Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

The inner courtyard of the dojo.

Several boys and girls of similar age to Buqu stood in a row.

He Qing stood in front of them, her expression serious, and said:

"There are still two months until the Dragon Gate Election. There will be a spiritual power test every ten days thereafter."

You have the right to choose to slack off. However, only the two with the highest spiritual power are qualified to participate in the Dragon Gate Election.

He paused for a moment, then said, "There will be six spiritual power tests in total. You must be present for the last one. For the first five, you can do as you please."

After saying that, He Qing waved his hand, signaling everyone to cultivate on their own.

If you don't want to stay at the dojo, you can go home directly.

Bu Qu sized up the other four: two men and two women. Except for Lu Xiu, they were all dressed like wealthy young men. The young man was dressed in luxurious clothes, and the young woman had exquisite makeup.

These four are likely promising young talents who have passed the He Qing Spirit Testing Conference.

Seeing He Qing leave, Lu Xiu turned to him and asked, "Brother Bu, how did you manage to act so convincingly?"

Bu Qu looked puzzled.

Lu Xiu, with an expression that said he already knew the truth, said, "Master He only kept you here because you told him the truth, right? Otherwise, why would he keep you here?"

He rubbed his hands together. "Tell me quickly, what exactly is your identity?"

Bu Qu rolled his eyes: "Fishermen, huh?"

Lu Xiu didn't believe him: "I'm talking about your true identity. Did you just tell the Taoist priest the same thing?"

Bu Qu nodded: "I told the truth."

Seeing that Lu Xiu was still pondering this question, Bu Qu quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Brother Lu, I didn't see your spirit test results just now. What level is your spiritual power?"

Lu Xiu sighed deeply: "Eighth dan."

"Eighth level? The highest level that innate spiritual power can reach?"

Bu Qu smiled and congratulated him, "Brother Lu, you are exceptionally talented, so why do you look so sighing?"

"To debut at the peak, how can one not feel regret?" Lu Xiu sighed again. "I wanted to work hard! Unfortunately, fate didn't give me the chance! Why is fate so unfair?"

Bu Qu felt a chill run down his spine: 'What he said...makes sense. As a young master from a prominent family, he definitely values ​​potential. For him, the eighth level of the Innate Realm is less valuable than the first level. After all, the first level can be cultivated to the ninth level, while the eighth level remains just the eighth level.'

After pondering for a moment, Bu Qu asked, "Brother Lu, I've heard that enhancing spiritual power requires the aid of the Crimson-Scaled Sturgeon. If you were born with innate spiritual power, would you have a way to obtain a Crimson-Scaled Sturgeon?"

Lu Xiu was stunned, as if suddenly enlightened.

"Right, if I had innate celestial spiritual power, where would I get my hands on the Crimson Scale Sturgeon?"

He patted Bu Qu on the shoulder, his worry turning to joy: "Brother Bu, your words have truly awakened me from my dream! Come, come, let me introduce you."

After saying that, he proudly pulled Bu Qu by the hand and led him to the other three, with an expression that said, "This is my brother Bu Qu. He says he's a fisherman, but I don't believe him."

Bu Qu rolled his eyes at him, thinking to himself: Did you really need to emphasize that "you don't believe me"?

"As you just saw, Brother Bu possesses innate spiritual power, a talent on par with Miss Zhong Ling of the Zhong family!"

The three nodded slightly upon hearing this, their gazes lingering on Bu Qu.

His innate spiritual power was not worth their attention. After all, Bu Qu was a fisherman and had no chance to realize his talent.

But the fact that he was called to the backyard by Master He and stayed there afterward is quite telling.

Could it be that this person can truly cultivate spiritual power to perfection?

Lu Xiu's statement, "I don't believe it," was to some extent accepted by the three teenagers.

Besides being a fisherman, this canal likely has other unique characteristics.

I just heard Lu Xiu say that this person came to the dojo in a carriage from the Zhong family.

Given this, some people boldly speculated: 'Could this person be the illegitimate son of Master Zhong?'

