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

After breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining and stabilizing his cultivation, Zhang Bufan returned to his regular cultivation routine. Compared to his state at the second level of Qi Refining, his cultivation rhythm is now much more intense, and his efficiency has increased several times over. Previously, limited by the strength of his meridians and the foundation of his magical power, he could only cultivate for a maximum of four hours a day using spirit stones, and the remaining time had to be used for quiet recuperation, waiting for his meridians to become more stable under the nourishment of spiritual energy before he could proceed to the next round of cultivation. But now, with his meridians repeatedly tempered by the energy of the silver fish and the essence of the immortal peach, their width and resilience far surpass those of cultivators of the same level, and he can now cultivate continuously for more than eight hours using spirit stones.

Every morning around six o'clock, Zhang Bufan would sit cross-legged on the open ground in front of the wooden house, beginning his daily cultivation. Although the bracelet's battery had long since run out, Zhang Bufan's current spiritual power as a cultivator made his perception of time extremely accurate, allowing him to live according to the external time rhythm. He tightly gripped a low-grade spirit stone in his hand, his eyes closed. As he circulated the "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique," the spiritual energy around him surged wildly into his body like an invisible tide. The spirit stone in his palm continuously emitted pure spiritual energy, which merged with the free spiritual energy in the secret realm to form a magnificent energy torrent, flowing along his now-opened meridians. The meridians of the fifth level of Qi Refining were like widened river channels, accommodating a spiritual energy throughput far exceeding that of the past. With each cycle, a large amount of spiritual energy was refined and purified, transformed into solidified mana, and stored in his dantian.

Eight consecutive hours of cultivation were no longer a burden for Zhang Bufan. During this time, he only needed to replace the spirit stones with new ones when their spiritual energy was depleted, allowing him to maintain a highly efficient cultivation state. The number of low-grade spirit stones embedded in the secret realm's walls was ample, enough for him to use without restriction at this stage, so he didn't need to worry about cultivation resources and could devote himself entirely to improving his cultivation. After the eight hours of cultivation, the mana in his dantian was full and abundant, and his aura reached its peak. He then entered a short period of adjustment. He would get up and stroll through the peach grove for a while, breathing in the air mixed with the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms and spiritual energy, allowing his tense mind to relax and his surging mana to gradually calm down.

After adjusting his breathing, it was time for his daily spell practice. The magical foundation of the fifth level of Qi Refining had allowed Zhang Bufan to experience a qualitative leap in the power of his basic spells, with the most significant changes seen in his Fireball and Water Shield spells. Previously, at the second level of Qi Refining, his Fireball was only the size of a fist, with an attack range limited to within ten meters, and its power could only pierce ordinary wooden boards. Now, with increased magical output and improved precision in spell control, his Fireball could reach the size of a basketball, its orange-red surface wreathed in blazing spiritual energy, emitting a whooshing burning sound.

To test the power of his fireball spell, Zhang Bufan deliberately went to the rocky area at the edge of the secret realm. Here, a large number of boulders that had broken off from the top of the cave were piled up, the largest weighing several tons. He concentrated, made a hand seal with his right hand, and uttered a low shout, "Go!" A fireball the size of a basketball shot out like a cannonball, hurtling towards a three-ton boulder. The moment the fireball touched the boulder, it exploded with a deafening roar, the entire boulder instantly engulfed in a blinding flash of light. With a deafening bang, the boulder was shattered into pieces, debris flying dozens of meters away, leaving a half-meter-deep crater in the ground. Such power was comparable to a heavy artillery shell in the mortal world, greatly pleasing Zhang Bufan. He then cast the fireball spell several more times, each time hitting its target precisely. He could accurately lock onto and attack any object within a kilometer, achieving a 100% hit rate.

The improvement in his Water Shield Technique was equally astonishing. At the second level of Qi Refining, Zhang Bufan could only conjure a light blue shield less than a meter high and half a meter wide, its defensive power barely enough to withstand ordinary sword strikes. Now, however, by channeling his magic power, a spiritual energy shield instantly appeared before him, two meters high, one meter wide, and ten centimeters thick. The shield was entirely pale blue, its surface flowing with fine spiritual energy patterns, like a smooth, polished blue crystal. To test its defensive power, Zhang Bufan deliberately punched the water shield with all his might. The instant his fist made contact, a powerful recoil force struck, numbing his arm, while the water shield only rippled slightly before instantly returning to its original state. Afterward, he found a boulder weighing several hundred kilograms and pushed it down on the water shield from a height. The boulder struck the shield with a dull thud, but it couldn't cause any damage.

Besides this one-sided shield, Zhang Bufan could also evolve his water shield technique into a bell-shaped protective shield that provided all-around protection. He channeled his magic power, and a light blue spiritual energy shield instantly appeared around him, bell-shaped and enveloping him entirely. Although only two centimeters thick, its defensive power was astonishing. He tested it by having several boulders simultaneously smash into the shield from different directions; the boulders bounced off, and the shield remained perfectly stable. This all-around protection gave him an extra layer of solid defense when facing multiple enemies attacking him.

