"It really worked!"
Seeing his ranking, Qin Wudao let out a sigh of relief; he no longer needed to worry about drawing attention.
Before long, the ministers who had been in seclusion within the fragnts of the Immortal Realm began to erge. Their eyes all turned towards the Immortal Ranking. Upon spotting Qin Wudao’s rank, a trace of doubt appeared on their faces. They all knew of Qin Wudao’s talent; logically, he shouldn’t have been so far behind!
His rank had plumted by over three hundred places all at once!
Facing everyone’s doubtful gazes, Qin Wudao announced, "Everyone, go back and rest. We’ll convene a court assembly tomorrow!" Without offering an explanation, he turned and left.
"We respectfully bid Your Majesty farewell!"
The civil and military ministers saluted. Only after Qin Wudao had departed did they leave in groups. The most discussed topic, of course, was how many cultivation realms they had broken through.
「 」
Just like Qin Wudao, all the prodigies on the continent, upon erging from their seclusion, imdiately looked at the Immortal Ranking to find their own positions.
"Damn it! I’m already a Third-Turn Saint Monarch, so why am I only ranked 390th?" a prodigy in the North Territory exclaid, extrely dissatisfied after seeing his rank. The joy from his breakthrough was significantly diminished, and he grew despondent.
Without comparison, there is no disparagent!
"Hmph! Dongfang Zhantian, just wait! Next ti, this Young Master will definitely defeat you!" a cold voice, brimming with intense battle intent, echoed through the Void from within the Lin Family Saint Clan.
From a mysterious valley, a black-robed youth sneered, "Foolish! With Dongfang Zhantian’s talent, how could he possibly break through six realms? He most likely hasn’t refined his Spiritual Energy. He’s in for a rough ti when he reaches the Quasi-emperor Realm if he doesn’t lay a solid foundation now!" The youth wore a hood that obscured his face, revealing only a pair of pure white eyes—terrifyingly stark.
What kind of eyes were these?
Stark white, cold, noble, and utterly devoid of emotion.
Furthermore, the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from his body were vastly different from those of ordinary martial artists; they were much stronger.
This person was the Soul Martial Ancestor!
A prodigy from a sacred land in the South Territory proclaid coldly, "It seems I must find an opportunity to eliminate Dongfang Zhantian. Not just anyone is qualified to occupy the top spot on the Immortal Ranking!"
There were quite a few prodigies who shared his sentint. Their gazes turned malevolent when they saw Dongfang Zhantian’s na.
At this very mont, Dongfang Zhantian, the subject of countless discussions, was kneeling in the ancestral shrine of the Nine-Tiered Saint’s Court. Waves of an Eighth-Turn Saint Monarch’s fluctuations emanated uncontrollably from him.
"Father Emperor, I’ve already achieved first place on the Immortal Ranking and surpassed all other talents. Why do you still punish ?" Dongfang Zhantian said defiantly to Emperor Dongfang, who stood before him.
Emperor Dongfang, his face grim, angrily berated, "Your aura is superficial, your foundation unstable, and yet you have the gall to ntion first place? How do We usually instruct you? To solidify your foundation, refine your Spiritual Energy, and never to force a breakthrough out of ambition! And you? You cast Our admonishnts to the wind, obsessed with grand achievents! To seize the top spot on the Immortal Ranking, you focused solely on breakthroughs, completely disregarding your unstable foundation!"
Dongfang Zhantian shrank back and lowered his head, not daring to refute.
After rebuking him for a while, Emperor Dongfang commanded in a deep voice, "During this period, you are to properly refine your Spiritual Energy. Until you have completely stabilized your Eighth-Turn Saint Monarch realm, you are forbidden from leaving this ancestral shrine!"
"Father Emperor..." Hearing he couldn’t leave, Dongfang Zhantian looked up. He started to speak, but a fierce glare from Emperor Dongfang silenced him, and he imdiately lowered his head again.
