Who would mind if someone said they looked handsome, especially when even a slightly handsome, plain-faced guy like me gets praised for being plain-faced? "Are you also here to meet the fierce beasts?" the two asked together. "Have you just ascended as well?" they asked in unison. Then, both nodded in agreement. Qin, smiling warmly, suggested, "How about this? I think your weapon is quite good. If you think mine is equally impressive, let's make a bet—whichever of us loses, the winner takes the other's weapon. What do you think?" The slightly handsome man looked down at his long sword, then bit his lip. "Alright, this sword is actually our Chen family's heirloom, passed down since my grandfather's grandfather's generation..." "As for my hammer, it's been passed down from my ancestors—over ten thousand years old," Qin added, puffing up his chest. "Deal." During the bet, Qin took the opportunity to learn more about the fierce beasts and discovered that those with three black spots on their foreheads were precisely the third-level fierce beasts. Similarly, four-tiered beasts are fourth-level, five-tiered ones are fifth-level, six-tiered—well, nine-tiered beasts, of course, aren't the Abbot of Songshan Temple, but rather nine-tiered beasts. "Chen Xisu, farewell," he bowed and then turned to leave. "Goodbye," Chen Xisu said once he was out of sight, "I'm Chen, but not Chen Xisu—I'm Chen... well, let's just call me Chen Xisu." As they continued deeper into the forest, they finally heard sounds resembling roaring beasts. Chen Xisu had mentioned that the deeper they went, the greater the danger—the ability of the ascended ones could handle mostly third-tier beasts; should they encounter third-tier or higher, they'd be nearly helpless, suffering either injuries or even death. Thus, even though they knew there were many endearing beasts within, it was best not to go too deep. Losing the bet was only a minor setback; failing the assessment task was acceptable. The key was to ensure their own survival. The forest is vast, with most third-tier beasts distributed across the outer ten to fifteen kilometers. Those who haven't passed the qualifying exam lack flight ability in the heavenly realm, so no matter how skilled they are, they must walk on two legs. Shush... The undergrowth ahead swayed vigorously. He swiftly ducked behind a large tree and peered out. The movement of the trees was significant—definitely a beast was behind them. "Ha ha, my luck's really good!" he murmured with delight. "I've already encountered a beast so quickly. I hope it's a third-tier one. If it's only second or first-tier, even if I kill dozens, it'll all be for nothing." Chen Xisu had entered the forest the day before and had already slain no fewer than ten first- and second-tier beasts during that day. He flicked his wrist, and several incantations appeared in his palm. Without hesitation, he crushed one of them—the Fire Dragon Seal. Hoo… A fire dragon over four meters long roared forward, heading straight toward the dense thicket ahead. He remained hidden behind the large tree, only his head emerging. The enemy situation was still unclear—cautious was the best policy. Hoo… The dragon surged through the thicket, followed by a thunderous roar… Ooooh! It seemed the creature had been badly scorched—probably not a particularly high-level beast. With that, he stepped out confidently, bursting from behind the tree with great excitement, one hand gripping his hammer and the other holding a scroll, shouting, “Hark! Which beast dares stand before me? Come forth and meet your end!” Oooowww… The roar that followed was deafening—completely eclipsing the earlier one, which had sounded like a gentle breeze. Swish… A leopard, over two and a half meters long, leapt out, its powerful limbs landing silently on the ground. The creature bore scorched marks on its head, resembling a freshly styled piglet with a slightly tousled, side-parted mane. But faintly visible were three black dots above—Qin had to admit, truly three tiered beasts. "Big cat, you're no match for me. Rather than suffer a brutal beating and then die, why not just charge straight into me and meet your end head-on?" He smiled, pointing at the large tree where the beast had previously hidden. "That tree is thick enough to meet the requirement—go ahead and do it." Oooowww... The golden cat stared at him with its bright, fierce eyes, clearly demonstrating intelligence and comprehension of what he had just said. "Really? You're willing to take the beating first and then die?" He arched an eyebrow. "Then come on—my promise is to never deliver a single, decisive blow. I'll hit you several times instead." With a powerful kick of its hind legs, the golden cat surged forward like a cannonball, its forepaws sharp enough to cleave through flesh and organs. Thud... The Heavenly Hammer struck precisely on its forehead, and the beast landed vertically on the ground. Qin lightly extended his hand and retrieved the hammer, humming, "Now that you've felt my strength, you should have the resolve to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. That great tree is waiting for you... Well, isn't that a bit rude of me?" To his astonishment, the golden leopard suddenly stood up, gently rubbing his left forepaw over his head and smoothing out his disheveled side part. He hadn't expected such attention to his appearance—was he really a third-tier beast, or just a film actor? The single hammer blow he delivered earlier, though not fully exerting his strength, still used at least seven-tenths of his power. Even if it didn't immediately crack his skull, it should have caused serious injuries. Yet now, he seemed to fare no better than the effects of the fire dragon's spell. Swoosh! Swoosh! The leopard opened his mouth and expelled two objects resembling magical energy orbs. "By the gods!" He swiftly stepped aside, and the orbs struck the great tree simultaneously, instantly cleaving the trunk—over a meter in diameter—right in two. No wonder it's called a ferocious beast, no wonder it's a spirit beast magically transformed—indeed, it exhibits certain traits of the magical race. Fortunately, I've accumulated extensive combat experience against magical beings; otherwise, I'd have been at a disadvantage already. Chen Xi, you're not fair! You said just being careful would make defeating a level-three ferocious beast quite manageable—why didn't you mention that they'd shoot energy balls? The beautiful inspector leapt down from the tree, clapping her hands and saying, "I thought it would be much harder—turns out it was quite simple." This was pure talk from a comfortable position—had it not been for Lei Mingzhu, could such a situation have arisen? She summoned her flying sword, plunged it sharply into the black bear's ear, then drove it out from the other side. The bear, already near collapse, kicked its legs twice and made a swift journey to report to Yán Wáng.