After finishing his spell practice, it was already dark. Zhang Bufan would first go to the lake to feed the fish, an indispensable part of his daily cultivation. After more than three months of feeding, the number of silver fish in the lake had continued to grow. Among them, there were nearly two hundred large fish over three feet long, more than thirty thousand medium-sized silver fish between one and two feet long, and the rest were newly hatched fry. He went to the peach grove, collected a large number of fallen peach blossoms, peach leaves, and withered immortal peaches, and then scattered them into the lake. As soon as the peach blossoms fell into the water, they immediately attracted countless silver fish to compete for them. The lake surface instantly became lively, with countless silvery-white figures darting through the water, stirring up circles of tiny ripples, shimmering with a dazzling luster under the milky-white light.

After feeding the fish, Zhang Bufan would pick a fresh immortal peach and catch a three-foot-long silver fish from the lake, then go downstream to kill and cook it. The sweetness of the immortal peach and the freshness of the silver fish intertwined to create an exquisite delicacy. More importantly, the pure energy contained in both could quickly replenish the physical and magical strength he consumed while cultivating and practicing spells, keeping his body in optimal condition. After the meal, he would rest briefly before immersing himself in the study of cultivation knowledge until late at night, ensuring sufficient rest to conserve his energy for the next day's cultivation.

Among the vast knowledge of cultivation, Zhang Bufan was most interested in and most talented in alchemy. Xuanqing Daoist was a renowned alchemy master in the immortal realm, and his remnant soul's inheritance contained the richest and most detailed knowledge related to alchemy. From the most basic Qi Refining stage pill-making process to the identification, harvesting, and processing methods of various spiritual herbs, and even the control of fire and the techniques of infusing spiritual energy during alchemy, everything was included. Even more precious was the fact that the inheritance recorded hundreds of pill formulas suitable for Qi Refining stage cultivators, many of which were rare formulas long lost in the Pangu World, and even some unique formulas from other small worlds and even the immortal realm.

After this period of dedicated study, Zhang Bufan has thoroughly mastered the alchemy theories related to the Qi Refining stage. He can clearly describe the refining steps for each type of Qi Refining pill, accurately distinguish the form, properties, and growth environment of thousands of spiritual herbs, and even flexibly adjust the proportions of the formula and optimize the refining process based on the different properties of the herbs. In terms of alchemy theory alone, he is confident that he has surpassed all Qi Refining stage alchemists in the Pangu World, and even some Foundation Establishment stage alchemists may not be able to match his theoretical reserves.

That evening, Zhang Bufan sat in the wooden hut, reviewing his knowledge of alchemy once again. He recalled the method for refining the "Qi Gathering Pill" recorded in the Xuanqing Daoist's inheritance. The Qi Gathering Pill was the most commonly used elixir for Qi Refining cultivators, capable of quickly replenishing the mana consumed during cultivation and improving cultivation efficiency. Its main ingredients were three basic spiritual herbs: Qi Gathering Grass, Spirit Condensing Flower, and Clear Dew Grass. The refining process seemed simple, but it required extremely high control over the heat. The flame temperature needed to be stable between four hundred and five hundred degrees Celsius; too high or too low a temperature would lead to the failure of the pill refining.

"The Qi-Gathering Grass needs to be soaked in water for three hours beforehand to remove impurities; the Spirit-Condensing Flower must be processed immediately after picking to prevent the loss of spiritual energy; and the Dew-Clearing Grass needs to be ground into powder and evenly mixed with the other spiritual herbs..." Zhang Bufan muttered to himself, mentally rehearsing the entire refining process, considering every detail meticulously. After finishing the deduction, he couldn't help but sigh with some regret, thinking to himself, "It's a pity I don't have a pill furnace, so I can't personally practice refining pills. If I had a low-grade pill furnace, with my grasp of the theory, I should be able to refine the Qi-Gathering Pill very quickly."

Alchemy requires a furnace, and other cultivation techniques such as weapon crafting, array formation, and talisman making also require corresponding materials and tools. In Xuanqing Daoist's lineage, besides alchemy knowledge, the theoretical knowledge of weapon crafting, array formation, and talisman making is also extremely rich. In weapon crafting, he has mastered the principles of crafting Qi-refining stage magical artifacts, knowing how to purify ores, inscribe arrays, and fuse materials; in array formation, he is thoroughly familiar with the methods and principles of setting up basic spirit-gathering arrays, defensive arrays, and enemy-trapping arrays; in talisman making, he is also familiar with the drawing techniques of various Qi-refining stage talismans, understanding the talisman paper, cinnabar, and methods of infusing spiritual energy required for different talismans.