If Buqu could get the full support of the Zhong family, wouldn't he become the second Zhong Ling?

The Zhong family has produced two extraordinary talents at once; this is incredible!

"The innate spiritual power of these three is at the second level."

After Lu Xiu finished speaking, he paused deliberately, raising his chin slightly.

His expression seemed to say: My starting point is your ending point.

Bu Qu smiled awkwardly but politely at the three of them: "I'm not familiar with him. If you want to fight, fight him. Don't drag me into it."

The three of them didn't seem to care much, as if they were used to Lu Xiu's behavior.

"This is Jiang Linyuan."

The young man in brocade nodded to Bu Qu.

Lu Xiu turned his gaze to the two girls, and before he could introduce them, the two girls introduced themselves.

The girl in the light blue dress extended her delicate hand: "My name is Xia Zhuxin."

Not to be outdone, the girl in the white dress extended her delicate hand as well: "My name is Su Miaoyin."

For a moment, he was torn between two outstretched hands, his indecisiveness kicking in.

Jiang Linyuan glanced at the two women and immediately understood their intentions: 'They want to recruit this guy.'

He secretly scoffed, 'What's so special about recruiting just a fisherman? The Taoist priest made it perfectly clear that only the two with the highest spiritual power are qualified to participate in the Dragon Gate Selection. If he truly has the ability to cultivate his spiritual power to perfection, wouldn't there only be one spot left?'

Not to mention that cultivating ethereal power to perfection requires a large number of pills as an aid, even the bottleneck that occurs every three stages requires the help of the Crimson Scale Sturgeon to break through.

Whether he can get enough pills is another matter, but where is he going to get so many red-scaled sturgeons?

Without the Red Scaled Sturgeon, he would be stuck at the third level, not much better than an ordinary person.

He may have some special qualities, but without the Red Scaled Sturgeon, he can't realize his talent and is still a useless person.

Thinking of this, Jiang Linyuan also worried about his future: 'I wonder where the Zhong family got the Crimson Scaled Sturgeon. When I get home, I'll have to ask the clan leader to help me acquire it. Otherwise, I'll be stuck at the fifth level, and won't even qualify to go to the Righteous Path Sect.'

He clenched his fist secretly: 'I absolutely have to find a way to get the Crimson Scale Sturgeon. One spot is definitely for Lu Xiu, but I'm taking the other one!'

Buqu hesitated for a moment, then extended both hands, grasping one in each hand: "Buqu greets the two young ladies."

The two women smiled and withdrew their hands, exchanging a glance.

Unconsciously, the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

For the two of them, there was no reason not to try and win over a potential talent with innate celestial spiritual power.

If Buqu is indeed just a fisherman as he claims, then it is even more necessary to fight for him.

It's worth it even if it takes two or three years to raise it.

The age limit for the opening ceremony is twenty years old. Buqu is still very young and can wait.

If he can cultivate his spiritual power to perfection and be selected in the Dragon Gate Selection to become a core disciple of the Righteous Path Sect, their families will also rise to prominence.

This investment is definitely a win-win situation.

If we don't act now, who knows when we'll have another such good investment opportunity?

Moreover, the Zhong family was already the most prominent family in Blackwater County, and now they have produced a promising talent with innate spiritual power.

If they don't seize the opportunity, the Zhong family will always be above them.

This is not good news for either their own development or the future of their family.

Dressed in a light blue dress, Xia Zhuxin made the first move: "Buqu, would you be interested in becoming a retainer of the Xia family? If you agree, the Xia family is willing to give you five taels of silver as a monthly salary. The Xia family will also do its best to procure the cultivation pills you need."

Dressed in a white dress, Su Miaoyin held out both hands: "The Su family will contribute ten taels!"

Xia Zhuxin glared at Su Miaoyin. Su Miaoyin smiled back, her gaze lingering on Bu Qu.

Lu Xiu immediately sensed something was wrong and felt a pang of regret: "I was just introducing you, how did you become the center of attention?"