Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

When Cui Wu woke up, it was already evening of the third day after Xue Lan and the others returned to the Xuanhuang Sect.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Ji Jinjin carrying a bowl of medicine in.

"Xiao Wu is awake! If you hadn't woken up, I was going to go to Qingyu Peak to capture Senior Sister Yin." The girl's words were filled with undisguised joy. She casually placed the medicine bowl on the table beside her and gently helped Cui Wu sit up, placing a pillow behind her back.

"Xiao Wu?" Cui Wu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, Senior Sister has already informed the Sect Leader to accept you as a disciple on behalf of our master. From now on, you will be the junior sister of Jiyuan Peak, ranking fifth. I will call you Xiao Wu from now on."

Cui Wu looked somewhat surprised. She had originally thought that Xue Lan was just talking, and that it would take a lot of effort to actually make it happen.

I didn't expect it to be so easy...

"Then...where is Senior Sister now?"

"Senior Sister took Xiao Si to the cave in the back mountain. They should be back soon. Drink your medicine first. If you can get out of bed, come eat with me."

Cui Wu nodded obediently and slowly finished his medicine. As he stepped outside, he was stunned by the sight before him.

Winter has not yet passed, but Jiyuan Peak already presents the scenery of early spring. It's as if a transparent glass dome separates Jiyuan Peak from the cold winter outside.

Frost and snow cannot touch it in the slightest.

"What are you looking at?" Zhu He, who came out of the small kitchen, patted Cui Wu's head with one hand.

"Sit down and eat."

"This is the grand formation of Jiyuan Peak. Senior Sister said you need to recuperate now because the spiritual energy of Jiyuan Peak is too weak. So she asked the sect leader for two top-grade spirit stones to activate the formation and gather spiritual energy," Zhu He said with a smile, his face full of pride.

Those bastards from Jiyue Mountain would never go to such lengths for Xiao Wu.

As for the matter of the eldest senior sister being scolded mercilessly by the headmaster for asking for top-grade spirit stones, Zhu He decided to give the eldest senior sister some face and not say anything more.

Cui Wu understood. The great formation had blocked the wind and snow outside, and the spiritual plants on Jiyuan Peak had sprouted and branched out ahead of schedule due to the abundant spiritual energy. He then looked at the dishes on the table and Ji Jinjin and Zhu He, who were already seated.

"Senior brother, shouldn't we wait for senior sister and the others?"

"Let's eat first. Once Senior Sister forgets the time, she often goes into seclusion for ten days or half a month."

Beneath the forging platform, the furnace contained molten black iron. The molten iron reflected off it, making Lian Chuan's face flush red. Xue Lan stood before the forging platform, wearing a dark green, narrow-sleeved martial arts uniform. Her usually loose hair was now pulled back, adorned with a black jade hairpin. A black headband neatly held back any stray hairs at her temples. She looked incredibly capable.

Lian Chuan, carrying his book, said, "Tian Yuan Crystal is produced at the northern foot of Luo Xia Mountain in the Southern Region..."

Xue Lan turned to look at him, her almond-shaped eyes slightly narrowed, and she drawled out the last syllable: "Beishu?"

Lian Chuan quickly corrected himself: "It's the southern slope, it's the southern slope. I remembered it wrong just now."

Xue Lan tapped Lian Chuan's forehead with her index finger: "Indecisive, flipping through books."

Lian Chuan then began flipping through his thick book, finally giving Xue Lan a resentful look: "Senior Sister, you're making fun of me again!"

A drawing was spread out on Xue Lan's table. The girl's fingers moved across it, and the lines on the drawing began to change slightly with her fingers, like a serpent.

This is a magical artifact crafted by Xue Lan, called the Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map. It allows for layer-by-layer modification of magical artifact blueprints. Xue Lan remembered what the system said when it first saw it.

The system said: 【Holy crap, a layer!】

Xue Lan couldn't understand it, so she just let it go.

"If you had confidence in yourself, you wouldn't be in such a hurry to change your mind."

"Little Four, a chosen one of the mortal realms needs more than just talent. He also needs self-confidence. Think about it, if you reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm and choose your path but are still so hesitant, how will you ever reach the next level?"

Lian Chuan felt like he was about to explode with anger: "You're the one who said I'm a born stubborn person and told me to listen to you. You just think I'm funny, you're just making fun of me!"

"Look how worried you've made that child." The system spoke up for Lian Chuan, but Xue Lan ignored it and continued revising her weapon-forging blueprints. Behind the two, the enormous black iron puppet began to move, scooping up molten iron and pouring it into the mold.

