Reversing the Milky Way

Upon witnessing this scene, Si Nanchen's expression turned serious.

Si Nanchen: "Isn't this Dean Hong? What? Do you think I, a member of the Si Nan family, would covet such a small reward from you?"

Upon hearing this, Hongyun's eyes sharpened.

Hong Yun: "I don't care about the affairs of your Si Nan family, but if you want to keep your academy status, I advise you not to be too arrogant."

Si Nanchen: "Heh, a mere academy status will be useless once my ancestor returns!"

After saying that, he threw the attack he was holding, which caused a violent explosion.

Before long, Bai Cheng outside the tower saw that the spiritual light on the fifth floor of the Trial Tower had gone out, and the sixth floor was not lit up.

Immediately afterwards, the trial grounds doors opened, and the man in black calmly walked out.

Si Nanchen: "Damn it, this old bastard is such a busybody. When the ancestor comes out, he'll definitely tear this lousy academy down!"

Dong Gu: "Young Master, now that we've passed the trial, let's hurry and meet up with our master. We've already exceeded the agreed time."

Si Nanchen: "Let's go! We'll head back to the family headquarters first."

After saying that, the two men in black left together.

As night deepened, only a handful of people remained.

The moment the license plate appeared, Bai Cheng felt as if his tense emotions had been released.

Bai Cheng: "Finally, it's my turn."

Bai Fengze: "Bai Cheng, I'll be waiting for you here."

After responding, Bai Cheng walked straight into the Trial Tower.

Bai Muwan: "Brother, then we'll head back now."

Bai Fengze: "Yeah, be careful on the road. I have a feeling things aren't going well lately."

Bai Muwan left with the other members of the Bai family.

Bai Cheng entered the Trial Tower and glanced at the surrounding environment, which was exactly the same as what he had seen last time he came, with basically no changes.

Just then, a voice came from the empty hall.

"The following are the rules of the Trial Tower. Remember, you must not use magic weapons of the spirit level or external forces such as talismans other than your own strength! If you violate these rules, you will be expelled from the Trial Tower immediately."

Bai Cheng recognized the voice as that of Chu Xiaohe, who had already left.

Bai Cheng: "Pretty advanced! It even has voice broadcast? This should be the sound formation I saw in the formation encyclopedia before."

Bai Cheng approached the spirit puppet in the center of the hall, and his voice rang out again.

"Please touch the button on the spirit puppet with your hand, then infuse it with spiritual power to begin the trial."

Upon hearing the sound, Bai Cheng reached for the button on the spirit puppet. Just a moment after touching it, a strange sensation came from his fingertips.

At the same time, a wisp of spiritual energy, along with the button on the spirit puppet, traveled through the mechanical structure to the core of its chest. The mechanical structure throughout its body began to operate rapidly, and the hundreds of arrays within its body also began to light up simultaneously.

In Bai Cheng's eyes, in just a moment, strange runes flashed across the magnificent floor and the surrounding walls.

Then, the surrounding scenery began to change abruptly. The flat floor underfoot suddenly disappeared, turning into an endless wilderness. The walls that blocked the view disappeared, turning into distant, faintly visible mountains. Even the ceiling above disappeared, turning into an endless sky.

Bai Cheng: "What's going on?! Is this an illusion?"

Bai Cheng tested the ground with his foot and found that it was exactly the same as the real ground. The feeling of walking on the flat stone slabs before had disappeared.

Before Bai Cheng could even observe what was happening, the spirit puppet in front of him suddenly threw a punch without warning. Bai Cheng leaped backward to dodge, but the spirit puppet, as if anticipating Bai Cheng's movement, followed closely behind, leaping into the air and delivering a sweeping kick towards Bai Cheng.

Bai Cheng bent back to dodge, the spirit puppet's attack passing by his eyes. He seized the opportunity, braced himself on the ground, and suddenly leaped up, delivering a backflip that struck the spirit puppet's back.

Bai Cheng: "I see. Does this mean the trial has already begun?"

After rolling several times on the ground, the attacked spirit puppet stood up upright, seemingly unharmed.

As the spirit puppet launched its attack on Bai Cheng, the first layer of spiritual light outside the tower began to illuminate.

At this moment, only a dozen or so students remained. Bai Fengze's gaze was fixed on the first floor of the Trial Tower when Bai Dou's figure appeared from behind him.

Bai Dou: "Young Master!"

Bai Fengze: "How's it going? Have you found any suspicious individuals in the recent attacks on Bai family disciples?"

Bai Dou: "No, since the family changed its rules, the Bai family disciples have not been attacked again. However, although the attacks have stopped, reports have come from various businesses that there have been many customers who are deliberately making things difficult for us recently. Businesses that specialize in selling items for cultivators are fine, but most ordinary businesses in the city are experiencing this. Currently, the family head is gathering everyone again to discuss this matter."

