From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"It seems that although Senior Brother suspects something, he still shouldn't know that my strength has increased thanks to this sword," Zhang Xiaoming thought to himself as he returned to his dwelling, gazing at the long sword in his hand with a sinister smile.

As long as he had this sword, he could continue to grow stronger!

"Training! I need to improve my strength as quickly as possible!" Zhang Xiaoming resolved, gripping the Flowing Light Shadow Sword tightly as he began to train once again.

"This guy is really a training maniac," Ye Fan couldn't help but mutter to himself as he observed. Zhang Xiaoming was, without a doubt, the most dedicated sword master he'd encountered so far. Aside from eating and sleeping, nearly all of Zhang Xiaoming's time was spent on training.

"But that's good. The stronger he gets, the more enemies he can kill," Ye Fan thought. "Otherwise, if he dies too quickly, that wouldn't be ideal."

The stronger Zhang Xiaoming became, the more powerful beasts he could slay, which would yield more evolution points for Ye Fan.

"Just a little over a hundred evolution points left, and I'll be able to evolve again," Ye Fan mused. "Then I can evolve into an A-grade weapon."

An A-grade weapon was already considered exceptional in this world. Even many sixth-rank warriors used A-grade weapons.

"At that point, this sword will become a 'treasure that invites disaster' for Zhang Xiaoming. What will you do then?" Ye Fan pondered, watching Zhang Xiaoming train with a cold smile. Of course, Zhang Xiaoming couldn't hear him.

...

Half a month passed.

The Beast Hunt Tournament was about to begin!

"Zhang Xiaoming, it's all up to you now," Qian Haowen said to Zhang Xiaoming, who was preparing to set off. This event was a major one for the younger generation of the entire Tianqiong Sect.

"I'll do my best," Zhang Xiaoming nodded slightly.

Not far away, Zhang Shan glared at Zhang Xiaoming with a venomous look. He had originally been the one to participate in this event, but after losing to Zhang Xiaoming in the last duel, the spot had been given to Zhang Xiaoming instead.

During this period, Zhang Xiaoming had continued to train relentlessly, and now his strength had reached the peak of the second rank. His progress had been incredibly fast.

"This time, I must take first place," Zhang Xiaoming thought as he headed down the mountain, his right hand gripping the sword hilt. With the divine sword in hand, his training had progressed by leaps and bounds. Winning this tournament would allow him to be promoted to an inner disciple, gain access to the sect's higher-level mentors, and enter the Martial Arts Pavilion to choose advanced techniques.

The thought made him tremble with excitement.

Soon, he arrived at the foot of the mountain, where a large number of Tianqiong Sect members had already gathered. Elder Zhang Laosan stood on a high platform, surveying the crowd.

"Are you Zhang Xiaoming?" a man asked as he approached Zhang Xiaoming.

"Yes," Zhang Xiaoming nodded.

"Here's your number tag," the man said, handing Zhang Xiaoming a tag with the number '101' on it, which he affixed to his chest.

"The annual Beast Hunt Tournament is about to begin," Elder Zhang Laosan announced, drawing everyone's attention.

"This time, there are one hundred and forty-three disciples participating. The top twenty will be promoted to inner disciples and move to the mountain peak."

As Zhang Laosan spoke, the crowd grew excited. Ordinary disciples lived at the base of the mountain, practicing basic entry-level techniques and martial arts while also performing various chores. But once they moved to the peak, they would receive guidance from the sect's top mentors.

"This time, you will head to the Great Serpent Forest to hunt beasts. The rankings will be determined by the beast cores you collect."

"Set out!" Zhang Laosan commanded, and the group moved out in force toward the Great Serpent Forest.

The so-called Great Serpent Forest was located to the west of the Tianqiong Sect, even farther from Tianlang City.

"Do you know why this forest is called the Great Serpent Forest?"

"Because there's a sixth-rank super beast, the Great Serpent, living in it!"

"This competition is dangerous; we should try to avoid going too deep into the forest."

The participants began to whisper among themselves in small groups.

"Fools," Zhang Xiaoming sneered, listening to them. How could they expect to hunt powerful beasts without venturing deep into the forest? This competition was judged based on the beast cores collected.

"Zhang Xiaoming, want to team up with us?" a few men asked with a smile.

"I refuse," Zhang Xiaoming replied coldly, glancing at them.

"Why?!"

They frowned at his rejection.

"Because you're too weak," Zhang Xiaoming said with disdain.

"You...!"

The men were furious but could only threaten him with words, "You think you're someone special? Watch out in the competition."

"Heh, a bunch of trash," Zhang Xiaoming sneered. He was no longer the person he used to be. He was determined to become an inner disciple this time.

"The competition is about to begin! Everyone, prepare to enter the Great Serpent Forest!" Sect members handed out special bags to each participant, which were meant to store the beast cores.

With great anticipation, the group began to enter the Great Serpent Forest. Their goal was to hunt beasts, collect cores, and ascend to the mountain's peak as inner disciples.

"It seems like we might be able to lure it out this time," Zhang Laosan murmured, watching the group enter the forest with a sinister smile.

"Elder, is this really okay?" a middle-aged man next to Zhang Laosan hesitated but couldn't help asking.

"Don't worry. They're just outer disciples. If they die, they die. I just want to see it appear," Zhang Laosan replied, a fanatical look on his face.

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"True. If you kill it, Elder, you'll gain its core and greatly enhance your power."

...

"Ready to start hunting beasts? If so, I'll be evolving soon too. I wonder what it'll be like to evolve to A-grade..." Ye Fan thought excitedly.