Reversing the Milky Way

At this moment, Yu Qing'an also came over to check on Bai Cheng's condition. He saw that Bai Cheng was sitting upright in the wooden tub with his eyes gently closed, as if the effects of the medicinal bath no longer existed for him.

Seeing Bai Cheng in this state, Yu Qing'an felt quite strange. He had never seen anyone so peaceful in a body-tempering medicinal bath. He recalled his own experience with medicinal baths—it was like being boiled alive, and his father had to forcibly hold him in the tub. Every time he thought of it, he couldn't help but shudder. Bai Cheng wasn't tempering his body; he was practically enjoying himself. Thinking this, he stepped forward, intending to call Bai Cheng out.

When he arrived at the wooden barrel, he found Bai Cheng asleep inside. He thought back to his own body tempering process, then looked at Bai Cheng and felt a surge of annoyance. So he flicked Bai Cheng's head, jolting him awake from his sweet dream.

Yu Qing'an approached Bai Cheng and asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you had enough soaking yet?"

Bai Cheng replied with a blank expression, "Huh? It's over already?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an was taken aback: "What do you mean it's over? It hasn't even started yet. Didn't we say that body tempering is just to make the body withstand an intensity that exceeds its capacity, and then use a medicinal bath for rapid recovery, so that the body can have superhuman strength and resistance?"

After saying that, Bai Cheng got out of the wooden tub and put on his clothes.

"Now let me see what you're made of. Come on, throw a punch here and let me see your strength." After saying that, Yu Qing'an pointed to his chest.

After hearing this, Bai Cheng didn't mince words, knowing that his current strength wouldn't be able to harm Yu Qing'an. So, he calmed himself, focused his mind, and then suddenly threw a powerful punch forward. This punch combined the power from his waist, concentrating all his strength into his right hand—essentially the maximum force he could muster.

However, when his fist struck Yu Qing'an's chest, he found that his punch felt like he had hit a wall covered with thick leather. Yu Qing'an didn't budge, while his arm went numb.

At this moment, Yu Qing'an stroked his chin and said, "Hmm, not bad. Your current punching strength is about 700 jin. Let's start practicing from the basics."

Bai Cheng wasn't surprised at all, because he knew that on Blue Star, an adult's full-force punch was only around 200 kilograms, and some trained boxers could reach around 500 kilograms with their full-force punch. Needless to say, he was just a white-collar worker who hadn't trained at all. His full-force punch reaching 700 kilograms was already beyond his expectations, but it wasn't enough to enter the early stage of the Body Refinement Realm.

Soon, Yu Qing'an tailored a special training program for Bai Cheng.

Then, Yu Qing'an took out a pair of wrist guards. These wrist guards looked like ordinary wrist guards, with a slightly yellow surface, and looked like they were made of copper. When Bai Cheng put them on, he instantly felt a weightlessness in his arms, as if he were carrying the weight of a large bucket of water on both sides of his arms. Bai Cheng had to wear these wrist guards every day while working, and could only take them off when he went to sleep.

After putting on the wristband, Bai Cheng tried to raise his hand, only to find that even with all his strength, he couldn't hold on for a minute.

Bai Cheng then looked at Yu Qing'an and said, "Uncle Yu, this is too difficult."

Yu Qing'an frowned slightly: "Is it difficult? Every Body Refinement Realm martial artist goes through this process." After saying that, he showed off his wrist guards.

It was an exquisitely crafted wristband, radiating a dazzling silver light. Although Bai Cheng had never seen most of the minerals in this world, when he saw the wristband Yu Qing'an was wearing, he had a feeling that it was definitely not made of ordinary metal, and the workmanship of the wristband was very fine, with many beautiful patterns carved on it.

Then he removed the wrist guard from one wrist and held it out to Bai Cheng. Just as Bai Cheng was wondering what was going on, he saw Yu Qing'an slowly release his grip, and the wrist guard fell to the ground with a dull thud. Along with the thud, the stone slab on the ground cracked, and upon closer inspection, it was clear that the wrist guard had embedded itself directly into the stone slab.

Seeing this, Bai Cheng couldn't help but utter the two words that best represented his emotions at that moment: "Holy shit!"

Yu Cheng'an stroked his chin and said, "How about it? Aren't you surprised?"

