Reversing the Milky Way

It was already afternoon when they got home. Yu Qing'an looked at Bai Cheng, who was dressed in a disheveled state, with concern. After spending the day together, he had sensed that the young man was not a treacherous villain. That was why, after rescuing him, he had taken him hunting spirit beasts to test his character. After all, there were many ill-intentioned people on this continent who needed to be constantly on guard, especially cultivators. If they had malicious intentions, it could be troublesome. Thinking of this, he stepped forward and patted Bai Cheng on the shoulder, saying, "I'm sorry about today. I needed to test you to see if you really had no cultivation. Go change your clothes, and I'll take you to take a bath."

Bai Cheng nodded and replied, "Uncle Yu, I understand what you mean."

Bai Cheng knew that it was inevitable that a stranger living in someone else's home would arouse suspicion, especially since he was someone of unknown origin. It would be a problem if the other party accepted him without hesitation, since this was not China, where there was no safe environment or laws.

Yu Qing'an looked at Bai Cheng and said, "Hey, just don't hold a grudge against me. Come with me."

After saying that, Bai Cheng put down the egg in his hand and followed Yu Qing'an into the side courtyard. As soon as he entered the side courtyard, Bai Cheng saw a chicken coop with a fence. Most of the chickens in the coop were lying down, while a few were walking around and occasionally pecking at the ground. These chickens were about the same size as the roosters on Blue Star. Seeing this, Bai Cheng couldn't help but think, "This is what chickens should be like."

At this moment, Yu Qing'an pointed to a side room and said, "That's it. You'll see when you go in."

Bai Cheng entered the house that Yu Qing'an had pointed out. Inside the house was a huge wooden basin, similar to a bathtub, next to which was a huge water storage tank covered with sheet metal. Underneath the wooden tank was a huge stone stove, which appeared to be used for heating.

After a while, Bai Cheng finished showering and came out to find that Yu Qing'an had already prepared the meal. At that moment, Yue Ling also returned home. Seeing Yue Ling return, Bai Cheng asked, "Yue Ling, what were you doing?"

After listening, Yu Qing'an said, "Yue Ling just came back from the school in town." Bai Cheng was curious and wanted to know what teachers were called in this cultivation world, so he asked, "What do they teach in that school?"

After hearing this, Yu Qing'an continued to respond: "After all, a school is just a school. In addition to teaching literacy, the instructors there also teach basic knowledge, such as recognizing herbs and spirit beasts, as well as some miscellaneous things in life."

After listening, Bai Cheng became curious and asked, "Didn't they teach you anything about cultivation?"

"Yes, there are, but most people don't have access to them. The highest level taught in the town's schools is Body Refinement. If you want to continue learning, you'll probably have to go to the academy in the city or a sect to learn the advanced stuff, which includes things like alchemy, weapon crafting, talismans, and formations."

After listening to Yu Qing'an's words, Bai Cheng pondered for a moment. He recalled that he had no ability to fight back when facing the phoenix-tailed chicken earlier that day. In this dangerous world, ordinary people have no means of self-defense, so he must start cultivating immediately.

Thinking of this, he raised his head heavily and said, "Uncle Yu, can I cultivate? I want to start cultivating immediately."

Yu Qing'an heard Bai Cheng's words, glanced at Bai Cheng, and said, "Wanting to cultivate is a good thing, but do you know why, even though almost everyone can reach the Body Refinement Realm, there are still many people who don't cultivate? Do you know why?"

After listening, Bai Cheng was also full of questions: "Why is that? Since everyone can reach the Body Refinement Realm, why do some people still choose not to cultivate?"

Yu Qing'an then explained, "To reach the Body Refinement Realm, you must first undergo Body Tempering. Body Tempering involves soaking in various herbs and undergoing continuous high-intensity training to increase your body's strength and endurance, leading to a qualitative leap. The time required varies depending on each person's physique; some may take less than a month while others may take several months. During this period, after intense training, you need to soak in medicinal baths every day, which will cause unbearable pain. When you can deliver a punch with the force of five cauldrons, it means you have entered the early stage of the Body Refinement Realm, and Body Tempering is complete."

After listening, Bai Cheng nodded: "And then what?"

"After that? After reaching the early stage of Body Refinement, you need to train continuously to improve your physical strength. Of course, if you take any rare and precious herbs or pills during this period, you can improve even faster. When you reach 10 cauldrons of strength, you will reach the middle stage of Body Refinement. When you reach 30 cauldrons of strength, you will reach the late stage of Body Refinement. You need to reach 50 cauldrons of strength to reach the Great Perfection stage. And one cauldron is equivalent to a thousand catties of strength."

