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

As dawn broke, the milky-white light within the Xuanqing Secret Realm remained soft, enveloping the peach grove and lake in a tranquil glow. Zhang Bufan sat cross-legged on the open ground in front of the wooden house. A night's sleep had left him feeling refreshed and full of energy. His internal magical power was already at its peak, and the bottleneck of the fourth level of Qi Refining was as thin as paper, easily pierced with a gentle poke. According to the cultivation guidelines of the *Xuanqing Daodao Jue*, the key to breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining lay in opening the first acupoint on the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian—the Shangyang acupoint.

After three months of continuous consumption of silverfish from the lake, Zhang Bufan's physique had undergone a complete transformation. The special energy contained within the silverfish not only slowly improved his innate disadvantage of having mixed spiritual roots of five attributes, but also subtly nourished and broadened his meridians. At this moment, when he looked inward at himself, he could clearly see that the three Yin meridians of his hand, which had been opened, were more than twice as wide as when he first began cultivating. The meridian walls had also become tough and thick, no longer as fragile as they had been at the beginning of his cultivation. The barriers of those meridians and acupoints that had not yet been opened were also "stretched" in sync with the overall expansion of his meridians, with the barrier thickness decreasing by more than 80%. This undoubtedly reduced the difficulty of his current attempt to break through to the Shangyang acupoint by more than half.

"With my meridians widened, my barrier thinned, and my body brimming with mana, this attempt to break through the Shangyang acupoint will surely succeed!" A determined glint flashed in Zhang Bufan's eyes as he pulled a low-grade spirit stone the size of an egg from his robes. He had pried this spirit stone from the mountain wall of the secret realm; it was pale white, its surface covered with fine spiritual energy patterns. It felt warm to the touch, and a pure spiritual energy slowly seeped into his body through his palm, invigorating him. During the Qi Refining stage, low-grade spirit stones were the most precious cultivation resource for cultivators to quickly replenish their spiritual energy and aid in breakthroughs.

Zhang Bufan took a deep breath, gripped the spirit stone tightly in his palm, slowly closed his eyes, and once again entered a state of inner vision. He fully activated the "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique." As soon as the technique was activated, the spiritual energy around his body surged forth like a drawn tide, seeping into his body through his pores. It merged with the spiritual energy emanating from the spirit stone in his palm, forming a mighty torrent of spiritual energy that rushed rapidly along the meridians that had been opened. The magical power that had been flowing steadily in the meridians rapidly converged under his mental control, like a rushing river converging into one. It was then continuously compressed and condensed, finally transforming into a cone-shaped blade made entirely of magical power, its sharpness fully revealed, hovering outside the barrier of the Shangyang acupoint.

The Shangyang acupoint is located on the radial side of the distal phalanx of the index finger, 0.1 cun from the corner of the nail. It is the starting point of the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. Although it is not a dangerous obstacle on the path of cultivation, it is the foundation for opening up the entire Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. Zhang Bufan dared not be careless in the slightest. He manipulated the magic cone blade to hover in front of the barrier for a moment, familiarizing himself with the barrier's toughness and thickness, and then suddenly urged his will: "Charge!"

"Buzz—"

The magic cone blade, accompanied by a whistling sound, slammed into the barrier of the Shangyang acupoint like a cannonball. The instant they made contact, a muffled hum resounded within Zhang Bufan's body, and a pale golden ripple instantly spread from the point of impact. The seemingly sturdy barrier was instantly covered with fine cracks, like glass struck by a heavy object, on the verge of shattering. But this barrier, ultimately a natural constraint of the body, even thinned, still possessed considerable resilience, withstanding the fierce impact without breaking instantly.

After the first impact, the size of the magic cone blade shrank by nearly 30%, and Zhang Bufan felt a slight dizziness. Forcibly manipulating magic power to condense and launch the impact consumed a great deal of his divine sense and magic power. He did not rush to launch a second impact, but instead circulated the "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique," guiding the surrounding spiritual energy and the energy in the spirit stones to quickly replenish the consumed magic power, while also allowing his tense divine sense to relax slightly. After circulating the technique for one cycle, in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the consumed magic power was completely replenished, even more abundant than before, and the magic cone blade also became solid again.

"Again!" A fierce glint flashed in Zhang Bufan's eyes as he urged his will once more.

