Suijun starts with the principle of rewarding diligence.

Two days later, Buqu's awning boat was already drifting in the deep waters of Blackwater Lake.

He was prepared for a protracted battle for this voyage.

The original plan was to do some shopping at the market before setting sail.

But when he returned to Tangjing House, Buqu found that he had everything he wanted: pots and pans, rice, flour, oil, salt, and refined charcoal...

He even brought the bedding from his bedroom and spread it out in the middle cabin of the awning boat.

The bedding in Zhong's bedroom was made of the finest materials, much more comfortable than the simple mat he had used before.

The high humidity on the lake surface makes bedding prone to mold if left for a long time.

However, this was not a big deal for Buqu.

When the bedding feels damp, he simply uses his water-controlling technique to drain the water.

Looking up at the sky, Bu Qu muttered, "It drizzled all day yesterday, and we didn't find any red-scaled sturgeon in the water last night. Hmm, we can rule out the drizzle for now."

Buqu wrote this information down on a piece of paper.

Just because a red-scaled sturgeon was found on a cloudy day doesn't mean we shouldn't investigate at other times.

If the conditions for the appearance of the treasure fish are not unique, wouldn't we miss many opportunities?

Moreover, there are more than a dozen kinds of treasure fish in Blackwater Lake, and you might even encounter other kinds of treasure fish.

Furthermore, he can't just sit idly on the ship. He still needs to work on the tasks he needs to complete.

"I wonder how much the increase in spiritual power will enhance my water control abilities?"

Of the three water control capabilities, Buqu can currently only be addressed separately.

Working on everything at once is too taxing. Even with his water control abilities at full power, he couldn't last even the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. In terms of efficiency, it's far less efficient than working on each task separately.

He put away the paper and pen, prepared some food for dinner, and ate until he was half full.

It's a cloudy day today, so if we go swimming tonight, we'll likely have a good catch.

I will need to eat the treasure fish to aid my cultivation later. If I eat too much, the treasure fish will not be able to eat, which will delay my cultivation time.

It's already winter, and the days are already short.

Buqu rested on the boat for a short while, and then it got dark.

He lit an oil lamp on the boat as a marker so he could find it later.

They immediately went into the water and began searching for the red-scaled sturgeon.

About an hour later, Buqu finally found a red-scaled sturgeon with a bright red body near the water plants.

He returned to the awning boat with the red-scaled sturgeon in his fishing net, thinking to himself, "I caught some red-scaled sturgeon before and sold them to the Zhong family, so I didn't get to taste them myself. Today I can finally have a taste."

Bu Qu brought the red-scaled sturgeon to his nose and smelled it, but it still didn't have much of a fishy smell.

One bite, and a milky aroma fills your mouth, just like ice cream.

Not only does Baoyu have amazing effects, but it also tastes fantastic.

As Bu Qu ate, he wondered, "Could it be that the treasure fish became a treasure fish because it's so delicious?"

He felt that was possible.

If people dislike food that doesn't taste good, the pressure to survive won't be as great.

Not only is the effect of the treasure fish outstanding, but it also tastes so good, so it's no wonder it's so rare.

After finishing his meal, Buqu felt a warm feeling in his stomach.

He didn't sit idle either; he sat in the boat and began to cultivate.

The spiritual energy in his abdomen, guided by the flow of the tube, circulated through his limbs and bones, like a river irrigating crops, spreading throughout his meridians.

Shortly after, the panel showed a new change:

[Spiritual Power: Level Zero]

[Progress: 2/300]

[To be digested: 999]

[Estimated digestion time: 50 hours]

"Fifty hours would take a little over four days. That's an acceptable pace."

Without the assistance of the Red Scaled Sturgeon, it would take almost a year to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on its own.

Now, after eating the red-scaled sturgeon, it only takes a little over four days, saving a significant amount of time.

Moreover, as long as the spiritual energy contained in the Crimson Scale Sturgeon is not exhausted, he only needs to guide the spiritual energy through his meridians once, and the remaining spiritual energy will automatically circulate along this route until the spiritual energy is exhausted.

This is much more efficient than absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Bu Qu glanced at the progress, then at the values ​​yet to be processed, wondering, "Is the relationship between these two one-to-one? If so, wouldn't one Red Scaled Sturgeon allow me to level up three or four times in a row?"

