Reversing the Milky Way

Just as Bai Cheng was complaining, he heard a knocking sound at the door.

When Bai Cheng opened the door, he was surprised to find that it was Xu Zemin.

"Well... Butler Xu, is there something you need so late?"

Xu Zemin entered the room and immediately closed the door. Bai Cheng could see a hint of excitement on his face.

"Young friend Bai Cheng, it's like this. In view of your performance today, I reported your situation to the family. After hearing about it, the Lin family also extended an invitation to you, wanting to bring you under their wing. That's why I'm the one extending the invitation. I wonder what young friend Bai Cheng thinks?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng also sighed slightly.

"Well, Manager Xu, let me be frank. I came to Baifeng City this time to enter Baigong Academy, so I appreciate your kind intentions."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zemin stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"What? You say you want to get into the White House Academy! It's good that young people have the ability and qualifications, but that doesn't mean you can have unrealistic dreams. Although next month is the date for the White House Academy to recruit students, that doesn't prove that you can get into the White House Academy."

Bai Cheng was slightly taken aback after hearing this. However, he already had the jade token given to him by Bai Muwan as a guarantee, so entering the White Palace Academy should be a sure thing. But he still wanted to learn more.

"Oh? So, Manager Xu knows a lot about the White House Academy?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zemin slowly began to explain.

"Hehe, although I am not a subordinate of the Bai family, I know the rules of the White Palace Academy very well. The White Palace Academy is an academy for training cultivators. The academy enrolls students every three years, with less than a hundred students enrolled each season. Among the students enrolled each season, each cultivation family takes up ten spots, and these ten spots are guaranteed admission. As long as you enter the academy, you can become a formal student of the academy."

Bai Cheng was also somewhat puzzled after hearing this.

"Official trainees? Are there unofficial trainees too?"

"Good! Apart from these ten officially recruited students, the rest of the selected students will have to go through a one-year assessment period. Only after you meet the assessment goals can you officially enter the White House Academy. Otherwise, you will lose your qualification and can only apply again in the next recruitment season."

Bai Cheng was also taken aback when he heard this.

"This doesn't make sense, does it? The White House College looks so big on the map. They're only recruiting less than a hundred people over three years? That's way too few!?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zemin let out a deep breath. He looked at Bai Cheng, his expression indescribable.

"Since you possess a cultivation physique, you should also know that people with cultivation physiques are extremely rare, one in a hundred. The permanent population of White Maple City is over six million, and due to the underground spiritual veins, the number of cultivators far exceeds sixty thousand. Of these, over ninety percent remain at the Qi Condensation Realm, while only a little over a hundred have broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm, and only the current City Lord is at the Ocean Connecting Realm."

As he said this, a hint of sadness appeared on Xu Zemin's face.

"Cultivation spans countless years, and enlightenment takes countless springs. Those who reach the Opening Meridian Realm, aside from those with exceptional talent and cultivation, are all over a hundred years old. The White Palace Academy is backed by the royal family. Although the old city lord is now the academy's dean, he cannot change some of the academy's rules. Moreover, the academy is not a place for leisurely retirement. To select cultivators, if you cannot prove your worth, you will be eliminated. Those who graduate from the academy are generally valued and directly assigned to various institutions, while even the lowest-ranking are assigned to villages as garrison commanders."

Hearing this, Bai Cheng suddenly thought of Xuan Taiming, who had previously served as the garrison commander of Yu Family Village, and said, "However, if his cultivation level is only at the early stage of Qi Condensation Realm, is it too much of a stretch to let him take on a position? Especially as the garrison commander of a village."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zemin also sighed.

"Alas, in the path of cultivation, who can truly predict aptitude? Some people clearly demonstrate a talent for cultivating spiritual energy early on, but their progress slows down after reaching the Qi Condensation realm. Aside from piling on cultivation resources, there seems to be no other way. Such individuals are not uncommon among cultivators. However, if someone's aptitude is clearly lacking, yet they still manage to enter the White Palace Academy, it can only be attributed to a powerful cultivator within their family. If they have a descendant at the Tonghai realm, then naturally, they must be given face. If their family has a Kaimai realm expert, they can also send a small gift. But if they are only at the Qi Condensation realm, then perhaps the proper procedures must be followed."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng couldn't help but ponder it.