"Protector," Emperor Dongfang commanded coldly, "you will watch him for Us. If he dares to run off, there’s no need to report—just break his legs directly!" With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and departed.
Ripples ford in the Void, and a gray-robed Emperor-level martial artist materialized, standing guard at the ancestral shrine’s entrance like a wooden statue, utterly silent.
「The next day!」
The Ancient Court of the Qin Dynasty, Imperial Palace!
Qin Wudao sat on the imperial throne, refreshed. He observed the cultivation levels of the ministers below, nodding in satisfaction.
Before him lay a dossier detailing the current powerhouses of the Ancient Qin Court. In total, there were six Emperor-level martial artists, including two ancient Great Emperor martial artists: Li Yuanba and Huo Qubing.
Then there were the ordinary Emperor-level martial artists: Xiao He, Guo Jia, Zhao Yun, and Lv Bu.
It was worth noting that after Guo Jia broke through to the Emperor level, his lifespan extended by another ten years, granting him a total of seventeen years left.
Below them were the Semi-Emperor martial artists, of which there were quite a few, including Jia Xu, Zhuge Liang, Li Ru, Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Yue Fei, Huang Zhong, the Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun, and others.
There were over sixty Semi-Emperor martial artists in total!
As for Saint Monarch martial artists, they were as nurous as hairs on an ox, numbering in the tens of thousands.
Zhuge Liang stepped forward. "Your Majesty, thanks to the protection of the ’Five Elents Spirit Beads,’ the nation hasn’t suffered any natural disasters. The populace remains unaffected, their cultivation has greatly improved, and many commoner Saint Monarch martial artists have erged..." Due to the short tifra, he couldn’t provide specific numbers, so he gave a brief report.
"Good!" Qin Wudao nodded in approval.
After Zhuge Liang finished his report, Xiao He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, the response to the edict for city-wide cultivation indicates that the people in the regions west of the Great Bright Domain have not yet fully pledged their loyalty to the court. We must guide them with policy!"
Qin Wudao frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Minister Xiao, do you have any good suggestions?" As a monarch, he naturally hoped for the complete allegiance of his people and deeply disliked those who defied the court’s orders.
Xiao He stated solemnly, "Your Majesty, we can employ a combination of benevolence and authority. We can increase the labor demands on the people west of the Great Bright Domain as a form of punishnt, while simultaneously providing them with appropriate compensation!"
This thod was indeed feasible, Qin Wudao mused, but it was too ti-consuming. Changing a person’s mindset is a complex process. As the saying goes, a leopard can’t change its spots!
At this mont, Guo Jia stepped forward with a faint smile. "Your Majesty, this subject has a thod!"
"Oh? Let’s hear it!" Qin Wudao asked quickly. In terms of strategy, Guo Jia was far superior to Xiao He, often leaning towards ruthless thods that yielded swift results.
Guo Jia leisurely explained, "Your Majesty, this subject suggests implenting a grading system! The Qin Dynasty will inevitably conquer more territories in the future. We need to win the hearts of the people in newly acquired regions in the shortest possible ti! Instead of passively winning their loyalty, we should make them *want* to be loyal, even *crave* it! We can grade regions; the higher the grade, the more resources and better treatnt they enjoy. Conversely, those in the lowest-graded regions will bear heavy labor and taxes! This way, if the people wish for a better life, they will have no choice but to pledge their loyalty!"
Guo Jia’s voice echoed through the grand hall, sending a chill down the spines of many. The plan was undoubtedly effective, but it would also cause many to live a life worse than death.
Xiao He quickly objected, "Unacceptable! This plan is far too cruel to the people!"
Guo Jia stated firmly, "Heh heh. For those who do not pledge their loyalty to the court, it matters little if our thods are ruthless. Even if we were to defeat and kill them, the court would suffer no loss. Anyone not loyal to the Qin Dynasty is no citizen of Qin!"
Many in the hall fell into contemplation; there seed to be so truth to his words. Indeed, what use were those disloyal to the state?
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