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

The spiritual energy of Qinglan Peak was already several times denser than other areas of the Immortal Sword Sect. Furthermore, Zhang Bufan secretly channeled the spiritual energy of the Xuanqing Secret Realm into his cave, making it an exceptional cultivation haven. As soon as the three returned, they each found a place to cultivate and quickly immersed themselves in their preparations for the selection. Zhang Bufan sat cross-legged on a blue stone beside the spiritual spring, his eyes slightly closed, his mind focused on his own body, beginning to examine his cultivation level.

Within his dantian, a pale blue sphere, five meters in diameter, floated suspended. The sphere was filled with a thick, five-elemental mixed spiritual liquid, which churned slowly, radiating pure and abundant spiritual energy. This was the foundation of his late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. Compared to when he first broke through, the concentration of the spiritual liquid had increased significantly, and its color had deepened considerably. His eight extraordinary meridians and twelve regular meridians were filled with the mixture of spiritual energy and the spiritual liquid, flowing rapidly like a surging river along the profound path of the *Xuanqing Daodao Jue*. With each cycle, the proportion of spiritual liquid in his meridians increased slightly, further nourishing and widening them, and increasing the efficiency of spiritual energy circulation.

By chance, Zhang Bufan had used his spiritual power to examine Yue Ling'er's internal condition before, and recalling it now, he could more clearly perceive his own advantages. Yue Ling'er was born with a wood-attribute celestial spiritual root, and after being nourished by the silver fish and immortal peaches of the Xuanqing Secret Realm for over a year, her dantian diameter had reached two meters, far exceeding that of cultivators of the same level. The fluid flowing within her meridians was pure liquefied wood-attribute spiritual liquid, with extremely high purity. However, even so, the total amount of spiritual energy within her body was still less than his, and the width of her meridians was only half that of his, making her burst power and endurance of spiritual energy circulation slightly inferior. In addition, he possessed the profound swordsmanship left behind by the Xuanqing Daoist, the moves of which were far more exquisite than the swordsmanship of the Immortal Sword Sect. If the two were to fight on the same stage, he was absolutely confident that he could defeat Yue Ling'er.

"With Ling'er's and my strength, securing a spot as an attendant shouldn't be a problem," Zhang Bufan thought to himself, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Ye Qingxue, who was in seclusion not far away, his brows furrowing slightly. Although Ye Qingxue possessed dual spiritual roots, and her dantian and meridian capacity far exceeded that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, having already reached the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she still lagged considerably behind her senior brothers and sisters in the sect who had been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for many years and had profound foundations. This Foundation Establishment selection aimed to choose the top five, and with Ye Qingxue's current cultivation level, standing out would be extremely difficult.

After a moment's contemplation, Zhang Bufan no longer hesitated. With a wave of his hand, his storage ring flashed, revealing a fist-sized, lustrous mid-grade spirit stone, a dozen crimson peaches with a rich aroma, and a silver fish weighing over fifty pounds with shimmering silver scales. These were top-tier resources from the Xuanqing Secret Realm. Mid-grade spirit food could quickly replenish spiritual energy, peaches could improve aptitude and aid in breakthroughs, and the silver fish could purify spiritual roots and strengthen and expand meridians. The combination of the three was enough to support Ye Qingxue's attempt to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

He walked lightly to the meditation cushion where Ye Qingxue was in seclusion, gently placed the resources aside, and whispered, "Qingxue, for the next three days, focus all your efforts on refining these resources and strive to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. Although cultivation emphasizes gradual progress, it's okay to be aggressive once in a while. As for stabilizing your foundation, I will refine pills to assist you later." Ye Qingxue slowly opened her eyes, her eyes filled with warmth, and nodded, "Okay, I will definitely not let you down."

