People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Therefore, if you want to continue your cultivation, you have to fight against your body's instincts, which is commonly known as stepping out of your comfort zone and deliberately suffering.

Through tempering, the body absorbs a bit of Yin or Yang lightning, gradually integrating it from a point to a surface. When the time is right, one can directly enter the Grandmaster realm.

As for how long it will take, that depends on talent and aptitude.

Some, like the old Celestial Master, only need two or three years to get into the swing of things and directly step into the realm of a Grandmaster. Others take a lifetime, which is the fate of most half-step Grandmasters.

Now, in order to cultivate the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique, he has drawn lightning into his body, causing his Qi circulation to go astray.

In order to correct the disordered Qi, he chose to forcibly open the Bladder Meridian of Foot Taiyang. By chance, he left a bit of the Yang Thunder power from the Heavenly Thunder in his body, indirectly saving him several years of hard cultivation in the future.

What a surprise!

The next day, Cao Ze finished his cultivation with a refreshed and invigorated feeling.

After a night of adjustment, the Yang Lei was successfully retained within the body.

Incidentally, it also helped restore her swollen bladder, preventing prostate enlargement and the risk of her becoming a widow.

All of these factors, while not causing his cultivation level to increase dramatically, have made it much easier for him to reach the Grandmaster level.

As long as you follow the steps and practice diligently, you will naturally break through in time.

Cao Ze glanced at the bronze cage in the courtyard, which had been deformed by the lightning strike.

I had originally planned to try using heavenly lightning to cultivate, but now it seems that it's not very realistic.

He circulated his inner energy, activated his divine soul, and silently chanted in his heart.

"The Nine Heavens Mysterious Temple transforms into divine thunder, its majestic heavenly power drawn forth by the sword."

The sky, which had been clear and cloudless, was suddenly struck by a soft rumble of thunder.

Cao Ze immediately stopped.

It seems that the attempt to draw lightning into the body was indeed successful.

He could sense a connection, in the darkness, with the heavenly thunder hidden in the clouds above the nine heavens.

He roughly estimated that with his current internal strength, he could probably trigger a heavenly thunderbolt once.

However, whether they can control the heavenly lightning to attack and kill enemies remains to be seen.

Cao Ze went to Wang Dachui's blacksmith shop again and asked Wang Dachui to move the copper cage away.

This time, Wang Dachui was instructed to further refine the copper wire, making it as fine as knitting thread, so that it could be used to weave clothing.

He plans to have a set of golden-threaded robes made for himself, commonly known as lightning protection robes.

Wang Dachui looked troubled and said, "Sir, that's impossible."

He suggested, "Gold is soft, so it can be used to make threads for weaving clothes."

Cao Ze paused for a moment. Gold and copper have similar electrical conductivity, but the former is too expensive.

However, he could afford to have just one set of clothes made; he could simply have more made several more.

"Alright, let's use gold then, and keep the same purity as before."

"Also, find someone to recycle this bronze cage. Use the money to go to the Sun family's shop and have the best tailor make you a gold-embroidered robe. Understand?"

Wang Dachui rubbed his hands together excitedly and nervously, "I understand, I understand."

Don't underestimate this simple reselling; a few rounds can yield a profit of at least several dozen taels of gold.

After giving his instructions, Cao Ze went to the Zhao King's Palace.

He didn't have time to deal with trivial matters; with that time, he could have begged for alms from the courtesan several times over.

At this time, in Zhangtai Palace, Xianyang.

Ying Zheng held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand and chatted excitedly with Gai Nie.

"A talent for governing the country! A talent for governing the country!"

"Gai Nie, come with me to Handan. I wish to meet him privately!"

Gai Nie: "..."

Chapter 166 Qin State Talent Reserve Center

Gai Nie always believed that he had a very stable mindset.

But this time, I was truly speechless.

I really want to say, but I can't do it...

Gai Nie said seriously, "Your Majesty, you absolutely must not go there! That place is Handan, the capital of Zhao! If Your Majesty goes there incognito, and something happens to you, it will definitely have a significant impact..."

Ying Zheng gradually calmed down and sighed helplessly.

"Such great talent, yet he remains in Handan, is truly a waste of his potential."

"If I could obtain this man's assistance, unifying the world would be twice as easy with half the effort!"

Gai Nie nodded slightly.

Cao Ze's earlier discourse on the Six States, as well as his later discussions on logic and the philosophy of mind, were insufficient to stir Ying Zheng's emotions.

However, the publication of "Centralization and Productivity" kept Ying Zheng awake at night.

