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

Cultivation knows no time, and the mountains are devoid of the cycle of years. Days on Qinglan Peak always pass quietly amidst the flowing spiritual energy and the lingering fragrance of elixirs. Four months have swiftly passed since Zhang Bufan successfully refined a low-grade Xuan-rank Spirit Condensation Pill, thus joining the ranks of Xuan-rank beginner alchemists. A full year has already gone by since he escaped from the Xuanqing Secret Realm and joined the Immortal Sword Sect.

For the past four months, Zhang Bufan's life has been fulfilling and structured. Every day at dawn, he and Ye Qingxue would sit cross-legged by the spiritual spring, circulating the "Mysterious Purity Dao Inquiry Technique" to absorb the rich spiritual energy of Qinglan Peak. At the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, a massive amount of spiritual energy is needed to advance to the later stages. While Qinglan Peak's spiritual energy is abundant, it's far inferior to that of the Mysterious Purity Secret Realm. Fortunately, the silver fish, immortal peaches, spring water, and spirit stones left within the secret realm aided their progress, allowing their spiritual energy accumulation to proceed steadily. Ye Qingxue's progress was equally astonishing. Her dual spiritual roots, nurtured by ample resources, had been fully unleashed, and she had now firmly established herself at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, just one step away from the mid-stage.

Zhang Bufan spent half of his daytime hours immersed in the alchemy room. He attempted to refine various Xuan-grade pills, including the Firming Meridian Pill, Spirit Condensing Pill, Rejuvenating Pill, and Spirit Enhancing Pill. Failures and successes intertwined, and his alchemy skills improved rapidly. Initially, when refining Xuan-grade pills, seven or eight out of ten batches would disintegrate due to improper arrangement of the pill patterns or uneven fusion of medicinal power, resulting in a significant reduction in efficacy. However, relying on his spiritual power far exceeding that of his peers and the profound theories left behind by the Xuanqing Daoist, he meticulously reviewed each failure, adjusting his spiritual power output and heat control, gradually mastering the secrets of refining mid-grade Xuan-grade pills.

Zhang Bufan can now consistently refine mid-grade Xuan-level pills, and occasionally, with exceptional luck, he can even refine high-grade ones. The jade cabinet in his alchemy room is already overflowing with perfectly sealed pills, including top-grade Yellow-level Qi Gathering Pills and Spirit Cleansing Pills suitable for Qi Refining disciples, as well as Xuan-level pills for Foundation Establishment cultivators. There are even a few bottles of specially crafted pills he made for Ye Qingxue to nourish her dual spiritual roots. Ye Qingxue often accompanies him in the alchemy room, either quietly cultivating or helping him organize medicinal herbs and wipe the furnace. Occasionally, when she sees him frowning over a bottleneck in refining, she offers him a cup of tea brewed with spiritual spring water. The gentleness in her eyes adds warmth to the cold alchemy room.

In his spare time, Zhang Bufan would always make time to visit Anhe City. His parents were settled in a three-courtyard residence specially prepared by the sect, where they had no worries about food or clothing and were cared for by ten well-trained maids. They spent their days gardening and taking walks, living a peaceful and carefree life. At first, Zhang Jianguo and his wife were worried about their son's safety, but seeing that he always came in high spirits and that his cultivation was becoming increasingly profound, and with the protection of the Immortal Sword Sect, they were completely relieved. They only repeatedly reminded him not to rush his cultivation and to take good care of himself. Every time he chatted with his parents and listened to their interesting stories about Anhe City, Zhang Bufan felt a sense of peace in his heart—this was the warmth he desperately cultivated to protect, and it was also his most solid attachment in this strange world of cultivation.

Yue Ling'er remained a frequent visitor to Qinglan Peak. Her lively personality always brought laughter and joy to the tranquil mountain. She often brought news from the sect, either asking Zhang Bufan for advice on cultivation problems or pestering Ye Qingxue to go to the outer reaches of the secret realm to gather spiritual herbs. Yue Shouren saw all of this, and his desire to bring the two together grew stronger, but he remained silent due to his daughter's shyness.

The annual day for opening the sect's forbidden area and drawing spiritual spring water is tomorrow. All the disciples in the sect are in an uproar, especially the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples, who are eagerly anticipating it.

