Huo Yuhao tiptoed to the back entrance of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. It was noon, and many servants were busy working inside.
To deal with those who might reveal his whereabouts, he used his Spirit Eyes' Mangekyō to cast illusions, making them completely oblivious to his presence.
These illusions were inherent to the Mangekyō Sharingan. After all, with the Mangekyō Sharingan, the ability to perform illusions was almost innate, and after fusing with the Spirit Eyes, they were also passed on to the new spirit.
The principles behind these illusions differed from those in the Naruto world, likely undergoing localized refinement.
In Naruto, illusions disrupt the opponent's chakra.
In this world, Huo Yuhao primarily used his Spirit Eyes to inject special spiritual energy directly into the opponent's mind, disrupting their perception.
The back entrance to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was typically unguarded, as can be seen in the original novel.
In the original novel, Huo Yuhao, at level 10, slipped out through the back entrance without being noticed.
As expected, when he reached the back door, he found it truly unguarded.
Huo Yuhao sometimes felt like complaining about the absurdity of this world. This was the domain of a duke, a duke who wielded immense military power.
Yet, his mansion's security was so lax.
This was the Star Luo God of War, and he couldn't even defend his own home, yet he claimed to be protecting a vast empire.
A few spirit masters with strong stealth capabilities from the Sun-Moon Empire could stealthily blow the entire mansion to the ground,
leaving Dai Hao's household registration book in tatters.
Gently pushing open the solemn lacquered red gate, Huo Yuhao darted straight toward the Star Luo Empire's official road.
The White Tiger Duke's Mansion was not far from Star Luo City, approximately five hundred miles southeast.
However, Huo Yuhao wasn't planning to go to Star Luo City this time.
Instead, he planned to head north to the Sky Soul Empire.
The Sky Soul Empire held many things that could be of great use to Huo Yuhao right now,
such as the Xuanshui Pills and the even more powerful Xuanwu Divine Pills refined by the Xuanming Sect.
These elixirs could help him cleanse his meridians and expand his marrow.
His meridians were thin, narrow, and even disordered in places, a major factor hindering Huo Yuhao's cultivation.
The Mysterious Water Pill could resolve these issues without side effects.
The Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow beneath the Dragon Gate in Dragon City was a rare treasure, immensely beneficial for cultivation.
At the beginning, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have dared to entertain any such thoughts. His
only option in the Heavenly Soul Empire was to join the Body Sect. Their immense power and Du Bu Si's character were enough to safely support Huo Yuhao through his formative years.
But things changed after the successful awakening of the Mangeki.
The Spirit Eye Mangeki granted Huo Yuhao powerful illusionary abilities, enough to defeat even low-level spirit masters.
If he faced a threat from a Soul Sage or higher, the Mangeki's pupil technique would surely provide him with a pleasant surprise.
Huo Yuhao now had the confidence to secure resources for cultivation.
Who would choose to live under someone else's roof when they could be free?
As for the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire and Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao had no immediate plans.
The Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire was Tang San's personal secret, a place impossible to find without a map.
Shrek Academy was even more formidable, and Huo Yuhao would never dare join Shrek lightly.
He'd endured hardship in his previous life; he didn't want to go there, fighting for a bathroom with four hundred other people, experiencing Shrek's ultimate running, and constantly wary of the Holy Spirit Cult's Grand Elder's schemes.
Not to mention the leash of Tang Fozu waiting for him.
He absolutely refused to believe Tang San hadn't rigged things.
No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible for the Eye and the Butterfly to fuse their spirits, and a perfect fusion at that!
Wasn't this a clear trap for Huo Yuhao?
In the original novel, Tang San said that whatever Huo Yuhao had, Tang Wutong would have too. Huo Yuhao's spirit core was even stripped away, nearly crippling his spiritual power.
And then there was the heaven-defying Qiankun Valley of Love, where he gained few opportunities but endured a great deal of suffering.
Before the Qiankun Valley of Love, Huo Yuhao still had some backbone. After enduring the ultimate indignity typical of Douluo, he'd become a true dog of the Tang family.
If he didn't join Shrek, he could consider Shrek City, one of the most prosperous cities on the Douluo Continent.
Qiankun Valley of Love was off limits, and the Haotian Sect was no different.
Huo Yuhao ran relentlessly along the official roads of the Xingluo Empire.
