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

The system thought that the Xuanhuang Sect was really tolerant, allowing a menace like Xue Lan to travel the world.

You have absolutely no memory.

Xue Lan controlled the materials and placed them on the smelting table. All the debris stuck to the Heavenly Origin Crystal fell off, revealing a dazzling aquamarine color inside.

Lin Su, sitting below the stage, suddenly narrowed his eyes and involuntarily took a few steps forward, his eyes fixed on the Heavenly Origin Crystal.

"Its color is like blue water, like the sunset glow in the sky."

"Azure Water Celestial Crystal, this is Azure Water Celestial Crystal!" The elder who was presiding over the weapon-refining assessment couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Xue Lan stepped forward and picked up the legendary Azure Heaven Crystal from the table, her eyes gleaming.

"When the furnace exploded that time, my master cleaned up the mess for me and found a small piece of Azure Water Heavenly Origin Crystal in the slag. However, because the furnace explosion was not pure, the Azure Water Heavenly Origin Crystal was fragile and only lasted for three days."

From that moment on, Xue Lan understood that the art of crafting artifacts a thousand years later had become far too decadent.

A burnt oven doesn't mean everything is ruined.

The Celestial Essence Crystal originated from the battlefield of Luoxia Mountain, a place where the southern slopes have been a battleground for life and death with the demon race for thousands of years. The northern slopes are home to the Longsword Sect, where Celestial Essence Crystals imbued with sword energy grow.

"With the establishment of the Heavenly Origin, demons bow down. The Azure Heavenly Origin Crystal, a rare treasure among Heavenly Origin Crystals, can not only help sword cultivators improve their cultivation and enhance their abilities, but also unlock the spirit of the magic sword to nurture its soul!"

"A single sword strike cleaves heaven and earth, its momentum unstoppable!"

Lin Su muttered to himself from below the stage, looking at the Azure Heaven Crystal in Xue Lan's hand with an extremely fanatical expression.

Yan Chengxue held her junior brother back, afraid that he would relapse into his strange habit of weapon cultivation and rush to snatch it.

He was kicked down by Xue Lan and landed face down.

At this moment, Master Hengyang, who was standing at the back, had led Wu Yijun to the front. Xue Lan put the piece of Azure Heaven Crystal in her hand aside and began to hammer the piece of snow copper that had become dented due to the drop in temperature.

"Master, is she going to forge a celestial sword?" Wu Yijun asked his master cautiously.

Master Hengyang looked at Xue Lan on the assessment platform, his eyes filled with unspoken hope. The old man spoke, his voice low and deep: "She is to awaken a heroic spirit."

Disciples from other sects might not understand the significance of the Azure Water Celestial Crystal, but every disciple of the War Puppet Mansion knows that the Celestial Crystal originates from the northern foothills of Mount Luoxia. For millennia, it has resembled clusters of crimson blood flowers, within which countless unclaimed sword energies are nurtured.

It is a good material for imbuing the Legend of Sword and Fairy with spirit.

Those unclaimed sword energies were not naturally formed, but were left behind by cultivators who sacrificed their lives on the southern battlefield.

The demons are cruel; most of the cultivators who died in battle at Luoxia Mountain had their souls corrupted. From the moment they set foot on Luoxia Mountain, they were destined never to return home.

Countless cultivators perished in the battle at Luoxia Mountain, their souls either dissipating or being torn apart and devoured by the demons. The scattered souls, influenced by the sword lineage of the Longsword Sect, formed Heavenly Origin Crystals imbued with sword energy on the northern slope.

The reason why the Azure Heaven Crystal can nurture a sword soul is because it contains a soul.

It is the obsession of countless immortal and demon cultivators who died in battle at Luoxia Mountain.

Master Hengyang's hands, hanging at his sides, trembled slightly as he stared intently at the girl on the stage.

If this child hadn't accidentally created this Azure Heaven Crystal...

If the souls of those ancestors are still being nurtured within this Azure Heaven Crystal...

Master Hengyang dared not think any further, and everyone fell silent; the entire weapon-refining room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The disciples who had completed the assessment thought to themselves how fortunate they were not in the same group as Xue Lan.

The disciples on the stage, who were being tested, were not discouraged. After a brief moment of shock, they continued to concentrate on forging their magical artifacts.

In an instant, the audience below the stage fell silent, and the clanging and banging sounds echoed in the weapon-forging field.

They intertwine to form a triumphant song of fire and forging.

The moment Xue Lan raised the hammer, it seemed as if only she and the piece of white bronze in her hand remained in the world. The clanging sounds grew clearer and clearer, while other irrelevant sounds receded like the tide, disappearing into the surrounding space.

More than half a day later, after all the contestants around had completed their assessments and received their ratings, a burst of steam rose as they were being tempered in the water.

Xue Lan finally forged a snow-silver short sword, without a hilt, its double edges already sharpened. It was about the length of a human forearm.

The gleaming sword blade reflected the flames burning in the weapon-forging workshop, giving the cold magic sword a warm hue.

The girl was very patient. She first put the short sword aside, picked up the piece of refined forest wood, and carved a very simple hilt for the short sword.

The style of the artwork became strange at this point. Because Xue Lan's carving skills weren't very good, and she was aware of this, she initially prepared larger pieces of material, intending to modify them if she made a mistake.

So everyone watched as Xue Lan carved a crooked handle for the first time.

Xue Lan gave an awkward smile as she looked at the audience and began to revise the table towards the center.

