He fell off a cliff but unexpectedly gained a cultivation inheritance.

After exchanging pleasantries with the three women and Yue Buwei and other high-ranking members for a short while, Zhang Bufan bowed and took his leave, turning back to his secluded cultivation room. Although his early Core Formation stage was largely stable, he deeply understood the importance of a solid foundation. Only by thoroughly refining the power of his Golden Core and perfectly integrating it with his physical body and soul could he truly unleash the combat power of a Core Formation cultivator and confidently face his upcoming "contest" with Liu Yan'er. Seeing this, Yue Buwei did not stop him. Before leaving, he specifically mentioned that a grand advancement celebration would be held for him a month later to demonstrate the sect's emphasis on its core combat power.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Master, but please cancel the celebration." Zhang Bufan slowly shook his head, his tone sincere. "In the past two years, the Immortal Sword Sect has held three Core Formation celebrations for Elder Zhou, Ling'er, Senior Brother Xie, and Senior Sister Liu. This frequency has already numbed the disciples. Excessive extravagance not only wastes resources but also easily leads to complacency, which is counterproductive."

Yue Buwei was taken aback upon hearing this, then stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes full of approval—Zhang Bufan was so young, yet he possessed such insightful wisdom, was not greedy for empty fame, and was pragmatic and steady, which was all the more rare. Before he could speak again, Zhang Bufan had already taken out more than a dozen lustrous jade bottles from his storage ring and handed them to Yue Buwei: "These are the Core Formation Pills that I refined earlier, a total of one hundred. Although most of them are low-grade and mid-grade, they are still enough to come in handy."

Yue Buwei reached out and took the jade bottle. His fingertips touched the bottle and he felt the rich spiritual energy within. When he heard the words "one hundred pills," his body trembled violently, his pupils contracted sharply, and a tidal wave of shock surged within him. His hands, holding the jade bottle, trembled slightly; the word "surprise" was no longer sufficient to describe his astonishment. It must be understood that in the current Pangu cultivation world, spiritual energy was scarce, and spiritual materials were rare. Gathering the raw materials for a single batch of Core Formation Pills often required the joint investment of several sects, and the success rate was extremely low. In the past, the Immortal Sword Sect, even with its best efforts, could only purchase one or two Core Formation Pills in ten years at a huge cost, for its core disciples to use in their breakthroughs. Yet Zhang Bufan had produced over a dozen batches, a hundred pills—this generosity was enough to drive the entire cultivation world into a frenzy.

Yue Buwei looked at Zhang Bufan again, his heart filled with shock and relief—just how much heaven-defying power had Xuanqing Daoist left for this disciple? Zhang Bufan's words when he joined the sect, "to lead the sect to rise," which he had once dismissed as youthful ambition, were now truly becoming a reality. With such a massive supply of pills, the rise of the Immortal Sword Sect was practically a foregone conclusion.

"I have a suggestion regarding these pills," Zhang Bufan said slowly, his tone steady. "Give them all to the disciples in the sect who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, to help them break through to the Core Formation stage as soon as possible. The Huashan Secret Realm will not be unsealed for another nine years. Why not wait until the unsealing day to hold a unified celebration for all newly promoted Core Formation cultivators? At that time, we can also take the opportunity to announce the rise of the Immortal Sword Sect to the outside world and deter all forces."

Yue Buwei and the other elders exchanged glances, all seeing joy and approval in each other's eyes. This arrangement not only made good use of the elixirs but also accumulated strength for a future breakthrough, making it far more meaningful than holding a separate celebration. "Good! Let's do it your way!" Yue Buwei agreed in a deep voice, carefully putting away the jade bottle as if it were a priceless treasure.

After bidding farewell to Zhang Bufan, Yue Buwei returned directly to the sect's main hall and struck the sect's great bell hanging outside. "Dong—dong—dong—" The bell's deep, resonant sound pierced the clouds and echoed throughout the entire Huashan Secret Realm. Upon hearing the sound, the core disciples and elders of the Immortal Sword Sect were once again stirred with excitement—this sect bell normally only rang once every ten years, mostly to announce important matters, but in the past two years it had been rang frequently, each time accompanied by earth-shattering news. Everyone dropped their tasks and hurried towards the main hall, filled with curiosity and anticipation to see what changes had occurred this time.

