The fourth criterion for the ascension assessment aims to evaluate the candidates' team cooperation. Those who are naturally solitary, even if they pass this criterion, will be noted for it—this can significantly impact their ability to secure a celestial record. Qingya and Chen Xisu were paired together. Though both had successfully slain five-tiered beasts, they found themselves struggling when facing a six-tiered one jointly. Qingya lent her Lingxiao sword to Chen Xisu, taking on the role of long-range attack while Chen Xisu handled close-quarters combat. As time passed, the beast grew more determined, and their spiritual energies steadily dwindled. If they could not subdue it within a minute, their very survival would be in question. "Chen Xisu, give it your all!" Qingya called out. Chen Xisu launched a powerful strike, saying, "I've done my best. This creature's hide is simply too thick—my sword can't penetrate it." The Lingxiao Sword is indeed sharp, but the person wielding it is a bit weak—when one watches a single stroke, it barely penetrates the beast's outer skin, let alone inflicts any substantial damage. Crackle...crackle...the continuous bursts of lightning only slow down the beast's movements; to actually strike it down would be nothing short of dreaming. At that moment, a streak of dark light shoots down and strikes the ground. Turning to look, they see something familiar—the Haotian Hammer. "Qin Feng, you've arrived!" Qingya exclaims happily, but her expression quickly dims: "Right now, we have two projects underway—you can't get involved, or else we'll be deemed to have cheated, and lose our chance for a make-up exam altogether." "Haha, of course I won't step in abruptly," Qin Shao's voice comes through promptly. "I'm merely using this as a way to say hello." "How have you been, Brother Qin?" "Rare Sir turned around and called out—this very action gave the beast an opening. With a burst of momentum, it spread its four hooves and charged straight toward him. Qin Shao quickly said, 'Rare Sir, be careful—there's danger!' 'Ah!' Chen Xī Shuāi turned to see what was happening and instantly went dumb with shock. He could only watch as the beast seemed about to crash into him headfirst—there was no time to dodge. His legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. Qin Feng began shouting, "Rare Beauty, you're absolutely amazing! With just one slash, you've completely opened and pierced the six-tier beast." "Really... did I do that?" Rare Beauty was splattered with blood, leaping up and waving his arms excitedly. "I've defeated the six-tier beast! Haha, I truly am a talent! Wait—no, that doesn't make sense. The beast was clearly charging straight at us, running toward us. How did it suddenly fly up? And how did it show off its belly to me? That sounds like it was deliberately setting itself up to die." His eyes fell upon the Heavenly Hammer standing nearby, and he suddenly had it all clear—apparently the Heavenly Hammer had momentarily tripped the beast. Qingya also noticed the detail and carefully asked, "Won't this be ruled as a violation?" "Who dares to challenge me?" Qin Shao snapped, saying, "I didn't even assist you. I merely used the hammer as a prop for my entrance. It's like when I throw a stone onto the ground—the stone trips up and knocks down the beast. That's just bad luck or poor timing on the beast's part. It has "The handsome young man agreed, "Exactly. The beast was slain by my sword. It just had poor eyesight—instead of taking the wide path, it deliberately stepped onto the stones... right onto Qin's hammer, where it tripped. That was its fate." The beautiful Inspector shrugged, "You all say that, so what else can I argue? I'm just puzzled—how did it happen that, when you simply tossed your hammer to the ground at random, the beast ended up stepping on it?" After all, how many coincidences are there in the world? I noticed you were both exhausted from the fight and couldn't assist, so I came up with this idea. Of course, I can't say that outright—what if the one-eyed man is quietly watching? If he hears it, things won't go well. "By the way, I have some good news," he changed the subject, "I've now officially become a true immortal. My master, the Emperor Hou Tian, helped me secure my celestial registry. You two should work even harder from now on." "The rare handsome guy slumped his shoulders: 'People are killing people with their expectations. We're here, struggling, going through these evaluations, while you've already secured your celestial registry. If only I'd had my dad go through the back channels—his son's nearly being wiped out by those beasts!' 'Pfft, are back channels really that easy to navigate?' Qingya scoffed—truth be told, she was also envious. 'Alright, if back channels were that easy, then why am I even here?' the handsome guy sighed, resigned. 'Has the Heavenly Emperor taken you as his disciple, hasn't he?' 'Of course,' Qin said with pride. 'I'm a close disciple, actually a personal disciple. Right now, I'm a free agent—free to move between the heavenly realm and the mortal world without any restrictions. I'm here just to say hello and then head to Huaxia. By the way, Yaya, is there anything you'd like me to pass on to someone, or anything you need me to arrange? I'll handle everything for you.'" "The beautiful Inspector bit her lips, saying, 'Just go already—don't show off anymore! It's truly unbearable. Can you possibly die from being so composed?' This was plain, open envy and jealousy—actually, I've been quite humble these days. Would you like to know that I've even mastered two new techniques recently? Under the constant admiration, he proudly piloted the Stellar Loom and departed. Soon, Earth came into view. Though the Celestial Realm isn't far from Huaxia, the journey would be longer if one traveled by flying sword. 'Huaxia—back again, I am Qin Han San!' he shouted excitedly as he headed toward the Qin family estate. Since the previous invasion by the demonic forces, the existence of cultivators had ceased to be a secret, and the very fact of the Celestial Realm being real was now well known to the public. Everyone dreamed of becoming a cultivator, one day soaring to immortality and ascending to divinity." This creates a phenomenon where street-based con artists flourish like spring Chinese leeks—cut one harvest, and another grows in its place. All sorts of scamming cultivation manuals are readily available. Even a group of rather restless individuals has established a cultivation academic research society, reportedly composed of well-known and prominent figures.