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

The Xuanhuang Sect's flying boats were very fast, and they returned to the sect after traveling tens of thousands of miles in just five days.

Dao Xuanzi and other elders of the sect went to prepare for the inquiry. Before leaving, they even took Xue Lan with them.

It was euphemistically called: taking on the responsibilities of the senior sister and assisting the sect leader in preparing for the Dao.

Ji Jinjin and Zhu He returned to Jiyuan Peak.

The bamboo forest on Jiyuan Peak had lost a layer of leaves due to the change in weather before the New Year and the lack of care for several months. The small courtyard looked dirty.

As soon as Zhu He entered, he put down the heavy sword on his back and picked up a broom, seamlessly switching between his swordsmanship genius and his gentle, domestic junior brother. He swept all the fallen bamboo leaves into a pile.

Ji Jinjin went to the kitchen to tidy up, and when she came out, she was carrying a bamboo tube jar.

"There are still some dried osmanthus flowers." The girl looked at Zhu He: "After this inquiry, we'll probably have to rush back to the front line of Luoxia Mountain. Here are some dried osmanthus flowers; let's make some osmanthus cakes and osmanthus sugar."

Zhu He responded and looked at his junior sister: "How should we divide it?"

“Xiao Si is a child, so of course we’ll give him everything,” Ji Jinjin said decisively.

"Let's leave some for our senior sister too," Zhu He sighed.

"She seemed a little unhappy when she was taken away."

Ji Jinjin raised an eyebrow: "Who knows?"

The two exchanged a smile and continued tidying up the courtyard that had been uninhabited for a long time.

The preparations before asking the question were quite complicated. Xue Lan worked tirelessly for several days at Xuanling Peak and in the end, she truly admired Xu Qizhou.

He practiced swordsmanship while taking on missions and handling all sorts of matters, big and small, within the sect.

Xu Qizhou was not a cultivator; he was more capable than those mountain gods and city gods who were worshipped by the people and were born in response to their wishes.

"I really never imagined that one day I would become a memo." The system complained in Xue Lan's mind.

"Tomorrow is the start of the quest for enlightenment. For the next three months, this place will be packed with Golden Core disciples from the Xuanhuang Sect." Xue Lan took a break from her busy schedule and looked up from among the sacrificial artifacts to reply to the system.

"I want to go back to Jiyuan Peak for a meal tonight. These past few months have gone by too fast."

"You were lying too flat before," the system retorted mercilessly.

Xue Lan continued to take inventory of the items on the spot until the moon rose high in the sky.

"I wonder if there will be any food to eat if we go back now?"

Senior Sister Jiyuan Peak walked towards the peak with resentment emanating from her hair, knowing that Ji Jinjin and Zhu He should have been resting long ago.

After all, this consultation was of great importance to the two of them, and they should have rested and recuperated the day before to return to their peak condition.

When she landed in the Green Bamboo Courtyard, a dim yellow light was still on. Ji Jinjin and Zhu He were sitting at the dining table, one holding a long spear and the other leaning against a heavy sword.

The dishes on the table were covered with a magical shield formed from condensed spiritual energy.

Seeing Xue Lan enter, Zhu He reached out to look at Ji Jinjin beside him.

Ji Jinjin took out a handful of spirit stones from her storage bag and placed them in Zhu He's outstretched palm.

The girl's voice was soft: "I knew you'd be back tonight, let's eat."

"Could it be the zombie dish from last night?" Xue Lan stepped into the courtyard, looking towards the warm, dim light.

The wind chimes on the eaves of the bamboo house chimed crisply at just the right moment, their sound lingering on and on.

"Eat it or don't, it's up to you!"

The next day, as the sun rose in the east, the peaks of Xuanhuang Cave Heaven were bathed in a golden glow. The leaves of the Linghuang Tree were golden, and among the layers of golden leaves, tiny white flowers had appeared, scattered like stars, barely noticeable as they hid behind the leaves.

Beneath the tree lies a massive cave, its walls entirely composed of naturally formed stone chambers. In the very center of the cave is a vast open space, upon which grow the gnarled and intertwined roots of the Linghuang tree.