The solidified magical spike once again whistled as it struck the barrier of the Shangyang acupoint, this time with even greater force than the first. The already cracked barrier widened and multiplied under this attack, its color darkening further, clearly indicating it wouldn't hold for much longer. Zhang Bufan pressed his advantage, launching another attack every incense stick's time. After each attack, he quickly replenished his energy using spirit stones and the rich spiritual energy of the secret realm, then immediately launched the next offensive. The entire process was fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation.

Time slipped away unnoticed during the intense acupoint-opening process, and three hours passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Bufan had already launched nine attacks, and the low-grade spirit stone in his palm was becoming increasingly dull in color, its originally warm touch gradually turning cold, clearly indicating that most of the spiritual energy it contained had been consumed. Meanwhile, the barrier of the Shangyang acupoint was now covered with countless cracks, resembling a tattered spiderweb, on the verge of complete collapse.

"Now! The final blow!" Zhang Bufan took a deep breath, gathering all the magic power in his body, raising the power of the magic cone blade to the limit achievable at the fourth level of Qi Refining. This magic cone blade, which condensed all his power, now emitted a dazzling light, and its size was more than twice that of before. With a world-destroying momentum, it slammed into the barrier of the Shangyang acupoint.

"Click—"

This time, there was no muffled hum, only a crisp cracking sound within his body. Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, the barrier of the Shangyang acupoint finally shattered completely under this extreme blow, turning into countless tiny specks of light that dissipated into the meridians. The moment the barrier shattered, the previously blocked torrent of magical power, like a wild horse breaking free of its shackles, surged wildly along the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian with unstoppable momentum. The meridians along the way were rapidly cleansed by the magical power, becoming wider and more resilient. A tingling, itchy sensation spread throughout his body, causing Zhang Bufan to let out a comfortable groan.

The torrent of magical power surged forward unstoppably until it collided with an even thicker barrier, at which point it slowly came to a halt, then began to flow and circulate within the opened meridians. Zhang Bufan clearly sensed that this new barrier was the second acupoint on the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian—Hegu (LI4). Compared to the barrier at Shangyang (LI1), the barrier at Hegu was not only several times thicker, but also much deeper in color, exuding a heavy and resilient aura; it was clearly a much tougher nut to crack.

At the same time, with the opening of the Shangyang acupoint, Zhang Bufan's magical power began to surge wildly. His original limit of the fourth level of Qi Refining, like a breached dam, instantly increased dramatically. The magical power flowing through his meridians was rapidly refined and solidified in its continuous circulation, eventually stabilizing at a completely new level—the fifth level of Qi Refining!

Zhang Bufan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of light passing through them. An aura twice as strong as before emanated from his body, sweeping across the entire area around the wooden house. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and a series of crackling sounds came from his body as his bones collided, each movement filled with power. After breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, not only had his total magical power increased significantly, but his physical strength had also improved considerably, and his five senses had become much more acute. At this moment, he could clearly hear the faint sounds of silver fish swimming in the lake a hundred meters away, smell the faint spiritual energy mixed with the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms in the peach grove, and even see the tiny particles floating in the air.

"Finally, I've broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining!" Zhang Bufan clenched his fists, feeling the abundant magical power within his body, his heart filled with joy. The leap from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Refining may seem like a small step, but it's a crucial milestone on the path of cultivation. After reaching the fifth level, a cultivator's control over magical power becomes more precise, they can learn and cast more spells, and their strength experiences a qualitative leap.

He glanced down at the low-grade spirit stone in his palm. It was now dull and lifeless, like an ordinary rock, its spiritual energy completely depleted. Zhang Bufan was slightly startled. He clearly remembered that when he was at the second level of Qi Refining, a single low-grade spirit stone would last him two days and two nights of cultivation. This time, however, it had been completely used up in just three hours. The speed at which he refined spiritual energy was far too fast.