"But is it really necessary to go through so much trouble? If there are experts in the family at the Opening Meridian Realm, they can easily guide your cultivation. Why bother going to an academy?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zemin's expression also became somewhat solemn.

"That's because there's a Spirit Tower in White Maple City that only students of the White Palace Academy can enter."

Bai Cheng was clearly taken aback when he heard this.

"The Earth Spirit Tower?"

"That's right, the Earth Spirit Tower! There are five floors in total. Each floor represents a cultivation paradise with a different concentration of spiritual energy."

Bai Cheng was also taken aback upon hearing this.

"Wait, is the spiritual energy concentration on each floor of this tower equivalent to ten times that of the outside world?"

Xu Zemin was somewhat surprised after hearing Bai Cheng's words.

"Oh? I didn't expect an outsider like you to know about the inside of the Earth Spirit Tower?"

"I've heard from others that there's a Nine Heavens Refining Qi Tower in the Imperial City. I suppose this Earth Spirit Tower should be exactly the same as that tower."

Xu Zemin nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"Indeed, this Earth Spirit Tower is similar to the Nine Heavens Qi Refining Tower, but its effects are not as good as the latter."

Bai Cheng understood immediately after hearing this.

“I see. That makes sense. No wonder they’re so eager to get into the White House College.”

After saying that, Bai Cheng turned his head and thought that if he could cultivate in the Earth Spirit Tower, his realm would advance very quickly. In that case, he wouldn't have to rush to cultivate in the Nine Heavens Refining Tower. The Earth Spirit Tower should have the same effect.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xu Zemin left Bai Cheng's room, and Bai Cheng sat cross-legged to continue his cultivation.

The next day arrived quickly. After bidding farewell to Xu Zemin, Bai Cheng continued his journey towards the White House Academy. When he opened the map, he discovered that to reach the White House Academy, he would first have to pass through the Lin family's territory and then cross a river called Youlan River. The Lin family's territory bordered the City Lord's territory to the southwest.

Seeing this, Bai Cheng put away the map and sighed again.

"Sigh, looking at the map, this route is bound to be another two hundred miles or so,"

After putting away the map, Bai Cheng continued on his way. Suddenly, he saw a four-wheel drive vehicle on the road, speeding along the smooth street without being pulled by a mount. This immediately piqued Bai Cheng's curiosity. In this cultivation world without electric power, he found it hard to imagine what could possibly drive wheels.

He subconsciously thought of spiritual energy, but then he thought, if it's driven by spiritual energy, why not just fly directly?

Bai Cheng traveled for another day, passing through the territory of the City Lord's Mansion and arriving at the area managed by the Lin family. The smooth streets were still free of any disorder, and crowds thronged in front of each shop. As night fell, Bai Cheng arrived at the Youlan River, which was marked on the map.

Immediately afterwards, he saw a magnificent bridge lying across the wide river like a giant dragon, connecting the two banks. The lights on both sides meandered up the walls, making the entire bridge look like a dream.

These lights not only illuminated the pedestrian path but also transformed the bridge into a dazzling ribbon of light spanning the river. Even more astonishingly, exquisite pavilions were cleverly designed above the bridge deck, resembling palaces floating in the air, perfectly integrated with the bridge. Through the half-open doors and windows, people could be seen singing and dancing inside, enjoying the night.

Beneath the bridge, several flower boats slowly passed by, each carrying a woman as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water. Some of the women even manipulated their spiritual power to gently swirl the river water around them, drawing loud praise and cheers from passersby on the bridge.

Bai Cheng stared at this scene for a long time, unable to recover. He had imagined countless times what it was like to be in this bustling place at night, but when he actually saw this moment, the feelings in his heart were hard to describe.

Later, Bai Cheng learned from the surrounding discussions that this bridge was one of the most scenic spots in Baifeng City, named Minglan Bridge, which is more than two thousand meters long.

Just as Bai Cheng was about to step onto the bridge, he noticed an old man fishing in the dim light on the embankment beside the bridge arch. At first, Bai Cheng didn't pay any attention and continued walking towards the bridge.

However, suddenly an old man's voice rang in my ears.

