My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

Gu Changyuan did not make any boastful claims.

In the entire Nine Heavens Realm, techniques related to the soul are extremely rare and their power is unpredictable, let alone secret techniques that can accurately erase the imprint of inner demons without harming the origin of the soul.

Most cultivators, when faced with this predicament, are either helpless or can only resort to gentle but lengthy methods such as "heart-to-heart communication" and "merit-based resolution," which may not even be able to eradicate the problem completely.

But this was not a difficult task for Gu Changyuan.

During the millennia in the chaotic ruins, he teetered on the edge of life and death, witnessed countless ancient relics, and learned a vast array of techniques and formations.

Among them are secret techniques specifically targeting the soul, with erasing the imprint of inner demons being just the most basic one.

More importantly, he knew that simply erasing the brand was far from enough.

That inner demon had been entrenched in Su Wanqing's soul for decades, and the related memory fragments had long been deeply rooted in her soul. If this knot in her heart was not completely untied, even if the imprint disappeared, her future cultivation would still be restricted by it.

A mental illness requires a mental cure.

"Sit down, I'll help you."

Gu Changyuan stood up and gestured for Su Wanqing to sit cross-legged on the prayer mat.

Su Wanqing did as instructed, closing her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly with nervousness.

She tried her best to relax and entrusted her with complete trust.

Gu Changyuan walked up to her and touched her brow with his right index finger again.

This time, there was no dazzling light, only a strange, gentle power that quietly seeped into her consciousness.

The hideous and twisted black mark that had been lurking beside the origin of the soul quickly faded and decomposed in the face of this power, eventually turning into wisps of green smoke and completely dissipating.

The whole process was silent, and Su Wanqing felt an unprecedented sense of relief deep in her soul, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Immediately afterwards, a flash of light appeared beneath Gu Changyuan's feet, and golden runes emerged from the ground, intertwining and forming an array according to his will.

As the array patterns flowed, they emitted faint soul fluctuations, enveloping Su Wanqing entirely.

The moment the formation was activated, Su Wanqing felt her body suddenly lighten, as if she had broken free from all restraints, and she floated up, as light as if she were falling into the clouds.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a valley shrouded in mist.

The valley is lush with vegetation, with babbling brooks and a fresh, natural scent in the air. Warm sunlight filters through the clouds, making you feel cozy and comfortable.

Looking at the scene before her, she felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had been here long ago.

Before she could think it through, the scenery around her suddenly changed drastically.

The warm sunlight vanished, replaced by a sky filled with blood mist. The lush vegetation was stained crimson, the streams turned into flowing rivers of blood, and the ground was covered with traces of battle, with broken weapons and tattered armor scattered among them.

This is...Luoyue Gorge!

Su Wanqing froze, the fear deep in her soul instantly stirred up. The image of her mother's death from back then surged like a tide, making her tremble uncontrollably and her face turn deathly pale.

Just then, the surrounding blood mist suddenly dissipated, and the scenery returned to the warm and bright valley from before.

A familiar figure was slowly walking towards her from the stream not far away.

The woman was dressed in a light blue dress, with gentle eyes and a faint smile on her lips. She was her mother, whom she had missed for more than twenty years!

"Little Qingqing, it's been a long time."

A gentle voice rang out, nourishing Su Wanqing's heart like spring rain.

"Mother... Mother?"

Su Wanqing's voice trembled, and tears instantly blurred her vision. She couldn't believe her eyes and staggered forward, yet she was afraid that this was just a dream.

"Are you... are you still there?"

The woman gently shook her head, walked up to her, and tenderly wiped away the tears on her face, her smile still warm.

"Yes, and no."

"This is just a remnant of your soul that your mother left behind before she vanished."

She spoke softly, her eyes full of affection.

"Mother knows that letting you end my life with your own hands will become your lifelong obsession. I'm afraid that our little Qingqing will be trapped in this situation because of this, unable to cultivate properly or live a good life."

Outside the dream world, inside a room in the Listening to the Waves Pavilion.

Gu Changyuan had already completed the final setup of the formation and sat back down at the ebony wooden table.

He lightly twirled his fingers, looking calmly at Su Wanqing, who was enveloped in golden light within the formation.

He was well aware that Su Wanqing's mother's soul had long since vanished into the world, and the woman in his dream was merely a simulation he had created using an array based on fragments of memories deep within Su Wanqing's soul.

The lie that it was a "remnant of the soul" was merely to make the comfort more real and to touch Su Wanqing's heart more deeply, so as to help her completely resolve this knot in her heart.

Seeing Su Wanqing's aura gradually stabilizing and her brows slowly relaxing, Gu Changyuan nodded slightly.

The mark of her inner demons has been completely erased. Now, all that's needed is for her to reconcile with her "mother" in her dreams, and the matter will be completely resolved.

In his spare time, his thoughts gradually drifted away.

The three selection trials for disciples of the Celestial Holy Land that Su Wanqing mentioned—"Spiritual Test," "Inquiry into the Dao," and "Inquiry into the Heart"—were the ones he personally established when he founded the Celestial Sect.

The reason why these three tests can accurately identify a disciple's innate talent, Dao heart, and strength is entirely due to the three testing artifacts provided by the system back then.

After all, it's impossible for me to stay in the sect indefinitely to have my talent tested by the system and then recruit disciples. Those disciples need to find their own way, so I set up these three tests.

Now, a thousand years later, the Celestial Sect has become a sacred place for celestial beings, and it is likely that these three magical artifacts are still in use.

However, Gu Changyuan also knew that although the testing of those three magical artifacts covered many aspects such as aptitude, talent, comprehension, and physique, it was ultimately an external test and far less accurate than the system's judgment.

The system can directly provide the talent level and also provide a detailed aptitude analysis, which is unmatched by any magical artifact.

In addition, he suddenly remembered that the system had once sent the Celestial Human Sect a testing artifact called the "Stairway to Immortality".

He left in a hurry back then and did not witness the specific effects of this magical artifact. He doesn't know whether it is now used as an auxiliary test outside the three trials or whether it forms part of the selection system together with the three magical artifacts.