Bai Cheng was stunned after hearing this, because according to Yu Qing'an, if one reached the Great Perfection of Body Refinement, the force of one punch would be 50,000 jin. What does that mean? That's 25 tons of force! If that hit someone, they would be sent flying across the Bridge of Helplessness.

At this moment, Bai Cheng asked excitedly, "When can I start cultivating?"

Yu Qing'an stroked his chin and replied, "How about this, I'll go to Yunluo Forest to gather herbs tomorrow, which will probably take three or four days. During this time, I'll trouble you to take care of Ling'er."

After listening, Bai Cheng immediately replied, "Okay, no problem."

After Bai Cheng and the others finished dinner, Yu Qing'an led Bai Cheng to the house in the side courtyard. "You'll sleep here from now on. You can feed the chickens and water the flowers and plants in the yard."

After listening, Bai Cheng nodded in agreement.

As night fell, Bai Cheng tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He reflected on the day's events, which had been far too numerous. He now had a general understanding of this world. Most of the animals were similar to those on Earth, the only difference being the presence of spiritual energy. This had caused the world's trajectory to shift. Without spiritual energy, this place would likely have gradually entered the technological age, much like Earth.

According to his understanding, it is currently the 5683rd year of the imperial calendar. There are seven countries on this continent. Although he doesn't know how this calendar is calculated, since it has been more than 5000 years and still maintains a development system based on spiritual energy, it is likely that it will continue to develop based on spiritual energy in the future.

Then he thought back to his time on Earth. Although he didn't know how he got here, now that he was here, he should forget everything that happened on Earth, since he didn't know if he would ever be able to go back. Thinking about this, he still couldn't sleep, so he got up and went to the courtyard for some fresh air.

The night in Yu Family Village was exceptionally peaceful. Bai Cheng sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky. The only sounds in the tranquil night were the chirping of insects among the flowers and grass, a sound that calmed the soul. If this were on Earth, it would be a paradise on earth. But this was just a village; one couldn't even imagine what a fairyland it would be like in a cultivation sect. Suddenly, a voice interrupted Bai Cheng's reverie.

"Why aren't you asleep so late?" Yu Qing'an slowly walked out of the house and sat down next to Bai Cheng. He looked into Bai Cheng's eyes as if he saw something, and then asked, "Missing home?"

"My hometown is too far away, so far that it's unreachable. I probably won't be able to go back in this lifetime." After saying that, Bai Cheng looked up at the stars in the sky and then asked, "What level of cultivation is required for a cultivator to leave this continent?"

After hearing this, Yu Qing'an began to explain: "Then you must cultivate diligently. I once heard an old man at the Opening Meridian Realm say that true great beings can move mountains and fill seas, and cleave stars and the moon. Although that's somewhat exaggerated, ten thousand years ago, there were peerless great beings who fought on the continent and shattered the entire continent. Our continent was called the Nebula Continent. In the capital, there are people from other continents who say that our continent is the largest of all the continents. As for why it's called the Nebula Continent, it seems that more than 5000 years ago, a star fell onto the continent. Many people saw it at the time." Thus, many cultivators began searching for the fallen star, leading to fierce battles and countless deaths. Some later claimed it was a peerless spiritual treasure, but no one ever found it. From that time on, the continent was called the Nebula Continent. No one had named it before. As for what cultivation level was required to leave this continent, I don't know, but rumors say that those from other continents traveled by giant spirit ships across the sea, taking months. It's unlikely they could fly there by human power, even at the Tonghai Realm.

Bai Cheng was taken aback after hearing this: "Then how can I test whether I have a cultivation physique?"

"Well, you'll only know when you reach the Great Perfection of Body Refinement. Once you reach the Great Perfection, your physical body will have been fully developed, and your physique will then be revealed."

After hearing Yu Qing'an's words, Bai Cheng replied, "It seems I'm thinking too early. Thank you for your explanation, Uncle Yu. I'm going back to sleep now." With that, Bai Cheng got up to go back to his room.

At this moment, Yu Qing'an continued, "By the way, when I'm not here tomorrow, you need to go to town to pick up Ling'er from school. Then, Ling'er will take you to town to have a look around."

