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

"call!"

Cao Ze comprehended the power of heaven and earth, and his breathing became extremely regular.

The sensation between each breath is indescribable.

Soon, faint sounds of wind and thunder echoed in the West Garden, attracting Jingni and Lady Mingzhu to appear.

As for Madam Hu, having been disturbed early in the morning, she was still fast asleep on the bed, completely unaware of what was wrong outside.

"what?"

Madam Mingzhu said with some surprise, "His breathing..."

Jing Ni had already noticed that something was wrong with Cao Ze.

If you observe Cao Ze closely, you will find that as he breathes in and out, white breaths are emitted from his nostrils, like tiny white snakes.

Soon, Madam Mingzhu's alluring pink lips parted slightly, her charming and amorous eyes filled with disbelief.

Cao Ze's chest rose and fell with each breath, sometimes bulging and sometimes shrinking.

When it is bulging, it is like an inflated ball; when it is shriveled, it is like skin and bones.

It's absolutely appalling.

"...What's wrong with him?"

Although Lady Mingzhu longed to become stronger, she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about cultivation, so she was somewhat puzzled by Cao Ze's changes.

Jingni is knowledgeable and has learned many Taoist classics under the influence of Cao Ze.

"Refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit."

Jingni said, "He has already reached the Grandmaster level. Given time, breaking through to the Grandmaster level will be a natural outcome."

"...That easy?"

Madam Mingzhu held her breath for a long time, finding it hard to believe.

But when she thought about how this happened to Cao Ze, she felt that it was only natural.

Jing Ni said calmly, "It's not easy, and this path is very difficult."

"You should have heard of the 'Guigu Breathing Technique,' which is a method of refining essence into qi. When in contact with the power of heaven and earth, you use a specific breathing frequency to resonate with heaven and earth, thereby merging with heaven and earth more quickly, forming a cycle, and thus controlling the power of heaven and earth."

After she broke through to the Grandmaster level, looking back on her past path, she discovered that all paths lead to the same destination, only differing in difficulty or ease.

Jingni watched Cao Ze cultivate and knew that Cao Ze was using a breathing technique instead of simply circulating his internal energy and communicating with the power of heaven and earth as usual.

In her opinion, this breathing technique was extremely profound, no less advanced than the Guigu School's "Guigu Breathing Technique".

About an hour later, Cao Ze suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a white ribbon.

The white streak, like a white snake shooting out, left a trail in the air before crashing into the wall of Madam Hu's room with a loud "boom".

"what……"

Madam Hu suddenly woke up, looked at the trembling room, and exclaimed, "Earthquake!"

Startled, she disregarded everything else and ran out of the house, her clothes disheveled.

Cao Ze and the other two looked at Madam Hu, whose clothes were disheveled and revealed a large expanse of her cleavage.

Madam Hu stared blankly at Cao Ze and the other two, then stammered, "Was there... an earthquake?"

She initially thought it was an earthquake, but seeing that Cao Ze and the other two seemed unharmed, she couldn't help but wonder if she was still dreaming.

"Hehehe..."

Madam Mingzhu's eyes crinkled with laughter as she teased Madam Hu, "Madam Hu, are you still half asleep? Where's the earthquake?"

"Besides, even if there is an earthquake, Mrs. Hu should put her clothes on first."

Mrs. Hu then realized that she was only wearing underwear.

And Cao Ze had torn the underwear a little.

Even more horrifying, there was a pile of Cao Ze's white stuff on her underwear.

Madam Hu blushed instantly, covered her face and ran back into the room, clutching the quilt and refusing to let go.

Jingni didn't care about Madam Hu being teased by Madam Mingzhu. She looked at Cao Ze and asked in a low voice, "Do you feel anything?"

Cao Ze looked at Jing Ni, who was as beautiful as a lotus in clear water, and chuckled, "Of course I feel something, a strong feeling. Let's go inside and talk."

Jing Ni rolled her eyes at Cao Ze, clearly aware of the hidden meaning in his words.

"Be honest, are you about to break through?"

Lady Mingzhu quietly pricked up her jade-like ears, equally curious about whether Cao Ze had made a breakthrough.

Cao Ze coughed lightly, "I've broken through, but I haven't really broken through."

Madam Mingzhu couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by 'both breakthrough and not breakthrough'?"

Jing Ni understood.

"Has the internal energy within your body merged with the power of heaven and earth?"

Cao Ze nodded slightly, "That's right. The rest is just a matter of patience and perseverance. Once the power of heaven and earth and internal energy form a cycle, that's when you can master the power of heaven and earth and step into the realm of a grandmaster."

