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

Zhang Bufan's words fell upon the empty Immortal Sword Hall, plunging it into an unprecedented silence. Yue Buwei sat upright on his golden throne, his brows furrowed, his deep eyes swirling with complex emotions—shock, doubt, solemnity, and a barely perceptible hint of expectation. The four Golden Core stage Grand Elders were similarly stunned; they exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting deep disbelief. Their fingers unconsciously tapped the armrests of their jade chairs, producing a soft sound that was particularly clear in the deathly silence of the hall.

Yue Shouren stood to the side, his body slightly tense. Zhang Bufan's story was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a tidal wave in his heart. As the sect leader of the Immortal Sword Sect, he understood better than anyone the importance of spiritual vein resources to the sect, and he was even more aware of the difficulties of the cultivation path. A mortal with mixed spiritual roots of five attributes had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage in just fifteen months—this simply overturned the common sense of the entire cultivation world of the Pangu World.

"A mixed spiritual root of five attributes... Foundation Establishment in fifteen months..." Yue Buwei spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse, clearly shocked by this incredible cultivation speed. "Zhang Bufan, do you know what your words mean?"

Zhang Bufan's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the other party was about to begin questioning him. He bowed slightly, his tone respectful yet firm: "This junior knows that this experience sounds unbelievable, even contrary to common sense. But everything this junior has said is true, without the slightest falsehood."

"Defying common sense? No, this is defying the heavens!" A Golden Core Grand Elder on the right, dressed in a purple Daoist robe and with a gaunt face, couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with strong doubt. "I've cultivated for hundreds of years and seen at least eighty or a hundred genius disciples, but I've never heard of any cultivator with such terrifying cultivation speed, let alone one with mixed spiritual roots of five elements!"

He paused, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Zhang Bufan: "Do you know Yue Ling'er of my Immortal Sword Sect? She possesses a wood-attribute celestial spiritual root, a rare find even in centuries. She is naturally compatible with spiritual energy, and her cultivation speed far surpasses her peers. The sect has poured all its resources into nurturing her, providing her with the best cultivation resources and assigning top elders to guide her. Yet, even so, after three full years of cultivation, she has only reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, still a considerable distance from the Foundation Establishment stage!"

"A Heavenly Spiritual Root takes three years to refine to perfection, and a Miscellaneous Spiritual Root takes fifteen months to establish its foundation..." Another obese elder shook his head, his face full of doubt. "This is simply impossible! Unless the Xuanqing Daoist you mentioned has the power to reach the heavens and the earth, it is absolutely impossible to do this."

Yue Buwei nodded slowly, agreeing with the elders' assessment. His gaze fell on Zhang Bufan again, a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "Zhang Bufan, you should know that mixed spiritual roots with five attributes are known as 'useless spiritual roots' in the cultivation world. With such mixed roots, the absorption of spiritual energy is extremely slow, and the efficiency of refining it is even lower. Let alone achieving Foundation Establishment in fifteen months, even if you were given ample resources, without top-tier cultivation techniques and expert guidance, you might never even be able to step into the threshold of cultivation in your entire life."

"To be able to cultivate a mortal with mixed spiritual roots into a Foundation Establishment cultivator in such a short time, your master, Daoist Xuanqing, is no ordinary cultivator." Yue Buwei's tone became extremely solemn. "You said he wants to travel through the starry sky in search of a higher level of the Great Dao? Do you know what realm one needs to reach to travel through the starry sky in the Pangu World?"

Zhang Bufan's heart skipped a beat; he knew the other party was about to get to the heart of the matter. He already knew about the current state of the cultivation world in the Pangu world from the inherited memories of Xuanqing Daoist, so he pretended to be clueless and shook his head: "This junior doesn't know. My master didn't mention it in detail. He only said that the starry sky is vast and there are higher paths waiting for him."

Yue Buwei took a deep breath and slowly said, "In the Pangu World, only powerful beings at the Nascent Soul stage or above can break free from the world's constraints and venture into the starry sky!"

"Nascent Soul stage?!" Zhang Bufan feigned shock, his eyes widening, though he already knew the answer. He knew he needed to play along, displaying awe and unfamiliarity with this realm.

"That's right, it's the Nascent Soul stage." Yue Buwei's voice carried a hint of emotion. "You may not know, but in the Pangu World today, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is becoming increasingly scarce, making it unsuitable for cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage to live in for long. For Nascent Soul stage experts, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is simply insufficient to replenish their daily needs. Staying in this world for a long time will only lead to the continuous loss of their essence, ultimately resulting in a decline in cultivation or even death."

He paused, then continued, "More than three thousand years ago, the last group of cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage in the Pangu World, in pursuit of a higher path and to prevent the loss of their origins, collectively ventured into the starry sky, disappearing without a trace. Since then, the cultivation world of the Pangu World has begun to decline. The highest cultivation level among the existing cultivators is now the Nascent Soul stage, and there are only a handful of Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the entire world!"

