Xuanyuan Mingjing looked at Shen Xinglan and spoke, "Your family background is too good, born into privilege, having everything you want and desiring nothing that doesn’t come your way."
"And on top of that, innate brilliance, nourished since birth with all sorts of Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasures to strengthen your foundation and cultivate your Qi, receiving guidance from famous teachers at the age of three, and by seven, you were already able to sense the Yin Yang Qi..."
"Later on, you were invited by me to enter the White Crane Academy, where everything went smoothly for you, blessed by auspicious stars... In this world, there is almost nothing that could trouble you..."
"That is very good, as it allows you to cultivate without the troubles of mundane life, undistracted by worldly burdens, wholly focused on breaking through realms... Your achievements in cultivation, breaking numerous records one after another, owe much to this..."
"However, there is a fatal problem. Without experiencing life and death, one cannot speak of life. Without enduring storms, how can one see the rainbow?"
"The path of cultivation is difficult at the first step and every step thereafter; each step is harder than the last. Dean Si is betting that you will enter the Grandmaster Realm before the age of thirty, but I am not so sure..."
"It has nothing to do with your talent or effort, but rather with a lack of life experience... Without life experience, without having encountered life or death situations, not understanding the warmth or coldness of human relationships, not feeling love, nor having hatred in your heart, without a heart that seeks, how can you break into the Grandmaster Realm?"
"So, the master has brought me a catfish?" Shen Xinglan asked out loud.
"Correct." Xuanyuan Mingjing neither denied nor hesitated and replied, "Have you discovered that he possesses many things you do not?"
"I have." Shen Xinglan said, "A fierce will to survive and undisguised ambition..."
"Yes. And the courage to take the lead and the wit to strategize..." Xuanyuan Mingjing looked at Shen Xinglan and said, "Everything you have was given to you by others. The food you like to eat, the clothes you like to wear, even I, your master..."
"You are too proud, thinking all that you have is nothing special. You don’t deign to compete, too disdainful to engage..."
"But he is different; he knows very well what he wants and knows he must fight with all his might for it, even risking his life..."
"Why does he dare to stand out and say he wants me as his seat teacher? Because he knows that if he doesn’t speak up, there will be no chance at all..."
"Why does he dare to defy my orders, choosing to hack my grapevines to smithereens rather than lose to you? Because he knows if he doesn’t show me his strength, he might miss this hard-won opportunity again..."
"Of course, I think you understand this, and that’s why you willingly admitted defeat, consuming his Sword Qi with your own Fist Power..."
"Yes." Shen Xinglan nodded and admitted, "When the master invited him into the grape courtyard, I understood the master’s intention... Master wants to give me a catfish, and I myself also need this catfish... Therefore, I am willing to let him have his way."
"The anger of a common man can spatter blood five steps, but an emperor’s anger can leave a million corpses... One must possess the spirit of a hero and hot-blooded vigor..."
"A martial cultivator who lives aloof from worldly affairs, lacking aggression, is not a good thing. You must compete, strive for fame, for gain, for being the best in the world..."
"I hope that after he comes, you will truly understand what you desire... To transcend the mundane, you must first immerse yourself in it. Without entering the world, how can you transcend it?"
"Fortunately, he possesses a medicine that can cure the arrogance within you..."
"Go, make good use of this catfish," Xuanyuan Mingjing said.
"Yes, Master." Shen Xinglan lay prostrate on the ground, emotionally said: "Your disciple will surely put forth every effort, not to let down your painstaking care."
"I hope you win," Xuanyuan Mingjing sipped his tea contentedly, reclining in the wicker chair, and said, "Otherwise, you’ll become that catfish."
Lying on the ground, Shen Xinglan’s body trembled at the words.