Last year's spiritual spring water was arguably the most unique in the Immortal Sword Sect's tens of thousands of years of history. At that time, Zhang Bufan, who frequently slaughtered spirit fish in the Xuanqing Secret Realm and washed them with the spring water, inadvertently mixed silver fish blood into the forbidden spiritual spring, causing the originally ordinary water to mutate. The mutated spiritual spring water was significantly more effective at improving the aptitude and cultivation speed of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage disciples, but its taste became sour and astringent, far less sweet than before. Furthermore, the water had limited effect on cultivators above the Core Formation stage. Yue Buwei decided that he and the four Core Formation stage elders would no longer participate in the distribution of the spiritual spring water, giving all 1,050 jin of the mutated spiritual spring water to the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage disciples within the sect.

Each of the more than two hundred core disciples received a certain amount of spiritual spring water, while those who made greater contributions to the inner sect received a smaller amount. Many disciples of mediocre talent saw a visibly faster cultivation speed after drinking the mutated spiritual spring water; several even successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Even disciples with superior talent felt their meridians become wider and their spiritual energy flowed more smoothly, nourished by the spring water. These miraculous effects made all the disciples increasingly thirsty for the spiritual spring water.

In stark contrast to the disciples' jubilation was the somber atmosphere inside the sect's main hall. Yue Shouren sat upright in the hall, his brows furrowed, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water. He held the teacup in his hand for a long time without taking a sip, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table, producing a dull sound that revealed his inner anxiety.

Only Yue Shouren, Yue Buwei, the four Core Formation stage elders, and Zhang Bufan knew that the forbidden spiritual spring that had nourished the Immortal Sword Sect for tens of thousands of years had completely dried up a year ago.

The Spirit Spring is one of the foundations of the Immortal Sword Sect, and a core resource for attracting disciples and maintaining its strength. Once the Spirit Spring water is cut off, the cultivation speed of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples will inevitably decline, and over time, the overall strength of the Immortal Sword Sect will also decline. What troubles Yue Shouren even more is how to explain this to his disciples.

If the opening of the forbidden area is temporarily suspended, using the pretext of "spiritual spring recuperation" to delay the process, it might stabilize morale in the short term. However, in the long run, it will inevitably trigger speculation and panic among the disciples, leading to widespread rumors and unrest. If the truth about the depleted spiritual spring is revealed directly, the consequences will be even more unimaginable. Not only will the disciples' expectations be dashed, but they will also lose faith in the future of the sect. Some disciples might even defect to other sects with abundant resources. If the news gets out, it will make the Immortal Sword Sect a laughingstock among other sects, causing its status among the hidden sects of the Pangu Realm to plummet, and it might even mark the beginning of the sect's decline.

"Sigh..." Yue Shouren sighed heavily, placing the teacup on the table with a soft thud. He had been sitting alone in the hall for an hour, pondering solutions repeatedly, but still hadn't found a way to satisfy both sides.

Zhang Bufan had long understood Yue Shouren's anxiety. As the instigator of the depletion of the spiritual spring, he not only knew the truth behind its drying up but also understood its fatal impact on the sect. For the past few months, he had been cultivating and refining pills while secretly devising countermeasures. The Xuanqing Secret Realm contained a continuous source of spiritual springs, originating from the core spiritual vein of the realm. Its spiritual energy was pure and refined, making it the upstream source of the original Immortal Sword Sect's spiritual spring.

However, the Xuanqing Secret Realm was his greatest secret, and the foundation of his survival. Before his cultivation reached the Nascent Soul stage, he absolutely could not let any outsider know that the secret realm was in his hands. In the cultivation world of the Pangu Realm, the strong prey on the weak. Once the secret of the Xuanqing Secret Realm was exposed, even as a core disciple of the Immortal Sword Sect, he would inevitably become the target of the entire cultivation world. Countless cultivators would flock to the secret realm for its resources, and at that time, not only would protecting the secret realm be difficult, but even his own and his parents' lives would be in danger.

However, the Immortal Sword Sect was his backer, and Yue Buwei had shown him great kindness, while also repaying the karmic debt owed to Xuanqing Daoist. The sect's rise and fall were closely related to him. If the Immortal Sword Sect were to decline because of this, he would lose his greatest protection in the Pangu Realm, and his situation would be equally dangerous. The Spirit Spring Water was ultimately an inanimate object; rather than letting the sect fall into crisis, it would be better to use a portion of it, which would both alleviate the sect's immediate crisis and solidify his position within the sect.

Zhang Bufan had already prepared his explanation—this spiritual spring water was a resource left to him by his master, Daoist Xuanqing, before he left, for unforeseen circumstances. Daoist Xuanqing was his master; leaving him some spiritual spring water was perfectly reasonable, wouldn't arouse suspicion, and would perfectly conceal the true source of the spring water. He only needed to contribute a portion each year to maintain the sect's supply of spiritual spring water, and once his cultivation was strong enough to fully protect himself, he could then make long-term plans.