Upon hearing this, the four Supreme Elders and Yue Shouren all showed expressions of dejection. They all longed to break through to a higher realm, but were limited by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and could only struggle within their current realm.

Yue Buwei's gaze turned serious again, staring intently at Zhang Bufan: "According to what you said, your master, Daoist Xuanqing, is able to travel through the starry sky, which means he is at least a Nascent Soul stage cultivator! And to be able to open up another small secret realm within the existing Huashan Secret Realm, his spatial mastery and cultivation far surpass those of Nascent Soul stage cultivators!"

"Such a powerful figure wouldn't need to go to such lengths if he truly wanted to harm my Immortal Sword Sect." Yue Buwei's tone softened a bit. "Moreover, his decision to have you join the Immortal Sword Sect to help the sect rise and repay your karmic debts is consistent with the way a powerful figure would act."

Although he had begun to believe it to some extent, Yue Buwei did not completely lower his guard. He knew the dangers of the cultivation world and had to act cautiously: "Zhang Bufan, since the Xuanqing Daoist you speak of is so powerful, could you please ask him to show himself? We would like to pay our respects and thank him in person for his 'mercy' towards our Immortal Sword Sect."

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Bufan's heart skipped a beat. He had long anticipated that the other party might make such a request. Xuanqing Daoist's remnant soul had long since dissipated, making it impossible for him to appear. If he were to directly say that his master was dead, it would likely arouse suspicion, and might even make the other party feel that they had lost their backer, thus putting them at a disadvantage.

Zhang Bufan quickly considered a solution, a hint of helplessness and respect on his face: "Senior, it's not that I'm unwilling to ask my master to show himself, but my master had already set off for the starry sky when I left the Xuanqing Secret Realm."

"Oh?" A hint of suspicion flashed in Yue Buwei's eyes. "Why was he in such a hurry? Didn't he leave any way to contact him or any token?"

"Master said that traveling through the stars depends on chance and cannot be delayed in the slightest," Zhang Bufan said sincerely. "He did leave behind a token, which is this ring on my hand." As he spoke, he raised his right hand, revealing the golden ring. "Master said that this ring is not only a storage artifact, but it can also allow him to sense my safety. As long as I am not in mortal danger, he will not easily show himself."

He paused, then continued, "This junior guesses that Master must have already sensed the situation here. Since he hasn't shown himself, he probably thinks this junior can handle the matter, or perhaps he doesn't want to interfere too much in mortal affairs. After all, to a powerful being like him, our matters are probably just insignificant trifles."

Upon hearing this, Yue Buwei and the others fell silent once more. They felt that Zhang Bufan's words made some sense; powerful beings above the Nascent Soul stage would indeed not easily interfere in the affairs of lower-level cultivators. Moreover, with Xuanqing Daoist's strength, if he truly wanted to harm the Immortal Sword Sect, he wouldn't need to resort to any schemes or tricks; he could simply take action directly.

"Very well, since the powerful Daoist Xuanqing is unwilling to show himself, we will not force him," Yue Buwei said slowly. "However, everything you have said still lacks sufficient evidence. Although we are willing to believe you, we cannot completely trust you based solely on your word."

Zhang Bufan thought to himself, "Just as I thought." He had long been prepared to be tested further: "Senior, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to cooperate."

Yue Buwei pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Young friend, do you know where the special energy in the spiritual spring water of my Immortal Sword Sect, which carries a bloody smell and can improve the cultivation aptitude of cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage, comes from?"

The moment this question was posed, the four Supreme Elders and Yue Shouren's gazes instantly focused on Zhang Bufan. The source of this special energy had always been a mystery to the Immortal Sword Sect. Since the mutation of the spiritual spring water last year, the sect's higher-ups had been investigating the cause, but without any clues. The reason they attached such importance to this matter was that this special energy was crucial to the sect's future. If the source could be found, they might be able to obtain this energy long-term, allowing the Immortal Sword Sect's disciples to generally improve their aptitude.

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Bufan's heart skipped a beat. Spiritual spring water that improves cultivation aptitude and has a bloody smell… he instantly thought of the silver fish in the Xuanqing Secret Realm!

During his cultivation, Zhang Bufan often caught silverfish to eat. Because the scales and internal organs of the silverfish had a slightly fishy smell, Zhang Bufan would take the silverfish downstream of the Spirit Stream to kill and clean them each time. The sewage containing the blood and internal organ fragments of the silverfish would then flow out of the Xuanqing Secret Realm along the Spirit Stream.

Zhang Bufan instantly understood: the source of the Immortal Sword Sect's spiritual spring must be the spiritual stream in the Xuanqing Secret Realm! That special energy with a bloody smell came from the blood of the silver fish!

Having figured this out, Zhang Bufan's face showed a look of understanding: "Senior, perhaps this junior knows the source of this special energy."