Sacrificial offerings had already been arranged around the roots of the Linghuang Tree, which looked like Dao Xuanzi had prepared overnight.

Xue Lan silently applauded her master teacher.

Indeed, like teacher, like student.

Perhaps because time was so tight, Dao Xuanzi didn't use any of the more formulaic platitudes this time. The venerable old man, with his otherworldly air, stood at the front and glanced at the disciples behind him.

Then he stepped aside and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Go!"

As soon as he uttered those two words, the numerous Golden Core stage disciples behind him immediately flew out and each found a stone chamber to sit cross-legged and meditate.

"Senior Sister!" Zhu He and Ji Jinjin looked at Xue Lan, who remained unmoved.

"Go!" Xue Lan waved her hand with a light laugh, and the two flew up into the cave, directly to the top stone chamber.

The Spirit Tree draws upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through its roots, absorbing the cause and effect of heaven and earth, and pulling those who seek enlightenment within it into their own illusionary realm.

The higher the stone chamber is located, the greater the influence of the Spirit Tree, and the more dangerous and perilous the illusions experienced.

However, opportunities and dangers coexist. Once one succeeds in seeking the Dao in the upper stone chamber and one's resolve is firm, one's future is limitless.

One by one, the Golden Core disciples behind him entered the stone chamber. Dao Xuanzi turned around and looked back, only Xue Lan, dressed in black, remained.

The girl disliked dressing up, and her attire today was even more perfunctory. Her long black hair was simply tied up with a bamboo stick, which was untreated and had green and yellow leaves on it.

"Master Uncle, I actually didn't want to ask the question." Xue Lan looked at Dao Xuanzi, her voice clear and distinct, each word deliberate.

"The reason," Dao Xuanzi began. Although he had a lot of headaches for his junior disciple Xue Lan, Dao Xuanzi actually loved him quite a bit.

The girl took a few steps forward and looked down at the massive roots of the Spirit Emperor Tree.

Xue Lan asked himself, "The road ahead is uncertain, and I don't know my own path."

"If you don't ask or search, how will you know that you have no desires, no wants, no greed, and no thoughts?" Dao Xuanzi said with a smile, pointing to the stone chamber at the top of the cave.

"Go and try it, and the results will be clear in the future."

Xue Lan didn't believe Dao Xuanzi's words that everything would eventually come to a conclusion, but she still obediently went to the stone chamber that Dao Xuanzi had pointed out to her.

If the stone chambers in this cave are the stars in the sky, then Xue Lan's location is at the center of these stars.

Success brings enlightenment and fame throughout the world; failure is like a fallen star, forgotten by all.

Xue Lan sat cross-legged in the stone chamber and entered a meditative state, thus entering an illusion.

Amidst the shifting light and shadows, a familiar golden hue appeared before Xue Lan.

Before him stood a massive black pavilion, and Xue Lan saw the three large characters "Zangshuge" (藏书阁, meaning "Library Pavilion") on the plaque above it.

There were no dangerous battles, no ferocious demons, and not even the treacherous nature of human nature.

Before Xue Lan lay only a quiet library bathed in the soft morning light. It was a place she knew best.

Without much thought, Xue Lan subconsciously pushed open the black wooden door in front of her. Inside, the light was dim, and ancient books lay quietly on the bookshelves.

"They've arrived!" A hoarse voice came from beside him; it was the elder guarding the library, an old man who was blind in one eye.

The two were already quite familiar with each other. Xue Lan nodded slightly to him and then prepared to continue her work of copying the book.

I wonder if the books I copied in the illusion counted with Grandmaster Qingyin?

"Wait, I need your help today." The elder guarding the pavilion called out to Xue Lan, pointing to his long-blind eye.

“An elder from Qingyu Peak said he has found herbs that can cure my eyes, and I would like to go and take a look. Today, I would like to trouble you to look after this library for me.”

The elder had never made such a request to Xue Lan before, and Xue Lan agreed with a smile. After that, she became the temporary manager of the library.

As darkness fell, the air grew increasingly noisy with the comings and goings of disciples.

A boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old stood before her, grinning at Xue Lan and showing off his white teeth: "Are you the senior sister from the innermost room?"