Zhang Bufan took out an ordinary stone he had chipped off a mountain wall and attempted to purify it using methods from his knowledge of weapon crafting. He infused the stone with his magical power, guiding it to wash away impurities according to the methods passed down in his lineage. After half an hour of effort, some of the impurities were expelled, the stone shrank by nearly half in size, and its material became harder. Although he lacked a professional weapon crafting furnace to forge it into a magical artifact, this experience gave him a more intuitive understanding of the art of weapon crafting.

In his study of array formations, he once attempted to set up a simple spirit-gathering array around the wooden house. He found several stones containing faint spiritual energy, arranged them according to the directions taught in his lineage, inscribed array patterns, and then infused them with magical power to activate the array. After activation, he could clearly feel the spiritual energy concentration around the wooden house increase by nearly ten percent. Although the effect was weak and it was destroyed after a very short time, it proved that he had mastered the basic techniques of setting up arrays. If he could find an array eye stone containing abundant spiritual energy, the effect of the spirit-gathering array would be even more significant.

In terms of talisman making, lacking talisman paper and cinnabar, he could only simulate drawing talismans on the ground using tree branches. Following the talisman patterns passed down through generations, he drew the runes of the "fireball talisman" on the ground and then tried to infuse them with magic power. Although the runes on the ground could not form a real talisman, each drawing deepened his understanding of runes and made his control over magic power more precise.

Zhang Bufan knew that theoretical knowledge ultimately needed to be tested in practice. Although he now possessed a solid theoretical foundation in alchemy, weapon crafting, formations, and talisman making, he lacked the necessary materials and tools to engage in in-depth practical training. However, he was not in a hurry and had already made a plan in his mind: once he left the Xuanqing Secret Realm, he would immediately collect various cultivation resources, purchase alchemy furnaces, weapon crafting furnaces, talisman paper, cinnabar, and other tools and materials, and practice the cultivation techniques he had learned one by one.

With the top-tier inheritance from Daoist Xuanqing, coupled with his own diligence and comprehension, given time and continuous practice, he is fully capable of achieving remarkable success in multiple cultivation fields, becoming a rare all-rounder in the cultivation world. This is not wishful thinking; after all, the inheritance he possesses far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators in the Pangu World, placing him at a starting point that is difficult for others to reach.

Days passed by in this regular and fulfilling cultivation routine. Zhang Bufan diligently practiced his cultivation, spells, and immortality knowledge, feeding the silver fish each day, balancing work and rest, and his cultivation steadily improved. The bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining was constantly loosening through continuous cultivation, his internal magical power was becoming more and more solid, and his control over various spells was becoming more and more proficient. The power of the Fireball spell continued to increase, and the defensive power of the Water Shield spell was also slowly strengthening. In addition, he began to study other basic spells passed down by Xuanqing Daoist, such as the advanced application of the Wind Control spell.

Although the Wind Riding Technique only allowed him to glide at low altitudes for short distances, with his increased magical power, he could now achieve long-distance low-altitude flight, and his speed had also increased significantly. He had tried flying with the wind in the secret realm, shuttling between peach groves and lakes, feeling the wind rushing past his ears, and his heart was filled with joy.

In the process of learning about cultivation, Zhang Bufan also gained a clearer understanding of the cultivation world in the Pangu world. From his inherited memories, he learned that the cultivation world in the Pangu world was filled with numerous sects of varying strengths. Among them, the Huashan Immortal Sword Sect, the Laojun Mountain Pill Cauldron Sect, the Kunlun Myriad Laws Sect, and the Taishan Taixuan Immortal Sect were the most powerful, controlling most of the resources in the cultivation world. These top sects not only possessed powerful cultivators but also mastered advanced alchemy, weapon crafting, and formation techniques, making them sacred cultivation grounds that countless cultivators aspired to.

At the same time, he also learned of the cruel law of the survival of the fittest in the cultivation world. Here, strength is everything; without sufficient strength, even with abundant knowledge and resources, it is difficult to protect oneself. This strengthened his resolve to cultivate diligently. Only by continuously improving his cultivation level and mastering more cultivation techniques could he gain a foothold in the future cultivation world and protect those he wanted to protect.

In his spare time, Zhang Bufan would often think of his parents, who were far away in the mortal world. He wondered how they were doing, whether they were still grieving and worried about his disappearance. Whenever this happened, his longing would transform into motivation for cultivation, making him work even harder. He secretly resolved to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible, to acknowledge the spatial ring left by his master, to find a way to leave the secret realm, and to return to his parents' side as soon as possible.

Time in the Xuanqing Secret Realm remained tranquil and long, its milky-white light always gently illuminating the land. Zhang Bufan's cultivation continued; like a sponge, he constantly absorbed the knowledge and power of the cultivation world, comprehensively improving his strength. He knew his path of cultivation had only just begun, and countless challenges and opportunities awaited him. But he was fearless. With top-tier inheritance, abundant resources, and unwavering faith, he was confident he could go further on the path of cultivation, become a true powerhouse, and write his own legend.