Just moments ago, the Demon-Slaying Sword seemed to possess a will of its own!
"Surprised, aren't you, foolish boy?" Ye Fan smirked with satisfaction.
The thrill of controlling the battle himself had been exhilarating, though the energy expenditure was more than he anticipated.
"Now, it's up to you," Ye Fan said, pulling back his influence over the sword.
"It feels like it went quiet again," Lin San murmured, examining the sword. The sword no longer showed signs of life.
Meanwhile, the match between Li Kai and Zhao Wuji had already begun!
Both of them were among the strongest inner disciples, and both were in the fourth stage of cultivation. Neither one would yield easily.
By the end of their battle, both fighters were severely injured, but Li Kai ultimately claimed victory. However, Li Kai was left so gravely wounded that he stood no chance against Lin San.
And so, in a somewhat anticlimactic fashion, Lin San was declared the overall winner.
"The first-place rewards include one bottle of High-grade Qi Condensing Pills, a fifth-grade martial skill, and an A-grade weapon."
By evening, Lin San had returned to his residence. As he looked over his prizes, he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
Moreover, because he had claimed first place, his living quarters would remain assigned to him indefinitely. Outside his door, a group of disciples were diligently weeding the yard and cleaning the surroundings.
"That should be enough. You've worked hard," Lin San said, stepping outside to address the disciples.
"Not at all! It's an honor to serve you, Senior Brother Lin," the disciples replied cheerfully.
Hearing this, Lin San couldn't help but reflect. It was true—when you have strength, people's attitudes toward you change dramatically.
"The A-grade weapon is a decent lower-grade sword, but it's still nothing compared to the Demon-Slaying Sword. I'll probably sell it later," Lin San mused as he examined the A-grade weapon on the table.
There was a huge difference between lower-grade and upper-grade A-grade weapons, both in quality and price.
The fifth-grade martial skill he received was a sword technique called Void Slash. It was a powerful, explosive technique that gathered all one's strength into a single devastating strike. However, Lin San was still only at the third stage of cultivation, and attempting to forcefully train with such a high-level skill would be of little use for now. High-level skills consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
His current priority was to increase his maximum source power and reach the fourth stage of cultivation.
"Huh? Where's the Demon-Slaying Sword?" Lin San suddenly realized the sword was missing. He frantically looked around before finally spotting the sword outside his door.
As he approached, he noticed something unusual on the ground near where the sword lay. The dirt appeared to be marked with writing.
"Kill beasts."
"What… the sword wrote this!?" Lin San's eyes widened in shock.
Given everything that had happened recently, it became clear to him that the Demon-Slaying Sword possessed its own consciousness! It likely had a sword spirit!
Sword spirits were said to only be born within SSS-grade weapons. Could it be that the Demon-Slaying Sword was once an SSS-grade weapon?
"Alright, I'll start hunting beasts in the coming days," Lin San said, picking up the Demon-Slaying Sword and speaking to it directly.
"Good," Ye Fan replied, feeling gratified. Now, they could focus on leveling up and reaching the coveted S-grade.
...
"Just what has Tang Shiwu gone through this past year?" Zhang Tiancong pondered as he sat in the grand hall, discussing the events with the sect elders.
"We're not sure, but I suspect he may have had contact with members of the demonic sect," Elder Zuo chimed in.
"Yes, only demonic sects would practice something like the Demonic Disintegration Technique."
"Damn it, such a promising talent, and he's gone and learned demonic cultivation methods..."
As the elders murmured among themselves, Zhang Tiancong turned toward the entrance as a middle-aged man walked in.
"How is Tang Shiwu?" Zhang Tiancong asked.
"His life isn't in immediate danger, but the Demonic Disintegration Technique he used didn't succeed fully. The aftermath is severe—he could be bedridden for a long time," the man responded.
"Very well, you may go," Zhang Tiancong nodded, dismissing the man.
After he left, Zhang Tiancong addressed the remaining elders. "For now, we must keep this matter quiet. If word spreads, it will severely damage the reputation of the Tianqiong Sect. Understood?"
"Yes, Sect Master," the elders agreed.
Once the meeting concluded, Zhang Tiancong returned to his own quarters, holding the strange weapon they had confiscated earlier.
"This sword… What exactly is it? It feels sharper than even my upper-grade A-grade weapon," Zhang Tiancong muttered, examining the sword.
The demonic blade bore many notches and cracks from its clash with Ye Fan, but when Zhang Tiancong touched the edge, a sharp sting ran through his fingertip.
His finger bled immediately, a single drop of blood falling onto the blade's surface.
"What? It's that sharp?" Zhang Tiancong was taken aback. His body had been tempered through years of cultivation, making his skin incredibly tough. Yet a mere touch had cut him.
As his blood touched the blade, the sword began to emit a faint red glow, and the damaged parts of the blade seemed to slowly mend themselves.
Zhang Tiancong's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the sword slowly heal. He even thought he saw a blood-red face faintly emerge from the blade...
...
Early the next morning, Lin San left Tianqiong Sect, heading for the Giant Python Forest.
Since the giant python's death, more and more beasts had appeared within the forest, with many of them reaching the fourth stage of cultivation and battling for dominance. For Lin San, it was the perfect training ground.
Swish, swish!
As soon as Lin San entered the forest, he immediately cut down several beasts with the Demon-Slaying Sword, absorbing their blood and gaining energy points.
"If the numbers are high enough, even low-level beasts can provide a decent amount of evolution points," Ye Fan noted. "Let's hurry and gather the full one hundred thousand."
Lin San stayed in the forest for an entire week, hunting down countless beasts. During this time, he collected a large number of beast cores, and Ye Fan accumulated over thirty-five thousand evolution points.
"Feels good!" Ye Fan rejoiced, looking at the points he'd earned.
"I wonder if I can learn a new skill now..." Ye Fan mused to himself.
Would you like to learn a new skill?
As if in response, the system notification appeared right then and there!