Bai Cheng was somewhat surprised: "Uncle Yu, do you usually wear this wristband?"

Yu Qing'an explained, "Do you know what a treasure weapon is? It's a type of equipment made from rare metals."

"Of course I know that."

After hearing Bai Cheng's reply, Yu Qing'an continued, "This bracer is called the Silver Moon Bracer. It is considered a mid-grade magic weapon. It is made from a rare primary mineral, heavy silver ore. This mineral is very hard and can be made into very good protective gear. However, it has one drawback: this mineral is too heavy. But wearing it on the wrist can increase the destructive power of your fists. If you wear it on your ankle, it can also increase the power of your leg attacks."

After listening, Bai Cheng replied, "Isn't this just using the inertia of a heavy object to convert it into kinetic energy? It doesn't sound like there's anything special about it."

After listening, Yu Qing'an stroked his chin and said, "That makes sense, but its weight is just a side effect. Its main function is protection. Even against a sword of the same level, it cannot break through its defense."

Hearing this, Bai Cheng looked down at the wristband he was wearing.

Yu Qing'an saw through Bai Cheng's thoughts and said, "Your pair is made of ordinary copper. After you try it out, I'll replace it with a heavier one. Oh, by the way," Yu Qing'an said, taking out a pair of wristbands from inside the house. "This one is for wearing on your legs. You can't take it off except when you're sleeping."

After hearing this, Bai Cheng tied the wristband to his calf and took a few steps. He then found that his legs felt like they were filled with lead, making it difficult to move.

At this moment, Yu Qing'an, who was standing to the side, said, "Alright, let's start your work for today."

After speaking, he led Bai Cheng to the back of the bathhouse in the courtyard. A huge cylindrical water tank came into view, with a stone staircase next to it. Bai Cheng climbed up and took a look. The tank was covered with sheet metal on the outside, and inside was a cylindrical structure made of wood. He could also see a mesh-like material at the bottom, presumably for filtration. Bai Cheng quickly calculated that the tank could hold about 20,000 liters of water, and it was almost empty.

Bai Cheng was also at a loss after seeing it, because filling the water tank in this place without a tap water supply system was not easy. Then Bai Cheng began his work, because in the village, every household has a well. Because Yujia Village is located near the Beilan River, and there is a lake called Jingyue Lake in the northwest of the village, the water of which is crystal clear, so almost every household in Yujia Village has no shortage of water.

Bai Cheng kept drawing water from the well and adding it to the water tank. However, because he was wearing special wristbands, every step was very difficult. At this time, he was already wearing wristbands weighing a total of 200 pounds, and he still had to keep drawing water from the well and adding it to the water tank. But he did not complain at all, because he did not want to be an unknown white-collar worker like he was on Blue Star. Now he only wanted to become stronger, because only by becoming stronger could he avoid being dominated by others.

As time passed, it was nearing afternoon. Sweat poured down Bai Cheng's forehead like a waterfall, soaking his clothes. His breathing became rapid, each step feeling like a struggle against gravity. However, he didn't slow down, because he knew that he wouldn't become stronger without pushing his body to its limits; he had to challenge them.

As time passed, it was already late afternoon. Yu Qing'an went to check the water tank and saw that it was half full. He then glanced at Bai Cheng and saw that Bai Cheng's gaze remained firm and his expression was unwavering.

So he stroked his chin and murmured, "Hmm, not bad." For Bai Cheng, who had no foundation whatsoever, this was just the beginning, and to have achieved this was already quite impressive.

He then walked over to Bai Cheng and said, "Get ready, it's time to pick up Ling'er."

Bai Cheng remembered that he still needed to pick up Ling'er, so he quickly changed his clothes and set off. By this time, Bai Cheng felt somewhat exhausted, and the journey to Wuling Town would take about half an hour, requiring him to return. Despite this, Bai Cheng didn't give up and quickened his pace towards Wuling Town.

After walking for more than half an hour, Bai Cheng arrived at the entrance of Renhui Academy. It was the time when the school was letting out. At this moment, Yue Ling appeared from the crowd. Just as Bai Cheng was about to go to greet her, he found that a man had taken the lead and arrived at Yue Ling's side.