Thanks to the large amount of natural energy he absorbed in Feng Hou Tomb, he was spared several months of arduous cultivation.

This allowed him to grasp some of the mysteries of the power of heaven and earth ahead of time, successfully merging the power of heaven and earth with his own internal energy to form... well, magic power.

Cao Ze felt that calling it internal energy was no longer appropriate.

At the same time, he also realized why the ancient people were so powerful.

Not only is the energy between heaven and earth abundant, but there are also likely methods to directly cultivate magical power.

The breathing technique he just used was an ancient breathing technique that had been passed down for a long time and was basically unpracticed in Longhu Mountain.

It's simple, because it's useless.

No matter how hard you try to inhale, you can't absorb the energy between heaven and earth. It's better to cultivate internal strength and other powers that are generated within the body.

Jing Ni nodded slightly, looking at Cao Ze with some envy.

The reason she reached the Grandmaster level so quickly was simply because she had accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience before finally unleashing it.

How long has Cao Ze been a half-step Grandmaster?

It's been less than a year, all told.

They can break through to the Grandmaster level in at most two years, or even a year and a half, which would place them among the top cultivators over the past few hundred years.

Of course, it's incomparable to freaks like Confucius and Lao Tzu who broke through to the level of Grandmaster or even Celestial Being without any deliberate cultivation.

"Shh!"

A white-clad figure landed in the courtyard.

"gentlemen!"

Yingge knelt on one knee and said, "Zi Nu is looking for you. Would you like to see her?"

Cao Ze asked, "What does she want from me?"

Yingge respectfully said, "Two days ago, Her Highness Consort Ya wanted to host a banquet for you and Master Kuangxiu at Zilan Pavilion, and Zinu agreed to Her Highness Consort Ya's request."

"Today, Zi Nu sent me to search for your whereabouts."

Cao Ze asked curiously, "Is Kuang Xiu in Xinzheng?"

He really didn't know that.

Ever since Kuang Xiu left Xianyang without saying goodbye, he has lost all contact with the old man, as if he had disappeared from the world.

Unexpectedly, it happened in Xinzheng.

What a coincidence!

This suddenly reminded him of a great achievement he had secretly wanted to help Kuang Xiu accomplish—a naked run across seven kingdoms.

Having already checked in Handan and Xianyang, now that he's in Xinzheng, Kuang Xiu has no reason not to do a naked run in Xinzheng, South Korea, as a photo op.

"Yes, sir, Kuang Xiu is currently in the Han King's Palace."

"Tsk tsk, I understand now, it must be because of Han Fei."

Cao Ze knew exactly what kind of person Han Fei was. Back when he and Cheng Jiao buried Han Fei, they asked him for a wooden tablet and a gold tablet, but this guy had the nerve to ask for a wine cup instead.

Yingge replied with a glance, "Yes, it was indeed His Majesty who kept Kuang Xiu. It is said that the two hit it off immediately."

Cao Ze was both amused and exasperated. It would be strange if Han Fei, upon meeting a fellow like Kuang Xiu who loved to drink heavily, didn't find common ground in alcohol and instantly become friends.

"Okay, I got it. I'll be there in a bit... um?"

Cao Ze suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Did Zi Nu send you to find me because she suspects you? Or is it just a coincidence?"

Very few people know that Yingge is one of his people.

Even Ji Wuye only thought that Yingge, like Moya and Baifeng, had joined Han Fei's Quicksand.

Yingge was startled and quickly said, "Yingge has absolutely no intention of betraying you, sir!"

Cao Ze waved his hand and said, "I will not show myself for the time being, so as not to arouse Zi Nu's suspicion."

"Let's wait until tomorrow. I'll go to the palace to see Han Fei tomorrow. You should leave now."

Yingge hesitated for a moment, then bowed and left.

Madam Mingzhu yawned softly and asked, "How long do you plan to stay in Xinzheng?"

"I no longer wish to stay in Xinzheng."

She walked up to Cao Ze, her eyes alluring, and said, "I would like to stay at your residence in Xianyang, is that alright?"

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "You are no longer the Queen of Korea, so why do you still call me 'Empress'?"

Madam Mingzhu said dismissively, "I'm used to it, I can't change how I address you."

Immediately, she narrowed her beautiful eyes and said with a playful smile, "When you were teasing me, did I refer to myself as 'this palace' or 'I'? Which one made you feel better?"

Cao Ze coughed lightly, thinking to himself, "Of course role-playing is more interesting."