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

"Young man, we've finally waited for you..."

The aged, hoarse voice suddenly rang out in the wooden house, as if carrying some strange magic. The extreme fear that had enveloped Zhang Bufan's heart instantly dissipated by more than half, and the tense muscles in his body suddenly relaxed, regaining control of his body. He was no longer unable to move even a finger as before, and the suffocating feeling of a boulder pressing down on his chest also faded, leaving only rapid breathing and cold sweat covering his body.

Zhang Bufan snapped back to reality, bracing himself against the ground as he sat up, looking around in shock. The wooden hut was still small and simple, the ancient atmosphere unchanged, but the sound seemed to come from nowhere, with no visible source. His gaze finally settled on the green skull in the center of the hut, his heart still pounding uncontrollably—could that sound be coming from this skull?

"Where...where are you? Are you a human or a ghost?"

Zhang Bufan's voice was hoarse from just recovering from fear, and he couldn't hide his stutter. In his thirty-eight years of life, he had never experienced anything so unbelievable; the scene before him was completely beyond his comprehension.

An aged voice sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to contain a thousand years of loneliness and weariness, echoing in the empty wooden house with a penetrating power: "I sit right in front of you. I am neither human nor ghost, but once an immortal from the celestial realm. Now, what remains in this world is merely a wisp of a soul."

"An immortal? A remnant soul?"

These two words struck Zhang Bufan like thunderbolts, instantly overturning the worldview he had built up over thirty-eight years. His atheistic upbringing had instilled in him a firm belief that ghosts and gods did not exist and that all supernatural phenomena could be explained scientifically.

But the green skull before him, the automatically opening wooden door, the green flames leaping in its eye sockets, and the aged voice that appeared out of nowhere—all of these were assaulting the limits of his understanding. His once-solid barrier of cognition collapsed in an instant, shattering into nothingness.

However, after the initial shock, Zhang Bufan's mind became unusually clear. He recalled the online cultivation novels he used to read to pass the time. Weren't there often plots in those novels where the protagonists encountered extraordinary adventures and received inheritances from the remnants of immortal souls? Could it be... that he too had encountered the legendary destiny of immortality? Once this thought arose, it grew wildly like weeds, instantly overwhelming all his fear and doubts.

He quickly adjusted his posture, bent his knees, and knelt directly on the cold ground. He respectfully kowtowed to the green skull in the center of the room and said with utmost sincerity, "Senior Immortal, I am Zhang Bufan. I do not know how I strayed into this place. I had no intention of disturbing your cultivation. Please forgive me. I only want to know how I can leave this place and reunite with my parents?"

His attitude was extremely respectful, even tinged with trepidation. If the other party truly was a remnant soul of an immortal, then whether he could leave this place, whether he could see the light of day again, was entirely in the other party's hands. The aged voice rang out again, this time with a hint of relief: "This is not an ordinary place, but a small secret realm that I created before my death, using up my last bit of magical power. I set up this secret realm only to wait for a destined person to come, leave behind my legacy, and fulfill my last wish. I have been waiting here for over three thousand years. Your ability to break through the outer restrictions of this secret realm and enter here shows that we are destined." The voice paused here, then asked with a hint of solemnity: "I ask you, are you willing to become my disciple, embark on the path of cultivation, and inherit my mantle? If you agree, after the handover of the legacy is complete, I will tell you how to leave this place."

The path of cultivation? Zhang Bufan's pupils constricted sharply, his heart leaped into his throat, and an indescribable surge of joy welled up within him, causing his body to tremble slightly. Cultivation! That was the legendary path to immortality, flight, and the power to move mountains and fill seas! The plots he had only ever seen in novels and myths were actually unfolding before his very eyes!

His life had been mediocre, even pathetic. Unemployed in middle age, a failed marriage, overwhelmed by life's burdens, unable even to properly care for his parents. If he could embark on the path of cultivation, he could not only escape his current predicament but also possess a brand new, incomparably brilliant future! Immortality, the ability to fly and transcend the heavens—how many people dream of such an opportunity? Only a fool would refuse!

Without any hesitation, Zhang Bufan immediately raised his head and said to the green skull with unwavering determination, "Disciple is willing! Disciple Zhang Bufan is willing to become your disciple, inherit your mantle, and embark on the path of cultivation!" After speaking, he respectfully kowtowed to the skull, his forehead hitting the cold ground with a dull thud.

This bow was not only a formal acceptance of a master, but also a farewell to his past mediocre life, and an expression of his anticipation for the future path of cultivation.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The aged voice said "good" three times in a row, its tone filled with barely concealed excitement. "Since you are willing, then I will formally accept you as my last disciple!" As soon as the words were spoken, the green flames in the green skull's eye sockets flickered even more violently, and the invisible pressure in the wooden house completely dissipated.