"Oh? You know?" A hint of surprise flashed in Yue Buwei's eyes. "Tell me about it!"

"It's like this, senior," Zhang Bufan said slowly. "In the Xuanqing Secret Realm opened up by my master, there is a spiritual stream and a spiritual lake. The spiritual lake has a large number of silvery-white fish, which my master calls 'spiritual silver fish.' These spiritual silver fish contain extremely pure energy, and eating them can greatly improve a cultivator's cultivation aptitude, especially for cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage, where the effect is even more significant."

"In order to help me improve my cultivation as quickly as possible, my master often asks me to catch spirit silver fish to eat. Because the scales and internal organs of the spirit silver fish have a slightly fishy smell, I always take the spirit silver fish to the lower reaches of the Spirit Stream to kill and clean them. The sewage containing the blood and internal organs of the spirit silver fish will then flow out of the Xuanqing Secret Realm along the Spirit Stream."

Zhang Bufan paused, his tone tinged with apology: "This junior suspects that the source of your sect's spiritual spring is the spiritual stream within the Xuanqing Secret Realm. The bloody smell and special energy in the spring water come from the blood of the spirit silver fish. I never imagined that my momentary habit would have such an impact on your sect. Please forgive me, senior."

"What?!"

As soon as Zhang Bufan finished speaking, Yue Buwei, the four Supreme Elders, and Yue Shouren were stunned, their eyes widening in shock. They never imagined that the spiritual spring water, which their sect treasured and believed could improve disciples' aptitude, was actually the wastewater Zhang Bufan used to wash food!

"This...this is utterly a waste!" The obese elder exclaimed in shock, his face filled with heartache. "That's spiritual spring water that can improve cultivation aptitude! And it's just dirty water used to wash fish! My heart is bleeding!"

The other elders nodded in agreement, their faces showing a mixture of heartache and helplessness. They had been overjoyed by the mutation of the spirit spring water, believing it to be an opportunity for the Immortal Sword Sect to rise again, but they never expected the truth to be so "cruel".

Yue Shouren was both amused and exasperated. As the sect leader, he had invested a great deal of manpower and resources in protecting this spiritual spring, but he never expected that the spiritual spring would come from such a place.

However, after the initial shock and heartache, Yue Buwei and the others' suspicions about Zhang Bufan dissipated considerably. Zhang Bufan's explanation was reasonable and perfectly explained the source of the spiritual spring water's special energy. Moreover, such a thing could not possibly be fabricated without firsthand experience.

"The spirit silver fish you mentioned, does it really have the effect of improving cultivation aptitude?" Yue Buwei's gaze was fixed on Zhang Bufan, his tone filled with anticipation. If the spirit silver fish really had such an effect, then even if the source of the spirit spring water was somewhat "awkward," it would still be great news for the Immortal Sword Sect.

"Absolutely true." Zhang Bufan nodded firmly. "I originally had a mixed spiritual root of five attributes, which made my cultivation speed extremely slow. It was only because of the long-term consumption of the Spirit Silver Fish, coupled with my master's empowerment and the assistance of top-tier cultivation techniques, that I was able to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in just fifteen months. If it weren't for the Spirit Silver Fish improving my aptitude, even with more resources and cultivation techniques, I wouldn't have been able to cultivate at such a fast speed."

To further convince the other party, Zhang Bufan continued, "I have a few scales of spirit silver fish here, senior can take them to examine." With that, he took out a few silver-white scales from his spatial ring and handed them to Yue Shouren.

Yue Shouren quickly stepped forward and carefully took the scales. These scales were crystal clear, radiating a faint spiritual energy, and their surfaces still retained a faint trace of special energy fluctuations. He handed the scales to Yue Buwei, saying excitedly, "Ancestor, look! The energy fluctuations on these scales are exactly the same as the special energy fluctuations in the spiritual spring water!"

Yue Buwei took the scale and carefully examined it with his divine sense. After a moment, he opened his eyes, a look of certainty in them: "That's right, the energy fluctuations on this scale are indeed completely consistent with the special energy fluctuations in the spiritual spring water! Zhang Bufan, what you said is true!"

By this point, Yue Buwei and the others were already quite convinced of Zhang Bufan's words. The fact that a disciple of a powerful figure at the Nascent Soul stage or above possessed such an incredible cultivation speed and obtained such a miraculous spirit silver fish made everything seem plausible.

Yue Buwei's tone softened considerably, and he nodded to Zhang Bufan: "Zhang Bufan, since what you say is true, we will naturally keep in mind the great Xuanqing Daoist's entrustment. We warmly welcome your willingness to join our Immortal Sword Sect to repay this karmic debt!"

The four Grand Elders nodded in agreement. They all understood that accepting Zhang Bufan would not only help Daoist Xuanqing settle his karmic debts and forge a good relationship, but also gain access to a Foundation Establishment cultivator with immense potential. This was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for the increasingly declining Immortal Sword Sect.