Having weighed the pros and cons, Zhang Bufan no longer hesitated. He straightened his clothes and headed straight for the sect's main hall. Qinglan Peak was not far from the main hall, and with his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, he arrived outside in a short while. Upon seeing Zhang Bufan, the gatekeepers immediately bowed and respectfully let him pass—Zhang Bufan was now not only a direct disciple of the patriarch but also an alchemist capable of refining Xuan-grade pills, and his status within the sect was vastly different from before.

Upon entering the main hall, Zhang Bufan saw Yue Shouren alone, looking troubled. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Disciple Zhang Bufan greets Sect Leader Yue."

When Yue Shouren looked up and saw it was him, the worry in his eyes eased a little. He waved his hand and said, "Bufan is here. Please sit down." He knew that Zhang Bufan was exceptionally intelligent and might be able to come up with some solutions, but this matter was too thorny, and he did not want to add pressure to him, so he did not bring up the matter of the spiritual spring.

Zhang Bufan sat down as instructed and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Sect Master, I have come here today to tell you something that may help resolve the sect's current predicament."

Yue Shouren's heart skipped a beat, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He quickly asked, "Oh? What method do you have, Bufan? Please tell me."

"I still have a batch of spiritual spring water in my possession," Zhang Bufan said slowly, his tone calm. "It was a contingency plan that my master, Daoist Xuanqing, left for me before he left, in case I needed resources on my cultivation journey."

Yue Shouren's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief. He quickly asked, "What did you say? You have spiritual spring water? And it was left behind by Daoist Xuanqing?"

"That's right." Zhang Bufan nodded in confirmation. "Master left behind a lot of resources back then, and the spiritual spring water is just one of them. I know that the spiritual spring in the sect's forbidden area has dried up and will be reopened tomorrow. I am willing to contribute a pool of spiritual spring water to the sect every year, enough for the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples to distribute, in order to maintain the stability of the sect."

As the words fell, a brief silence descended upon the hall. Yue Shouren stared blankly at Zhang Bufan, disbelief gradually giving way to ecstatic joy. The anxiety and pressure that had been building up in his heart vanished instantly, like ice being shattered by a boulder. He abruptly stood up, strode over to Zhang Bufan, patted him on the shoulder, and his voice trembled with excitement: "Good! Good! Good! Bufan, you have truly done the sect a great favor! You have done me a great favor!"

Yue Shouren's feelings at this moment were indescribable. The drying up of the spiritual spring was like a huge boulder weighing on his heart, making him restless and unable to eat or sleep. Now, Zhang Bufan's suggestion not only perfectly solved this problem, but also allowed the disciples to continue to enjoy the spiritual spring water, and might even improve the overall strength of the sect's disciples.

His gaze towards Zhang Bufan was filled with deep satisfaction and approval, like that of a father-in-law looking at his ideal son-in-law, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye. He had originally intended to matchmake Zhang Bufan and Yue Ling'er; the two were a perfect match, handsome and beautiful, and deeply in love. Zhang Bufan possessed profound cultivation, outstanding talent, and was also proficient in alchemy. Now, he had shown such consideration for the greater good, standing up for the sect. This sense of responsibility and ability further solidified his determination to bring about this marriage as soon as possible.

"Bu Fan, we will remember your kindness." Yue Shouren's tone became even gentler. "Rest assured, the sect will never treat you unfairly. The Alchemy Pavilion will do its best to supply you with the medicinal herbs and ores you need for your cultivation in the future."

"This disciple asks for nothing in return," Zhang Bufan said, bowing. "Serving the sect is my duty."

Yue Shouren was even more pleased and said with a smile, "Good! You are indeed worthy of being the disciple favored by the Ancestor, and also worthy of being the successor of Xuanqing Daoist. Please wait a moment, and I will send a message to the Ancestor and the four Supreme Elders to inform them of this good news. Tomorrow, we will open the forbidden area as originally planned, retrieve the spiritual spring water you contributed, and distribute it to the disciples."

Having said that, Yue Shouren took out a communication jade talisman, his fingertips surging with spiritual energy, and informed Yue Buwei and the four Supreme Elders in detail about the resolution of the spiritual spring crisis and Zhang Bufan's willingness to contribute the spiritual spring water. The jade talisman emitted a few faint rays of spiritual light and disappeared into the horizon in an instant, sending a message to the few people who were in seclusion or cultivating.

