From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

A sword.

A completely pitch-black sword had appeared before him, just centimeters away from his crotch.

If it had landed just a little bit closer, he would have...

The thought made Lin San shudder.

"Who the hell is throwing stuff around like this?" he muttered, looking up.

Above him was a sheer cliff. Could someone have thrown it down from up there?

"Damn, I'm out of energy. Most of it was drained while I was inside that serpent's belly," Ye Fan thought, feeling a bit frustrated.

He had only flown for a short while before falling back down, but the sensation of flying had been exhilarating.

"Hmm?"

"Is this my new sword master?"

Ye Fan observed the man in front of him, dressed in white. He looked to be in his early twenties, with delicate features—quite different from his previous sword masters.

"Hahaha, could this be what they call 'a treasure falling from the sky'!?" Lin San laughed aloud.

He could immediately tell that this was no ordinary sword. With his trained eye, he could see that this was an A-grade weapon!

In the entire Tianqiong Sect, only the Sect Master possessed an A-grade weapon!

"Found it, so it's mine," Lin San said, a grin spreading across his face as he reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword.

"Whoa!?"

The moment he lifted the sword, his eyes widened.

The instant he gripped it, he could feel a surge of strength throughout his body—his reflexes, his speed, everything was enhanced!

And the enhancement was significant!

"This is... this is a divine weapon!?" Lin San stared at the sword in disbelief.

"A divine weapon, huh? I can live with that," Ye Fan thought, pleased with the compliment.

"My energy absorption rate seems to have increased too," Lin San noted as he focused.

As he began to circulate his energy, he realized that the speed at which he absorbed the energy from the surroundings had greatly improved.

The sensation was incredible.

"My entire body feels stronger."

"My hearing, vision, and perception have all improved," Lin San said, closing his eyes to focus on the changes. He was increasingly amazed by the sword's power.

"Let's try cultivating," he decided, gripping the sword tightly as he sat down cross-legged.

He had been practicing the [Golden Crow Scorching Sun Technique] but had run into problems at the third level. His meridians seemed blocked, preventing him from advancing.

Despite absorbing energy, it never seemed to be enough to compensate for what he expended in training, leaving him stuck at the peak of the second rank.

Once a prodigy of the sect, he had since become known as a failure.

"Maybe this sword can change that," Lin San thought as he began circulating his technique.

Almost immediately, the energy in the air began to surge toward him at an unprecedented speed, flowing into his body through every pore.

The energy started to push against the blockages in his meridians.

It was working!

Lin San could feel the blockages starting to clear.

He continued to absorb energy, focusing it on clearing his meridians.

By the time evening rolled around, he exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened his eyes, his face alight with joy.

"As long as I can absorb energy quickly enough, I can clear my blocked meridians!"

"I always thought this might be possible, but I could never absorb energy fast enough. Even when I was in a rich energy environment, it didn't help."

"But this divine sword has increased my absorption rate by several times!" Lin San muttered to himself, more amazed than ever.

"Where did this sword come from?" he wondered as he stood up, looking at the blade in his hand.

Holding the sword, he began to practice his swordsmanship.

The Tianqiong Sect's sword technique, [Tianqiong Sword Technique], was one he had mastered long ago.

Swish, swish, swish—

As he swung the sword, the air was filled with the sound of cutting wind.

Sword energy burst forth, and as he slashed out, the waterfall in front of him seemed to be split in two!

"A master swordsman!"

"A true master!" Ye Fan exclaimed in surprise.

Of all his recent sword masters, Lin San was by far the most skilled in swordsmanship.

When Ye Fan first saw how young he was, he had assumed Lin San's skills were average.

But Lin San's mastery was astounding.

"This is an exceptional sword!"

The more Lin San looked at the sword, the more delighted he became.

"I wonder what this sword is called..."

As he murmured to himself, the blade seemed to tremble slightly in response.

"'Yaoclan'?"

Lin San's eyes widened as he sensed something.

"Is this sword... alive?"

It felt as though the sword had just communicated with him!

"Could it be that this is one of those legendary swords with a spirit?"

"A sword spirit that acknowledges its master and shares its power?" Lin San continued to mutter to himself.

"Recognize you as my master? In your dreams," Ye Fan thought, amused.

"I'm just using you as a stepping stone for my evolution."

But he had to admit, Lin San was sharp. He wasn't just basking in the joy of finding a divine sword; he was already trying to figure out how to use it properly.

Lin San focused his energy, channeling it into the sword. The once pitch-black blade began to emit a brilliant white glow.

"Huh? It has this effect too?"

Seeing the white light emanating from the sword, Lin San was surprised.

"Triggered the light attribute, did you?" Ye Fan thought, a bit taken aback.

This meant that Lin San wasn't inherently evil—at least not at his core.

"Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen," Ye Fan mused.

The number of evolution points he needed was daunting.

"Channeling energy into the sword has greatly increased its sharpness," Lin San noted.

He slashed the air again, and this time the sword energy was even more powerful, slicing through a row of trees with precision.

"Phew, that took a lot out of me," Lin San said, panting slightly.

After all, he was still only a second-rank warrior, and his internal energy reserves weren't very deep.

"But with this, I should be able to break through soon."

Looking at the sword, now returned to its original black state, Lin San smiled confidently.