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

"Buzz—"

A massive flow of information, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into Zhang Bufan's mind. Each piece of information contained endless mysteries, yet also carried a devastating impact. Zhang Bufan felt as if a mountain had been stuffed into his brain, causing it to swell and ache as if it were about to burst. His consciousness blurred amidst the excruciating pain, as if it would vanish completely at any moment.

At this critical moment, a gentle force suddenly emerged from the depths of the information flow, like a gentle dam, instantly intercepting and sorting out the surging torrent of information.

This was the remaining power of Xuanqing Daoist—he had long anticipated that Zhang Bufan, with his mortal body that had not yet entered cultivation, would be unable to withstand the massive amount of information inherited in its entirety. If it were all directly displayed in his mind, it would inevitably lead to brain overload and sudden death on the spot.

Xuanqing Daoist had already made preparations for this. His remnant soul power swiftly traversed the information stream, sealing away the vast majority of profound cultivation techniques, secrets, celestial realm experiences, and cultivation insights, leaving only a small portion of basic cultivation knowledge clearly presented in Zhang Bufan's consciousness. The remaining sealed information was bound to Zhang Bufan's soul and would gradually unseal as his cultivation level increased. This arrangement served both to protect Zhang Bufan's life and to prevent him from becoming overly ambitious. The path of cultivation requires a down-to-earth approach, taking one step at a time. If one were to encounter overly profound content from the outset, it would easily lead to astray, hindering the consolidation of one's foundation. This arrangement was truly a win-win situation.

Zhang Bufan could clearly feel the throbbing pain in his mind rapidly subsiding, and the previously chaotic and clashing information gradually becoming orderly. His tense nerves relaxed slightly, and his consciousness became clear again. Although his head was still throbbing, it was no longer the excruciating pain of someone on the verge of death.

At the same time, the last wisp of Xuanqing Daoist's magical power, after completing the sorting and sealing of the information, did not dissipate. Instead, it followed Zhang Bufan's mind, moving slowly downwards along an incredibly mysterious trajectory. This magical power, as if possessing a life of its own, precisely passed through his sea of ​​consciousness, flowed through his neck and chest, and finally settled steadily three inches below his navel.

"Buzz—" As the magical power lingered, Zhang Bufan suddenly felt a warm sensation in his lower abdomen. He could clearly sense the magical power swirling and condensing there, gradually forming a tiny vortex. As soon as the vortex formed, it began to slowly rotate, drawing in the surrounding sparse spiritual energy, creating a subtle and stable cycle along the path the magical power had flowed through. This cycle was like a newly formed stream; though weak, it was exceptionally resilient. With each rotation, a trace of spiritual energy was absorbed and refined by the vortex, merging into it and making the vortex slightly more solid.

As the cyclone stabilized, the last glimmer of green light in the eye sockets of the green skull in the center of the wooden house completely extinguished, and Xuanqing Daoist's voice never rang out again. That wisp of remnant soul, which had held on for over three thousand years, finally exhausted all its power at the last moment of completing the inheritance and initiation, and vanished without a trace, leaving only a green skull sitting quietly on the futon, witnessing this master-disciple bond that spanned a thousand years.

Zhang Bufan slumped to the ground, his body drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily. The intense pain from the initiation still lingered in his mind, but a warm sensation came from his lower abdomen. The circulating spiritual energy flowed gently through his limbs and bones like a warm current, relieving his fatigue and pain.

He didn't get up immediately, but closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and began to sort through the basic information that was clearly presented in his mind. Time passed quietly in the quiet wooden house. He didn't know how much time had passed, perhaps an hour, perhaps a day, but Zhang Bufan finally finished sorting through the information in his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, the confusion and fear from before were gone, replaced by boundless shock and relief. He slowly raised his hand, feeling the faint spiritual energy flowing gently within his body, sensing the steadily rotating vortex of energy in his lower abdomen, his heart filled with countless emotions. At this moment, he had successfully embarked on the path of cultivation, officially entering the first level of Qi Refining, and under the empowerment of Xuanqing Daoist, his sea of ​​consciousness had been directly opened, his spiritual power increasing several times over. His eyes, which used to see things blurry, could now clearly see the fine patterns on the walls of the wooden house; his ears, which could only hear nearby sounds, could now capture the subtle sound of the flowing stream outside, and even vaguely sense the movement of spiritual energy in the air.

This is the incredible benefit of having a high-level master to guide you! Zhang Bufan knew perfectly well that if it were an ordinary mortal wanting to step into the threshold of cultivation, they would first have to spend years or even decades painstakingly searching for the Qi sensation without any guidance. After finding the Qi sensation, they would still have to cultivate for many years to slowly open up the eight extraordinary meridians and guide the spiritual Qi to circulate within their body before they could truly step into the first level of Qi Refining.

