From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"Senior Brother! We must find Zhang Xiaoming and kill him!" Zhang Shan's eyes were filled with rage as he looked at Qian Haowen. Just thinking about Zhang Xiaoming made his blood boil. If it weren't for Zhang Xiaoming, he would have secured first place and earned the right to enter the Crazy Python Great Forest!

"We can only deal with him when he returns," Qian Haowen said coolly, glancing at them. His tone was calm, but the underlying anger was clear.

"Senior Brother..." Zhang Shan began, but Qian Haowen cut him off with a stern look.

"You might be lucky you didn't go there this time," Qian Haowen said, glancing at Zhang Shan before walking away, leaving no room for further argument.

...

"Excellent! Another beast down!" Zhang Xiaoming exclaimed in excitement, staring at the fallen creature. It was yet another third-rank beast. He used his incredibly sharp sword to slice the beast in half and retrieve the beast core from its body.

"I've collected so many beast cores now," he thought, glancing at his now heavy backpack, which was packed with beast cores. He had lost count of how many beasts he had slain. All he knew was that he had been on a killing spree.

"And the sword keeps getting stronger. This time, I will undoubtedly claim first place!" Zhang Xiaoming's excitement surged.

"You? Worthy of first place?" a voice suddenly called out from nearby, startling him. The sun was setting, casting shadows all around, and Zhang Xiaoming hadn't noticed anyone approaching. His pupils contracted as he scanned the area.

"Be careful, Lin Shao, that sword he's holding isn't ordinary," a somewhat unfamiliar voice chimed in.

"It's you," Zhang Xiaoming said, narrowing his eyes as he recognized the man who had crossed paths with him earlier when he killed the third-rank Flame Black Bear.

"Looks like you didn't learn your lesson," Zhang Xiaoming muttered, his eyes narrowing as a murderous intent welled up within him. He took a closer look and saw that dozens of people had surrounded him.

"You've killed so many beasts and collected quite a few beast cores," said Lin Qiang, known as Lin Shao, the strongest among the outer disciples, with his cultivation at the peak of the third rank. He pointed his broad-bladed sword at Zhang Xiaoming, his eyes fixed on the strange and powerful sword in Zhang Xiaoming's hand.

"Where did you steal that sword from?" Lin Qiang demanded.

"Steal? This is my sword," Zhang Xiaoming replied coldly. "What, you all plan to rob me of my beast cores?"

His grip on the sword tightened instinctively. With this divine sword in hand, he felt invincible—no one here could challenge him, not even Lin Qiang, despite his third-rank cultivation. With this sword, he could conquer the world.

"No, no, we're not here to rob you," Lin Qiang said, shaking his head with a twisted smile. "We just want to take back the beast cores you 'stole.'"

The others laughed at Lin Qiang's words, their eyes glinting with greed.

"Is that so?" Zhang Xiaoming smirked. In this world, only the strong survive. He whispered to himself, "Without this divine sword, I wouldn't stand a chance..."

He then glanced around at the men surrounding him, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "If you don't want to die, leave now!"

He spoke with the confidence of someone who knew he could back up his words.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lin Qiang laughed loudly. "Take his beast cores and his weapon! If he resists... kill him!" he ordered with a ferocious grin. "The beast cores will be ours!"

As soon as Lin Qiang finished speaking, the crowd surged forward, their eyes gleaming with greed. Even if they didn't make it into the top twenty, obtaining beast cores would be a substantial gain. Zhang Xiaoming had collected so many cores by himself that they couldn't help but covet them.

"You all have a death wish," Zhang Xiaoming said, dropping his backpack and brandishing the demonic sword. In an instant, the sword released a terrifying aura of malice and demonic energy.

"These fools have no idea what they're up against," Ye Fan thought with a hint of amusement. Zhang Xiaoming had slain so many beasts that his strength was evident. Yet these men were foolish enough to think they could take him on.

"Those beast cores will be ours!" one of the men shouted, charging at Zhang Xiaoming with his blade raised. Zhang Xiaoming sneered and moved. The sword flashed, and in an instant, blood splattered as the man fell lifelessly to the ground.

But the sight of the beast cores rolling out of the backpack only fueled the greed of the others. "Kill him first!" Lin Qiang ordered from atop a nearby rock. But as they rushed forward, one by one, they fell to Zhang Xiaoming's sword. Lin Qiang watched in shock as his men were cut down.

"How is he so strong?" Lin Qiang's mind raced. "It's the weapon—his strength alone can't match mine. But that sword... where did he get it?"

Lin Qiang's greed intensified as he watched his men fall. The sword was extraordinary, far beyond anything he had ever seen. Soon, only a few of his men were left, trembling and unwilling to face Zhang Xiaoming.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zhang Xiaoming sneered, noticing one of the men who had lured Lin Qiang's group now trying to flee. With a burst of speed, he caught up to the man and ran him through with the sword.

[Killed Second-Rank Warrior: Gained 200 Evolution Points]

Ye Fan received the notification and couldn't help but scoff. "These idiots," he thought. The evolution points were welcome, but the stupidity of these men was astounding. They were like moths drawn to a flame, utterly oblivious to the danger.

"Your strength is impressive," Lin Qiang said, stepping forward with an apologetic smile. "It was my mistake."

"Sending them to kill me, and you think it ends here?" Zhang Xiaoming pointed his sword at Lin Qiang, his eyes cold. The sword gleamed in the dim light, its blade free of any trace of blood.