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

Inside the wooden cabin, all was quiet. Zhang Bufan sat cross-legged, eyes closed, a faint aura of spiritual energy surrounding him. His right palm tightly gripped a low-grade spirit stone as he concentrated intently on circulating the "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique." The warm touch of the spirit stone transmitted through his palm, and pure spiritual energy, like a continuous stream, rapidly flowed into his body along his meridians. After being refined by the technique, it transformed into his own spiritual power and merged into the dantian's qi vortex.

After discovering that silverfish could broaden meridians and improve aptitude, Zhang Bufan's enthusiasm for cultivation soared. He knew that the shortcomings of his mixed five-attribute spiritual root needed to be compensated for through hard work and resources, and the abundant spirit stones and silverfish in the secret realm were his greatest assets in catching up with others. He was determined to open up the remaining acupoints of the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian as soon as possible and reach the second level of Qi Refining perfection.

The low-grade spirit stone in his palm, which originally emitted a soft, milky-white luster, was visibly fading rapidly as spiritual energy continued to dissipate. Within his meridians, spiritual energy surged and circulated, each cycle strengthening the vortex of energy in his dantian. The barrier of the Chize acupoint in the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin was also gradually loosening under the continuous impact of spiritual energy. Zhang Bufan was immersed in the exhilarating feeling of rapid progress, oblivious to the strange changes quietly developing within his body.

Time slipped away quietly in the tranquil cultivation. The light from the spirit stones on the cave ceiling remained soft, filtering through the cracks in the wooden hut and casting dappled shadows on the ground. Before they knew it, a day and a night had passed. Just as Zhang Bufan was manipulating his spiritual power, preparing to launch another powerful attack on the Chize acupoint, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot through the depths of his meridians!

"Hiss—" The sharp pain came suddenly, as if countless fine needles were piercing his meridians at the same time, instantly spreading throughout his body. Zhang Bufan couldn't help but gasp, and his previously smooth cultivation technique instantly became disordered. He was shocked and could no longer maintain his cultivation state. He suddenly opened his eyes, hurriedly calmed his mind, and forcibly stopped the absorption and circulation of spiritual energy.

As the cultivation technique ceased, the surging spiritual energy within his meridians gradually subsided, and the sharp, stinging pain lessened slightly. However, a lingering soreness remained in his meridians, as if they had just been crushed by a heavy object. Zhang Bufan gasped for breath, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, his face turning pale. He composed himself and quickly focused his mind inward, trying to understand what had happened.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the meridian diagram clearly appeared, revealing the flow of spiritual energy within his body and the state of his dantian. What puzzled Zhang Bufan was that although the qi vortex within his dantian had grown considerably stronger than before, it was still far from the almost overflowing saturation state he had reached at the peak of the first level of Qi Refining. The spiritual energy flowing through his meridians was also far from its carrying capacity. Logically speaking, this level of spiritual energy abundance should not possibly cause such intense meridian pain.

"What on earth is going on?" Zhang Bufan frowned, his mind filled with confusion. He carefully examined his meridians and found no signs of damage, only a faint reddish tinge on the meridian walls, indicating that they had been subjected to some kind of excessive pressure. "My spiritual energy isn't even full yet, so why are my meridians so painful? Could there be a problem with the circulation of my cultivation technique?"

Filled with doubt, Zhang Bufan dared not rashly begin cultivating. He immediately immersed his mind in his sea of ​​consciousness, beginning to peruse the vast memories transmitted to him by Xuanqing Daoist, focusing on the important points related to Qi Refining stage cultivation. The amount of information passed down by Xuanqing Daoist was immense; even though most of it was sealed, the basic information that had already been revealed was like a vast galaxy. Zhang Bufan's consciousness rapidly traversed the sea of ​​memories, filtering out irrelevant information such as alchemy and weapon crafting, precisely locking onto the core points of Qi Refining stage cultivation.

Time ticked by, and Zhang Bufan's mind, like a sophisticated detector, searched for answers among a vast amount of fragmented memories. Finally, a record about meridian maintenance during the Qi Refining stage entered his mind, instantly resolving his doubts.