Bai Fengze nodded slightly after hearing this.

Bai Fengze: "I understand."

Inside the tower, the battle between Bai Cheng and the spirit puppet was about to erupt. At this moment, the spirit puppet was wrapped in blue lightning, and its movements were swift and elusive. In terms of speed alone, it was no different from Bai Cheng's current figure.

Bai Cheng's body was also enveloped in golden lightning. As the spirit sword in his hand condensed, he severed one of the soul's arms with a single strike during the second round of the battle with the spirit puppet.

The soul that lost its arm also conjured a spirit sword filled with lightning with its single hand, but it appeared very crude in shape and details.

Bai Cheng: "The first level of the spirit puppet realm is only at the fifth level of spirit attraction, and even if it imitates my spiritual power attributes, it is not exactly the same."

As they were talking, the spirit puppet, wielding a spirit sword, suddenly charged towards Bai Cheng.

Although the spirit puppet had no eyes on its face at this moment, Bai Cheng could still feel the momentum of its attack.

Bai Cheng brought two fingers together, and several golden sword shadows materialized behind his back. At that moment, the spirit puppet leaped high into the air, its spirit sword thrusting straight at Bai Cheng. However, in the next instant, with a flash of golden light, the spirit puppet's body was instantly torn to pieces.

As the remains of the spirit puppet fell to the ground, a 'squeak' sound followed, and then the surrounding area and scenery began to return to normal.

The golden floor and the surrounding walls reappeared before Bai Cheng's eyes, everything seemed unreal, and there were no traces of the previous battle with the spirit puppet.

"Congratulations to the trial participant for passing the first level."

As the sound rang out, Bai Cheng suddenly sensed a surge of spiritual energy emanating from the academy's identity token.

After taking the token out to check, Bai Cheng was surprised to find that his token suddenly had ten more cultivation points.

'This? Could it be that the academy's identity token also functions similarly to the Overwatch Council's token? Both were established by the royal family; perhaps they really do use the same methods.'

Then, the sound rang out again.

"Please proceed to the teleportation array behind you to proceed to the next level. If you wish to end the trial, please leave through the main gate."

As soon as the voice fell, a cyan teleportation array suddenly appeared in front of Bai Cheng.

Bai Cheng looked around and indeed there were no stairs leading to the second floor.

Just as he passed by the remains of the spirit puppet on the ground and was about to enter the teleportation array on the next level, he suddenly felt a surge of spiritual energy emanating from the spirit puppet.

Upon closer inspection, he found a spirit stone among the remains of the spirit puppet. This spirit stone was at least four or five times larger than the ones he usually saw, and its shape was regular, exactly the same as ordinary spirit stones.

Bai Cheng: "Huh? This size?"

Bai Cheng suddenly remembered something and put the spirit stone into his storage bag.

Bai Cheng: "It shouldn't be a problem to take it, right? Since I defeated it, this should be considered part of the spoils of war, right?"

Without much thought, Bai Cheng stepped directly into the teleportation array. As the array patterns lit up, Bai Cheng was teleported to the second level of the Trial Tower.

Meanwhile, outside the tower, the first layer of spiritual light on the outer side of the Trial Tower went out, and the second layer of spiritual light began to shine.

Shangguan Wenbo: "I thought it would be so powerful, but I didn't expect it to take so long to get past the first level. It's really disappointing. Let's go."

After Shangguan Wenbo finished speaking, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. Then, he led the group of Shangguan family disciples away.

After he left, there were fewer than ten students left in total.

Bai Fengze watched their departing figures without saying anything.

Bai Dou: "Young Master, how many levels do you think Bai Cheng can pass?"

"It's hard to say. You know his situation. In our trials, we inject the weaker spiritual power attribute into the anti-stone of the spirit puppet. I injected wood attribute spiritual power, but Bai Cheng only has lightning attribute, which is very disadvantageous for him. You know, lightning attribute spirit puppets are the strongest in terms of attack among all spirit puppets. But you and I have witnessed Bai Cheng's strength. He should be able to reach the third level of the trial tower. As for whether he can get through, I don't know."

On the second floor of the Trial Tower, Bai Cheng arrived at the spirit puppet in the center of the main hall.

Bai Cheng: "This spirit puppet is basically the same as the first one, but the realm it can display should reach the early stage of Qi Condensation Realm."

Bai Cheng touched the button on the spirit puppet and then infused it with a wisp of spiritual power.

Having learned from the experience of the first level, Bai Cheng quickly retreated the moment he finished injecting his spiritual power, moving away from the spirit puppet.

As the scene before them changed once more, the spirit puppet instantly came to life.