Zhang Bufan was unaware that his terrifying speed of spiritual energy refining was the result of two major factors working together. Firstly, the *Xuanqing Daodao Jue*, as a top-tier cultivation technique in the immortal realm, possessed a spiritual energy absorption and refining efficiency far exceeding that of mortal techniques. It maximized the conversion of spiritual energy into his own mana, with no waste whatsoever. Cultivation techniques in the Pangu world were divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, each further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Zhang Bufan's cultivation technique was several levels higher than Heaven-rank techniques. Secondly, for the past three months, he had continuously consumed silverfish from the lake. The special energy within the silverfish not only improved his mixed spiritual root constitution but also broadened and strengthened his meridians to a level far exceeding that of cultivators of the same rank. Widened meridians were like wide river channels, capable of accommodating more spiritual energy flowing through simultaneously, naturally increasing the refining speed.

If ordinary cultivators outside knew about this, they would probably be astonished. You see, an ordinary Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator would need at least ten days to absorb the spiritual energy from a low-grade spirit stone. Even those genius cultivators with superior spiritual roots and top-tier mortal techniques would need about three days. Zhang Bufan, however, only used three hours—eighty times faster than an ordinary cultivator. Such speed is simply defying the heavens.

After a brief moment of surprise, Zhang Bufan put the matter out of his mind. For him, a faster rate of refining spiritual energy was a good thing, as it would allow him to improve his cultivation level more quickly and reach the Foundation Establishment stage sooner. He casually tossed the discarded spirit stone aside and turned his gaze to the barrier around his Hegu acupoint, his expression becoming serious.

Hegu (LI4), also known as Hukou (Tiger's Mouth), is located at the midpoint of the radial side of the second metacarpal bone on the back of the hand. It is one of the four major acupoints in the human body, not only an important point on the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming, but also a crucial node connecting the meridians of the hand and arm. The barrier at this acupoint is several times thicker and more resilient than that at Shangyang (LI15), making it extremely difficult to open. In the inherited memories of Xuanqing Daoist, Zhang Bufan had seen many cultivators who, unable to open the Hegu acupoint, were trapped at the fifth level of Qi Refining for their entire lives, unable to advance any further, and ultimately died in despair.

"The Hegu acupoint? It really is a tough nut to crack." Zhang Bufan muttered to himself, but there was no fear in his eyes. He knew that with his current strength, forcibly attempting to break through the Hegu acupoint would not only be difficult to succeed, but could also damage his meridians, leaving irreparable hidden dangers. Meridians are the foundation of cultivation; if the foundation is damaged, the subsequent path of cultivation will be extremely difficult, and he absolutely could not take that risk.

"It seems I can't use brute force like I did when attacking the Shangyang acupoint," Zhang Bufan thought to himself. "I must first consolidate my Qi Refining Level 5 cultivation, thoroughly refine and solidify the surging magical power within my body, and then slowly work on the barrier of the Hegu acupoint, proceeding step by step to gradually wear it down. Although this will take longer, it's safer and won't damage my meridians."

Having made up his mind, Zhang Bufan sat cross-legged again, closed his eyes once more, and began to circulate the "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique" to consolidate his cultivation. He guided the surging magical power within his body to flow slowly through his meridians. With each cycle, a portion of the impure magical power was refined into something purer and more solid. The rich spiritual energy from the secret realm surged in again, seeping into his body through his pores, constantly replenishing the consumption of his magical power.

As the cultivation technique circulated, Zhang Bufan's magical power became increasingly solid, and his aura became more and more stable. He could clearly feel that his control over his magical power was also constantly improving. The previously somewhat violent magical power had become much more docile, able to flow precisely through his meridians according to his will. This improvement in control over his power filled him with joy, as it meant that the power of his spells would be stronger and the accuracy would be higher in the future.

Time passed slowly, and before he knew it, half a day had gone by. Zhang Bufan slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and a faint white mist spewed from his mouth, dissipating into the air. After half a day of consolidation, his Qi Refining Level 5 cultivation had been completely stabilized, and the magical power within his body had become incredibly pure and solid, much stronger than when he first broke through.

"My cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining is now stable. Next, I should focus on refining the barrier of my Hegu acupoint." Zhang Bufan stood up, stretched, and loosened his stiff body. He walked to the lakeside, watching the silver fish swimming happily in the water, a smile appearing on his lips. Over the past three months, the silver fish had been of great help to him, not only improving his physique and widening his meridians, but also serving as an important source of food. Now that he had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, he needed more energy to support his cultivation and refine his acupoints, so it seemed these silver fish would have to work hard again.