While I was thinking, the values ​​on the panel changed slightly.

[Progress: 3/300]

[To be digested: 998]

"It really is a one-to-one ratio." Bu Qu pondered to himself, "Is it because the fresh red-scaled sturgeon is so effective, or is Senior Brother He's statement incorrect? According to him, a single red-scaled sturgeon should only yield one section."

He couldn't figure out the reason for it at first. But no matter what, it was a good thing.

If a red-scaled sturgeon can advance three or four levels in a row, he only needs to catch two or three more red-scaled sturgeons to cultivate his spiritual power to perfection.

That way, two months should be enough.

Although it is said that once the spiritual energy is guided to circulate through the body for one cycle, the spiritual energy will automatically circulate.

But this was the first time Bu Qu had used the Red-scaled Sturgeon to assist in his cultivation, and he was quite excited.

He just wants to watch his meridians absorb spiritual energy little by little and enjoy the feeling of slowly getting stronger.

When he couldn't contain himself, he would stare at the panel. When the numbers started to change, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.

Before we knew it, it was dawn.

With his spiritual energy filling his meridians, Bu Qu, who had stayed up all night, felt not sleepy at all, but rather refreshed and full of inexhaustible energy.

[Progress: 105/300]

[To be digested: 896]

Bu Qu calculated the time: "By the fourth watch of tomorrow night, I will be a powerful cultivator with a certain level of spiritual energy!"

He glanced at the lake and muttered to himself, "Am I going to sit like this for another day and night? But right now, I don't want to do anything but cultivate..."

Bu Qu stared at the panel for a while longer, and only put it away with satisfaction when the numbers started to change.

I looked up at the sky and saw the sun rising in the east, the dark clouds dissipating. It foreshadowed a bright and sunny day.

In the past, he would have rowed his famous awning boat to the shallow waters to catch rippled fish.

But today, Buqu has no such idea at all.

He just wanted to quietly wait for the moment when the progress bar was full.

By noon, my stomach started growling in protest.

Bu Qu's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "Why do I feel hungrier than usual today? Absorbing spiritual energy seems to have taken a toll on my body's energy."

The process of spiritual energy nourishing the meridians is both an absorption process and a reshaping process.

Realizing this, he quickly got up and started cooking.

In the afternoon, Buqu sat at the stern of the boat playing in the water while watching the panel change.

Suddenly, he made a significant discovery: 'Controlling water seems to accelerate the digestion of spiritual energy.'

With a try-it-out mentality, Buqu controlled the two streams of water to flow around him.

When I looked at the panel again, the conversion speed had indeed become faster.

Could it be that spiritual energy cultivation isn't simply absorption, but a dynamic transformation? Like metabolism, with both intake and output, making it more efficient?

Bu Qu simply jumped into the water, maximizing his water control capabilities.

With the blessing of spiritual power, he can handle water with ease even when his water control ability is fully activated.

Bu Qu was overjoyed.

It can both control the rate of water metabolism and accelerate the absorption of spiritual energy, so why not do it?

He dived back into the water.

After several tests, Bu Qu discovered that when he fully controlled the water, the efficiency of spiritual energy conversion could be doubled!

In other words, the time required to absorb a red-scaled sturgeon can be reduced from four days to two days!

As evening approached, he returned to the awning boat from the water.

Absorbing spiritual energy doesn't consume much of the body, but controlling water does.

Although spiritual energy accounts for the majority, prolonged water control can still cause physical and mental fatigue.

Bu Qu rested in the boat for a while, then glanced at the control panel again, thinking to himself, "By the second watch of the night, I'll be in my final stretch!"

Having finally made it to the second watch of the night, Bu Qu stared intently at the control panel.

298 ....

299 ....

300!

???

[Progress: 300/300]

"What's going on? Why isn't it breaking through? Could the panel be broken? That's impossible! How could the panel be broken?"

Bu Qu recalled the cultivation method He Qing had taught him and thought to himself that it should be correct.

Looking inward, one discovers that the meridians are still absorbing spiritual energy, sometimes contracting, sometimes relaxing, their desires still unfulfilled.

Shortly after, the panel continued to change:

[Progress: 301/300]