Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

Bu Qu smiled and said, "It should be."

After saying that, he told He Qing about the little incident that had happened on Blackwater Lake.

He Qing sneered, "Leaving aside his overestimation of his abilities, our Righteous Path Sect would never accept someone with such a wicked heart!"

He instructed the gatekeeper, "Let the father and son come in."

Jiang Nianyuan led Jiang Linyuan to the main hall.

Looking up, one could see Jiang Linyuan shirtless with thorns stuck in his back.

Jiang Nianyuan kicked him hard, and Jiang Linyuan knelt down, not daring to look up at the two of them.

Jiang Nianyuan first bowed to He Qing, then to Bu Qu, his face full of shame: "I, Jiang, have failed in my duty to raise my son, causing him to commit such a terrible disaster. Today, I have come to the Taoist temple to apologize. My son is at the mercy of the Taoist priest, and will have no complaints."

Bu Qu coldly stared at Jiang Linyuan kneeling on the ground, thinking to himself, "This guy truly lives up to his principle of being ruthless and taciturn. We haven't had much interaction normally, but once he makes a move, it's deadly. If I hadn't had the home-field advantage, I might have actually been caught off guard and defeated."

Looking up at Jiang Nianyuan, the head of the Jiang family, he was now meek and submissive, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"In comparison, his father is a sensible man. If Jiang Nianyuan were a fiercely protective father, fighting me to the death, I might not be able to deal with them now, but once I achieve my goals, the Jiang family will be completely finished."

He Qing turned to look at him: "Junior Brother Bu, what do you think of this matter?"

Bu Qu felt a pang of apprehension: "Since I'm not on the water, I don't have many tricks up my sleeve. Do they really want me to whip him with a thorny branch? That's pointless; I'd rather they pay me some money. But I'm going to the Righteous Path Sect soon; will I still need worldly valuables?"

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am still inexperienced and don't know how to handle this matter. Perhaps you could help me decide?"

He Qing nodded slightly and said to Jiang Nianyuan, "Jiang Linyuan is wicked and attempted to kill his fellow disciples to gain a recommendation spot. According to the sect's regulations, he should be executed."

Jiang Linyuan suddenly looked up and begged He Qing for forgiveness: "Daoist Master, Daoist Master, I know I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again next time."

Seeing that He Qing remained silent, he turned to Bu Qu and said, "Brother Bu, Brother Bu, I only had a momentary wicked thought and lost my mind. My crime doesn't warrant death!"

"Not a crime punishable by death?" Bu Qu sneered and shook his head slightly.

Ten strong men came in total!

If I were someone who was powerless to fight back, I would probably have been sunk to the bottom of the lake and fed to the fish by now.

Is this enough to warrant the death penalty?

He Qing snorted coldly, channeled his spiritual power, and struck Jiang Linyuan with a palm.

Jiang Linyuan let out a miserable scream and fell to the ground howling, as if he had lost his soul.

He Qing withdrew his hand and said to Jiang Nianyuan, "Since you, as his father, have taken the initiative to bring him here to plead guilty, I will spare his life, but I will destroy his spiritual field. His heart is not righteous, and the righteous sect will not accept him. Keeping his spiritual essence is useless. From now on, he can live a good life as a young master in your mansion."

Destroying the spirit field destroys all spiritual essence, rendering spiritual power useless.

For Jiang Linyuan, who yearned to cultivate the Tao, it was worse than death.

Jiang Nianyuan cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Daoist Master, for your mercy in sparing his life."

After saying this, he left with Jiang Linyuan.

In any case, at least his life was saved.

Although Jiang Linyuan's cultivation has been crippled and he will never be able to cultivate again, this outcome is still better than having his entire family wiped out by Bu Qu in the future.

The disciples of the martial arts school watched as Jiang Linyuan, limp as a rag doll, was dragged away, and couldn't help but sneer and whisper among themselves:

"You're a rich kid in Heishui County, but everyone's equal in the dojo. You actually tried to get a recommendation through crooked tricks; you only have yourself to blame."

"Yes, our Daoist Master hates this kind of person the most. If something really happens to Senior Brother Bu, the Daoist Master will not just cripple his cultivation."

