knew from Chen Qingke that these duvets were called meditation pillows and had an effect of calming the mind.

Fang Ao waved a hand and some teaware appeared between them. He proceeded to indulge himself in preparing some tea, seemingly forgetting Di Tian altogether.

"Okay, what does he want?" Di Tian thought to himself as he watched, feeling strange. Surely, the cultivator didn't just call him to his private chamber to show him how he made his tea?

But Di Tian soon got lost in Fang Ao's meticulous performance. Something about the process was enthralling, and without warning, he fell into a trance.

Fang Ao noticed immediately and smiled, thinking to himself, "I wasn't wrong, the mortal is special."

The tea ceremony he was performing was not simple . It hid a mystery that could only be unlocked under certain conditions.

These condition was rather straightforward; one had to be exceptionally attuned to the Dao, as well possess enhanced perceptivity. The latter condition wasn't in the sense of having a Divine Sense for example, but more of an intrinsic quality. 

The origin of the tea ceremony was a secret organization he belonged to, the Taboo Order. All the members were similar in a sense; they did not necessarily possess the best cultivation talents, but their comprehension speed and law affinity talents were top notch.

The tea ceremony was specially modified to hide the essence of a special cultivation method they all cultivated. Fortunately for Di Tian, his present state of epiphany allowed him to subconsciously gain insights into it.

The moment Fang Ao finished preparing the tea, Di Tian snapped out of the trance.

"Drink," Fang Ao pushed a cup in front of him. Now that Di Tian was fully awake, he was back to acting nonchalant.

"He intentionally performed that ceremony to pull me into the trance. But why?," Di Tian analyzed, sinking into his thoughts. He didn't exactly understand what he had gained during his trance, but his something told him it was invaluable. 

Judging from Fang Ao's stoic expression though, Di Tian sensed that the cultivator did not want him mentioning the incident. 

"Maybe he's wary about prying eyes or something," Di Tian decided to play along. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip.

Instantly, a blend of delectable flavors exploded in his taste buds. Di Tian subconsciously shut his eyes, as if to savor the taste better.

"Two stalks of Nine Tails Grinderma Herb, nine drops of Immortal Spring Dew and a sprinkle of Red Earth Paprika," Fang Ao spoke at this moment. "The ingredients must be added to several scoop of spirit water in a particular order at successive intervals. Do you understand?"

"I....don't?" Di Tian said uncertainly, not sure exactly what he was supposed to understand.

Fang Ao gave him a blank stare.

*****

Two minutes later, Di Tian re-entered the main cabin where the others were.

"Remember the instructions," Fang Ao said to him before leaving. Di Tian nodded dazedly.

"What happened, why were you taken away?" Huang Shang beat Jiang Po to ask first as Di Tian sat on the floor.

"To drink tea," Di Tian said simply.

"Tea?" Jiang Po felt he had caught on to something. "It took about five minutes, don't tell me–"

"What's the hell is going on in your rotten mind?"Di Tian interrupted, giving his friend a deadly glare. "Look, I'm as confused as you are, but it really was just tea."

Jiang Po nodded. Beside him, Huang Shang prodded, "Do you reckon they'll let us out soon?"

"I really don't know," Di Tian said honestly. He was still pondering on Fang Ao's strange actions, feeling he was missing some critical detail. 

At this moment, his mind passively conjured Fang Ao's tea ceremony, overlapping the mental replay in sync with the specific preparation instructions the former had mentioned earlier. As he did so, he suddenly felt a rising heat from his stomach.

Within his body, a minor circulation started to form in his meridians.