Reversing the Milky Way

"Huh? Where did you get this? This is a spirit stone, but it's the lowest quality, low-grade spirit stone." Yu Qing'an said in surprise, picking up the spirit stone from Bai Cheng's hand and examining it closely. Bai Cheng was also slightly surprised upon hearing this, and then said, "It's in that cave. That water spirit gave it to me."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an and Yue Ling exclaimed in unison, "Water Person?" Bai Cheng suddenly felt that this title was not quite appropriate, and then said, "No, it should be called Water Fairy, or Water Fairy."

Hearing this, Yu Qing'an and Yue Ling stared at each other in disbelief. Then Yue Ling said, "That's not right. I've been to that cave several times, and I haven't seen any water people."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng suddenly remembered what Yu Qing'an had said before, and then asked, "By the way, Uncle Yu, I remember you mentioned before that there was a spirit beast in the cave, and something about that esteemed person."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an stroked his chin and said to Bai Cheng, "I said that before because I was afraid you would pick the spiritual plants in the cave. That's why I told you there was a powerful spiritual beast in the cave. Actually, after searching the entire cave, I didn't find anything."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng couldn't help but lower his head and ponder, "Could it be that someone else discovered it?"

After thinking for a while, Bai Cheng asked, "Uncle Yu, when you discovered this cave, was there really nothing inside?"

After hearing this, Yu Qing'an slowly said, "Actually, the person who first discovered that cave was not me, but my wife. At that time, my cultivation had fallen back to the Body Refinement Realm, and my spiritual power had completely disappeared. In order to help me quickly recover my spiritual power, she found this cave."

After listening, Bai Cheng felt something was off, and then asked again, "Uncle Yu, don't you think that cave is too clean? Logically speaking, in such a dense spiritual energy environment, there should be many spiritual beasts inside, but there isn't a single one. Even the water in the pond is crystal clear, and you can't even see a fish." Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an closed his eyes and fell into thought.

Upon seeing this, Bai Cheng asked again, "May I ask, what is Madam's cultivation level? I heard you say before that a true great being can move mountains and fill seas. Could this cave be something that Yue Ling's mother specially created?"

However, upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an immediately refused, saying, "It shouldn't be, but when I was with her, I checked her cultivation level. Her cultivation level... well... should be around the early stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, which is not enough to achieve the ability to move mountains and fill seas."

After listening to Yu Qing'an's words, Bai Cheng also began to ponder. Come to think of it, that water figure hadn't appeared since he defeated Zhao Bo. Then, he suddenly remembered something: the water figure's form was strikingly similar to the flame form that Zheng Wensheng had controlled, except that the water figure was incredibly lifelike, even its skirt could simulate moving without wind. Now that he thought about it, someone must be manipulating that ball of water.

Thinking of this, Bai Cheng heard Yu Qing'an say slowly, "Then next time we go into the cave, we must explore it thoroughly."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an immediately tossed the spirit stone in his hand to Bai Cheng and said, "Don't show this spirit stone easily, or you'll run into trouble."

After nodding, Bai Cheng put away the spirit stone and then followed Yu Qing'an to the front gate.

After Yu Qing'an opened the door.

"Yu Qing?"

Yu Qing said with a serious expression, "Uncle Yu, I have something to discuss with you."

After saying that, the group exchanged glances and then went inside the house.

At this moment, Bai Cheng spoke up: "Yu Qing, has the woman at your door left?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing replied, "Two days after you came looking for me, they stopped showing up at my door."

"So, what brings you here today to discuss something?"

Upon hearing Yu Qing'an's words, Yu Qing took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I came here today for the mine share battle two months from now. After this month, winter will arrive, and according to tradition, the battle for the northern mine shares, our competition with Hejia Village, will begin."

Besides me, the only other capable people under twenty in our village are Zhang Chong and Zhao Bo. But as you know Zhao Bo, when I went to see him, Zhao Haiming refused to see anyone. In the village, only Zhao Bo and Zhang Chong reached the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Realm before the age of twenty, but now…”

After speaking, Yu Qing turned to look at Yue Ling. At this moment, Bai Cheng asked in confusion, "If this mine is split in half, the two villages will have exactly 50%, so why do we have to hold a competition?"

