Ethan clenched his fists tighter, flames still flickering away into nothingness. "I still have a long road ahead of me," he thought, a determined glint in his eye. "I can't be happy this soon."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out the cultivation orb. Its energy was palpable, a swirling maelstrom of power. Without hesitation, Ethan absorbed it. The energy coursed through his veins, and he felt the barrier to Level S shatter. He'd been on the cusp of this breakthrough for some time, and now, he had finally achieved it.
With his new power, Ethan set out once more into the wilderness. Five days after the Legacy Trial, he encountered a massive snake, its body as thick as a bucket and spanning 20 meters in length. The creature had a single horn protruding from its head, and its scales were a dull brown, blending seamlessly with the earth around it.
