?Qingya moved her wrist, sheathing the Lingxiao sword in her storage talisman, then blinked her large eyes and said, "Qinfeng, what did you just say?" Good heavens—if you didn't hear me clearly, why did you so quickly draw the sword back in? You're playing tricks on me! The sixth-ranked Lingxiao sword is such a precious item; you handed it over so easily, and not even to my wife yet. How utterly unceremonious! Such a valuable thing, and you're returning it to me? I'll make sure I'm not holding back at all. Clearly, the beautiful Inspector has absolutely no intention of returning it. Given her consistent preference for receiving rather than giving, not only would she never return the Lingxiao sword, but even the first-ranked Xuanxuan sword—once she has it—would remain firmly in her hands. He saw that there was absolutely no hope left, so he turned to Chen Xisu and said, "Chen Xisu, my handsome friend, do you still have any top-tier weapons at home? How about we make another bet? If you lose, then..." "No bet, I've already lost the Lingxiao Sword. I don't even know how to explain it to my family. If I lose again, they'll kill me." Chen Xisu shook his head. "You know, you still have at least a fifty-fifty chance of winning." Qin Shao kept digging holes. "Even if I bet against anyone, I won't bet against you. You're just utterly bizarre—how could you, as a cultivator who's just reached the stage of transcendence, have killed a five-tier monster? I personally don't think I have that kind of ability. How can I possibly win against you?" Chen Xisu shook his head again. Well, clearly, this guy's intelligence is one level above Chen Jie's—the one known for his blossoming charm. It wasn't easy to dig holes for him. Qin was so hoping that all the beautiful women would be broad-minded and unintelligent, while the handsome men would be equally good-looking but intellectually dim—then he could effortlessly charm the women while setting traps for the men. But now, it turns out that hope is beautiful, while reality is harsh. At that moment, the one with the triangular eyes, stepping gracefully on clouds, landed beside them, glanced down at the three survivors and the fallen beast, and remarked, "You three have passed." Qingya and Chen Xi, beaming with relief, saw this as a promising start. Qin Feng raised one hand, saying, "Wait—did you really see that? My prize is a five-level beast. Shouldn't there be some reward?" The triangular-eyed one scoffed, "Completing the mission is your responsibility. The requirements are clear: to kill a beast of at least level three. Level three is sufficient; level five or ten counts as equally sufficient—there's no fundamental difference." Wow—so it means they've just put in all the effort for nothing, having been thoroughly defeated by the five-level beast, all for nothing. The triangular-eyed Qin, weary of continuing the discussion on this matter, used the Long-Distance Voice Transmission Technique to say: "Ma Ke from the Wumeng Immortal Realm and Sun Chengfeng from the Youli Immortal Realm—your time is only one hour left. If you fail to complete the task within that time, you're out." Hearing this, Qin Shao was momentarily stunned and asked Chen Xisuai, "How many people typically fail this assessment?" Chen Xisuai shrugged and replied, "In the past, it wasn't common—among hundreds of those who achieved transcendence, kicking out just one was already considered a high rate, since reaching transcendence was no easy feat. But now, it's hard to say. According to reliable reports, already seven or eight people have been eliminated in just these few days, accounting for roughly one-third of the total number of transcendents." Oh dear, nearly one-third are being eliminated right at the first assessment—knowing that there are still over a dozen more assessments ahead, each becoming progressively more difficult—how many will ultimately remain? "Well, the more I talk about it, the more tears I have." "Chen Xisai sighed and said, 'All this has been caused by the incident earlier this season. With over a hundred high-ranking ministers found to have colluded with the demonic realm, the matter has spread far and wide. As a result, the Jade Emperor has ordered a strict review of every ascendant. Even minor flaws could now become grounds for dismissal. It's said that the Inspection Office initiated this initiative, but the Director of the Thunder and Wind Bureau claims he only learned about it from insider information...'" As the three were about to leave, a tall, ancient-dressed man, over two meters in height, emerged from the forest, carrying a colossal crocodile that was more than six meters long. With a proud and boastful tone, he addressed the man with the triangular eyes: "This one I killed. It only took me two days—can that be considered passing the test?" The man with the triangular eyes gasped, knowing that the magical crocodile was a level-six monster. Chen Xisu immediately noticed the six dark spots on the crocodile's head and exclaimed, "Qin brother, you've already been quite extraordinary. I didn't expect to find someone even more outlandish—someone who managed to defeat a level-six monster, clearly battling it in the water. That's no small feat." Qingya was also astonished. She glanced back at the black bear monster's body, and her earlier sense of accomplishment vanished entirely. "You... have passed. You may now proceed to the second trial..." "Wait a moment." "The tall man, after drinking the water from the triangular-eyed man, stared straight at Qingya, saying, 'Lady, you're truly beautiful. I like you. Will you be my girlfriend? I'll make sure you're well taken care of—there'll always be an abundance of immortal elixirs for you, and I'll protect you from any trouble caused by other immortals. How about that?' Nani! All three of them stared in astonishment—wasn't this too direct? Didn't your mother ever teach you to be more reserved when it came to expressing yourself? Strictly speaking, there were four people who stared—though the triangular-eyed man, with his small eyes, barely differed between staring and not staring, so everyone naturally overlooked him. 'Lady, I promise I'm not exaggerating. You've just seen for yourself that I have the ability to protect you,' said the tall man, noticing that the lady magistrate remained silent. He first pointed to the crocodile corpse at his feet, then added, 'As long as you follow me, you'll receive two bottles of elixirs every month, plus additional gifts during festivals and special occasions. How does that sound?'" "Wow, this guy's a real luxury player from the heavenly realm—he's setting conditions right when trying to woo someone." "I'm sorry, but I have no interest in your conditions," Qingya said, her face turning slightly stern. Qin immediately added, "That's right—she's my girlfriend, already committed. So, you might as well give up on that." The tall man raised his eyebrows and said, "You're her boyfriend?" "Yes," Qin said, patting his chest proudly. "No doubt about it." In this situation, Qingya naturally didn't object—instead, she looked at Qin with the gaze of a devoted lover, proving his words to be genuine. The tall man smiled, laughed heartily for three rounds, then pointed at him and said, "Alright, I'll challenge you to a duel—whichever one wins will be her man. Will you accept?"