Among the ninja Huo Yuhao had known, the one who had gone furthest on the path of the Ninja Eye was none other than his adoptive father, Usui Ukonzaemon. His eyes were known as the Owl's Eye, capable not only of seeing through enemies' thrusting attacks, but also of helping him conquer an owl possessed of ghost-god power. He had once used his owl-sharp eyes to outlast that owl for three days and three nights, ultimately forcing it to submit. From that day on, the moniker of the Great Shinobi "Owl" had spread far and wide.
As it happened, in those memories of Ashina, although Huo Yuhao had also mastered the Ninja Eye and could easily pierce through enemy thrusts, he had stopped right there and never made the slightest bit of further progress. Yet now, the talent revealed by his own Spirit Eye Martial Soul was telling him unmistakably that in this lifetime, not only could he reforge the Ninja Eye, but he might even have the chance to surpass his adoptive father and possess an even more formidable Ninja Eye than the Owl's Eye.
Along the way, Huo Yuhao adhered strictly to the philosophy of utmost caution. Traveling day and night, he rested only three or four hours a day, spending almost all his time either on the move or sitting in cross-legged meditation. For meals, he would simply cook a large pot of rice at once, toss it into his Storage Soul Tool, and when it had cooled, scoop it out by the handful and cram it into his belly just to stave off hunger.
Under such conditions of travel that could genuinely be described as ascetic, Huo Yuhao's speed could only be described as astonishing. Covering nearly five hundred miles a day, he shortened the distance to his destination at an almost exaggerated rate.
Yet he had not been entirely idle along the way. When he was little, so that he might eat a bit better, Huo Yun'er would occasionally take him out of the Duke's Mansion in secret to forage for wild fruits and edible greens in the woods outside, a habit Huo Yuhao had retained.
The edible plants Huo Yun'er had taught him to recognize had helped him immensely. Back in those days in Ashina, because the return journeys were far too long and Huo Yuhao would often be cut off from supplies while out on missions, he had frequently had to fend for himself like this. If not for those precious memories, the number of times Huo Yuhao might have starved to death in Ashina or been poisoned by eating noxious plants would surely have multiplied many times over.
Pulling a simple map he had bought in the black market for a dozen gold coins from his bosom, Huo Yuhao cross-referenced it with the swaying shadows of the surrounding trees and quickly formed a rough idea of his bearings in his mind.
"After four days of travel, according to the map, I've already crossed the Xingluo border. Judging by how lush the trees are here, I shouldn't be too far from the Star Dou Great Forest."
Huo Yuhao lowered his head to ponder for a moment, his right ear twitching slightly as he accurately captured a rustling sound so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"A stream?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. He was already very close to his destination; stopping to rest for a bit and regroup before entering the Star Dou Great Forest would do no harm. After all, the Star Dou Great Forest was a perilous land of demons and monsters, and rushing in blindly would be no different from courting death. That being the case, it was better to first recover the energy and vigor he had consumed during days of continuous travel.
Closing his eyes, Huo Yuhao quietly listened for the direction of the flowing water. As the possessor of a spiritual martial soul, his six senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people. Especially when he closed his eyes, his other senses would be magnified severalfold.
Soon, he locked onto a direction and cautiously made his way forward through the woods. The thorns in the forest were thick and dense, not only prone to tearing his clothes and leaving him with cuts, but also likely to mask hidden threats in the bushes, causing Huo Yuhao's vigilance to instantly spike.
In less than two hundred meters, he found his target: a stream about three meters wide with crystal-clear water, the refreshing coolness of which brought a sense of relief.
After walking around to inspect the vicinity and making sure there were no dangerous beasts or traces of other people nearby, Huo Yuhao did not bother undressing. He simply jumped straight into the stream, which was two feet deep, gave himself a quick rinse, and then walked ashore dripping wet. Casually stripping off his clothes to toss them into his Storage Soul Tool, he gave himself a rough wipe-down and changed into a dry set of clothes.
Although he was still a considerable distance away from the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao maintained a baseline of vigilance. Taking a refreshing dip in the stream was the absolute limit; treating himself to a leisurely, carefree bath out here would be no different from courting death. Unless he had truly lost his mind and wished to make a joke of his own life, he would never do anything so irresponsible to his own life and his mother's.
His right hand felt behind his waist and drew a short blade in its scabbard. The blade was about one foot and two inches long, and the scabbard was a dark green made of tough leather—Huo Yuhao had no idea what kind of Soul Beast or animal it came from. He only knew that this short blade was the sole gift the White Tiger Duke had ever given his mother, and she had always regarded it as a priceless treasure.
The hilt was about five inches long. Lacking any flashy decorations, it gave off a sense of archaic simplicity. When held in the hand, it not only fit the palm perfectly but felt exceptionally comfortable.
Drawing the blade from its scabbard without making the slightest sound, the seven-inch-long blade gleamed like a pool of autumn water. So thin it looked almost transparent, the biting chill radiating from it involuntarily flashed a look of admiration in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
Truly a top-grade treasured blade. Although it was only a dagger, judging purely by its material, its quality was in no way inferior to master Isshin's beloved blade "Dragon Spring," or his adoptive father's giant tachi "Shadow."
Extending the index finger of his left hand to press against the side of the blade, Huo Yuhao carefully felt the cold, metallic touch emanating from it, the bone-chilling coldness contained within the dagger making him reluctant to put it down.
The dagger had a very simple name: the "White Tiger Dagger." According to what Huo Yun'er had told him, it was a melee soul tool. Huo Yuhao had once tried to activate this soul tool, and to his surprise, he had actually been able to do so. Although he was unsure of the White Tiger Dagger's grade, the fact that he could casually activate it meant the grade shouldn't be too high. For a soul tool of no particular high grade to possess such precious materials filled Huo Yuhao with an even greater yearning for the world of soul tools.
"When I enter Shrek Academy, I must find a way to join the Soul Guidance Department. To have a melee soul tool custom-built for oneself and forged from rare metals—wouldn't that boost one's strength by more than thirty percent?"
Huo Yuhao could not help but sigh inwardly. He knew that besides melee soul tools, the Douluo Continent also possessed ranged soul tools and stationary soul tools. All of this naturally left him utterly fascinated from the bottom of his heart.