After hearing this, Yu Qing shook his head and said, "Hey, Brother Bai Cheng, you don't know this, but the two villages in the north only account for 50% of the total mining area. The remaining 50% belongs to Wuling Town. Our two villages provide manpower, while Wuling Town provides guards. That's why the northern mining area has been safe. We and Hejia Village only take 20% of the 50%, and the remaining 10% is what our two villages are fighting for."

After listening, Bai Cheng suddenly understood: "So that's how it is." Then Bai Cheng looked at Yu Qing'an. At this moment, Yu Qing'an's eyes were closed. After thinking for a while, he slowly said: "Okay, no problem."

After hearing Yu Qing'an's words, Yu Qing breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and said, "Then let's leave it at that. I won't bother you any longer. Let's set the date for three days before the New Year." After saying this, Yu Qing left.

After Yu Qing left, Bai Cheng asked Yu Qing'an, "Uncle Yu, I can now tolerate a small amount of spiritual energy entering my body. How can I find out my constitution?"

After listening to Bai Cheng's words, Yu Qing'an pondered for a while and then said, "The most direct method is for you to release your spiritual power directly, and then your physical attributes can be determined directly."

After hearing this, Bai Cheng shook his head and said, "I can't release spiritual power right now. I can only absorb spiritual energy and enter a certain state."

After speaking, Bai Cheng took out the spirit stone and held it in his hand. He closed his eyes, and the cyan energy within the spirit stone slowly flowed into his body through his palm. Before long, the blood vessels throughout Bai Cheng's body began to glow with a blue light. As time passed, all the blood vessels in Bai Cheng's body became bright, making them very conspicuous in the dimly lit room.

Upon seeing this scene, Yu Qing'an frowned and said, "I have never seen you like this before. However, I do know of a cultivation method that is very similar to your current state."

After speaking, he stood up and went to Bai Cheng's side. He then patted Bai Cheng's shoulder, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Because Bai Cheng's body felt like an incredibly hard piece of refined iron to him; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't deform the muscles in Bai Cheng's shoulder.

He then withdrew his arm, tapped Bai Cheng's chest with his knuckles, and then stroked his chin, saying, "Sigh... I can't tell your cultivation physique from your situation. It seems that your body is filled with pure spiritual energy. We can only find out when you can release your spiritual energy, or we need to find a special stone used to test physique."

After saying this, Bai Cheng's body gradually returned to normal. Then, panting, he asked, "So, how can I release the spiritual energy within my body?"

After listening, Yu Qing'an said, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until you've fully absorbed the spiritual energy into your body before you can do that." After saying this, Bai Cheng also fell into deep thought.

The next day, Bai Cheng arrived at the school early in the morning and found Zheng Tianzhuang, the instructor of the body tempering class. Upon seeing him, Zheng Tianzhuang asked, "What's wrong, student Bai Cheng?"

After thinking for a moment, Bai Cheng said, "Mentor, I want to retake the realm test."

Zheng Tianzhuang was also stunned after hearing Bai Cheng's words. Although it was possible to apply for a retest of one's realm before the unified test at the end of the year, almost no one would do so, because in the monthly competitions and assessments, within the same realm, the higher the strength, the greater the advantage.

At this moment, Zheng Tianzhuang spoke up: "Bai Cheng, have you thought it through?"

After hearing this, Bai Cheng nodded heavily and said, "That's right, I've made up my mind."

After hearing this, Zheng Tianzhuang called over another body-refining instructor, Qin Jinghan. The two then led Bai Cheng to a room in a row of houses on the south side of the school.

Upon entering, Bai Cheng noticed that the entire room resembled the main hall of a temple. In the very center of the hall stood a five-meter-high cylindrical boulder, and behind the boulder stood a human-shaped stone statue over ten meters tall. The statue had its arms clasped together, its eyes gazing ahead, and it looked incredibly majestic.

Then, Zheng Tianzhuang walked to the boulder and said, "This is a stone specially used to test strength. It is called a force-measuring stone. After being attacked, the force-measuring stone will show the pressure of the attack on the boulder."

After saying that, Zheng Tianzhuang casually slapped the force-measuring stone, and then a few words slowly appeared on the stone: 5,681 jin.

