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

Ever since his humiliating escape from Yanbo Peak that day, a small shadow had settled in Zhang Bufan's heart. Liu Yan'er's unrestrained and fiery advances after breaking through to the Core Formation stage, coupled with the overwhelming physical strength of a Core Formation cultivator, had made him fully experience the powerlessness brought about by the gap in their cultivation levels. In the past, he could become even more courageous in the face of Yue Ling'er, but under Liu Yan'er's absolute suppression of strength, he had no room to struggle and could only surrender and beg for mercy. This predicament left only one resolute thought in his competitive heart: he must break through to the Core Formation stage as soon as possible, not only to solidify his strength and protect the three women around him, but also to get revenge on Liu Yan'er and never again appear so humiliated and defeated.

From then on, Zhang Bufan completely reshaped the daily rhythm of Qinglan Peak, making cultivation his top priority every day without fail. At the crack of dawn, he would sit cross-legged in the core of the Spirit Gathering Array in the courtyard. Dozens of mid-grade spirit stones had already been buried at the array's eye, and beside him were a jade pot filled with spiritual spring water and a brocade box containing fresh immortal peaches. The Spirit Gathering Array slowly began to operate, continuously drawing in the spiritual energy of the Huashan Secret Realm. Zhang Bufan then activated the Xuanqing Inherited Technique, refining the pure primordial energy from the spiritual spring water and immortal peaches while guiding the surrounding spiritual energy to circulate and cleanse his meridians. His fingertips moved incessantly, forming hand seals, never daring to relax for a moment.

He set an ironclad rule for himself: he would prioritize two to three hours of pure cultivation each day, ensuring his dantian and meridians were saturated with spiritual energy before heading to the alchemy room. For him, alchemy was no longer merely a means of making a living; it was a way to accumulate resources for the sect and an excellent method to hone the precision of his divine sense and his control over spiritual power. However, he no longer devoted as much energy to it as before, treating it only as a leisurely activity outside of cultivation. Occasionally, he would refine a few batches of pills and store them in his storage ring, preparing for future contributions to the sect or for exchanging them for rare spiritual materials.

His interactions with Ye Qingxue and Yue Ling'er became much more restrained. The days of passionate intimacy they used to share had completely vanished. More often, the three of them would sit around the stone table in the courtyard after meals, sipping tea and chatting while discussing the techniques of cultivating their skills, or sparring in pairs to hone their moves. Even when there were occasional intimate interactions, they were always kept within limits, never allowing themselves to be distracted from their cultivation progress. Yue Ling'er and Ye Qingxue were both insightful and intelligent, and they saw through his obsession at a glance. Far from being dissatisfied, they fully cooperated with his pace. Ye Qingxue would carefully prepare nourishing spiritual meals every day, incorporating spiritual fish and immortal peaches into the dishes, making them both delicious and helpful for cultivation. Yue Ling'er would spar with him, pointing out the flaws in his techniques with her Core Formation stage perspective. The three of them had less of their previous intimacy and more of a tacit understanding and warmth as they progressed side by side.

On the other side, since confirming her relationship with Zhang Bufan, Liu Yan'er's last trace of worry and inner turmoil had been completely resolved. Free from any distracting thoughts, she focused on cultivating in seclusion at Yanbo Peak to solidify her early-stage Core Formation realm. However, she had always coveted the exceptional effects of the spiritual objects from the Xuanqing Secret Realm, and given their now intimate relationship, she became Qinglan Peak's most frequent visitor. Every few days, she would fly there on her sword, ostensibly to "meet with her two younger sisters," but in reality, her heart was filled with thoughts of silver fish and immortal peaches.

Zhang Bufan had long considered everything for her, preparing over a thousand catties of spiritual spring water, storing it in a specially made warm jade vat, sealing it, and sending it to Yanbo Peak. This was enough for her daily cultivation and nourishing her body for several months. However, silver fish and immortal peaches were different. These two spiritual creatures were extremely particular about freshness. Only by taking them fresh from the Xuanqing Secret Realm and eating them immediately could their original energy and excellent taste be preserved to the greatest extent. If stored for too long, their spiritual energy would gradually dissipate, and their effects would be greatly reduced. Therefore, every time Liu Yan'er arrived at Qinglan Peak, Zhang Bufan would very conscientiously take out his storage ring, summon fresh silver fish and plump immortal peaches from the Xuanqing Secret Realm, and personally set up a spiritual wood fire to roast them or cook them with spiritual spring water, being meticulous and thorough in every step.

But once the spiritual ingredients are served and their aroma fills the air, Zhang Bufan immediately makes an excuse to slip away—either feigning haste and saying the fire in the alchemy room hasn't gone out yet, fearing the spiritual materials will be ruined; or solemnly stating that he hasn't completed his cultivation quota for the day and needs to return to the spirit-gathering array immediately. Before he finishes speaking, he's already transformed into a blur, hiding in the alchemy room or the spirit-gathering array, not daring to even taste a bite of the hot silver fish, for fear of being entangled by Liu Yan'er and experiencing the feeling of being suppressed again.

