Reversing the Milky Way

Two days later...

Even if Bai Cheng were in the middle of the waterfall, he could hold out for half an hour.

However, Bai Cheng strangely discovered over the past two days that since entering the mid-stage of Body Refinement, his physical cultivation had improved very slowly. At this moment, Yu Qing'an arrived at the cave and took Bai Cheng away.

Just as the two stepped ashore from the dense forest north of Mirror Moon Lake, Bai Cheng asked, "Uncle Yu, I've noticed that since I entered the mid-stage of Body Refinement, my cultivation level has improved quite slowly. Do you know why?"

After listening, Yu Qing'an smiled slightly and then asked, "Bai Cheng, are you still wearing the wristband I gave you?"

"Of course I'll bring it," Bai Cheng said, then rolled up his sleeves and showed the wristband to Yu Qing'an.

Upon seeing this, Yu Qing'an nodded and said, "Very good, now it's time to upgrade you."

Afterwards, the two caught a wild boar on the outskirts of Yunluo Forest and headed towards Yu Family Village.

At this moment, on a rocky outcrop in the Cloudfall Forest, a herb gatherer witnessed this scene. He was there because he had found a first-grade spiritual plant on the rock face. He was about to bend down to pick it when he noticed two figures emerging from the shore of Mirror Moon Lake. Although the rock face he was on was on the outskirts of the Cloudfall Forest, it was still about ten miles from the shore of Mirror Moon Lake. He was very surprised when he saw the figures. Although he could only make out two blurry figures, he could clearly see the way they emerged from the lake. One of them was holding what appeared to be a wind-attribute spirit-storing pearl.

As a herb gatherer, he often came into contact with these things. Some spiritual plants grow underwater, and ordinary people cannot walk in water for long periods of time. Therefore, it is very expensive to recharge a wind-attribute spirit storage pearl. A regular spirit storage pearl costs between five and ten silver coins to recharge, depending on the amount of spiritual energy, and can be used for three years.

However, because there are relatively few people with rare physiques, these people are usually recruited by cultivation academies or cultivation families. Therefore, there are very few cultivators on the market with rare physiques who can replenish the spiritual power of the Spirit Storage Pearl.

Take the wind-attribute spirit storage pearl as an example. It costs at least one hundred silver coins to charge it with spiritual power, and it is not available for sale. Ordinary people simply cannot afford it.

Then he saw the two figures return to Yu Family Village. After seeing this, he quickly packed up his medicine basket and hurried towards Yu Family Village.

After Yu Qing'an and Bai Cheng returned home, Yu Qing'an took out two pairs of silver wristbands, which were the same Silver Moon Wristbands that Yu Qing'an had been wearing before.

“Starting next month, you will wear these wristbands.”

After saying that, Bai Cheng immediately took off the bronze wrist guards he was wearing and put on the Silver Moon Wrist Guards. The long-lost feeling of weight instantly returned, and Bai Cheng felt as if he had returned to the beginning of his cultivation.

"So heavy..." Bai Cheng struggled to raise his hands in front of his eyes. Seeing this, Yu Qing'an continued, "Your cultivation is stagnating because your body can't feel pressure. Cultivation is about pushing your body to its limits, but now, your body hasn't felt pressure for a long time, making it increasingly difficult to push you to your limits. Each of these Silver Moon Bracers weighs a hundred jin (approximately 50 kg), so four of them together weigh four hundred jin. Wearing them now is perfect for your cultivation. When you reach the late stage of Body Refinement, there will be even heavier ones."

Bai Cheng was slightly surprised upon hearing this: "There are even heavier ones?"

After listening, Yu Qing'an smiled slightly: "Of course. Yu Qing usually wears a silver soft armor. Although it is a low-grade magic weapon, it weighs 300 jin, but its defensive performance is very good."

At this moment, Bai Cheng suddenly had a question: "Does that mean the better the defensive performance, the heavier the armor you wear?"

"Of course not. The forging results depend on the materials used. Some materials are very heavy, so the forged items will be very heavy. Conversely, some high-grade materials are very light, so the forged items will be very light, and their defense will far exceed that of items forged from low-grade materials."

After listening to Yu Qing'an's explanation, Bai Cheng put away the wrist guards. After all, tomorrow was the monthly assessment competition, and he couldn't participate with such heavy wrist guards.

The next day, at Renhui Academy.

Zheng Tianzhuang and Qin Jinghan are speaking in front of the trainees.

"Today is the monthly competition assessment. The first place in each class will receive a generous reward, while the second and third place will receive an award for hard work."