After saying that, Bai Cheng waved and went back to his room to sleep. Bai Cheng slept soundly that night, and the dream did not occur.

The next morning, before Bai Cheng even got out of bed, he heard the door suddenly being pushed open. "Brother Bai, wake up!" Yue Ling cheerfully walked to Bai Cheng's bedside. Seeing the sleeping Bai Cheng, she gave him a hard nudge, but he didn't react. Seeing this, Yue Ling turned around, jumped up, and plopped down on top of Bai Cheng, who was sleeping on the bed. Bai Cheng, in his sleep, felt as if he had been hit by a car, and then quickly woke up. Only then did he see Yue Ling sitting on him.

"Ouch, my back! Why did I get up so early?" Bai Cheng said to Yue Ling on his body as he sat up.

“Your father has gone into the forest to gather herbs. Before he left, he specifically told me to come and supervise your daily life.”

Upon hearing Yue Ling's words, Bai Cheng sighed and said, "Alright, you go outside and wait for me."

After Bai Cheng finished speaking, Yue Ling skipped out of the room. After a quick wash and dressing, Bai Cheng also left the room, and Yue Ling took him to Wuling Town.

Wuling Town is located south of Yujia Village. It's a small town with a population of around 100,000, which would be comparable to half a small county town on Earth. People frequently pass by on the roads around the town, presumably from other villages or villagers returning from the town.

Bai Cheng observed them as they walked. They were all in a hurry, some in groups of three or five, others in groups of a dozen or more. Some were dressed in fine clothes, while others were dressed simply. Carriages passed by from time to time. Most of these carriages were carrying goods, and these people were probably going to town to sell their wares. Most of the goods carried were grain, fruits, and vegetables, while some carried livestock.

After traveling for about an hour, Bai Cheng saw a cluster of rather magnificent houses. These houses were clearly different from those in Yu Family Village. Although the houses in Yu Family Village were already quite nice, the difference was obvious when compared to these. Many of these houses had added attics on the original foundations, making them look quite grand.

Before long, Yue Ling led Bai Cheng to the north entrance of the town. There, they saw an archway about 30 meters apart, with stone pillars on both sides that were more than 5 meters high. The three large characters "Wuling Town" were written on it. The pillars on both sides were connected to stone walls that were 3 meters high, and these stone walls enveloped the entire Wuling Town.

At the town entrance, there were several people similar to those in Yu Family Village, all dressed in dark blue uniforms, checking passersby from time to time. Just then, Yue Ling led Bai Cheng forward, and one of the guards said, "Little Ling'er, who is this? He looks unfamiliar."

After listening, Yue Ling looked at Bai Cheng behind her and explained, "This is a distant relative of mine. He came with me to visit the town."

At this moment, another guard stepped forward and carefully examined Bai Cheng, occasionally taking out several portraits to compare with the person in front of him.

When Yue Ling saw this, her playful little face immediately showed displeasure: "Oh dear, I already told you this is a distant relative of mine."

At this moment, a guard at the gate said, "The area around town hasn't been very peaceful lately. A group of bandits from who-knows-where keeps coming to rob people coming and going. It's best to be careful." After checking Bai Cheng, he ordered his men to let him pass.

Upon entering the town, Bai Cheng saw a bustling street that stretched as far as the eye could see, with a remarkably smooth road surface. On both sides of the road, various vendors were hawking their wares, mostly fruits, vegetables, and other snacks, as well as all sorts of trinkets.

Bai Cheng had seen most of these things on Blue Star, except for some things unique to this world. Among them were various weapons, as well as vendors selling talismans and pets. Bai Cheng was now stunned by the dazzling array of goods. If a small town was this prosperous, how prosperous would the cities be? Moreover, the main cities here were divided into secondary and primary cities, and there was even an imperial capital.

Before Bai Cheng could think much about it, he saw Yue Ling trot out to a vendor selling candied hawthorns, take out a few copper coins to buy two skewers, and then bring the candied hawthorns to Bai Cheng and say, "I heard you say before that your hometown is in a very far place. I wonder if you have this kind of thing?" After saying that, she handed a skewer of candied hawthorns to Bai Cheng.

After taking the candied hawthorn in front of him, Bai Cheng examined it carefully. He saw that the fruit, which he couldn't identify, was coated with a layer of syrup. Bai Cheng immediately took a bite and found that the fruit was sweet with a slight sourness, tasting a bit like yogurt. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Mmm, delicious!"