From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"It seems this is an ominous sword."

The man who was addressed as "Boss" by the remaining men stepped forward.

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't resist the temptation and took the sword from Zhang Tianyi's hand.

"Boss, this sword..."

Seeing this, the others were taken aback.

"A sword's power depends on its wielder."

"With my imposing aura, Wang Ba, I can surely conquer it and make it my own."

Wang Ba sneered as he spoke.

Ye Fan, who was inside the sword, couldn't help but let out a cold laugh upon hearing his words.

"But what exactly do these Energy Points mean?"

Upon closer inspection, Ye Fan noticed that his Energy Points had already reached twelve after the recent evolution!

Could it be...

With a mere thought, Ye Fan caused the sword to tremble as if it were about to fly.

"Look! It's responding to me!"

"It seems the sword has chosen me as its master."

Wang Ba exclaimed excitedly.

It appeared that the sword had been subdued by his commanding aura!

Heh.

Ye Fan chuckled coldly inside the sword, listening to Wang Ba's boast.

But this confirmed one thing.

By consuming Energy Points, he could move freely!

Just now, he used up one Energy Point; if not for Wang Ba holding onto him, he could have flown away.

This realization excited Ye Fan.

It seemed he could indeed move freely!

However, judging by the energy consumption, twelve Energy Points might not be enough for long-distance movement.

He still didn't have enough Energy Points.

"Let's move."

Wang Ba and his men left the area.

As they traveled, Ye Fan gathered some information from their conversations about the world they were in.

This was a world where martial strength was paramount.

The world was divided into eight great empires. The one he was currently in was likely the Tianba Empire.

Among martial artists, the weakest were Pseudo-Warriors, followed by levels one through nine. Above them were Martial Masters, Martial Kings, Martial Saints, and Martial Gods!

Outside the cities, the lands were filled with mutated beasts, making it extremely dangerous.

Wang Ba was a second-rank martial artist and the leader of a small mercenary group.

Roar—

Just as they were about to return to the town, a loud roar echoed from ahead.

"What was that sound!?"

Wang Ba was startled.

He looked ahead and saw a massive figure rushing toward them.

"A second-rank... Red-Eyed Wolf!"

The others gasped in horror.

"Damn it!"

Wang Ba's expression changed slightly.

The Red-Eyed Wolf was large and fast.

Even as a second-rank martial artist, it wouldn't be easy to kill!

"Don't be afraid, I have the Divine Sword in hand!"

Wang Ba gripped the Blood-drinking Sword and shouted.

As the Red-Eyed Wolf charged at them, he thrust the sword forward!

Wang Ba's swordsmanship was decent. As he endured a swipe from the wolf, he managed to slash off its right paw with the Blood-drinking Sword.

The blue blood from the severed paw splattered onto Ye Fan, causing a surge of heat to wash over him.

The blue blood on the sword's blade quickly disappeared, absorbed by Ye Fan.

[Absorbed the vital blood of a second-rank Red-Eyed Wolf, gained 1 Energy Point]

"It feels like drinking hot water."

Ye Fan muttered.

Roar—

The wounded Red-Eyed Wolf howled in pain.

Its red eyes glared at Wang Ba, filled with fear—not of Wang Ba, but of the sword!

"Heh, with the Divine Sword in hand, what can a mere Red-Eyed Wolf do to me!"

Wang Ba laughed triumphantly.

Without waiting for the wolf to attack again, the now-confident Wang Ba charged forward with the Blood-drinking Sword!

Red-Eyed Wolves were known for their strong defenses, but they were no match for the now-sharp Blood-drinking Sword!

Soon enough, Wang Ba had slain the Red-Eyed Wolf.

[Killed second-rank Red-Eyed Wolf, gained 200 Evolution Points!]

"To evolve again, I'll need a thousand Evolution Points."

Ye Fan sighed, having enjoyed the recent upgrades.

But a thousand points wasn't much. As long as Wang Ba kept killing beasts, he could continue to gather Evolution Points!

"But besides upgrading the sword, Evolution Points don't seem to have any other use, right?"

[Evolution Points can be exchanged for skills]

[Host currently has 200 Evolution Points, which can be exchanged for the skill "Phantom Dance"]

At that moment, the system's prompt appeared again.

"Exchange for skills!? What kind of skill is Phantom Dance!?"

Ye Fan was thrilled.

So, Evolution Points could also be used to acquire skills! This lousy system should have mentioned it earlier!

As he thought this, the system's text appeared before Ye Fan again:

[Phantom Dance (D-rank)]: A dazzling sword dance that deals massive damage to enemies

"Exchange it!"

After a moment's thought, Ye Fan exchanged for the skill.

He spent 200 Evolution Points!

"Huff, huff."

"Damn Red-Eyed Wolf."

Wang Ba panted heavily.

A bloody wound had appeared on his chest.

He took a bottle of medicinal powder from his backpack and sprinkled it on his wound.

The pain caused him to gasp.

"Boss, are you okay?"

The remaining men approached him.

"Of course, I'm fine. It's just a mere second-rank beast."

Though the wound hurt badly, Wang Ba snorted coldly, pretending it didn't bother him.

"Boss, you've struck gold! This Divine Sword is unbelievably sharp, truly terrifying."

One of the men looked at the sword in Wang Ba's hand with envy.

"Hehe."

Wang Ba chuckled, admiring the Blood-drinking Sword. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

Second-rank beasts weren't easy to wound.

But this sword was incredibly sharp and easily killed the beast.

"I don't know why, but I have a vague feeling this sword has some special qualities I haven't discovered yet."

Wang Ba muttered to himself.

After resting for a while, they headed toward the center of the city.

Tianlang City.

This city was a small one in the northwest of the Tianba Empire.

Wang Ba arrived at an underground tavern.

"The mission is complete. Here's Zhang Tianyi's body."

Wang Ba pulled Zhang Tianyi's corpse out of a sack.

"This is Zhang Tianyi?"

The person who had issued the mission frowned upon seeing the body.

It was clearly a dried-up corpse.

"Of course. Look closely."

Wang Ba replied coldly.

The man examined the corpse carefully and recognized Zhang Tianyi's clothing and features.

He also noticed some distinctive tattoos on Zhang Tianyi's shriveled skin—marks of his identity.

But...

"How did he end up like this?"