The second time, a pointed handle was carved. Cold sweat broke out on Xue Lan's forehead as he began to flatten it.

The third time... keep revising!

Finally, everyone looked at the small short sword with its round, bulging hilt.

Everyone: Please don't be offended, senior. For some reason, we find this thing rather cute.

The system was already laughing uncontrollably inside Xue Lan's mind: [Little, little chubby sword!]

Xue Lan looked at the chubby little sword in her hand, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Even if its sword spirit awakened and wreaked havoc in its current state...

Once it's pulled out, who would believe it can unleash eighteen swords in an instant, each one slaying demons?

Xue Lan steeled herself and looked at the crowd in front of her, then began to use the Azure Heaven Crystal to awaken the spirit of the little fat sword.

Pale blue smoke rose from the Azure Heaven Crystal, instantly lowering the surrounding temperature. It contained an endless chilling aura. The pale blue smoke swirled around the short sword in Xue Lan's hand, slowly forming a human shape.

It was an old man in tattered clothes.

After the old man appeared, blue smoke continued to drift out from the Azure Sky Crystal, transforming into human figures within the weapon-refining field.

There were men in their prime and elderly women with white hair, a large, scattered group. These souls were all remnants, their clothes tattered, their lower bodies enveloped in a thin, drifting mist…

As these remnant souls continued to appear, in the Rewards and Benevolence Division of Xie Cuicheng's Underworld, the judge sitting at his desk was reviewing the judges' ledger in his hand. Since half an incense stick's time had passed, names had been continuously appearing on this ledger:

"Fang Dingjun died at the age of 230, in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and died in battle at Luoxia Mountain. Now his soul has returned to his hometown."

"Zhu Yun passed away at the age of forty-one, in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He died in battle at Luoxia Mountain, and now his soul has returned to his hometown."

……

The judge picked up his judge's account book, intending to explain the matter to the City God Xie Cuicheng, but as soon as he stepped out of the judge's hall, he saw the City God Xie Cuicheng dressed in a black official robe.

The City God Xie Cuicheng had a dignified expression. With a wave of his hand, the dark mist of the underworld in front of him receded and a path was revealed.

The City God looked in the direction of the War Puppet Mansion and said in a majestic voice, "Judge, please come with me to find out what's going on."

"I will obey the City God's order."

The two ghosts walked slowly forward and disappeared into the end of the dark mist.

The old man at the front looked around and finally looked at Master Hengyang, who had the highest cultivation level here: "I am Fang Dingjun, a wandering immortal. Greetings."

Master Hengyang returned the greeting, saying, "This junior, Hengyang, greets this senior."

The old man waved his hand: "No, no!"

"I am Fang Dingjun, a native of Xie Cuicheng in Mingyangchuan. When I learned that my time was coming to an end, I was unable to break through to the next level. So I traveled thousands of miles to Luoxia Mountain to fight against the evil spirits. The fact that I am left with only a wisp of my soul is already a great blessing. Today I am fortunate to meet you, fellow Daoist of the War Puppet Mansion. On behalf of my wandering soul, I would like to ask you three questions."

Master Hengyang said, "Please!"

The old man stood up straight and spoke in a loud voice:

"Firstly, have all the otherworldly demons been brought to justice?"

Master Hengyang was stunned for a moment, looking at the remnant souls in front of him. They had only been formed for less than a moment, and they were already showing signs of dissipating.

Master Hengyang bowed and said, "They have all been executed."

The old man laughed heartily, and the faces of the spirits behind him also showed relief.

Secondly, are the mountains and rivers of the Yuan and Ming dynasties entirely as they were before?

"The mountains and rivers remain the same, and the grass and trees are thriving in spring!"

The old man nodded, smiled, and asked the third question:

"Do people in this world still know our names?"

Master Hengyang was speechless for a moment.

I don't remember, too many people died on Luoxia Mountain—human armies, demons and beasts, and disciples of immortal sects.

A wandering immortal, who died thousands of years ago and became a wisp of remnant soul wrapped in sword energy within a Heavenly Origin Crystal. If he doesn't speak, no one knows his name.

The old man opposite seemed to have already guessed Master Hengyang's answer and bowed deeply to him.

"The demons have been vanquished, and the land remains as it was. That is enough!"

The people behind him all wore satisfied smiles, saying that was enough. They were about to disappear completely.

At this moment, a gust of cold wind carrying the scent of sandalwood swept up from behind the cultivators, and Xie Cuicheng, the City God, and the Judge arrived.

The judge held up his judge's tablet, pointing to two brand-new lines of text:

Halfway up, I offered my deepest gratitude to Heaven and Earth; at the end, I faced the setting sun alone.

He risked his life to slay demons, and the mountains and rivers remain unchanged because of him.

Wenpan bowed deeply to the emperor.

"May your soul return to its homeland, and may you never forget us!"

Those remnant souls laughed, and with the words "Never forget each other," they transformed back into light blue smoke, flying into the short sword hanging in front of Xue Lan.

The short sword emitted a series of sword chimes, and slowly emerged from it the figure of a curled-up little girl, wearing a pink jacket and skirt, with her hair tied in an adorable lily-shaped bun. She looked like a child growing on a peach blossom branch.

Two small characters slowly appeared on the sword: Soul Guide.

The little sword, forged from the Azure Heaven Crystal, had its sword soul bestowed a name upon it by the Heavenly Dao.

"Invite the soul!"

Xue Lan murmured to herself.

"Forged by the souls of heroes, guiding their souls to salvation—a fine name!"