From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

Ye Lan gripped the Shadow Blood-drinking Sword, practicing his swordsmanship.

Of course, his sword skills were still quite mediocre.

"Let's try this."

With a thought, he channeled his Source energy into the sword.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

As the energy flowed into the sword, the blade seemed to darken even further.

In his mind, Ye Lan felt a strange impulse, as if he could unleash a special sword technique inherent to the sword itself—the very technique he had used during the massacre of the Shadow Mercenary Group!

"Huff, huff."

But after just a short while, Ye Lan was gasping for breath.

He felt as though the sword was draining all his energy.

"Pathetic. You're already exhausted after just a bit of effort."

Ye Fan cursed silently.

This guy isn't up to the task. His Source energy is too low to fully unleash my power.

The weaker he is, the weaker the enemies he can kill.

To evolve further, I need 5,000 Evolution Points.

Killing a first-rank martial artist only yields 100 points, and a second-rank only 200.

Who knows how long it will take to upgrade again.

"I need to train harder; otherwise, I won't be able to harness the sword's full potential."

Ye Lan muttered to himself as he looked at the sword.

...

In the following days, Ye Lan suddenly became much more diligent in his training.

This surprised Ye Fan.

"This kid has changed pretty quickly."

Before, Ye Lan had done nothing but odd jobs and waste time, even frequenting brothels.

Now, he was using his gold to buy training pills and sword techniques.

But Ye Fan saw this as a good development. The stronger the sword master, the more powerful enemies they could defeat.

"Ye Lan, come here and wash the clothes from a few days ago."

One day, as Ye Lan was practicing his swordsmanship, a voice called out from behind.

"I don't have time."

Ye Lan responded coldly.

Previously, he had known he wasn't very talented, so he didn't bother trying to improve.

But now, things were different. With this miraculous sword, he had a chance to become an unparalleled warrior!

Once he became a high-ranking martial artist, wealth and status would follow!

"Ye, you're getting cocky now, huh?"

The man's face darkened immediately.

"Xin Haohui, what's the problem?"

Several other members of the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group approached.

"This Ye here refused to wash our clothes."

Xin Haohui glared at Ye Lan coldly.

"Ye Lan, don't think killing six members of the Shadow Mercenary Group makes you someone important. Get over here and wash those clothes."

A burly man barked at Ye Lan, who was practicing his swordsmanship.

"I said, I don't have time."

Ye Lan stopped swinging his sword and shot a cold glance at the man.

The malevolent aura from the sword seemed to have influenced Ye Lan, giving him a more intimidating presence.

The burly man felt a chill run down his spine as Ye Lan looked at him.

This unsettling feeling made him angry.

Who did Ye Lan think he was to make him feel fear?

"You're asking for it."

The burly man walked over, cursing as he raised his fist to strike Ye Lan.

Swish—

In an instant, Ye Lan thrust the Shadow Blood-drinking Sword forward.

The sword's tip hovered just inches from the man's forehead, nicking his skin and drawing a thin line of blood.

"One move, and you're dead."

Ye Lan's eyes locked onto the burly man, a smirk of disdain on his lips.

He was no longer the same person.

With this divine sword in hand, his strength had increased significantly!

"This guy has changed so quickly."

Ye Fan observed the scene, feeling a mix of amusement and satisfaction.

Not long ago, Ye Lan had been meek and unassuming. But now, he had transformed.

This change was good for Ye Fan. At least he didn't need to find a new sword master for the time being.

After all, as a C-rank weapon, it wasn't likely to attract the attention of top-tier warriors just yet.

"One move, and you're dead."

Ye Lan repeated coldly, pulling back the Shadow Blood-drinking Sword.

Xin Haohui and the others were stunned.

They could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Ye Lan, who had always been so submissive, was now daring to stand up to them?

The burly man felt his forehead stinging, the small cut bleeding slightly. His body trembled.

Malevolent aura.

He had felt it—an aura that only those who had killed many could possess.

But how could Ye Lan, of all people, have such an aura!?

"I'm training. If you don't have anything else, you can leave."

Ye Lan said calmly.

His goal was to become a high-ranking martial artist.

With the divine sword in his possession, he no longer felt like he was on the same level as these men.

And they expected him to wash their clothes? What a joke.

"Let's go."

The burly man shot a glance at the others, then turned and left.

He felt that Ye Lan had changed too much, like a completely different person.

Xin Haohui hesitated for a moment before leaving with a cold snort.

"Phew."

Watching them leave, Ye Lan let out a sigh of relief.

"These guys are so annoying."

He still felt a bit of lingering fear.

After all, he had always been bossed around by them before.

"So he was just putting on a brave face."

Ye Fan observed, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement.

But overall, Ye Lan was changing.

Three days later, the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group took on a new mission.

They were tasked with hunting down a large third-rank mutated beast outside the city.

"Ye Lan, I heard you've been practicing your swordsmanship these past few days?"

Zhang Hu called Ye Lan to the back courtyard.

"Yes, Captain."

Ye Lan nodded.

Zhang Hu gave Ye Lan a once-over, recalling his previous impression of him.

He felt that Ye Lan had indeed undergone some changes.

"Good. For us martial artists, working hard to improve is always a good thing."

"By the way, let me take a look at your sword."

Zhang Hu said, as if something had just crossed his mind.

Ye Lan was taken aback by Zhang Hu's request.

"I heard that sword was originally left behind by Tian Jinxin and that you've been using it."

"That sword was chipped when it clashed with my blade, so it's useless now. Let me take it, and I'll give you a new one."

Zhang Hu continued.

Damn it!

Ye Lan's expression changed slightly.

Could the captain have noticed something unusual about the sword?