Unlike the first level, this time the spirit puppet did not immediately attack Bai Cheng. Instead, it suddenly clasped its hands together, accompanied by a burst of azure lightning that wrapped around the spirit puppet's body, and a halo of lightning appeared behind the spirit puppet.

Seeing this, Bai Cheng's eyes grew increasingly tense.

Bai Cheng: "What kind of move is that?!"

Immediately afterward, the spirit puppet's actions were not yet finished. He began to condense a long sword in his hand with spiritual power. Azure lightning coiled around the surface of the sword, making it look extremely powerful.

Just as Bai Cheng thought the spirit puppet was about to launch an attack, he saw the spirit puppet slowly raise its right leg and then stomp on the ground. Immediately afterward, the spirit puppet's two legs began to crackle with lightning. With a forceful push from its feet, it instantly transformed into a streak of blue lightning and flew towards Bai Cheng.

Bai Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted. When he realized what was happening, he found that the spirit puppet was already holding a long sword and slashing straight at him.

In the blink of an eye, Bai Cheng blocked with his sword, and the two bolts of lightning of different colors became entangled as the swords collided.

Bai Cheng: "So fast!!"

Before Bai Cheng could even sigh, he leaped backward into the air. However, as if he had anticipated this, the spirit puppet swung its long sword, and bolts of lightning shot out from the lightning ring behind him.

Seeing this, Bai Cheng slashed out with two sword energies. With a series of explosions, the golden sword energies cleaved through the lightning and flew straight toward the spirit puppet.

The spirit puppet reacted quickly, dodging the sword energy and launching another attack on Bai Cheng.

Bai Cheng flipped in the air and landed as lightly as a swallow. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he exerted force again and rushed towards the spirit puppet like an arrow released from a bow.

The two clashed again, the crisp sound of metal colliding, sparks flying, and lightning constantly bursting from their bodies. In just a short moment, their moves had already collided dozens of times.

'Skill-wise, this spirit puppet's close-quarters combat techniques are unpredictable. Even though I've been trained quite well, I was still being overwhelmed for a while!?'

Golden lightning surged in Bai Cheng's eyes once more, and as he engaged the spirit puppet, a dozen or so spirit swords began to appear around him.

As he began to exert force, the dozen or so spirit swords, following Bai Cheng's movements, launched an attack on the spirit puppet. In an instant, golden lightning slowly surrounded the spirit puppet, and in the next moment, the lightning wrapped around the spirit puppet's feet surged up again. Bai Cheng only felt a flash of lightning before his eyes, and the spirit puppet's figure in front of him became illusory again, creating countless afterimages with each movement.

'Here we go again! This speed is almost impossible to observe directly!'

The spirit puppet quickly evaded Bai Cheng's attacks. Even when Bai Cheng used his full power to control the spirit, the speed of his spirit sword could not keep up with the spirit puppet's movements.

As the light flashed before his eyes, Bai Cheng sensed something was wrong and quickly raised his sword to protect himself. At the same time, the spirit puppet's sword pierced towards Bai Cheng's chest.

As the sword tip, crackling with cyan lightning, pierced the blade, which was filled with golden lightning, the two bolts of lightning, like two completely incompatible energies, exploded once again. Accompanied by a strong surge of spiritual energy, Bai Cheng was instantly blasted dozens of meters away by the impact of this attack.

Before Bai Cheng could land, the spirit puppet raised its hand again, and more than a dozen attacks flew out from the lightning ring behind it. These attacks transformed into flying blades in the air, spinning rapidly as they flew towards Bai Cheng.

Bai Cheng had anticipated this, and lightning flashed in his eyes as the dozens of spirit swords he had previously condensed quickly blocked in front of him.

Bai Cheng landed safely amidst the shockwave of the explosion.

'Is this a spirit puppet at the early stage of Qi Condensation?! Its attacks are so swift, with moves coming one after another! If I'm not mistaken, it's currently using at least two lightning-attribute techniques. The first is the lightning ring behind it, and the second is probably the footwork it's using.'

Just as Bai Cheng was thinking of this, the spirit puppet's attack came again. In the blink of an eye, the two swords clashed once more.

As lightning flashed before his eyes, Bai Cheng could clearly feel the opponent's continuous spiritual power surging out from the blade and colliding with him.

Judging from the spirit stones obtained from the spirit puppet on the first floor, the energy driving this spirit puppet should be that huge spirit stone. If it comes to a contest of spiritual power, I will definitely be at a disadvantage.

Thinking of this, Bai Cheng swung his sword with all his might, and a sword aura shot out from the long sword in his hand, knocking back the spirit puppet in front of him. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Bai Cheng quickly raised his hand, and the dozen or so spirit swords he had been holding rushed towards the spirit puppet to kill it.

However, lightning surged again beneath the spirit puppet's feet, and its illusory figure instantly dodged all of Bai Cheng's attacks.