After speaking, the two instructors each led the students from the beginner and intermediate classes to the makeshift platforms that had been set up beforehand. Since there were not many students in the advanced class, the competition was held last.

At this moment, Bai Cheng suddenly realized something and looked towards the intermediate class, but didn't find them. Then, he saw Wang Liang and Song Xian outside the group. Seeing this, Bai Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the academy knew the two's skill level; if these two were to fight in the intermediate class, everyone else could just give up.

At this moment, Lü Liang quickly arrived at Bai Cheng's side.

"Brother Bai Cheng, there's no need to look at them. They both come from the same escort agency. Although they are in the intermediate class, their actual job is as guards, and they won't participate in the school's activities."

As soon as Lü Liang finished speaking, Dong Shaojie came to Bai Cheng's side and said, "I have high hopes for you in this beginner class assessment, Bai Cheng. Although you haven't been to the school for several days, I feel that your current level should be close to the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Realm."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng humbly replied, "Haha, actually I don't know if I have the confidence myself."

Bai Cheng said this because he wasn't sure if anyone in the beginner class was hiding their cultivation level. If someone was indeed hiding their level, it could only be one of the students who had just entered the academy this year. If someone truly had exceptional talent, then it was entirely possible for them to reach the mid-stage or even late-stage Body Refinement Realm within a year.

Thinking of this, Bai Cheng asked Lü Liang, "Brother Lü Liang, may I ask who was the first place winner in the beginner class last month?"

After listening, Lü Liang said with a solemn expression, "Pan Zhen is at the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Realm, but Brother Bai Cheng, don't worry, in my opinion, he shouldn't be your match."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng immediately replied, "So, he was the first place winner before?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Liang shook his head and replied, "Of course not. The first place winner for the first two months was a girl named Hong Ying, who is currently in the intermediate class."

After saying that, he pointed with his fan at a woman in a red dress in the intermediate class. Bai Cheng looked in that direction and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder she's called Red Cherry."

The woman named Hongying had a face that combined feminine gentleness and grace with a touch of heroism and resilience. She wore a red and white dress, and even her hair, tied in a single ponytail, was red. Overall, she looked like a red maple leaf dancing in the crowd.

At this moment, Hongying, who was in the intermediate class, felt other people's gazes and turned around to look at where Bai Cheng and the others were. However, her gaze did not linger, but continued to look ahead.

Before long, the students from the two classes arrived at their respective locations. Qin Jinghan led Bai Cheng's group, while Zheng Tianzhuang led the other.

Then, Qin Jinghan came to the front and began to explain the rules of the competition.

"The rules of the duel are as follows: First, no weapons or armor may be used. Second, no auxiliary items, such as talismans or elixirs, may be used during the duel. Third, falling off the stage or being unable to continue the fight will result in a loss. The duel stage was personally built by the principal and is much sturdier than ordinary stone stages, so please do not hold back. Now, I will call your names according to your student numbers. Students whose numbers are called, please come up to the stage for the duel."

"Number one, number one hundred and fifty, come up to the stage for the duel." As soon as the words were spoken, two students stepped onto the dueling platform and began their fight. The intermediate class in the distance was also going through the same process, and as time went on...

"Number 22, number 129, come on stage." As Qin Jinghan called out, Lü Liang, who was standing next to him, said, "It's my turn."

After saying that, he and another student stepped onto the stage. The student fighting against Lü Liang was named Zhong Wu. As soon as the instructor shouted "Begin!", the two quickly began to grapple. Lü Liang put away his folding fan and launched a rapid series of kicks, his attacks fierce and swift. Bai Cheng, watching from below the stage, was quite amused, remarking, "It seems this brother Lü Liang is skilled in leg techniques."

As Lü Liang's attacks intensified, each kick aimed at Zhong Wu's side of the face, leaving Zhong Wu only able to defend. Suddenly, Zhong Wu leaned back, dodging Lü Liang's attack, and seized the opening, raising his right foot to kick Lü Liang in the groin. Seeing this, Lü Liang quickly used his left foot to propel himself away, executing a backflip to evade the blow. Zhong Wu also performed a backflip, flipping backward.

At this moment, Zhong Wu said to Lü Liang jokingly, "Lü Liang, take such big steps, be careful not to tear your balls."

Upon hearing this, Lü Liang jokingly replied, "Haha, I'm naturally big-stepping, you don't need to worry about that."