"However, I must inform you in advance that your aptitude is not particularly good." The aged voice changed its tone, saying with a hint of regret, "I just examined your physique using the power of my remnant soul. You possess a mixed spiritual root with five attributes. Spiritual roots are the foundation of cultivation. The purer the spiritual root and the fewer attributes it contains, the faster the cultivation speed and the greater the future achievements. A mixed spiritual root with five attributes is the worst type of spiritual root, and its cultivation speed will be several times slower than that of cultivators with single or dual spiritual roots. Moreover, you are already thirty-eight years old this year, having missed the optimal age for cultivation, and most of your body's potential has already been consumed."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bufan's ecstatic expression froze, replaced by a hint of embarrassment. He hadn't expected his aptitude to be so poor; a mixed spiritual root of five attributes sounded like a "useless person" in the cultivation world.

Before he could feel dejected for long, the aged voice spoke again: "However, you need not be too discouraged. I have no other choice. After waiting for over three thousand years, I have finally found a destined person like you, and I can only entrust my inheritance to you. Moreover, what I am passing on to you is not a mortal cultivation technique of this world, but a top-tier immortal cultivation technique of the immortal realm. In addition, this small secret realm contains abundant spiritual energy, as well as some cultivation resources left behind by me. As long as you are willing to cultivate diligently and persevere, you may have a chance to break through your bottleneck, and even ascend to the immortal realm in the future!"

Zhang Bufan's disappointment vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of relief. Although his aptitude was poor and he was old, as long as he had top-tier cultivation techniques and sufficient resources, he still had a chance! Compared to the days when he was overwhelmed by life in the mortal realm, this was already an incredible opportunity! "Disciple understands! Disciple will definitely cultivate diligently and will never let Senior down!" Zhang Bufan kowtowed to the skeleton again, speaking with unwavering determination.

"Hmm." The aged voice nodded in satisfaction and slowly said, "My name is Xuanqing Daoist, the founder of the Xuanqing Immortal Sect in the Immortal Realm. Back then, when I was exploring opportunities in the Chaos, I was ambushed by three enemies of the same level. I fought back desperately, but ultimately I was no match for them. To prevent my legacy from falling into the hands of my enemies, I self-destructed my dantian at the last moment, shattering the void. A wisp of my remnant soul, carrying this body, unexpectedly fell into this realm."

"This realm is called 'Pangu Realm,' merely one of the countless minor worlds subordinate to the Three Thousand Great Worlds. The spiritual energy here is sparse, making the path to immortality far more difficult than in the Immortal Realm. However, it is not without cultivation sects and secret realms. Remember, the cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, a hundred times more cruel than the mortal realm you previously inhabited. After you leave this place and enter the cultivation world, you must act with humility, never flaunt your achievements, and think thrice before you act." Xuanqing Daoist's voice carried a solemn admonition. "If one day you truly achieve success in your cultivation, break through the shackles of this realm, and ascend to the Immortal Realm, remember to bring my remains and inheritance back to the Xuanqing Immortal Sect, so that my soul may return to its homeland."

"This disciple will humbly follow Master's teachings!"

Zhang Bufan quickly replied, his tone extremely solemn, "This disciple will definitely cultivate with all my might. If I can ascend to the Immortal Realm one day, I will certainly live up to Master's expectations and return Master's remains and inheritance to the Xuanqing Immortal Sect!"

He knew this was his master's last wish, and he had to agree and fulfill it. "Good, good, good..." Xuanqing Daoist's voice carried a hint of relief, "Since you have agreed, my remnant soul is about to dissipate. I will exhaust the last bit of my remnant soul power to empower you, help you embark on the path of cultivation, and lay the foundation for immortality."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two green flames in the eye sockets of the green skull in the center of the room suddenly began to flicker violently, their light growing increasingly intense. Then, the two green flames slowly flew out of the skull's eye sockets, hovering in mid-air like two eerie green lanterns.

Zhang Bufan's heart tightened, and he subconsciously held his breath, his eyes filled with anticipation and trepidation. He knew this was a crucial moment in his journey to immortality. The next second, the two balls of green flame suddenly transformed into two streaks of green light, moving with lightning speed, and with a "whoosh," they shot directly towards Zhang Bufan's eyes! Zhang Bufan had no time to react; he only felt a blur before his eyes, and the two streaks of green light instantly disappeared into his vision.

"Buzz—"

An indescribable, excruciating pain instantly shot through his eyes, spreading along his nerves to his entire brain, causing him to let out a muffled groan of agony. His body involuntarily lurched backward, his vision went black, and he nearly fainted. At the same time, a massive influx of information, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into his mind, making it feel as if his brain was about to explode.