White Tiger Dagger

Among the ninjas Huo Yuhao had known, the one who had gone the farthest on the path of Ninja Eyes was undoubtedly his foster father—Ukonzaemon Usui. His eyes were known as the Owl's Eye. Not only could they Discern an enemy's Thrust attacks, they had also helped him subdue an owl imbued with the power of ghosts and gods. He had stared down that owl with eyes as sharp as an owl's for three days and three nights, ultimately forcing it into submission. From that day onward, the title of the giant ninja "Owl" spread far and wide.

In those memories of Ashina, although Huo Yuhao had likewise cultivated Ninja Eyes and could easily Discern an enemy's Thrust attacks, that was as far as he had gone. He had never made the slightest further progress. Yet now, the talent displayed by his Spirit Eye Martial Soul was telling Huo Yuhao without reservation that, in this life, not only could he cultivate Ninja Eyes once more, he might even surpass his foster father and possess Ninja Eyes stronger than the Owl's Eye.

Throughout the journey, Huo Yuhao maintained the principle of utmost caution while traveling day and night. He rested only three or four hours a day. Other than hurrying onward, he spent nearly all his time meditating. Even when eating, he would cook a whole pot of rice at once and toss it into his Storage Soul Guidance Device. Once it cooled, he would scoop the mushy rice into his mouth by the handful to fill his stomach.

Traveling under conditions that could practically be called ascetic, Huo Yuhao's speed was nothing short of astonishing. Covering nearly five hundred li each day, he closed the distance to his destination at an almost exaggerated pace.

Still, it was not as though Huo Yuhao did nothing else along the way. When he was young, Huo Yun'er had occasionally taken him out of the Duke's mansion in secret to find fruit and wild vegetables in the forests outside, hoping to give him something better to eat. Huo Yuhao had retained that habit.

The edible foods Huo Yun'er had taught him to recognize had helped Huo Yuhao greatly. During his days in Ashina, when he went out on missions and his supplies ran out due to the long distance back, Huo Yuhao often had to fend for himself this way. Without those precious memories, the number of times he had starved to death in Ashina or died after eating poisonous plants would likely have risen many times over.

Huo Yuhao took out the simple map he had bought from the Black Market for over a dozen gold coins and compared it with the swaying shadows of the nearby trees. He soon had a rough sense of direction.

"After four days on the road, I should have crossed Xing Luo's border according to the map. Judging by how lush these trees are, Star Dou Forest shouldn't be too far away."

Huo Yuhao lowered his head and pondered briefly. Then his right ear twitched slightly, accurately catching a faint rustling sound that was nearly impossible to notice.

"A stream?"

Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. He was already very close to his destination, so there was no harm in stopping to rest and reorganize himself before entering the Star Dou Great Forest. The Star Dou Great Forest was, after all, a Demon Subduing Land fraught with danger. Charging in rashly would be no different from seeking death. Since that was the case, he might as well restore the energy and spirit he had expended traveling these past days.

Closing his eyes, Huo Yuhao quietly listened for the direction from which the sound of Flowing Water came. As the owner of a spiritual martial soul, his six senses were far stronger than those of ordinary people. Especially when he closed his eyes, his other five senses became even sharper.

Very quickly, he identified the direction and carefully made his way through the woods. The forest was thick with thorny brambles. They could easily tear his clothes, leave wounds on his body, and prevent him from noticing threats lurking within the bushes. Huo Yuhao's vigilance immediately rose.

In less than two hundred meters, he found his target: a stream roughly three meters wide. Its water was clear enough to see the bottom, and its crisp chill brought a refreshing coolness.

After circling the stream to inspect the area and confirming there were no dangerous beasts nearby or traces of other people, Huo Yuhao did not even take off his clothes. He jumped directly into the stream, which was about two chi deep, gave himself a quick rinse, then climbed back onto shore dripping wet. He casually took off his clothes and tossed them into his Storage Soul Guidance Device, dried himself off roughly, and changed into a clean set of clothes.

Although this place was still some distance from the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao maintained his most basic vigilance. Jumping into the stream to cool off was already pushing it. Taking a carefree bath in the stream would have been as foolish as an old man eating arsenic. Unless Huo Yuhao truly wished to joke with his own life, he would never do something so irresponsible toward himself and his mother.

With his right hand, he drew a short blade in its sheath from behind his waist. The blade was about one chi and two cun long. Its sheath was Dark Green and made from tough leather. Huo Yuhao did not know what Soul Beast or animal the leather had come from. He only knew that this short blade was the only gift the White Tiger Duke had given his mother, and she had always treasured it dearly.

The hilt was about five cun long. It had no extravagant decorations, yet it gave off an ancient, unadorned feeling. It fit his hand perfectly and was exceptionally comfortable to hold.

He drew the blade without making the slightest sound. The roughly seven-cun blade was like a pool of autumn water, its thin edge seeming almost transparent. Its biting chill made a trace of admiration flash through Huo Yuhao's eyes.

What an excellent blade. Though it was only a Dagger, judging from its material alone, its quality was no less than Lord Isshin's beloved blade, Dragon Spring, or his foster father's Giant Tachi, Omokage.

Huo Yuhao extended the Index Finger of his Left Hand and pressed it against one side of the blade, carefully feeling the cold metallic touch it conveyed. The biting chill contained within the Dagger made him reluctant to put it down.

This Dagger had a simple name: the White Tiger Dagger. According to Huo Yun'er, it was a Melee Soul Tool. Huo Yuhao had once tried to activate it, and to his surprise, he had actually been able to do so. Though he did not know the grade of this White Tiger Dagger, since he could activate it so easily, it could not be of too high a grade. A Soul Tool of middling grade possessed such precious material; Huo Yuhao could not help but yearn even more for the world of Soul Tools.

"Once I enter Shrek Academy, I have to find a way to enroll in the Soul Tool Department. If I could have a Melee Soul Tool tailored specifically for me and forged from Rare Metal, how could it improve my strength by only thirty percent?"

Huo Yuhao could not help sighing. He had heard that, besides Melee Soul Tools, Douluo Continent also possessed Ranged Soul Tools and Fixed Soul Devices. All of it fascinated Huo Yuhao from the bottom of his heart.