Yun Huang set down his teacup, his gaze settling on Yun Qing's features, which had grown ever more relaxed under the cleansing breath of the Spirit Spring. Suddenly, he asked, "Never mind the Yun Clan for a moment. What about you?"
Yun Qing froze.
"You're already in the Late-Stage Immortal King Realm," Yun Huang reminded him.
Understanding dawned on Yun Qing, and he slowly nodded. "You mentioned it before, Brother Huang. Now that I've reached the Late-Stage Immortal King Realm, simply absorbing spiritual energy and cultivating diligently in seclusion won't help me break through to the Immortal Lord realm."
"What's missing when an Immortal King advances to Immortal Lord isn't power, but heart." Yun Huang's voice sounded especially clear and cool amid the Spirit Spring's mist. "You've cultivated too quickly along the way. Your foundation may be firm, but your temperament hasn't been tempered enough. You're like a piece of uncut jade: fine material, but still uncarved. No one can tell what it might ultimately become."
"Tempering the heart?"
"Temper your heart in the mortal world." Yun Huang rose and looked down at Yun Qing in the pool. The rippling light of the Spirit Spring reflected in his golden eyes, lending him a rare solemnity. "The path before you can no longer be opened simply by piling up spiritual power. Going to Great Zhou is perfect. There, you'll find the myriad faces of mortal life, struggles for power, choices between life and death, and human hearts unlike any you've encountered in the Yun Clan."
Yun Qing paused, deep in thought.
He recalled the stories from his previous life, where the protagonists often had to journey through the mortal world, experiencing the seven emotions and six desires, joy and sorrow, partings and reunions, before they could understand their true hearts and