A quarter of an hour later, more than two hundred core disciples and elders had gathered in the main hall. Although the voices inside were soft, they carried an undisguised restlessness. Most of these two hundred people were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a dozen or so disciples who had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment but were stuck at the Core Formation bottleneck. Some were old and frail, their energy waning; others were young and vigorous, but lacked the aid of elixirs. Each of them harbored a deep longing for Core Formation.

Yue Buwei slowly walked up to the high platform in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. Once the hall was completely silent, he spoke in a deep voice: "I have gathered you all today to announce some momentous news. Our sect recently discovered a batch of spiritual materials for refining Core Formation Pills. Fortunately, Zhang Bufan devoted himself to refining them, and we successfully produced a batch of Core Formation Pills. From this day forward, every disciple of my Immortal Sword Sect who reaches the peak of Foundation Establishment can receive a Core Formation Pill free of charge to aid in breaking through to the next realm!"

He deliberately concealed the truth that the pills were a personal gift from Zhang Bufan—if such a massive quantity of pills were attributed to one person, it would inevitably attract the covetousness of other forces, bringing Zhang Bufan to his death. By obscuring the source of the spiritual materials, he could both protect Zhang Bufan and attribute this favor to the sect, thus uniting the sect's forces.

Before he finished speaking, Yue Buwei waved his hand, and more than a dozen jade bottles flew out of his storage ring, landing precisely in front of each Foundation Establishment Perfection disciple like stars, hovering in the air. The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence; everyone froze in place, their faces filled with disbelief.

The Core Formation Pill! That was the most coveted treasure they had ever dreamed of! In the past, sects could only painstakingly purchase one or two pills every ten years, and even then, they had to be selected from among numerous core disciples, with only a handful actually receiving one. Many disciples who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage waited for decades or even centuries, only to have their blood and energy decline, forever stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage, filled with regret for the rest of their lives. Now, they could receive them for free, and everyone could get one—such a good thing was more unreal than a dream.

A dozen or so disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage reached out tremblingly and carefully grasped the floating jade bottle. The cool touch on their fingertips brought them back to their senses. Someone slowly unscrewed the cap, and a rich, mellow fragrance of medicinal pills instantly gushed out, sweeping through the entire hall, refreshing and invigorating, even causing the spiritual energy in their dantian to stir.

Several disciples, all over a hundred years old, held the jade bottle in trembling hands. Tears welled in their cloudy eyes and slid down their aged cheeks. Their vital energy had begun to decline, and they had completely given up hope of forming their core. They never expected to receive such an opportunity in their desperate situation. Unable to contain their excitement any longer, they knelt down with a thud and kowtowed deeply to Yue Buwei on the high platform, their voices choked with emotion: "Thank you, Ancestor! Thank you, Sect! Thank you, Uncle Zhang!"

The other Foundation Establishment Perfection disciples also knelt down to express their gratitude, and the hall echoed with sounds of thanks. Those disciples who had not yet reached Foundation Establishment Perfection were all incredibly excited, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, their eyes burning with fighting spirit—as long as they cultivated to Foundation Establishment Perfection, they could receive a Core Formation Pill, a privilege that had never been offered even tens of thousands of years ago during the golden age of abundant spiritual energy!

A moment later, all the disciples and elders knelt down and bowed deeply to the high platform, shouting in unison, "Thank you, Ancestor! Thank you, Sect! Thank you, Uncle Zhang!" Their voices were loud and clear, making the beams and pillars of the hall creak slightly. The heartfelt gratitude and sense of belonging coalesced into a powerful force that lingered in the hall.

Meanwhile, inside the secluded cultivation chamber on Qinglan Peak, Zhang Bufan sat cross-legged, focused on refining the power of his golden core, completely unaware of the grand spectacle unfolding in the main hall. He didn't care about such empty titles; giving away the pills was both fulfilling his promise to lead the sect to prosperity upon joining and repaying the debts owed to the sect for its protection, Yue Buwei for his cultivation, and for taking away the Xuanqing Secret Realm. Now, he had long regarded the Immortal Sword Sect as his own home, and doing everything he could for his family was only natural.

Inside the secluded cultivation chamber, the golden core slowly rotated, its spiritual energy flowing ceaselessly; in the main hall, the disciples were filled with fighting spirit, their hearts united. Within the secret realm of Mount Hua, a rising force belonging to the Immortal Sword Sect was quietly brewing, waiting to amaze the entire Pangu cultivation world nine years from now.