The man was Zhao Bo. After yesterday's events, Aunt Wang reported to Zhao Bo, who then stormed to the entrance of Renhui School. Yueling also saw Bai Cheng at that moment, but just as she was about to approach him, a man blocked her way. She then recognized him as Zhao Bo, whose face was contorted with anger. He couldn't believe that the woman he had his eye on was living in the same house as another man, and a man who had suddenly appeared at that. He tried to stop Yueling to question her, but she completely ignored him and walked past him to Bai Cheng's side.

Then she said, "Brother Bai Cheng, let's go."

Bai Cheng responded with a soft "Mm." Just as he finished speaking, he saw a foot flying towards him. He quickly raised his arms to protect himself. Because he was wearing bronze wrist guards, the kick did not harm him. However, the force of the impact sent him flying dozens of meters away.

Then Zhao Bo said coldly, "You're that pretty boy? You're not even at the Body Refinement Realm yet you dare to steal my woman? You're practically asking for death."

Upon hearing this, Yue Ling could no longer contain herself and swiftly attacked Zhao Bo. Only the people at Renhui Academy knew that Yue Ling had reached the Body Refinement Realm, and they only knew that her father had expended a great deal of resources to help her advance to the early stage of the Body Refinement Realm. Most people begin body tempering after adulthood, as doing it too early might have adverse effects on their health later in life. Therefore, most people choose to temper their bodies in adulthood; very few people, like Yue Ling, begin body tempering before the age of sixteen.

At this moment, Yue Ling disregarded her father's words and wanted to teach Zhao Bo a lesson with all her might. Zhao Bo, however, didn't take Yue Ling seriously, knowing that even an ordinary person couldn't hurt him even with their full strength. But just then, a voice interrupted Yue Ling, who was about to attack.

"Wait a minute, I'm fine." After saying this, Bai Cheng staggered to his feet.

Yueling also quickly stopped what she was doing and rushed to Bai Cheng's side, saying, "Brother Bai Cheng, are you really alright?"

So Bai Cheng told Yue Ling that he was wearing wrist guards. At this moment, Zhao Bo, who was far away, also noticed the problem. Because his kick would either kill or cripple an ordinary person, but when he kicked Bai Cheng's arm, he felt as if he had kicked something hard.

Zhao Bo: "Oh, you're wearing wrist guards. No wonder an ordinary person could block this attack. A piece of trash like you who hasn't even trained your body should get out of the Moon Age, or I'll cripple you halfway through."

At this moment, a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside Renhui Academy because it was dismissal time. Bai Cheng felt deeply insulted, and a surge of anger welled up within him. His body tensed, and his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, leaving bloody marks. The last time Bai Cheng's anger had been ignited like this was back on Blue Star, when he had witnessed his girlfriend cheating on him.

Bai Cheng clenched his fists unconsciously, then slowly uttered a few words: "One month."

Zhao Bo was also a little confused after hearing this: "Huh? What do you mean, a month?"

Then Bai Cheng said fiercely, "I will definitely defeat you within a month."

After hearing what Bai Cheng said, Zhao Bo couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Ha...ha...ha...do you know what you're saying? One month? Are you dreaming? Even the most outstanding geniuses on the continent cannot reach the early stage of Body Refinement from an ordinary person in one month, let alone defeat me, who is in the middle stage of Body Refinement."

After he finished speaking, the crowd of onlookers echoed his sentiments.

Crowd #1: "Yes, I've never even heard of someone who can go from an ordinary person to the early stage of Body Refinement Realm in a month."

Crowd Number Two: "Even Yu Qing, the top genius in our Renhui Academy, is over twenty years old this year, and he's only about to enter the late stage of Body Refinement. Keep in mind that it took him two years!"

Crowd #1: "Yes, his father is the village chief, and yet he still managed to use a lot of resources."

Bai Cheng ignored these words, because he knew that there was a true genius here, Yue Ling. She was only fifteen years old and had already reached the late stage of Body Refinement. Such talent was unique in the entire Wuling Town.

Bai Cheng understood why Yu Qing'an was so cautious, preventing Yue Ling from displaying her strength. In this world where cultivation is rampant, without a powerful backer, one cannot control their own destiny. Those self-proclaimed powerful Body Refinement Realm martial artists are only considered powerful because those above the Qi Condensation Realm simply don't take them seriously. Therefore, without personal gain, they won't bother with thieves or bandits unless the other party is also a cultivator.