...

Watching the father and son leave, He Qing smiled at Bu Qu and said, "What do you think of my handling of this?"

"Okay."

Bu Qu smiled, then remembered something and asked, "Senior Brother He, can the ruined spirit field be healed with the water-patterned fish?"

He Qing shook his head: "Although the Water Pattern Fish is a precious fish that can cure all diseases, it can only cure mortal ailments and superficial injuries. Destroying the spiritual field will ruin one's foundation, and there will be no cure unless..."

"Unless what?" Bu Qu tactfully hinted.

"It is said that water-attribute cultivators, once their cultivation reaches a certain level, can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones. If a powerful being of that level were to intervene, they could help him repair his spiritual field."

He Qing smiled and said, "However, given the strength of the Jiang family, they certainly cannot come into contact with such a powerful figure."

"I've heard?" Bu Qu noticed something significant. "Senior Brother He, is it possible that the entire Righteous Path Sect lacks a powerful expert with such strength?"

He Qing shook his head: "In terms of cultivation level alone, there are certainly some. But there is no one who possesses water attribute and can cultivate to this level."

He smiled and explained, "To be called a water-attribute cultivator, one must have at least five water-containing spiritual essences within their spiritual energy. In other words, a water-attribute cultivator's primary attribute is water. Within the sect, there are many people with other attributes, but the water attribute is the rarest."

Bu Qu pondered: "Only those with five water elemental essences can be called water attribute cultivators. In other words, a person can have a maximum of two primary attributes. If one has fewer than five essences, one cannot specialize in that attribute and cannot call it a primary attribute."

Lu Xiu had previously told me that water is the weakest of the five elements. Is it because water is the weakest that no one cultivates it? Or is it...?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask, "Why? Isn't the distribution of attributes within spiritual essence innate? Is it because there are few people with the water attribute, or is it that sects don't accept people with the water attribute?"

He Qing knew Bu Qu's worries and shook his head with a smile:

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Bu. As long as you're not eliminated in the Dragon Gate Selection, the sect will definitely accept you."

You possess innate spiritual power and have successfully cultivated it to perfection, making it impossible for you to be eliminated.

It all depends on whether you can be selected by the elders and become a core disciple.

Even if you don't become a core disciple, you can start as an ordinary disciple. Your future achievements depend entirely on your own destiny.

Bu Qu nodded slightly.

Senior Brother He still hasn't explained why there are so few water-attribute experts in the sect. Perhaps it's because the sect genuinely doesn't value water-attribute individuals, resulting in a low success rate?

He didn't explain because he didn't want to discourage me.

Bu Qu had certain expectations for the upcoming Lungmen general election.

Even before he awakened his spiritual powers, he had already mastered the art of water control. In other words, at least four of his ten spiritual essences are of the water attribute.

Once the spirit is awakened, it is highly likely that five or more water spirit essences will appear.

"However, I have innate Sky Spiritual Power, and I also have a power panel. Even if my Water attribute is indeed weaker than other attributes, I can compensate in other ways."

He Qing patted Bu Qu on the shoulder and smiled, "Let's talk about sect matters after we get to the sect. There's still some time before the Dragon Gate Selection. You might as well enjoy these mundane moments a little longer. Once things are settled here, I'll take you to the Righteous Path Sect to participate in the Dragon Gate Selection!"

"Enjoying ordinary life?" Bu Qu looked up, three question marks above his head. "But right now, all I want is to cultivate immortality!"

Just as I arrived at the entrance of the dojo, two carriages arrived one after the other.

Upon hearing that Bu Qu had come to the martial arts school, Su Miaoyin and Xia Zhuxin hurried over.

As soon as the carriage curtain was lifted, a pair of dazzling white thighs were visible beneath the white dress.

In the blink of an eye, Su Miaoyin pressed herself against him, her tone both coquettish and reproachful: "Bu Lang, why did you leave me behind earlier?"

Bu Qu chuckled twice: "I'm going to Blackwater Lake to fish, aren't I?"

"Take me with you!"

"You don't know how to catch fish."

"I can warm the boat!"