There was no other reason than that it had collided with something he had been thinking about but had never been able to figure out.

Since Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin state had been trying to implement centralized power.

But after a century of arduous pioneering work, there has never been a guiding light that could help successive emperors dispel the fog of uncertainty.

Even so, Qin still surpassed the other six states, crushed Wei, destroyed Qi, and crippled Zhao, becoming the strongest state in the world.

At this moment, Cao Ze was even more highly regarded than Han Fei in Ying Zheng's eyes.

After all, the law that Han Fei spoke of was only the law of one country.

Cao Ze's talk of centralized power gave him a glimpse of a prosperous future for the Qin state, lasting for thousands of years.

They are simply not comparable.

Ying Zheng paced back and forth in Zhangtai Palace, his brows furrowed.

"Gai Nie, do you think Cao Ze will serve the Zhao state?"

Gai Nie's expression was cold as he said, "This humble subject does not believe so."

"Oh? Why?"

Ying Zheng held the bamboo slips in his hand, but he did not believe that Cao Ze would serve the State of Zhao.

This article seems tailor-made for the Qin state. How could someone who could write such an article not see the situation of the Zhao state?

Gai Nie analyzed, "According to the intelligence gathered by Luo Wang, Cao Ze is a descendant of the military strategist Cao Gui and came from beyond the pass."

"He once spoke on the Six States in the court of Zhao, and lectured on Logic and Mind on the Hundred Schools Forum in Handan. He impressed the master of the School of Logic, Gongsun Longzi, and was admired by the disciples of the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"However, given his abilities, he has been in the Zhao state for half a year, yet he still has not entered the Zhao court. In my humble opinion, there are only two possibilities."

Ying Zheng's heart stirred slightly, and he smiled, "Please speak, Mr. Gai Nie."

He had guessed some of it, but he wanted to know if Gai Nie thought the same thing as him.

Gai Nie said, "Either this person's ambitions lie elsewhere in Zhao, or there are people within Zhao who do not want Cao Ze to enter the court."

Ying Zheng clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Among the seven kingdoms, apart from my Great Qin, which kingdom can disregard background and appoint people based solely on talent?"

Otherwise, the Qin state would not have made such important use of talents who came to Qin from the states of Wei and Zhao.

The states of Wei and Zhao would not be jokingly referred to by later netizens as Qin's talent reserve center.

Ying Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "From this moment forward, order Qin's spies in Zhao to investigate all of Cao Ze's movements, and to determine whether Cao Ze's ambitions lie elsewhere or for some other reason."

Gai Nie cupped his hands and said, "Yes!"

Ying Zheng once again began to study "Centralization of Power and Productivity" carefully.

He had lost count of how many times he had read it, and each time he finished reading it, he couldn't help but feel regretful that Cao Ze didn't say more, or get to the point.

But then he was relieved that Cao Ze hadn't made it clear, otherwise he would have regretted it if that old dog Zhao Yan had valued Cao Ze.

Cao Ze was unaware that he had already caught Ying Zheng's eye.

At this time, he was working diligently behind the scenes.

It must be said that the land of the Changhou family was very fertile, with abundant water and grass.

Cao Ze worked hard for a while before finally finishing the job.

The woman's face was flushed, and she smiled as she took out a ten-gold note.

"Sir, you've worked hard. Here's a reward of ten gold coins."

Cao Ze took it and stuffed it into his sleeve pocket.

With a serious expression, he said, "Please, Your Majesty, do not call me 'sir,' but 'my dear minister.'"

The Empress Dowager chuckled and said, "Good, good, my dear minister, you've worked hard."

"This way of playing is really interesting. What would you like to play for me next time, sir?"

Cao Ze thought to himself, "Screw acting, you idiot."

If it weren't for making a little money, who would play role-playing games with you?

"The Queen can act whatever she wants."

The queen twisted her body slightly, a hint of desire in her voice, and said, "I still want you to treat me like a lowly slave girl, as you did back then, to beat and scold me at will."

She wrapped her jade-like arms around Cao Ze's neck, her gentle and charming eyes flowing into Cao Ze's eyes.

"Sir, do you still dare?"

Cao Ze thought to himself, "A slut is a slut. Deep down, she just wants to be a dog. Even if she wears the skin of a queen, she still can't hide her dog-like nature."

"Then the Queen will need to rest for a few more days."

He wasn't afraid to do anything; he was just worried that if he killed the prostitute, he would have to run away.

The queen chuckled, "Let him be cared for, it's better than that deadbeat getting sick and never getting better."