The roads of the Star Luo Empire were impeccably built—wide, straight, and free of potholes. It seemed Xu Jiawei had put a lot of thought into this. He
walked from day to night, occasionally stopping to admire the unique scenery unseen in his previous life or observe the unique creatures of this area.
Soul beasts were rarely seen along the official roads of the Star Luo Empire. If they did appear, they were merely ten-year-old diggers or tri-colored cats.
These soul beasts had no combat power at all, easily slain by an ordinary person with a kitchen knife. Consequently, they were neglected.
Walking and watching, Huo Yuhao had covered approximately two hundred miles by the time the moon rose.
With his soul power, Huo Yuhao could easily reach three hundred miles a day if he chose.
Fortunately, Huo Yuhao wouldn't need to camp outdoors tonight. There was a city not far from him. The
White Tiger Duke's Mansion was surrounded by numerous cities, forming a large urban area that protected it.
The lords of these cities often sent rare treasures to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to curry favor with him.
Of course, Dai Hao was unaware of this, as the White Tiger Duchess had pocketed it all for him.
One wonders if the current Xingluo Emperor, Xu Jiawei, knew about this, and what he would think if he did.
After a brief inspection at the city gate, Huo Yuhao successfully entered the city.
It wasn't an inspection, but more of a quick glance; not even names were asked.
How could one describe it? This country evoked a sense of the relaxed France of a past life.
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate, heading straight for the city's bustling district. Everywhere he looked, he saw dazzling shops.
The cries of merchants and the cacophony of chatter filled the streets.
Many people walked in groups, drunken, staggering along the streets, talking loudly to their companions.
Huo Yuhao was a Spirit Master with Spiritual Sea Realm spiritual power. Using his spiritual power, he could easily sense the presence of a considerable number of Spirit Masters here.
While their levels were generally low, compared to the aura he'd sensed at the White Tiger Duke's residence, the Spirit Masters here were generally around Level 20, with no Spirit Masters present.
Huo Yuhao frowned. It was perfectly normal for a city to have spirit masters, but such a large number was a bit unusual.
This place was quite far from Xingluo City, and aside from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, there weren't any major powers nearby.
Huo Yuhao found a restaurant and ordered a cup of tea and a bowl of clear noodle soup for ten copper soul coins. He
had originally planned to order some meat, but found the prices a bit high. If he bought meat, he'd probably be sleeping under a bridge tonight.
Looking at the meager food before him, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but shed tears of poverty.
While ostensibly showing off the food in front of him in revenge, Huo Yuhao was actually using his spiritual power to sense the conversations around him.
He had come to this restaurant because he sensed the highest concentration of spirit masters there was; otherwise, he wouldn't have entered such an expensive-looking establishment for dinner.
"Ghost Bear, I heard you recently received a big contract to accompany the young master of the Wang family from Xingluo City to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt spirit rings?"
"Haha, that's right. A member of the War Fang Soul Hunters died unexpectedly during a spirit battle, and my martial spirit is suitable for them to absorb as a replacement."
"They just happened to receive a contract to help that young master of the Wang family hunt for his first spirit ring."
"The first spirit ring? That young master doesn't look very old. It's an easy job, hunting a hundred-year-old spirit beast in the outer reaches and you can get a lot of money!" "
Brother Steel Teeth, you're wrong. This is the Star Dou Great Forest. Even in the outer reaches, you can still encounter thousand-year-old spirit beasts. There will inevitably be bloodshed."
"Yes, yes, Brother Ghost Bear is right. In our line of work, we have to be careful with our heads on our belts and live a life of swords and blood..."
Huo Yuhao ate slowly, mainly gathering information.
By eavesdropping on the conversations of the people here, Huo Yuhao learned that this was actually the garrison city of the Soul Hunters, a mercenary group.
After all, this city is located on the official road leading to the Star Dou Great Forest, and many people come here to resupply.
According to the people here, the strongest person here is the leader of the Dragon Soul Hunter Group, a Soul King with the Plate Armor Earth Dragon spirit.
Another important piece of information is that every morning at the city's east gate, there are teams recruiting reinforcements or accepting commissions.
However, most small teams choose to temporarily team up with strangers to carry out commissions.
Although this has certain risks, it can quickly fill the gap in combat power.
After finishing his meal, Huo Yuhao walked directly out of the restaurant. He decided to go to the east gate tomorrow to see if he could encounter a commission to the Heavenly Soul Empire.
(End of this chapter)