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

The car sped towards the high-speed rail station, the street scenes outside the window rushing past, but Ye Qingxue had no time to appreciate them.

No one knew that this seemingly ordinary urban woman in the mortal world harbored an identity that would overturn common perceptions—she was the legitimate daughter of Ye Zhentian, the current head of the Ye family, a hidden cultivation clan. The Ye family had a thousand-year history, and although it had lost its former glory due to the scarcity of spiritual energy in the present world, it was still a force to be reckoned with in the cultivation world. All the clan's members cultivated from a young age, guarding the family's heritage and secrets.

Ye Qingxue was the pride of the Ye family from a young age. She was born with dual spiritual roots of metal and wood, a rare quality in the cultivation world, giving her exceptional talent. Coupled with her extraordinary intelligence and high comprehension, she was deeply loved by her father, Ye Zhentian. The elders of the clan all asserted that as long as she cultivated steadily and utilized the resources accumulated by the family, she would surely be able to successfully establish her foundation, and might even be able to reach higher realms, restoring the Ye family's prestige.

At seventeen, Ye Qingxue followed her father's arrangements, concealing her identity to enroll in a prestigious university. Partly to experience ordinary life and temper her character, and partly to avoid the prying eyes of other powerful forces. Unexpectedly, she encountered Zhang Bufan at university. At that time, Zhang Bufan was a top student in the computer science department, tall and upright, with clear eyes and an indomitable spirit, standing out among the students.

A chance encounter at a club activity brought the two together. Ye Qingxue was attracted to Zhang Bufan's sincerity and talent, while Zhang Bufan was captivated by Ye Qingxue's gentleness and intelligence. Before long, they fell in love. When Ye Qingxue informed her family of her relationship with the ordinary man, Ye Zhentian was furious and immediately expressed strong opposition. In his view, his daughter was the future hope of the Ye family and should be married off to a genius from another cultivation family, forming a powerful alliance. How could she condescend to marry a mere mortal with no cultivation foundation?

However, Ye Qingxue was stubborn and unwilling to let go of Zhang Bufan once she had made up her mind. She argued with her father time and time again, even threatening to sever ties with him. Ye Zhentian loved his daughter dearly and could not overcome her insistence, so he had no choice but to compromise, but he also put forward three strict rules. Two of them were the most crucial: first, in the mortal world, Ye Qingxue must strictly hide her identity as a cultivator and must not reveal it to anyone, including Zhang Bufan; second, she was absolutely forbidden from having children before she successfully established her foundation.

This second rule wasn't something Ye Zhentian deliberately made difficult; it was an ironclad rule in the cultivation world. For female cultivators, bearing children consumes a significant amount of their source energy. At best, it leads to a decline in cultivation; at worst, it damages their foundation, completely severing their path to Foundation Establishment. Ye Qingxue possesses exceptional talent and is supported by family resources, so even with the current scarcity of spiritual energy, her chances of achieving Foundation Establishment are extremely high. Ye Zhentian himself is already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and can live for over three hundred years. He absolutely cannot stand by and watch his beloved daughter's cultivation be delayed due to childbirth, ultimately aging prematurely like an ordinary woman.

This was the real reason why Ye Qingxue resolutely refused to have children. She deeply loved Zhang Bufan, but she couldn't disobey her father's orders, nor could she reveal her identity. Faced with Zhang Bufan's desire for a child and a complete family, she could only refuse time and time again, unable to explain her reasons. Over time, the rift between them deepened, ultimately leading to divorce.

For two years after the divorce, Ye Qingxue still couldn't stop thinking about Zhang Bufan. She knew she owed him something, but due to family rules and her status as a cultivator, she couldn't tell him everything. She could only occasionally send Zhang Bufan holiday greetings as a friend and silently keep track of his situation. When she learned that Zhang Bufan was unemployed and depressed, she was extremely anxious and could only secretly arrange to look for suitable job opportunities for him.

Now, seeing the video of Zhang Bufan falling off the cliff and disappearing, Ye Qingxue's heart was in her throat. Unlike other ordinary people, she immediately ruled out the possibility of "accidental death." Falling from a 700-meter cliff, an ordinary mortal would have been smashed to pieces long ago; it would be impossible for him to "disappear without a trace." Considering that Mount Hua has always been a blessed land for cultivation, Ye Qingxue had two guesses in mind: either Zhang Bufan was kidnapped by a monster lurking in the mountains, or he was rescued by a passing cultivation sect by chance.

Regardless of the possibility, Zhang Bufan still had a glimmer of hope. This realization gradually calmed Ye Qingxue's initially panicked heart, replacing it with a strong determination to find him. She couldn't let anything happen to Zhang Bufan, much less let him fall into the hands of unknown forces.

After parking her car in the high-speed rail station parking lot, Ye Qingxue took out a seemingly ordinary but actually specially made family communication phone from her backpack and quickly dialed an encrypted number. When the call connected, she lowered her voice and said solemnly, "It's me, Qingxue. Investigate something for me immediately. Zhang Bufan from Pengcheng City fell off a cliff and went missing on May 12th at the Changkong Plank Road on Mount Hua. I need all his detailed information from the last three days, including his recent whereabouts and the people he's been in contact with. Also, dispatch two family guards to the foot of Mount Hua to meet me. Be sure to keep it discreet and don't reveal your identities."

A respectful reply came from the other end of the phone: "Yes, Miss, we'll take care of it immediately!"

Ye Qingxue is now thirty-five years old. Thanks to her exceptional talent and family resources, her cultivation has reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, placing her in the late stage of the Qi Refining realm. With her strength, she is virtually invincible in the mortal world, and even against some spirits or low-level cultivators, she has the power to fight them. This time, she is going to Mount Hua not only to find Zhang Bufan, but also to uncover the truth behind his disappearance.

Ye Qingxue picked up her backpack and strode into the station. She expertly retrieved her ticket, weaved through the crowded throng, and headed towards the ticket gate. Sunlight streamed through the station's glass facade, bathing her in its warmth, but it did nothing to dispel the worry in her heart.

Mount Hua, that land shrouded in mystery and unknowns, is about to welcome a cultivator hiding his true identity. Meanwhile, Zhang Bufan, immersed in his cultivation within a secret grotto, remains completely unaware. He is oblivious to the fact that his ex-wife, with whom he shared fifteen years of life before their eventual separation, is embarking on a journey to Mount Hua to find him, carrying with her lingering affections.