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

The moment he pushed open the wooden door of the cabin, the fresh air, mingled with the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms, rushed in, instantly dispelling the fatigue of days of cultivation. Zhang Bufan took a deep breath of the rich spiritual energy, stretched his limbs, and his bones cracked with a series of crisp sounds, every muscle radiating a powerful strength. His cultivation at the second level of Qi Refining had sharpened his senses considerably; he could clearly perceive the babbling of a distant stream, the rustling of peach leaves in the wind, and even the subtle movements of spiritual energy in the air.

The hunger pangs returned, this time more intense than before. Breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining had consumed a significant amount of his spiritual and physical energy. Although he had replenished his spiritual energy by absorbing spirit stones, his body urgently needed to replenish its energy reserves. Remembering the delicious spirit peaches he had tasted earlier, Zhang Bufan subconsciously glanced at the peach grove not far away. However, he quickly reconsidered; after eating spirit peaches several times in a row, even the most exquisite ones were starting to feel cloying. More importantly, he was now a second-level Qi Refining cultivator, and his body's energy needs far exceeded those of before. While spirit peaches could satisfy his hunger, they might not be able to precisely replenish the special energy his body required after the breakthrough.

At that moment, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the small lake not far away. While exploring the secret realm, he had noticed thousands of silvery-white fish leisurely swimming in the crystal-clear water. At the time, he had been focused on understanding the overall landscape of the secret realm and hadn't paid much attention to the fish; now, driven by hunger, these silver fish instantly became the perfect meal in his eyes.

Zhang Bufan strode quickly towards the small lake. His Qi Refining Level 2 cultivation made his steps increasingly light, and he walked on the thick layer of peach petals with almost no sound. The short distance of a few dozen meters was covered in an instant. He stopped, bent down to approach the lakeside, and carefully observed the silver fish in the lake, finally seeing their full appearance.

The silverfish in the lake varied in size and had very peculiar shapes. The larger ones were over two feet long, with slender, flowing bodies, like meticulously polished silver bars; the smaller ones were only the size of a wheat ear, following the larger fish in groups, exceptionally agile. Their overall shape somewhat resembled that of large loaches in the mortal world, yet they possessed a greater sense of agility. Most peculiar were their heads, which vaguely resembled those of legendary dragons, with slightly protruding foreheads, round and bright eyes, and especially eight long whiskers on either side of their mouths, each whisker crystal clear, swaying gently with the water's flow, exuding a strange charm. Sunlight filtered through the spirit stones in the cave ceiling, scattering across the lake's surface, reflecting shimmering light onto the silverfish, making their already silvery-white scales even more dazzling, like countless tiny silver flakes swimming in the water, exceptionally bright.

"This fish is quite peculiar; it even has a somewhat dragon-like appearance," Zhang Bufan muttered to himself, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. In his thirty-eight years of life, he had never seen such a peculiar fish, whether in the rivers, lakes, and seas of the mortal world or in various documentaries. A sense of doubt arose in his heart, and he subconsciously calmed his mind, focusing his thoughts into his sea of ​​consciousness, reviewing the information about silverfish passed down to him by the Xuanqing Daoist.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, a vast amount of information, like a boundless starry sea, flowed rapidly under his mental control. The Xuanqing Daoist's legacy was extremely detailed, containing not only cultivation techniques and insights, but also numerous records of his experiences in the immortal realm, rare treasures, and spiritual plants and beasts. Soon, he found a piece of information related to the silver fish before him.

According to the inherited memories, these silver fish existed more than three thousand years ago when Xuanqing Daoist, severely injured, had a wisp of his remnant soul, along with his body, fall into this world. When he found this cave containing spiritual veins, it was already here. At that time, although the cave was rich in spiritual energy, it was extremely barren, containing only this naturally formed pool and the fish within it. Knowing his time was near, Xuanqing Daoist, in order to leave behind his legacy, exhausted his last bit of immortal power to refine this cave into a secret realm, setting up numerous restrictions, awaiting a destined person to inherit his mantle. And these fish, originally living in the pool, were permanently left in this small lake formed by the convergence of spiritual spring water with the formation of the secret realm.

Later, Daoist Xuanqing planted peach tree seeds brought from the Celestial Realm in the secret realm. The peach trees took root in the spiritual veins, grew vigorously, and bloomed year-round. Pink peach petals drifted in the wind, some landing on the ground, others floating into the spiritual spring beside the stream, eventually flowing into a small lake. Although the peach trees had severely degenerated in the current barren environment, these fallen petals and leaves still contained a trace of celestial energy, becoming natural food for the fish in the lake.

