From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

[Absorbing Third-Rank Beast Blood: Energy Points +0.3]

[Absorbing Third-Rank Beast Blood: Energy Points +0.3]

...

The system notifications continued to appear, giving Ye Fan a sense of satisfaction.

"Very good, Zhang Xiaoming is on the right track," he thought. Zhang Xiaoming clearly understood the importance of not wasting the blood from these beast corpses. Ye Fan could feel the energy within his form accumulating steadily. It wouldn't be long before he could attempt to move independently.

"Perfect, it's fully absorbed," Zhang Xiaoming muttered as he finished draining the blood from the beast. He could feel the sword becoming even sharper, the blade now radiating a dense aura of malevolence.

With a swift motion, he used the razor-sharp sword to slice open the beast's carcass. "There it is," he said, quickly extracting a glowing earth-colored crystal from within. A third-rank beast crystal, filled with potent energy, though he had no intention of using it himself—it was meant to complete his mission. Stowing the crystal in his bag, Zhang Xiaoming prepared to venture deeper into the forest.

"Hold on," a voice called out. Zhang Xiaoming glanced sideways, noticing a warrior staring at him.

"What do you want?" Zhang Xiaoming's eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the Demon Slayer sword. With the sword in hand, he felt invincible, confident enough to face even a fourth-rank warrior.

"Remember, the power is mine, not yours," Ye Fan thought with a cold smile. Now that the sword had evolved to A-grade, it was clear to any discerning eye that it was extraordinary. If Zhang Xiaoming encountered a real expert, he likely wouldn't be able to keep the sword.

"Living humbly is the way to live long," Ye Fan mused.

"This third-rank Flame Black Bear was discovered by us first. Taking our beast is against the rules, don't you think?" the warrior said, his eyes flashing with hostility.

"Exactly, we found the beast first. Are you not worried about breaking the rules?" Another man added as the group closed in on Zhang Xiaoming.

"And what do you propose?" Zhang Xiaoming asked, his voice calm but with a hint of mockery.

"Hand over the crystal. You can keep the bear's body. It's quite nourishing—consider it a favor," one of the men said coldly.

"You're number 101, right? You're from the group led by Qian Haowen at the foot of the mountain. I know your senior brother, so let's settle it this way," another burly man suggested, trying to use his connection to pressure Zhang Xiaoming.

Zhang Xiaoming scanned the group, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha!"

The men's faces darkened as Zhang Xiaoming's laughter was a blatant sign of disrespect.

"I killed the third-rank Flame Black Bear, so the crystal is mine. I'll leave you the corpse—enjoy your meal." Zhang Xiaoming dismissed them with a wave of his hand and turned to head deeper into the forest. He had more beasts to hunt.

"Stop!" one of the men couldn't hold back any longer. Although they had been overpowered by the bear and were about to flee, seeing Zhang Xiaoming take it down so easily and claim the crystal left them bitter and unwilling to let it go.

Brandishing his long blade, the man charged at Zhang Xiaoming's back, intent on striking him down.

"You want to die?" Zhang Xiaoming sensed the attack, spinning around and countering with a quick slash of his sword.

CLANG!

The man's blade shattered into two pieces with a resounding clang, leaving him staring in disbelief. His arm was throbbing with pain, and he staggered back, stunned.

"Ah!" The man screamed in agony, clutching his arm, which was now riddled with deep, painful pits caused by the dark energy from the sword.

The other men approached, shocked at the sight of their comrade's mangled arm. His flesh was torn and bleeding, with numerous pits marring his skin.

"Consider that a warning. Push me further, and I will kill you," Zhang Xiaoming warned coldly. Although this was a competition, he was not above eliminating them if they pushed him too far. Without another word, he walked away, heading deeper into the forest.

The group quickly applied medicinal powder to the injured man's arm. "It's not him—it's the sword. There's something wrong with his sword!" the injured man shouted, looking at the shattered remains of his weapon with a mixture of shock and anger.

...

"Fools," Zhang Xiaoming muttered as he moved deeper into the forest. "I should've just killed him for trying to ambush me like that." His irritation grew as he recalled the attempted sneak attack.

As he ventured further, more beasts began to appear. "Here they come," Zhang Xiaoming murmured, a cruel smile curling his lips as he charged into the fray with the Demon Slayer sword ready to kill.

...

"All this slaughter and disturbance... it could awaken the sleeping serpent," Zhang Laosan mused aloud as he stood on a high rock, watching the forest. "If the serpent awakens and reveals itself, we can strike and kill it."

This competition served a dual purpose: it tested the disciples, and more importantly, it lured out the great serpent. The participating disciples would serve as a distraction, allowing the elders to engage the beast. To Zhang Laosan, the potential loss of some outer disciples was insignificant.

...

"Senior Brother! I've found Zhao Si's body!" Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, some disciples had discovered Zhao Si's corpse buried near a bamboo grove.

"I knew it! Zhang Xiaoming is the one who killed Zhao Si!" Qian Haowen exclaimed as he approached, his expression darkening at the sight of the decomposed body.

Qian Haowen had been suspicious for some time. Zhao Si hadn't returned home, despite Zhang Xiaoming's claims that he had. It was too strange. Now, finding Zhao Si's body near Zhang Xiaoming's residence confirmed his worst fears.

"Damn that Zhang Xiaoming! He's the one who killed Zhao Si!" Zhang Shan shouted, his face twisted with rage.