Upon seeing this scene, Bai Cheng immediately recalled something called a strength testing machine from his time on Earth. The function of the stone in front of him was exactly the same as that machine.

Just as he was thinking this, Zheng Tianzhuang spoke up again: "Let's begin now, Bai Cheng. Put all your strength into it and punch this rock."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng instinctively asked, "Won't it break the stone?"

After saying this, Zheng Tianzhuang and Qin Jinghan burst into laughter. Then Qin Jinghan said, "Student Bai Cheng, don't worry. This force-testing stone in front of you can withstand a force of 100,000 jin. Just attack with confidence."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng also came to the force-testing stone, held his breath, then took a step forward with his left foot and spread his right foot out in a V-shape. He then gathered his strength in his right fist and suddenly punched the force-testing stone.

Then, after a muffled sound, several large characters slowly appeared on the force-measuring stone: 10,387 jin.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Tianzhuang also took out a notebook and recorded Bai Cheng's data in it. Then he said, "Then starting next month, Bai Cheng, you will be a body-refining student in the intermediate class."

After listening, Bai Cheng asked, "Why next month? Can't it be this month?" Zheng Tianzhuang shook his head and said, "Of course not. Some people want to hide their talents and move up to the next class before the end of the month so they can get rewards in the end-of-month competition. Of course, they can continue to hide their talents, but the school does not allow this kind of thing."

After hearing this, Bai Cheng asked in confusion, "What if that kind of person keeps hiding their abilities?"

After listening, Zheng Tianzhuang smiled and replied, "Haha, don't worry about that. During the year-end test, the dean and the library administrator will be present to supervise. They only need to use their spiritual power to detect whether you've given it your all. If you really try to hide your strength, you'll be warned once and retested. If you continue to hide your strength, the principal will give you a serious warning because such behavior is unfair to the other students. After two warnings, if you still hide your strength, you'll be expelled from the academy. Once you're expelled, you'll lose your chance for guaranteed admission."

After listening, Bai Cheng finally understood. It seemed unlikely that he could participate in the intermediate class competition, but the beginner class would also be fine. As long as he could get first place, the rewards for the beginner class would be pretty good.

And so, Bai Cheng left the school and returned home. Yu Qing'an continued to take Bai Cheng into the cave to cultivate. Because Bai Cheng was unable to move the boulder at the entrance of the cave by himself, Yu Qing'an had to lead him in and out of the cave and close it repeatedly.

Afterwards, Bai Cheng and Yu Qing'an returned to the mysterious cave. However, this time, Yu Qing'an did not rush to leave. He and Bai Cheng went to the pond below the waterfall.

At this moment, Yu Qing'an spoke up, "Is this the place?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng nodded and replied, "It's here. I was lying here because of over-cultivation, and then that water spirit came up from here. Now that I think about it, it must have been formed by someone using spiritual power."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an stroked his chin and nodded, then shouted towards the pool, "Please come out and have a chat, fellow Daoist!"

His voice was rough and loud, echoing continuously in the secluded cave.

A minute passed...

Three minutes have passed...

Apart from the roar of the waterfall, there was no other sound in the cave. The pool was crystal clear, only five meters deep, and there was not a ripple at all.

Yu Qing'an then called out several more times, but there was still no response.

At this moment, Bai Cheng suddenly remembered the spirit stone that had fallen from above, then looked up at the top of the waterfall and said, "Could it be above the waterfall?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an looked up at the waterfall and replied, "Well, I've never actually been up there. Even if I wanted to, with my current level of spiritual power, I can't manipulate objects. Besides, this waterfall is at least 500 meters high, and the rock walls are incredibly smooth due to the dampness in the cave, making it impossible to climb. The only way to get up there is by flying."

After listening, Bai Cheng asked in confusion, "Speaking of which, Uncle Yu, how exactly did you lose your spiritual power?"

After hearing this, Yu Qing'an fell into deep thought, and then slowly said, "Actually, I don't know how I disappeared. Eighteen years ago, I was already at the mid-stage of the Meridian Opening Realm."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng was also startled and exclaimed, "What! Uncle Yu, you were actually at the mid-stage of the Meridian Opening Realm before?!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an smiled slightly and asked, "What? Surprised?"