Meanwhile, a tense yet enthusiastic atmosphere of preparation permeated the entire Immortal Sword Sect. Core disciples secluded themselves, either immersing themselves in cultivation to hone their skills or studying techniques and strategies for combat. Among the inner and outer disciples, many exceptionally talented individuals eagerly signed up, hoping to use this selection to rise through the ranks of core disciples and gain the opportunity to travel to the Kunlun Secret Realm. The Alchemy Pavilion remained brightly lit throughout the night, rushing to produce healing and qi-stabilizing pills for the participating disciples; the Weapon Forging Pavilion also worked overtime to inspect and refine the disciples' magical weapons and flying swords. The entire sect was giving it their all for this selection and was filled with anticipation for the sect gathering in the secret realm seven days later.

Time flies, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. As the morning sun bathed the Huashan Secret Realm, the plaza in front of the sect's main hall was already packed with people. Tens of thousands of disciples gathered around the plaza, eagerly awaiting the start of the selection competition. Ten arenas were neatly erected in the center of the plaza. The arenas were crafted from sturdy black iron, their surfaces engraved with sturdy formations and protective restrictions, effectively withstanding the full force of an attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Six of the arenas were for Qi Refining disciples, and four were for Foundation Establishment disciples. Around the arenas were referee seats, where five Supreme Elders sat solemnly, ready to deliver impartial judgments.

As expected, Ye Qingxue broke through her bottleneck on the second day of preparation, successfully advancing to the late Foundation Establishment stage. After the breakthrough, her spiritual energy became increasingly abundant, the advantage of her dual spiritual roots became more pronounced, and a blend of shimmering white and emerald green spiritual energy surrounded her, giving her a more composed demeanor. Zhang Bufan then gifted her a top-grade Xuan-rank flying sword named "Frost Condensation." Its blade was lustrous and incredibly sharp, capable of amplifying metal-attribute spiritual power. Combined with Ye Qingxue's dual metal and wood spiritual root cultivation technique, her combat strength increased significantly. With the breakthrough and the support of the top-grade flying sword, Ye Qingxue now possessed the strength to compete with top Foundation Establishment disciples, greatly increasing her chances of being selected into the top five.

The number of disciples who signed up for the selection far exceeded expectations, with as many as 127 Qi Refining stage disciples and 87 Foundation Establishment stage disciples. Among the participants were top experts from the core disciples, as well as many hidden talents from the inner and outer sect disciples, all eager to make a name for themselves in this competition. All the participating disciples wore neat sect robes and lined up on both sides of the square according to their Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. Their eyes were filled with tension and anticipation, their spiritual energy subtly surging, and the air was thick with tension, as if a storm was about to break.

Zhang Bufan, accompanied by Ye Qingxue and Yue Ling'er, stood in the ranks of Foundation Establishment disciples. Yue Ling'er, dressed in a green dress, exuded the aura of a perfected Foundation Establishment cultivator, her wood spirit root radiating pure and potent spiritual energy. She gripped a top-grade Xuan-rank flying sword, "Qingfeng," which Zhang Bufan had retrieved from his ring's inventory. It was crafted from the heartwood of a thousand-year-old spirit tree, and her eyes were filled with eager anticipation. Ye Qingxue, in a white dress, held the Frost Condensation Sword. Her spiritual energy was calm and restrained, her expression serene yet resolute. Zhang Bufan, in a light blue robe, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly sweeping over the arena and the participating disciples, having already made a general assessment of his formidable opponents.

At this moment, Sect Master Yue Shouren slowly walked onto the high platform in the square, his gaze sweeping over the entire area. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Today, the sect selection officially begins! This selection will be based on strength, fair and just, stopping short of causing serious injury or death. Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples will compete on separate platforms, with the top five from each stage going with the Ancestor to the Kunlun Secret Realm to participate in the sect gathering. I hope all disciples will give their all and showcase the glory of our Immortal Sword Sect!"

As the words fell, thunderous drumbeats resounded from both sides of the platform, and the protective barriers surrounding the arena instantly glowed with golden light, enveloping all ten arenas. A contest concerning personal opportunities and sect glory had officially begun in this plaza.