According to the inherited memories, the Qi Refining stage is the initial stage of the path to immortality. At this time, the cultivator's meridians have just been nourished and activated by spiritual energy and have not yet been fully strengthened. Their texture is still relatively fragile, like a newly sprouted bud. They need to be continuously nourished by spiritual energy to gradually become tough and broad in order to accommodate more spiritual energy and withstand faster spiritual energy flow. In the mortal world or in cultivation environments with scarce spiritual energy, the speed at which cultivators refine spiritual energy is extremely slow. The rate at which spiritual energy increases is far lower than the rate at which the meridians naturally strengthen. Therefore, cultivators can cultivate continuously for long periods without worrying about overloading their meridians.

However, the secret realm Zhang Bufan was in was a blessed land with extremely rich spiritual energy, where the density of spiritual energy in the air was dozens of times higher than outside. In addition, he had been using low-grade spirit stones to assist his cultivation, which amplified the speed at which he refined and absorbed spiritual energy several times over. As a result, the speed at which the spiritual energy in his body increased far exceeded the speed at which his meridians naturally strengthened. It was like trying to hold a torrent through a thin tube. His meridians were constantly being washed and squeezed by spiritual energy far exceeding their own capacity, eventually causing a stinging sensation.

The record specifically emphasizes that cultivators in the Qi Refining stage must not be impatient for quick results or forcibly accelerate their cultivation. If the meridians are kept under excessive strain for a prolonged period, it can cause mild symptoms like stinging and soreness, or even severe damage to the meridians, leaving permanent internal injuries, and potentially hindering future breakthroughs in cultivation, completely severing the path to immortality. The correct approach is to balance work and rest. After spiritual energy has increased to a certain level, cultivation should be temporarily suspended, allowing the meridians to naturally strengthen under the gentle nourishment of spiritual energy. Once the meridians' resilience catches up with the spiritual energy capacity, the intensity of cultivation can then be increased again.

After reading this record, Zhang Bufan suddenly understood, and all his doubts vanished, replaced by a sense of lingering fear and relief. He shook his head with a wry smile and murmured, "So that's how it is. I thought that with the blessing of spirit stones, I could have an easy time, but I didn't expect that cultivation had such limits. Being too eager for results is not advisable; I almost damaged my meridians and foundation."

Reflecting on his cultivation progress over this period, Zhang Bufan realized he had indeed been too impatient. From receiving the initiation and entering the first level of Qi Refining to breaking through to the second level, only eight days had passed—a cultivation speed far exceeding what most people could imagine. However, he was not satisfied; instead, he became even more eager to improve his cultivation, neglecting the limits of his meridians. If it weren't for the timely sharp pain that reminded him, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"It seems I can't keep pursuing speed in my cultivation anymore. I need to find a rhythm that suits me and balance my efforts," Zhang Bufan secretly resolved. Since he couldn't cultivate at a high intensity for the time being, he could use this time to digest the other basic information passed down by Xuanqing Daoist, learn some simple spells, supplement his knowledge of the cultivation world, and avoid pitfalls in cultivation in advance, so that he wouldn't be caught off guard when encountering similar problems in the future.

He once again immersed himself in his sea of ​​consciousness, carefully sorting through the unlocked memories. The Xuanqing Daoist's legacy was extremely comprehensive, encompassing not only core cultivation techniques but also fundamental theoretical knowledge across all aspects of the cultivation world, including alchemy, weapon crafting, formations, talisman making, spiritual plant identification, and the classification of exotic beasts. Furthermore, it included numerous basic spells suitable for Qi Refining stage cultivators, such as the Fireball Technique, Water Sword Technique, Wind Control Technique, and Qi Concealment Technique, each with detailed cultivation methods and usage techniques.

Previously, Zhang Bufan had focused solely on improving his cultivation level and had no time to carefully study these matters. Now, he finally had ample time. He began by reviewing the common knowledge of the cultivation world, learning that the levels of cultivation were not limited to Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment. Above them were Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation, among other major realms. Each major realm was further divided into four sub-levels: early, middle, late, and perfect. Cultivators at different realms possessed vastly different strengths, and their lifespans increased significantly with each advancement in realm.