Their guilty-looking demeanor always made the three women burst into laughter. Liu Yan'er leaned against the stone table, picked up a piece of pink peach flesh and put it in her mouth, her eyes full of teasing. She deliberately raised her voice a few decibels to make sure it reached Zhang Bufan's ears: "Is our junior brother scared out of his wits? He only lost once, yet he's hiding so far away. Does he intend to hide until he reaches the Core Formation stage before he'll see me?" Yue Ling'er covered her mouth and laughed incessantly, echoing, "My husband must be holding back a lot of energy, wanting to seek revenge on Senior Sister Liu after breaking through to the Core Formation stage." Ye Qingxue also smiled gently and nodded, her tone carrying a hint of expectation: "My husband is cultivating so diligently now, and with the blessing of the spiritual treasures from the Xuanqing Secret Realm, it shouldn't be long before he achieves his wish."

The laughter of the three drifted into the spirit-gathering array on the wind. Zhang Bufan's cheeks burned as he listened, but he could only scratch his head helplessly and concentrate even more on circulating his spiritual power—he would get his face back sooner or later.

These regular and pleasant days passed quietly amidst the daily cultivation and warm companionship, and half a year had gone by in the blink of an eye. At this time, a full year had passed since Zhang Bufan broke through to the peak of Foundation Establishment in the Kunlun Secret Realm. With the continuous nourishment of the spiritual creatures in the Xuanqing Secret Realm, the day and night assistance of the Spirit Gathering Array, and his own day-to-day hard work, his cultivation level steadily increased. The mixed spiritual liquid of the five attributes in his dantian became more and more mellow and condensed, almost solidifying into a paste. His meridians were also repeatedly widened and cleansed by spiritual power, becoming more and more resilient and expansive, and the amount of spiritual power they could contain far exceeded that of other Foundation Establishment cultivators of the same level.

Even Ye Qingxue, taking advantage of the peaceful six months, nourished by the spiritual spring water and immortal peaches, and through her own diligent cultivation, successfully broke through to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. Her aura became refined and steady, and her spiritual power flowed more smoothly and freely, leaving her only one step away from the Core Formation stage. Seeing those around him making steady progress, Zhang Bufan felt an increasing sense of urgency and cultivated even more diligently. He often got up before dawn and didn't rest until late at night. The mid-grade spirit stones beside the Spirit Gathering Array were replaced batch after batch, and the spiritual items in the Xuanqing Secret Realm were also greatly depleted.

Finally, on a bright, early morning, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell upon the spirit-gathering array, Zhang Bufan's spiritual energy suddenly erupted, like a torrent breaking through a dam, smoothly breaching the final barrier between the peak of Foundation Establishment and the completion of Foundation Establishment. There was no earth-shattering vortex of spiritual energy, nor dazzling golden light; only the spiritual liquid within his dantian instantly became increasingly viscous, almost transforming into semi-solid spiritual energy. The spiritual energy flowing through his meridians also grew increasingly powerful and substantial, and the pressure of the completion of Foundation Establishment silently spread out, sweeping across the entire Qinglan Peak.

This breakthrough came naturally, a culmination of years of accumulated experience, without the slightest strain or obscurity. Zhang Bufan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance in them. With a wave of his hand, a vast amount of spiritual energy gathered in his palm, moving at his will and controlled with ease. The exhilarating feeling of spiritual energy overflowing to its fullest extent was something he had never experienced at the peak of Foundation Establishment. He slowly stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt a comfortable soreness throughout his meridians. His heart was filled with joy and certainty—Foundation Establishment complete, and the Core Formation stage he had longed for was finally within reach.

He didn't rush to break through to the Core Formation stage while the iron was hot. The path of cultivation is most averse to haste and recklessness, especially at such a crucial stage as Core Formation, where the stability of one's foundation directly affects future cultivation limits. Therefore, Zhang Bufan calmed himself and spent three whole days diligently stabilizing his Foundation Establishment perfection: he repeatedly refined the spiritual energy within his dantian, removing any remaining impurities to make it increasingly pure; he also repeatedly cleansed his meridians, smoothing out the subtle fluctuations left by bursts of spiritual energy, allowing his physical body, spiritual energy, and divine sense to perfectly harmonize with his new realm. During these three days, Ye Qingxue and Yue Ling'er took turns protecting him, and Liu Yan'er also specially brought several of her treasured Mind-Concentrating Grasses, fearing that outside disturbances would disrupt his stabilization of his realm. The three women's kindness warmed Zhang Bufan's heart.

Once his cultivation level was completely stable, Zhang Bufan's aura became increasingly calm and restrained. While seemingly no different from his peak Foundation Establishment stage, the depth of his spiritual power and the precision of his divine sense far surpassed what he had experienced before. Standing atop Qinglan Peak, gazing at the swirling clouds in the distance, his eyes were filled with determination—his next step was to dedicate himself fully to refining top-grade Core Formation pills, making thorough preparations for his breakthrough to the Core Formation stage.