Originally, these fish weren't the silvery-white they are today; they were a common silvery-gray and smaller. However, having lived for generations in the lake where spiritual springs converged, feeding on peach petals and leaves imbued with celestial energy, they underwent a dramatic transformation over three thousand years of breeding and evolution. Not only did they grow larger, but their color gradually changed from silvery-gray to the pure silvery-white they are today. Their scales became more translucent, and even their heads gradually evolved into a dragon-like form, growing eight long, dragon-like whiskers.

What shocked Zhang Bufan even more was that the inherited memories explicitly mentioned that the fish's form and characteristics bore a striking resemblance to the rare and precious "Silver Dragon Loach" of the Immortal Realm. It was speculated that these fish might have accidentally awakened a trace of Silver Dragon Loach bloodline within them due to their long-term consumption of immortal peach petals. The Silver Dragon Loach is a renowned and extremely valuable rare beast in the Immortal Realm. For young cultivators, consuming Silver Dragon Loach meat not only rapidly replenishes their spiritual energy but also greatly improves their cultivation aptitude, cleanses their marrow and meridians, widens their meridians, purifies their spiritual roots, and significantly enhances their cultivation speed and strength.

For this reason, the Silver Dragon Loach is extremely precious in the Immortal Realm. Only the top cultivation sects would spend enormous resources to raise a small number of them, specifically for training their core disciples to strengthen their foundations and accelerate their growth. Wild Silver Dragon Loaches are even rarer, almost impossible to find, and even in the Immortal Realm, they are considered priceless treasures.

However, the inherited memories also mention that the Silver Dragon Loach in the Immortal Realm, upon reaching adulthood, is extremely large, reaching hundreds of feet in length, covered in hard silver scales, possessing immense strength, and even capable of stirring up storms. The silver fish before them, however, are only about two feet long when fully grown, slender in size, a world apart from the true Silver Dragon Loach. Clearly, they have only awakened a faint trace of the Silver Dragon Loach bloodline, and are not true Silver Dragon Loaches. As for whether this faint bloodline can improve cultivation aptitude, the inherited memories do not explicitly state it; after all, Daoist Xuanqing only briefly noticed these fish back then and did not conduct in-depth research.

"Improve cultivation aptitude?" Upon seeing these words, Zhang Bufan's eyes lit up instantly, and his heart pounded involuntarily. His biggest weakness was his mixed five-attribute spiritual root, making his cultivation speed far slower than that of cultivators with single or dual spiritual roots. Although he had the support of the top-tier immortal cultivation technique, the *Xuanqing Daodao Jue*, and the abundant resources of the secret realm, his lack of aptitude remained the biggest obstacle on his path to immortality. If these silver fish could truly improve his cultivation aptitude, even by a slight margin, it would be an immense opportunity for him!

Thinking this through, Zhang Bufan no longer hesitated, his eyes filled with intense desire. Whether or not these silver fish truly had the effect of improving one's aptitude, it was worth a try. Moreover, even without this effect, as spirit fish that lived in the spiritual spring and fed on peach petals, their flesh must contain rich spiritual energy, making them far more suitable than spirit peaches for replenishing physical strength and energy.

He stood up, looked around, and quickly fixed his gaze on the peach grove not far away. Since these silver fish feed on peach petals and leaves, using these as bait would surely attract them easily. Zhang Bufan quickly walked to the peach tree, bent down, and picked up the fallen peach petals and leaves. These petals and leaves had only recently fallen, still carrying a fresh sheen and a rich, sweet fragrance, and the immortal energy attached to them was at its most concentrated. He picked up a large handful, and then saw a few shriveled peaches nearby. Although they were dehydrated, they were still not rotten, and a faint spiritual energy remained on their surface, so he picked up a few of them as well and hugged them to his chest.

Back at the lake, Zhang Bufan found a shallow and relatively calm spot. He crouched down and divided the peach petals, leaves, and shriveled peaches in his arms into several small portions. He first took one portion and gently tossed it into the shallow water near the lake. With a soft "splash," the petals and leaves fell into the water and floated on the surface, their rich, sweet fragrance spreading rapidly with the current.

As expected, the moment the sweet fragrance spread, the school of silverfish swimming in the lake reacted immediately. They all turned and swam quickly towards the shallows, especially the larger ones, which were even faster, rushing towards the floating petals and leaves like arrows. Soon, a large group of silverfish gathered in the shallows, vying for the petals and leaves in the water. The once calm surface was rippled, and the silvery-white fish darted through the water, creating a lively scene.