Other puppets were hammering away at blocks of iron, these puppets were produced by the Mingyangchuan War Puppet Bureau. Xue Lan had six in total.

"In the art of crafting artifacts, one must be familiar with the properties of materials and assess their potential. One must master the furnace temperature through countless hammerings. One must carefully consider the inlaying and engraving. One must endow the artifact with additional enhancements."

"Later on, to become a true master of weapon crafting, one must also imbue magical artifacts with spirit, making them spiritual weapons."

"Sometimes you also need to understand people's hearts."

Lian Chuan was somewhat puzzled: "Human hearts... could they also be materials for refining weapons?"

Xue Lan smiled and accepted the Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map.

"Such a young age, yet your words are astounding. Let's go back, or there won't be any food left."

Cui Wu and his companions had barely started eating when they saw two boys walking out from behind a bamboo grove not far away.

Xue Lan saw Cui Wu looking at her from afar and winked at him. This instantly triggered Cui Wu's memory.

"Senior Sister is back." Zhu He resignedly put down his bowl and went to the kitchen to serve rice to the two of them. Ji Jinjin, who was standing to the side, seemed to suddenly remember something. She asked Cui Wu with some curiosity, "Xiao Wu, when did you and Senior Sister meet?"

"Four years ago, when the Moonlight Silkworms of Crimson Cloud Valley were spinning their cocoons..."

The female cultivators of the Crimson Cloud Sect were skilled in weaving, renowned for their delicate hands and exquisite silk reeling. Their weaving techniques transformed dreams into brocade, weaving across the mortal world. The silk spun by the Moonflower Silkworms they raised was excellent material for refining magical artifacts. Years ago, Cui Wu accompanied his senior brother to gather materials for this purpose and encountered Xue Lan.

Xue Lan greeted her junior sister with a smile, but as soon as she arrived, she heard about her embarrassing past.

"My senior sister was using the alias Lan Xiaoxiao and was sleeping under a mulberry tree in Yuehua Forest. I thought she was the little junior sister who had accidentally gone missing. That's how we met."

Ji Jinjin thought it made sense. Xue Lan relied on her small stature and her almond-shaped eyes to appear innocent and naive when she wasn't scheming, and often tried to gain the sympathy of young female cultivators.

"Heh, Lan Xiaoxiao," Ji Jinjin scoffed, then fell silent.

Xue Lan felt her old face getting hot.

In the middle of the night, Cui Wu was still reading in his room when he heard a soft knock on the door.

Cui Wu put down the book in his hand: "Please come in."

Xue Lan tiptoed in from outside, like a thief.

"Good evening, junior sister. There are some things I need to tell you. How have you been feeling lately?" Xue Lan asked with a smile, still dressed in the same clothes as during the day, looking like a bright-eyed and white-toothed young man.

"It seems hopeless for me to achieve the Nascent Soul stage," Cui Wu replied with a bitter smile. Then he changed the subject: "Senior Sister, Senior Sister Zhang, and the others."

Xue Lan's smile vanished, and her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of ice.

"They've all gone, and it's become..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cui Wu already knew the outcome.

"Junior Sister, there are some things you should know about joining my Xuanhuang Sect. My Xuanhuang Sect has always been benevolent. But that doesn't mean my Xuanhuang Sect is easy to bully. So, I hope you can help me."

Cui Wu nodded solemnly: "I would gladly die for my senior sister's kindness."

Xue Lan smiled and said, "I didn't intend to let you die. Now that you've joined my Xuanhuang Sect, protecting you is the sect's duty. If she were to die in the Xuanhuang Sect for no reason, wouldn't that arouse suspicion from others?"

"I plan to explore that mysterious realm teeming with monsters again."

Let's see if this demonic energy that has invaded her soul has any effect on the soul of this old monster.

not to mention.

"Don't worry, host. As long as I'm here, nothing can get in." The system assured Xue Lan within her consciousness.

There's another system, isn't there?

"By the way, what does your junior sister like to do on weekdays?"

"Arrogant and domineering, stealing other people's magical artifacts." Cui Wu truthfully reported, thinking that Qi Yaoyao was a good-for-nothing.

"That makes things easier." Xue Lan clapped her hands.

She had previously told Lian Chuan that one must understand people's hearts when refining artifacts, and now she was going to follow Qi Yaoyao's wishes and refine a magical artifact for her.

The following day, the Xuanhuang Sect spread the word that the Xuanhuang Secret Realm would open two months later. Disciples from all sects above the Foundation Establishment stage and below the mid-Golden Core stage were invited to go and undergo trials in pursuit of immortal destiny.