Zhang Bufan bent down and picked up a few peach blossoms from the ground, gently scattering them into the lake. The moment the blossoms hit the water, they attracted a large number of silver fish, which scrambled to grab them, instantly making the lake lively. He stood quietly by the lake, watching the silver fish in the water, and began to sort through the inherited memories of Xuanqing Daoist, searching for methods to refine acupoints and widen meridians. In the inherited memories, Xuanqing Daoist had left behind many insights into the details of cultivation, including methods specifically for refining acupoints that were difficult to open.

According to inherited memories, the most effective method for breaking down stubborn acupoint barriers is "overcoming hardness with softness." Using refined magical power, like water dripping on a stone, one continuously washes and polishes the barrier, while simultaneously using special incantations to guide spiritual energy to nourish the meridians and acupoints around the barrier. This allows the barrier to gradually thin and become more brittle, ultimately achieving the goal of easily opening it. Although this method is time-consuming, its effects are excellent, and it does not damage the meridians, making it the best choice for breaking through stubborn acupoints.

"Use softness to overcome hardness, water dripping wears away stone, right?" Zhang Bufan understood. "Perfect, I have plenty of time now, I can slowly hone it." Time is the last thing he lacks now. As long as he can successfully open the Hegu acupoint and improve his cultivation as soon as possible, spending more time is worthwhile.

Then, Zhang Bufan turned and walked towards the peach grove, picking a large, red immortal peach. After a day of cultivation and consolidation, his stomach was completely empty. The immortal peach's energy was pure and mild, not only quickly replenishing his strength but also providing the energy he needed for cultivation—an excellent food. He walked to the stream, washed the immortal peach clean, and began to eat it heartily. The juicy flesh burst in his mouth, the rich sweetness mixed with a faint peach blossom fragrance, instantly making him feel refreshed.

After finishing the immortal peach, Zhang Bufan returned to the wooden house and sat cross-legged again. He didn't immediately begin refining the barrier of his Hegu acupoint, but instead first circulated his cultivation technique, converting the energy from the immortal peach into his own mana. Half an hour later, the energy of the immortal peach was completely refined, and his mana was once again abundant.

Zhang Bufan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and once again entered a state of inner vision. He guided a stream of pure magical power, slowly flowing towards the barrier of the Hegu acupoint, like a gentle stream softly washing over the thick barrier. At the same time, he activated the polishing technique left by Xuanqing Daoist, guiding the surrounding spiritual energy to continuously nourish the meridians and acupoints around the Hegu acupoint. The force of the magical power washing over the barrier was not strong, but it was extremely persistent. Like water droplets, each wash carried away a trace of the barrier's energy, making the barrier slightly thinner.

The process of refining was tedious and lengthy, but Zhang Bufan remained exceptionally calm. After the initial joy of breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, he had completely calmed down, knowing that there were no shortcuts on the path of cultivation; only by being down-to-earth and taking one step at a time could one go further. He devoted all his attention to refining his acupoints, sensing the subtle changes in the barrier, and adjusting the intensity of his magical power and the rhythm of his spiritual energy nourishment.

The milky-white light of the Xuanqing Secret Realm remained soft, and Zhang Bufan's figure appeared even more resolute within the halo. He knew that the process of refining the Hegu acupoint might take ten days to half a month, or even longer, but he had enough patience and perseverance. As long as he could successfully open the Hegu acupoint, he could continue to advance along the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, constantly expanding and opening more acupoints and meridians, thus improving his cultivation.

"The Hegu acupoint is just a small hurdle on my path to immortality," Zhang Bufan thought to himself. "One day, I will open all my meridians, break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, acknowledge the spatial ring left by my master, and find a way to leave the secret realm. At that time, I can return to my parents' side, protect them with my own strength, and let them enjoy their old age in peace."

As night deepened, the tranquility of the secret realm was occasionally broken by the sound of silver fish leaping out of the water, only to quickly return to stillness. Zhang Bufan remained immersed in his cultivation of refining his acupoints, the aura of spiritual energy around him shifting between light and shadow like his breath. His divine sense was highly concentrated, fully aware of every change within his body. Through his relentless efforts, the barrier of his Hegu acupoint was slowly thinning at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye. Although progress was slow, every bit of advancement brought him one step closer to his goal.