During his investigation, Zhang Bufan also discovered detailed information about resources such as secret realms, spiritual veins, and spirit stones. It turned out that the secret realm he was in was a "portable grotto-heaven" opened by Xuanqing Daoist using his last bit of immortal power. Isolated from the outside world, its internal spiritual vein was the core of the Huashan spiritual vein. Although it had significantly weakened after three thousand years of depletion, it still far surpassed ordinary spiritual veins outside, which was the fundamental reason for the dense spiritual energy within the secret realm. As he had guessed, many of the glowing stones on the cave ceiling were indeed mid-grade or even high-grade spirit stones, with a few even being top-grade. However, with his current cultivation level, he couldn't directly refine the violent spiritual energy within the high-grade spirit stones.

After reviewing the basic knowledge of the cultivation world, Zhang Bufan turned his attention to the basic spells usable during the Qi Refining stage. Among the many spells, he first chose Fireball and Water Shield. These two spells, one offensive and one defensive, complement each other in attributes, and have relatively low learning thresholds, making them suitable for someone who has just entered the second level of Qi Refining. Fireball is the most basic offensive spell, which mobilizes the fire attribute spiritual power within the body to condense into a fireball to attack the enemy; Water Shield condenses water attribute spiritual power into a shield or a full-body protective barrier, providing close-range defense against attacks, making it extremely practical.

Zhang Bufan didn't immediately begin practicing the spells. Instead, he first memorized the cultivation methods and circulation routes of the two spells. He knew that spell cultivation, like improving one's cultivation level, required a down-to-earth approach, taking one step at a time. If one couldn't even firmly grasp the basic methods, forcing cultivation could easily lead to a runaway of spiritual energy. He repeatedly studied the spell diagrams he had memorized, engraving details such as the points of spiritual energy concentration, the flow routes, and release techniques into his mind until he fully understood them. Only then did he slowly open his eyes, preparing to begin practicing.

He stood up, walked to the open space in the center of the wooden house, took a deep breath, concentrated, and began to mobilize the fire-attribute spiritual power within his body according to the cultivation method of the Fireball Technique. Although Qi Refining stage cultivators have mixed spiritual roots, they can separate the corresponding attribute spiritual power within their bodies by circulating the appropriate spells. Generally, cultivators need to practice techniques corresponding to their own spiritual root attribute to achieve twice the result with half the effort. If they practice techniques of other attributes or even those that counteract their own attribute, the power will be greatly reduced and the difficulty will increase exponentially. Zhang Bufan's mixed spiritual root of five attributes already included the fire attribute. Although the purity was not high, mobilizing the basic fire-attribute spiritual power was not a problem.

Initially, the flow of spiritual energy was not smooth. The separated fire-attribute spiritual energy was very thin and difficult to control, dissipating as soon as it was condensed. But Zhang Bufan was not discouraged. He recalled the perseverance he had shown when conquering the Zhongfu acupoint and applied the patience he had used to debugging code to his spell cultivation. He adjusted the output intensity of his spiritual energy little by little, precisely controlled the flow rate of his spiritual energy, and repeatedly tried to condense fire-attribute spiritual energy.

After countless attempts, just as his arm began to ache slightly, he suddenly felt a warm sensation in his right palm. Zhang Bufan was overjoyed and quickly concentrated. A faint red flame slowly rose in his palm, flickering like a candle in the wind. Although weak, this flame was real; it was the rudimentary form of the Fireball Technique.

"It's done!" Zhang Bufan felt a surge of excitement. He quickly and carefully maintained the flame in his palm, not daring to relax for a moment. Following the method he remembered, he slowly guided the fire-attribute spiritual power within his body into the flame, attempting to strengthen it. However, as soon as a small amount of spiritual power was channeled in, the flame began to shake violently, threatening to go out at any moment. Zhang Bufan's heart tightened. He immediately adjusted the rhythm of his spiritual power output, slowing down the supply rate, while simultaneously using his will to firmly envelop the flame, preventing it from dissipating.