"Water turns clear and cloudless, like a bright mirror; the rising moon reflects on the water, and the heart is naturally clear. How turbid is the mind, how easy it is to find clarity."

Bai Cheng was puzzled. He stopped and looked around. He found that the pedestrians around him were still coming and going. It seemed that no one else had heard the voice except him. This made Bai Cheng vigilant because he knew that the cultivator was speaking to him through sound transmission. This also meant that he was being watched by someone.

"Strange, I just arrived in this place and don't know anyone. What kind of supernatural force is transmitting its voice to me? And speaking such incomprehensible language?"

Just after Bai Cheng whispered those words to himself, the voice next to him rang out again.

"Fish do not know what the sky is, and they utter words of disaster without fear."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng suddenly remembered that a cultivator's divine sense could easily detect what others were saying, and this sentence was also a warning to Bai Cheng. It was obvious that the other party had been observing him all along.

'Tsk, I was careless. I really need to change this habit of making sarcastic remarks.'

After thinking it over in his mind, Bai Cheng tried to find a target.

'The person's voice was very old, and it seemed to be constantly probing him.'

Thinking of this, Bai Cheng suddenly remembered the old fisherman, so he walked to the bridge and looked down into the archway. He saw the old man wearing a hat, with gray hair at his temples, holding a fishing rod, his eyes fixed ahead, and the spiritual energy around him seemed like a vortex, making the old man appear mysterious and powerful.

"This! Such a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy!"

Soon, Bai Cheng noticed a white spirit beast sitting next to the old man. However, due to the distance, Bai Cheng could not recognize its appearance from the previous spirit beast encyclopedia, so he could be certain that the spirit beast's rank was likely higher than the fourth grade.

Just as Bai Cheng continued to investigate the old man, he saw the spiritual energy vortex around the old man suddenly begin to grow larger. Then, the spiritual energy around the vortex suddenly surged towards Bai Cheng like a torrent. At this moment, the world seemed to begin to spin. As the spiritual energy vortex continued to approach him, Bai Cheng felt as if a huge mountain was coming towards him in his vision.

The moment the vortex of spiritual energy touched his body, Bai Cheng felt as if every cell in his body was trembling. The oppressive feeling of this spiritual energy immediately reminded him of the scene he faced in Yu Family Village.

With a sudden, intense thumping of his heart, the scene before him returned to a hazy calm. The old man remained calmly seated by the river, fishing, his expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

When Bai Cheng came to his senses, he found that beads of sweat were sliding down his forehead. An indescribable fear spread through his heart, and his legs felt as heavy as lead, making it difficult to move.

Right there, he heard a voice again in his ear.

"Young friend, how about we meet downstairs for a chat?"

Upon hearing the sound, Bai Cheng bowed respectfully to the old man, then walked down the bridge and arrived at the riverbank where the old man was.

At this moment, Bai Cheng could feel the immense spiritual power emanating from the old man even more strongly than the aura of Bai Zhentian, the current city lord of Baifeng City, whom he had seen before.

Bai Cheng finally saw the spirit beast beside the old man clearly. The spirit beast was covered with white scales, its skin was snow-white, its head resembled a dragon, its body was not large, it had two tails behind its back and two wings on its back. It looked graceful and elegant, just like the dragon imagined in the mythology of the Western countries on Earth.

Next, Bai Cheng adjusted his mindset, then slowly exhaled and said, "I was wrong just now, please forgive me, senior."

Upon hearing this, the old fisherman slowly spoke up, "Hehe, young friend, don't panic. Judging from your appearance, you shouldn't be from White Maple City, right? What brings you into the city?"

The old man's voice was calm and deep, and his eyes were always fixed on the front.

"To be honest, senior, the purpose of my coming to Baifeng City this time is to enter Baigong Academy."

Upon hearing this, the old man slightly raised his head.

"Oh? You want to get into the White House Academy?"

After speaking, the old man slowly turned his head to look at Bai Cheng. His sharp gaze swept over Bai Cheng for a moment before he spoke again: "Not bad, your aptitude is acceptable, but the recruitment conference won't be held until next month. If you go now, you'll only be turned away."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng also looked at the old man with great seriousness.

"May I ask your name, senior, and how you come to know about this academy?"