With that grab, countless sparks instantly appeared, gathering in Ethan Brooks's hand and transforming into a fire snake about the length of a finger, radiating intense heat. Ethan Brooks sensed that nearly thirty percent of the spiritual energy in his body was instantly drained away in that moment.

His face turned pale, but his eyes were bright, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He leaped out of the cave residence, flicked his right hand, and immediately the fire snake flew out, landing on a large tree.

With a bang, the tree instantly caught fire and soon turned to ashes.

"I need to find a chance to show this off in front of the chubby guy and make him jealous." At this moment, Ethan Brooks's spirit soared, and he laughed heartily.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed. During this time, besides going to the wild mountains to hunt for demon beasts, Ethan Brooks focused on practicing the Fire Snake Technique. He was even more dedicated than he had been to studying in the past. Gradually, he became more proficient with the technique, reducing the time needed to gather spiritual energy at the start, though it still took a few breaths to form the fire snake.

At the same time, he secretly used the bronze mirror on some people in the outer sect, but the mirror showed no reaction. Ethan Brooks tried several times with the same result and slowly realized that the bronze mirror only worked on beasts with thick fur. Although he felt a bit disappointed, he understood that he had been hoping for too much.

However, during this half month, Ethan Brooks did not encounter any more demon beasts in the wild mountains, and his cultivation also stagnated somewhat. Fortunately, every time he practiced the Fire Snake Technique and exhausted all his cultivation before recovering, he would gain a little more each time. But this method could not be used in the wild mountains; only in his cave residence did Ethan Brooks dare to do so.

"Less than ten days remain until the day of the pill distribution. I need to venture deeper into the wild mountains." On this day, Ethan Brooks made up his mind. At dawn, he set out, running quickly toward parts of the wild mountains he had never visited.

By nightfall, Ethan Brooks had barely rested all day, traversing countless mountain ridges. Finally, at the foot of a black mountain peak, he discovered a bear-like demon beast.

In this battle, thanks to the Fire Snake Technique and the sharpness of the bronze mirror, the demon beast was struck nine times in a row. Its miserable cries still echoed, but its body was already bleeding and lifeless.

After retrieving the inner core, just as he was about to enter the black mountain, Ethan Brooks suddenly felt his hair stand on end. He saw, not far ahead, five demon beasts with elephant heads and tiger bodies, all staring coldly at Ethan Brooks.

With the bronze mirror, dealing with one demon beast was easy, but with five, Ethan Brooks knew he couldn't handle it. He slowly retreated, gripping the bronze mirror tightly in his right hand.

At that moment, a roar that shook the wild mountains erupted from the forest of the black mountain, turning into a shockwave that rumbled in all directions. Ethan Brooks's expression changed, and without hesitation, he retreated rapidly, leaving without the slightest pause.

Fortunately, the five demon beasts did not pursue him but instead disappeared into the depths of the mountain.

"That roar felt just like when I heard Uncle Master Turner's low shout before. There must be many demon beasts in this black mountain, and there is definitely a great demon within." As Ethan Brooks sped away, he glanced back at the black mountain, feeling more and more that it was a place of great danger.

Ten days passed quickly. Using the black mountain as a boundary, Ethan Brooks traversed many mountain ridges during these ten days but did not encounter any more demon beasts. He felt regretful and cherished the bear demon's inner core in his storage pouch even more, not consuming it.

When the day of pill distribution finally arrived, the sound of the bell echoed. Ethan Brooks left his cave residence and entered the outer sect. A month ago, when he left, his cultivation was at the first level of Qi Condensation; now, he had reached the second level. Although there was still some distance to the third level, Ethan Brooks believed that if the bronze mirror's effect was real, his cultivation would advance rapidly in the future.

With mixed feelings of anxiety and anticipation, Ethan Brooks once again stood in the pill distribution square. Some fellow disciples around him glanced at him, clearly recognizing Ethan Brooks.

Ethan Brooks's actions a month ago had caused quite a stir in the outer sect, but since his cultivation was not high, the shock had faded considerably after a month.

This time, the pill distribution was not presided over by David Turner, but by a middle-aged man. The items distributed were still Spirit Condensing Pills and half a spirit stone, but no individual pills were given out.

After placing the pills and spirit stone into his storage pouch, as the beams of light around the square faded, Ethan Brooks quickly retreated without hesitation. His eyes swept the surroundings and immediately saw many fellow disciples being blocked by other cultivators, clearly unable to keep their pills and spirit stones.

Perhaps because of the lingering influence of Senior Sister Foster or because Ethan Brooks retreated quickly, only a few people glanced at him coldly, but no one tried to take his pills or spirit stones.

Seeing this, Ethan Brooks did not relax. He knew well that Senior Sister Foster's reputation would not protect him for long. In just one month, things had already changed; in a few more months, someone would surely make a move against him.

"As long as the bronze mirror's effect is real, in a few months... we'll see who robs whom!" Ethan Brooks's eyes flashed as he lowered his head and hurried on his way.

After leaving the outer sect, Ethan Brooks was eager to test the bronze mirror's effect and quickly headed toward his cave residence. But just as he neared the cave, Ethan Brooks suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing as he focused on a figure emerging from the forest ahead.

The man wore a green robe, looked about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, had a proud expression and a face with some coarse features. He stood there, staring coldly at Ethan Brooks. His cultivation was impressive, already at the third level of Qi Condensation, and at this moment, he blocked the path.