Zhang Bufan held his breath, his eyes fixed on the school of fish in the water, finally locking onto the largest silverfish. This silverfish was over two feet long, with a lithe body, making it very conspicuous among the fish. It was also the most ferocious when fighting for food; several smaller silverfish that approached it were easily flicked away by its tail. That's it! Zhang Bufan silently confirmed his target, slowly extending his right hand into the water, the movement gentle and slow, trying not to attract the attention of the fish.

At this moment, the largest silver fish was focused on snatching a floating peach petal, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Zhang Bufan's hand stealthily approached in the water, and when it was less than half a foot away from the silver fish, a glint flashed in his eyes, and with a sudden burst of strength in his wrist, his right hand shot out like lightning, precisely grabbing the middle of the silver fish. He tightened his grip, the spiritual energy at his fingertips subtly circulating, forming a binding force that firmly locked the silver fish's body.

"Splash!" The caught silver fish struggled violently, its tail thrashing wildly as it tried to break free, splashing water that soaked Zhang Bufan's clothes. But Zhang Bufan was now a Qi Refining Level Two cultivator; his physical attributes had undergone a complete transformation, and his strength far surpassed that of ordinary people. This strength was more than enough to catch a fish weighing several pounds. No matter how the silver fish struggled, his hand remained as firm as an iron clamp, completely unmoved.

It wasn't until Zhang Bufan firmly grasped the silverfish, stood up, and lifted it out of the water that the silverfish scrambling for food around him realized what was happening. They were all startled and retreated towards the center of the lake like a tide, disappearing into the depths of the lake in the blink of an eye, leaving only a few petals and leaves floating on the surface.

Zhang Bufan looked at the struggling silver fish in his hand, his heart filled with joy. Although the silver fish was slender, it felt surprisingly heavy in his hand; he weighed it, and estimated it to be about three or four pounds. The silver fish's scales were smooth and delicate, cool to the touch, and shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Its eight long whiskers were constantly swaying, making it appear quite agile. "With my Qi Refining Level 2 physique, catching these silver fish is indeed easy," Zhang Bufan muttered to himself. He had been worried about losing it, but now it seemed his concerns were completely unfounded.

Then, Zhang Bufan carried the silver fish and walked downstream. He remembered that when exploring the secret realm, there was a relatively flat rocky platform downstream, free of weeds, perfect for preparing ingredients. Reaching the platform, he first placed the silver fish aside, then found some clean stones and built a simple stove on the platform. Next, he gathered some dry peach branches and withered grass nearby to use as fuel for a fire.

After completing the preparations, Zhang Bufan began processing the silverfish. He selected a sharp-edged piece of stone from the pile of rocks. He first held the silverfish's head down, then gently made an incision in its belly with the stone, carefully cleaning out its internal organs. Surprisingly, the silverfish's internal organs were perfectly clean, without any impurities or odor; instead, they emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance, clearly indicating that it had been nourished by food imbued with immortal energy for a long time.

After cleaning the fish's internal organs, Zhang Bufan carried it to the stream and rinsed it repeatedly with the clear water, washing away the blood and impurities. The cleaned fish's silvery-white scales appeared even purer, shimmering in the light and looking even more tempting.

After preparing the silverfish, Zhang Bufan broke off a thick, straight peach branch from a nearby peach tree, sharpened one end with a piece of gravel, and then threaded the silverfish through it from tail to head, securing it firmly. Next, he placed the peach branch with the silverfish on the stove he had previously built, adjusting the angle to ensure the silverfish could be heated evenly.

With everything ready, Zhang Bufan lit the dry grass and peach branches under the stove. Starting a fire was even easier for him at his current level. Although he hadn't yet mastered the Fireball Technique, his current superhuman physique and speed allowed him to easily pick up two stones and clink them together. Sparks flew everywhere, and with a crackling sound, flames quickly ignited. The leaping flames licked at the peach branches and the silver fish, soon releasing an enticing aroma. This aroma was different from the sweet scent of peach blossoms, and also different from the fruity fragrance of spirit peaches; it was a rich, meaty aroma, mixed with a faint aura of immortality, making one's mouth water instantly.

Zhang Bufan sat by the rock, adding firewood and turning the peach branch to ensure the silver fish were heated evenly. The flames leaped, casting flickering light on his face. The aroma in the air grew stronger, and his hunger intensified. He watched the silver fish gradually turn golden brown, his heart filled with anticipation—not only for their delicious taste, but also for the surprise they might bring—that would improve his physical condition.

Within the secret realm, the light emanating from the spirit stones atop the cave remained soft, the stream murmured gently, and the peach grove swayed in the breeze. The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms. Zhang Bufan sat by the fire, quietly awaiting the delicious food to be ready. At this moment, he temporarily forgot the hardships of his path to immortality and the turmoil of the outside world, his heart filled only with anticipation for the delicious meal before him and longing for the future.