Pupils and Accidents

After Li Shu had his fill, he headed straight for the city and used his remaining 100 yen to buy a ball of yarn.

"Heh heh, there isn't a cat alive that can resist a ball of yarn, right?"

When Li Shu returned to Korin Tower, Korin was already asleep. He didn't take advantage of the cat's state, knowing full well that the feline was only pretending.

Given the gap in their strength, he had zero chance of success in a direct confrontation; he would only be toyed with endlessly. His only path was to outsmart him.

Li Shu wasn't in a hurry, so he simply found an empty spot and went to sleep as well.

"A truly commendable character." After sensing Li Shu had left, Korin sighed in silent praise.

The next day, after dawn, Li Shu launched his attempt to seize the Super Holy Water once again.

Time and again he was toyed with by Korin, falling from the tower multiple times, yet Li Shu never felt discouraged.

During the process, Korin even gave Li Shu a Senzu Bean to help him recover his strength.

It should be about time. After so many attempts, he must be getting careless, right? Li Shu silently observed Korin's demeanor, calculating the perfect moment.

Now!

The instant he was toyed with again and sent falling from the tower, Li Shu suddenly threw a black ball of yarn upward. He held his breath and pressed himself against the stone pillar, avoiding Korin's line of sight instead of falling away as he usually did.

Wait-for-the-Cat Plan—activated!

"What's that?" Korin's attention was instantly diverted. When he saw it was a ball of yarn, he felt an itch in his heart and wanted to reach out and bat at it a few times.

Just as the ball of yarn began to descend due to gravity, Korin couldn't hold back. Driven by feline instinct, he lunged forward and extended his claws.

At that very moment, a figure flashed before his eyes.

"Oh no!" Korin was startled, realizing he had fallen for a trap, but it was too late to react. He felt his hand grow light; the Super Holy Water hanging from his staff had vanished.

"Master Korin, I accept your concession." Li Shu held the Super Holy Water, smiling at the stunned cat.

Korin gave a wry smile and said, "Do you know who the last person to snatch the Super Holy Water from my hands was?"

"Who?" Li Shu asked, feigning ignorance—one had to give the master his due respect.

"It was your grandfather's teacher, Master Roshi."

"What?" Li Shu's expression of shock was perfectly timed.

"Do you know how long it took him?" Korin asked again.

Li Shu shook his head in cooperation.

"Three years." Korin held up three fingers, then switched to one, adding, "And you, you only took one day."

"The younger generation is truly formidable, truly formidable indeed."

"So, may I drink the Super Holy Water now?" Li Shu asked politely.

A meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Korin's face: "Go ahead and drink."

Li Shu didn't stand on ceremony and downed it in one gulp.

Achievement 'The Taste of Super Holy Water' completed. Congratulations, you have received one chance at a Dojutsu draw. Achievement points +1.

Li Shu didn't rush to draw; instead, he asked, "Master Korin, this is just ordinary water, isn't it? Could it be that the process of increasing my strength actually happened during my repeated climbing of the tower and the struggle to seize the water?"

Korin looked at Li Shu in surprise: "You are truly a clever child. It seems you have already sensed the changes in your own power."

With the mission complete, Li Shu had no intention of staying, but before leaving, he wanted some Senzu Beans—no one ever complained about having too many of those.

Korin wasn't stingy and gave Li Shu ten Senzu Beans. He was very satisfied with the boy's character and talent and had an interest in nurturing him.

After leaving Korin Tower, Li Shu found a random mountain in the wilderness and thought to himself, "System, draw."

Drawing system loading...

Dojutsu-type rewards loading...

Loading complete!

Current Dojutsu draw count: 1. Start draw?

"Yes." Li Shu didn't hesitate. A stream of Dojutsu names flashed through his mind.

[Dragon Sight Eye]

[Sharingan]

[Byakugan]

[Heavenly Eye]

[Cross-eyed]

"What? There's actually a 'Cross-eyed'?" Li Shu was horrified, praying silently that he wouldn't draw it.

He truly couldn't fathom how [Cross-eyed] could be considered a Dojutsu. Wasn't that just a joke?

Fortunately, [Cross-eyed] flashed by in an instant, and Li Shu breathed a sigh of relief.

[Narrow-minded Eye]

[Trouble-Making Eyes]

[Heavenly Heart Pupil]

[Fiery Golden Eyes]

[Three-Flower Flame Eyes]

[Ah-Pupil Eye]

"?" Li Shu was dumbfounded. I could tolerate [Narrow-minded Eye] and [Trouble-Making Eyes], but how am I supposed to tolerate this [Ah-Pupil Eye]? There's a typo!

For five whole minutes, Li Shu saw countless names of ocular techniques, all strange and varied. As long as a word had anything to do with "eye," "gaze," "pupil," or "vision," it was somehow counted as an ocular technique—even homophones and typos were included. It was far, far, far more absurd than anything he could have imagined.

"All ocular techniques have been browsed. Commencing the draw."

"Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the ocular technique [Battle Eye]."

Before Li Shu could even react, the draw was over. Seeing the name, he let out a long sigh of relief; at least this one sounded reliable.

At the same time, a scorching heat surged into his eyes, accompanied by intense, agonizing pain, and he went blind instantly.

"Ah!" Li Shu rolled on the ground in pain, twisting and thrashing like an earthworm.

No! I have to speed up the search for the Dragon Balls. If changing the plot is what it takes, then so be it. The wish for [Pain Immunity] must be fulfilled as soon as possible!

The "waiting for the dragon" plan is a failure. To hell with it!

Li Shu couldn't bear the pain any longer. His brain was in total chaos, and he passed out from the agony.

When he woke up again, he felt like he was moving—or rather, being dragged along the ground by something.

At the same time, a wave of intense hunger struck him. He felt weak all over, a sensation even stronger than when he had gone ten days without food before.

"How long was I unconscious? Damn it, I didn't miss the summoning of the Eternal Dragon, did I?"

Since he couldn't die, Li Shu wasn't worried about his current situation. He hurriedly opened his [Dimensional Storage Space] to check the number of Senzu beans in the [Beginner Senzu Bean Can].

"1, 2, 3, 4... 46 beans! I was unconscious for over a month?" Li Shu was furious.

In his starving state, he let out an earth-shattering roar: "Ahhh! The system has ruined me!!"

Although he didn't remember the exact time Son Goku first gathered the seven Dragon Balls, it definitely hadn't been long. With over a month gone by, the Eternal Dragon was probably already on its annual vacation!

"The system has ruined me, system, you've ruined me!!" Li Shu was filled with grief and indignation, his heart brimming with resentment.

According to the lore of Dragon Ball, the Dragon Balls have a one-year cooldown period. His wish for [Pain Immunity] would now be delayed by an entire year.

Meanwhile, Li Shu's roar gave the Tiger-Headed Demon Ghost dragging him quite a fright.