Before long, several replies arrived one after another. Yue Buwei's reply was concise and powerful, containing only one sentence: "This extraordinary act is a meritorious deed for the sect. Make proper arrangements and do not reveal the source of the spiritual spring." The four Supreme Elders all expressed their approval, entrusting Yue Shouren with full authority to handle the matter, while also instructing him to properly thank Zhang Bufan and provide him with ample support for his cultivation.

With the approval of the Ancestor and the Supreme Elder, Yue Shouren was completely relieved, his smile growing even brighter. He looked at Zhang Bufan, increasingly satisfied, secretly calculating: once this matter is settled, he'll find an opportunity to have a good talk with Ling'er, encouraging her to take the initiative, and then ask the Ancestor to act as matchmaker; this marriage will surely succeed. Having a talent like Zhang Bufan as the sect's son-in-law would not only ensure a harmonious relationship between him and Ling'er, but also add a powerful boost to the future of the Immortal Sword Sect.

"Bufan, you've worked hard today," Yue Shouren said with a smile. "I will arrange the matter of the spirit spring water tomorrow. You should return to Qinglan Peak to rest first, and then come with me to the forbidden area early tomorrow morning."

"Disciple obeys." Zhang Bufan bowed respectfully, then turned and left the sect's main hall. Stepping out of the hall, the sunlight bathed him, warm and bright, and Zhang Bufan felt a slight sense of relief. The sect's crisis had been resolved, and his foundation within the Immortal Sword Sect was becoming increasingly solid. Now, he only needed to focus on cultivation, break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible, and strive towards an even higher realm.

On Qinglan Peak, Ye Qingxue was sitting in the courtyard arranging medicinal herbs when she saw Zhang Bufan return. She quickly got up to greet him and asked softly, "You're back? Did things go smoothly?" She knew that Zhang Bufan had gone to the sect's main hall and guessed that he had gone there for the matter of the spiritual spring.

Zhang Bufan smiled and nodded, stepping forward to take her hand and recounting the events in detail. Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxue's eyes showed approval, and she said softly, "You did a great job, resolving the sect's predicament without exposing the secret of the secret realm. However, you must be more careful when contributing spiritual spring water in the future, and avoid arousing suspicion."

"I understand." Zhang Bufan squeezed her hand, his heart filled with warmth. "I won't act rashly. Tomorrow is the day the forbidden area opens, let's rest early."

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the disciples of the Immortal Sword Sect had already gathered outside the forbidden area, a bustling crowd, each with an expectant look on their faces. The gate to the forbidden area was made of thick bluestone, engraved with ancient spirit-gathering patterns and restrictions, and could only be opened by the sect's high-ranking members. Yue Shouren and Zhang Bufan had already arrived, and the four Supreme Elders had also rushed from their secluded cultivation. Only Yue Buwei remained, still cultivating deep within the secret realm, and had not yet appeared. However, everyone was already at ease—with the tacit approval of the Ancestor and the spiritual spring water contributed by Zhang Bufan, the opening of the forbidden area today would surely proceed smoothly.

Yue Shouren stepped forward, his fingertips surging with spiritual energy, which he channeled into the patterns on the forbidden area's gate. The ancient patterns instantly lit up with golden light, emitting a muffled sound. The heavy gate slowly opened, and a rich spiritual energy surged out from the forbidden area, causing the disciples present to show joy on their faces and involuntarily take a deep breath.

Zhang Bufan had already retrieved a pool of spiritual spring water from the Xuanqing Secret Realm and placed it into the dried-up spring in the forbidden area. This pool of spiritual spring water weighed a full three thousand catties, more than the mutated spiritual spring water from last year. Its spiritual energy was pure, and from a distance, a faint white mist lingered above the spring, indicating its amazing medicinal effects.

Yue Shouren addressed his disciples in a loud voice: "This year's spiritual spring water, nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, is of even higher quality than in previous years. Today, it will still be distributed entirely to disciples in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, with priority given to core disciples. The remaining disciples will be allocated according to their cultivation level and contributions!"

The disciples responded in unison, their voices deafening. Under the elders' guidance, the disciples stepped forward in an orderly fashion to collect the spiritual spring water, each face beaming with joy. Zhang Bufan stood aside, watching this scene, his heart calm and undisturbed. He knew this was just the beginning. To truly protect those he cared about and to safeguard the Immortal Sword Sect, he had to continuously improve his cultivation and master more power. The path of cultivation was long, but his steps never faltered.