After saying that, Lü Liang pushed off with his back foot and rushed towards Zhong Wu. Zhong Wu immediately raised his arms to block. Then, Lü Liang leaped high and delivered a spinning kick to Zhong Wu's arm, knocking Zhong Wu off the stage with tremendous force.

Upon seeing this, Qin Jinghan shouted, "Lü Liangsheng!"

Then, Lü Liang came to Bai Cheng's side and said, "How is it, Brother Bai Cheng?"

"Hmm, not bad. Your last attack just now was almost at the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Realm, right?" After hearing Bai Cheng's words, Lü Liang opened his folding fan and said, "That's right. I should be able to enter the mid-stage of the Body Refinement Realm in another month. But it will be difficult to reach the later stages." As he spoke, two more students went up to the platform.

At this moment, Bai Cheng also said, "Yes, from the middle stage of Body Refinement Realm to the late stage of Body Refinement Realm, it is necessary to increase the power of twenty cauldrons, while from the early stage to the middle stage, it is only necessary to increase the power of five cauldrons."

After hearing Bai Cheng's sigh, Lü Liang said, "Yes, that's why there are so few people in the advanced class. From the middle to the later stages, those with good aptitude need almost a year, while those with poor aptitude need several years or even longer. Many people can't endure it and choose to leave the school when they reach the middle stage of Body Refinement. After all, the tuition of two silver coins per month is quite expensive, so it's better to find some other work."

After hearing this, Bai Cheng looked at the dozen or so advanced students in the distance, only to find that Fu Qiran was staring at him. This made Bai Cheng a little uneasy. He had already heard about Fu Wenhao's older brother, and it seemed that this person would probably come looking for trouble with him soon.

At this moment, Lü Liang looked at Fu Qiran in the distance and said, "Brother Bai Cheng, don't worry. As long as it's inside the school, students are not allowed to fight privately. He wouldn't dare to do anything to you."

After hearing this, Bai Cheng also looked away. On the other side, Fu Qiran also withdrew his gaze from his stare.

At this moment, another person beside him asked, "Brother Qiran, who are you looking at? They're just a group of students who have just entered the early stage of Body Refinement. Do they need your concern?"

The speaker was Pan Li, Pan Zhen's older brother. Fu Qiran, on the other hand, was plotting his plans for tonight; he intended to teach Bai Cheng a lesson.

"Brother Qiran... Brother Qiran?" At this moment, Fu Qiran also came back to his senses and said, "Oh, it's Pan Li. What's wrong? Don't lose to me later."

Upon hearing this, Pan Li quickly replied, "Hey, what's the point of us arguing? First place isn't ours anyway." After saying that, he looked at one of the two women beside him, who was wearing a light blue Hanfu.

At this moment, the two women were also watching the competition between the beginner and intermediate classes. One of the women, dressed in a light green and white Hanfu, said, "I'm going to check on my idiot brother." After saying that, she walked towards the beginner class competition area. The other woman, dressed in a light blue and white Hanfu, looked at He Jinchao, who was competing on the platform in the intermediate class.

At this moment, Bai Cheng also noticed the woman walking towards him. She came straight up to him.

At this moment, Bai Cheng was completely bewildered. What was going on? Had his handsomeness attracted the beauty from the advanced class? The woman in front of him was dashing and had a similar temperament to Hong Ying, whom he had just seen. She also wore a ponytail. Just then, Lü Liang beside him called out, "Big sister."

Bai Cheng was also completely dumbfounded after hearing this. "What? This is your older sister?"

Lü Liang then introduced, "This is my older sister, Lü Qiuyue." At this point, Lü Qiuyue spoke up, "What's up, little brother? What place are you aiming for this time?"

"Hey, what do you mean by getting a place? Sis, with our family's circumstances, do you really care about getting first place?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Qiuyue said irritably, "I brought you to the school to cultivate, not to play."

After saying that, he looked at Bai Cheng beside him and said, "You must be Bai Cheng. I've often heard my younger brother mention you. He said you have a very high talent for cultivation."

After hearing this, Bai Cheng quickly replied, "Not at all, Brother Lü Liang is a free and easy-going person, and it is my honor to know him."

After hearing this, Lü Qiuyue smiled and said, "Haha, you are quite modest. In this competition, your biggest opponent is Pan Zhen, but I heard that you were able to defeat Zhao Bo, so Pan Zhen is naturally no match for you."

After speaking, Bai Cheng nodded in agreement. Then, after exchanging pleasantries for a while, Lü Qiuyue turned and left. At this moment, Qin Jinghan called out, "Number 137 and Number 14, come up on stage!"