Under his precise control, the flame in his palm gradually stabilized and increased in size, slowly growing from the size of a bean to a fireball the size of a thumb. The fireball emitted a faint warmth, with red flames dancing on its surface. Although its power was still weak, it already possessed the basic form of a fireball spell. Zhang Bufan tried to push the fireball forward, but it flew less than three meters through the air before dissipating into a wisp of smoke.

"It seems my control over spiritual energy is still not proficient enough, and the fire-attribute spiritual energy within my body is also relatively thin." Zhang Bufan was not discouraged; instead, he became even more excited. Being able to condense a fireball on his first attempt at cultivation had already exceeded his expectations. He rested for a moment and then began to practice the fireball technique repeatedly, carefully refining each step from the separation and condensation of spiritual energy to the stabilization and release of the fireball, constantly adjusting his state.

Before he knew it, half a day had passed. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhang Bufan's forehead, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. After countless practices, he could skillfully condense a fireball the size of a fist and accurately project it five meters away. Although its power was still limited, it was already ready for basic use in actual combat.

After practicing the Fireball spell, Zhang Bufan began practicing the Water Shield spell. With the foundation of the Fireball spell, practicing the Water Shield spell went much more smoothly. Following the spell's instructions, he mobilized the water-attribute spiritual power within his body, condensing it into the shape of a shield. Water-attribute spiritual power is relatively gentle and easier to control; after only a few dozen attempts, he successfully condensed a small shield about half a foot long.

Zhang Bufan manipulated the shield, making it circle and fly in front of him. Although he couldn't yet control it with complete agility, he could already perform basic offensive and defensive maneuvers. Zhang Bufan nodded in satisfaction.

The spell practice had consumed a considerable amount of his spiritual energy, and a slight soreness returned to his body. Zhang Bufan stopped practicing, sat cross-legged, and ceased absorbing the spiritual energy from the spirit stones. Instead, he circulated his internal energy through his meridians, allowing it to slowly flow and gently nourish them. He closed his eyes, feeling the spiritual energy flow slowly, and the soreness in his meridians gradually dissipated, replaced by a comfortable warmth.

From that day on, Zhang Bufan completely adjusted his cultivation rhythm, finding the state that suited him best. He only used spirit stones to cultivate for about four hours each day, a duration that ensured steady improvement in his cultivation without overloading his meridians. After cultivation, he would spend two hours studying common knowledge of the cultivation world, honing his spell techniques, and occasionally going to the peach grove to collect petals and fallen leaves, or feeding the silver fish in the lake. At night, he would maintain six hours of sleep, just like in the mortal world. Sufficient sleep not only allowed his body to rest fully but also made his mind clearer, aiding in digesting the content of his cultivation and learning during the day.

The days passed by in a fulfilling and orderly fashion. Zhang Bufan's cultivation was steadily improving. The vortex of qi in his dantian was becoming more and more solid. Under the continuous impact of spiritual energy and the constant strengthening of the meridians, the Chize acupoint of the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin was gradually loosening, getting closer and closer to being fully opened. He became more and more proficient in the Fireball Technique and Water Sword Technique. He could now condense two fireballs at the same time, and the size and power of his water shield had also increased significantly. His understanding of the cultivation world was also becoming more and more profound. From the identification of spiritual plants to the basic principles of formations, he had a preliminary understanding and avoided many risks in cultivation in advance.

Time in the secret realm was tranquil and peaceful. The light from the spirit stones on the cave ceiling remained constant, the peach blossoms in the peach grove continued to fall in the wind, and the silver fish in the small lake multiplied and grew plumper under his feeding. Zhang Bufan was immersed in this balanced life of cultivation, the gloom brought by unemployment and divorce had long since vanished, leaving only his firm belief and longing for the path of cultivation. He knew that as long as he maintained this pace and progressed steadily, opening the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, reaching the second level of Qi Refining, and even attempting to break through to the third level of Qi Refining were only a matter of time. And the day he would leave the secret realm and reunite with his parents was quietly approaching amidst these daily cultivation and study.