With the empowerment of Daoist Xuanqing, he skipped the most difficult and lengthy initial stage, ascending to a point where others would need decades of struggle to reach. His disadvantage of only beginning cultivation at the age of thirty-eight was forcibly erased by his master using the last of his remnant soul's power.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhang Bufan solemnly kowtowed three times to the green skull on the futon, his forehead hitting the cold ground heavily, his voice filled with gratitude. If it weren't for Xuanqing Daoist, he would have already been shattered to pieces at the bottom of the cliff of Mount Hua, and would never have had the chance to embark on this path of immortal cultivation.

Having sorted through the information, Zhang Bufan had a clear understanding of the path of cultivation. Next, he needed to cultivate step by step, utilizing the spiritual energy within the secret realm to open more meridians, increase the total amount of spiritual energy circulating within his body, and steadily improve his cultivation level. At this moment, all the basic cultivation knowledge before the Foundation Establishment stage was clearly imprinted in his mind, from sensing and refining spiritual energy to opening and stabilizing meridians, and then to the breakthrough techniques for each level of the Qi Refining stage—everything was complete. In addition, there was the core cultivation method taught by Xuanqing Daoist—the Qi Refining chapter of the *Xuanqing Dao Wen Jue*.

According to the information stored in his mind, this "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique" is a first-rate cultivation method in the Immortal Realm, infinitely profound. It allows one to directly cultivate to the Immortal Realm without needing to switch to other methods. However, the subsequent chapters of this technique, like other profound information, have been sealed away by Daoist Xuanqing. They can only be gradually unlocked once his cultivation level reaches the corresponding level.

"The Profound Purity Dao Inquiry Technique... Immortal Realm..." Zhang Bufan murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with a burning light. It was an anticipation of the future, a yearning for immortality. But soon, he calmed down. The information in his mind clearly told him that leaving this small secret realm would not be easy.

First, he must cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage to be able to project his divine sense. Only by projecting his divine sense can he recognize the golden storage ring on the middle finger of Xuanqing Daoist's right hand—that seemingly ordinary ring is actually a storage magic treasure, containing not only some of Xuanqing Daoist's relics but also sealing the core control of the entire small secret realm. Only by recognizing the storage ring as his master and controlling the core of the secret realm can he open the exit of the secret realm and truly leave this place.

Before that, everything in this secret realm was his cultivation resource: the spiritual peaches in the peach grove by the stream contained rich spiritual energy, which could aid cultivation and accelerate the accumulation of spiritual energy after consumption; the silvery-white spiritual fish in the small lake had delicious flesh and were also excellent cultivation ingredients; the flowing spiritual spring water could nourish the body and cleanse the meridians; even the glowing milky-white spiritual stones on the mountain wall were cultivation resources containing pure spiritual energy, which could be directly absorbed and refined.

It could be said that Xuanqing Daoist had paved the way for his initial cultivation journey; the rest was up to his own efforts. Zhang Bufan slowly stood up, walked to the prayer mat, and respectfully looked at Xuanqing Daoist's remains. He gently brushed away a few specks of dust from the skeleton, silently vowing in his heart, "Master, rest assured, your disciple will cultivate diligently, reach the Foundation Establishment Realm as soon as possible, recognize the storage ring as my master, and control the secret realm. If I achieve success in my cultivation one day and ascend to the Immortal Realm, I will certainly not fail your trust and will return your remains and inheritance to the Xuanqing Immortal Sect!"

With the vow sweared in his heart, Zhang Bufan's eyes became incredibly resolute. He knew that although he had already stepped into the threshold of cultivation, the path to immortality was long and arduous. Each breakthrough—Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—was accompanied by countless hardships and obstacles. To leave this place, to see his parents, to realize his wish for immortality, he still had an incredibly long road ahead.

Thinking of his parents, Zhang Bufan felt a pang of concern and worry. He didn't know how long he would have to stay in this secret realm, how much time had passed in the outside world, or how heartbroken his parents would be to learn of his "death by falling off a cliff."

"Dad, Mom, you must take good care of yourselves and wait for me!" Zhang Bufan clenched his fists, a resolute glint in his eyes. "I will definitely achieve mastery of my cultivation as soon as possible, leave this place, and return to your side!" He took a deep breath, suppressing his worries, and began to carefully examine the small wooden house. Although small, the house was exceptionally quiet, an excellent place for cultivation. He decided to first stabilize his Qi Refining Level 1 cultivation here, familiarize himself with the circulation of spiritual energy within his body, and then venture out to explore the secret realm, utilizing the resources here to cultivate with all his might.

Zhang Bufan walked to the corner of the wooden hut, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to guide the circulation of spiritual energy within his body according to the incantations of the Qi Refining chapter of the *Xuanqing Daodao Jue* (Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique) in his mind. The vortex of energy in his lower abdomen slowly rotated, driving the spiritual energy to flow through his meridians. With each circulation, he gained a deeper understanding of his control over spiritual energy, and his cultivation level became more stable. The light from the spirit stones on the cave ceiling shone through the cracks in the wooden hut, illuminating his resolute face. The path to immortality had been opened; the road ahead was long, and Zhang Bufan's journey of cultivation had officially begun.