Xue Lan thought to herself, "They're here." A gentle smile appeared on her face as she took notes and said, "Yes, I came out to soak up some sun today."

The boy in front of her seemed hesitant, constantly wringing his hands. Finally, he made a move when Xue Lan handed him the book. Xue Lan secretly made a hand seal behind her back, waiting for the boy to suddenly attack, but unexpectedly, the boy handed her a pretty little flower.

"This is a Moonflower, which blooms every full moon. I picked it from the back of Jiyuan Peak and gave it to my senior sister."

"Why?" Xue Lan didn't believe him and asked, holding the Awakening Moon Flower in her hand.

"Because she's like my senior sister! I only see her once every two weeks..."

The boy muttered something, grabbed the book he had borrowed, and ran out of the library.

The things within the secret realm were incredibly fragile. Xue Lan watched as the young man turned into shattered sparks as he descended the mountain. The Awakening Moon Flower in her hand also began to slowly disappear.

“Things within an illusion cannot be retained,” Xue Lan said, looking at Xingyuehua.

"What do you think of the boy from before?" the system suddenly asked.

Xue Lan looked at the Awakening Moon Flower in her hand, which had almost completely disappeared.

"A young man's heart is full of passion, and his love is just beginning to stir."

The system let out an exaggerated, strange cry: "You actually know what romantic feelings are! I thought you were just a stone that only knew how to ridicule me."

After that, Xue Lan continued to work as the librarian.

She met the quirky young girl and talked about how she had missed her family after being on the mountain for many years.

"Sister, do you have family?" the little girl asked.

Xue Lan smiled and shook her head: "I'm an orphan!"

"There must be someone you care about, right? Humans aren't plants or trees. Since you have no family at home, then treat your fellow disciples in the sect as family!"

I met my senior brother who had been struggling to break through his current limitations. He lamented the many regrets he had in his life, vowing to slay the demon at sunset...

“Girl, your senior brother doesn’t necessarily have to become a sword immortal. Even if he can’t become a sword immortal, he can still slay demons.”

Xue Lan didn't know why the illusion was showing her these things; as the sun set, it was just another ordinary day.

Her path seems to lie elsewhere, not in these trivial matters.

The setting sun was like blood, and the day came to an end. Xue Lan stood in front of the library and watched the elder guarding the library, who had lost one eye, slowly walk up the mountain. When he reached Xue Lan, he had transformed into a middle-aged man dressed in golden clothes.

"A mind without thoughts, a body without desires?"

The middle-aged man looked at Xue Lan and asked slowly.

"This junior has not found his own path," Xue Lan said. "I hope my master will release me."

Linghuang looked at the girl in front of him and sighed.

"The matter of seeking the Dao is one of aligning with the will of Heaven. Some achieve enlightenment in a single day, while others waste hundreds or thousands of years." Linghuang looked at Xue Lan, his voice gentle and calm.

"Since your path is not here, then go and see the human world."

Xue Lan didn't know why everyone wanted her to go and see the human world, including her master and her grandmaster Linghuang.

"Why?" Xue Lan asked.

Linghuang looked at the stubborn girl in front of him and spoke softly.

"Go and see for yourself, you'll find out."

Before Xue Lan could ask another question, the scenery in front of her began to change, and when she opened her eyes again, she was facing the walls of a stone chamber.

Xue Lan flew out of the stone chamber and the cave, and saw Dao Xuanzi and several masters on the opposite mountain.

A layer of dark thunderclouds rose in the sky outside, and Dao Xuanzi looked at Xue Lan with hope in his eyes.

"how?"

Xue Lan didn't want to dampen the old man's expectations, so she simply shook her head slightly.

"Very well," Dao Xuanzi said with some disappointment. Xue Lan thought he should be disappointed, after all, she was the top disciple of a peak, with outstanding talent, and should have succeeded in the Dao.

Dao Xuanzi didn't speak again, but looked at the Linghuang Tree opposite him.

"Boom!" A muffled clap of thunder echoed from above the clouds, its deep rumble carrying the power to cleanse the world of all evil.

"When spring thunder roars, all things come to life." Xue Lan looked in the direction he was looking.

It's Ji Jinjin!