The third eye.

We arrived at my mansion. During the entire trip, I barely spoke with Teacher Qi or my elder sister, Jiangqi. As soon as we stepped out of the carriage, I made my way toward the pavilion near the lake. The two followed me silently.

Upon reaching the pavilion, I was finally able to relax. As expected, there were no assassination attempts. We were still in the capital of the Star Luo Empire, and my brothers wouldn't dare to make a move here, where surveillance is intense.

Besides, Teacher Qi is a Spirit King with five spirit rings and a level of 55. That is more than enough to protect me for the time being.

The main reason I came to this pavilion was to test my Martial Soul. With a small gesture, I manifested it. A miniature White Tiger appeared in my hand, but it seemed... incomplete.

After awakening my Martial Soul, some previously vague memories became clearer. I recalled something I had read on the Douluo Dalu wikis: Martial Souls are not just inert tools. Many of them possess a kind of consciousness, albeit hidden. To reach their full potential, a Spirit Master must deeply understand their Martial Soul.

This knowledge, however, still felt somewhat unclear to me. Perhaps with time, I would fully comprehend it.

As I observed the little White Tiger in my hands, I noticed that it hadn't yet transformed into its advanced form. Its wings were only small protrusions, it lacked a crown, the third eye remained closed, and its stripes alternated between black and gold. None of the Martial Souls I had learned about from Teacher Qi resembled mine. The closest comparison would be the legendary Three-Eyed White Tiger from the future, but even then, there were significant differences.

Looking at the lake, using its surface as a mirror, I decided to test something.

"Martial Soul, fusion!" I shouted, feeling a strange yet exhilarating pleasure, as though my very essence resonated with the activation.

A golden light enveloped my body, and an overwhelming power surged through me. My body grew noticeably larger—from the size of an average six-year-old to resembling that of an eight-year-old. A vertical line, which I assumed to be a third eye, formed on my forehead. My hair gained a golden streak in the front, while the rest turned white, patterned like a tiger's fur.

Fusion is a natural ability of beast-type Martial Souls, allowing the user to merge with their Martial Soul and amplify both physical and spiritual attributes. In this state, my strength more than doubled.

Looking again at my reflection in the lake, I noticed that my form resembled the Sacred White Tiger I had seen in my Spiritual Sea, though it was still incomplete—there were no wings or crown, but the black stripes disappeared, giving way to golden stripes.

"Could my Martial Soul be influenced by my Xiantian Essence and the positive energy of 'Good Deed'?" I wondered aloud. In my current state, the predominant attribute I felt was Light, glowing intensely within me.

However, I realized that without a Soul Ring, I couldn't use any abilities tied to this attribute. If I had spent more time studying individual techniques, I might have succeeded, but my focus had been on creating Talismans and developing formations.

I canceled the fusion. My body returned to normal, and although a small portion of my soul power had been consumed, I didn't feel exhausted.

My Martial Soul wasn't my only weapon. I closed my eyes lightly.

"Sharingan!"

When I opened them again, my blue irises were replaced by a vivid red, with a single tomoe. My vision became incredibly sharp, as if time around me had slowed. Additionally, I discovered something fascinating: the Sharingan granted me a natural ability to create illusions. Unlike in the world of Naruto, it didn't require the enemy to make direct eye contact. Simply activating my soul power was enough to project illusions, though they were more potent if the target locked eyes with my Sharingan.

With only one tomoe, however, the illusions were still relatively weak.

When using just the Sharingan, I didn't sense any Light attribute. In fact, I couldn't feel any element at all—only a sense of my soul being sublimated. Perhaps this was a soul-type attribute?

"I can use the Sharingan and Martial Soul fusion separately. But together, would it be possible?" I asked myself.

Deactivating the Sharingan, I noticed that its consumption of soul power was slightly greater than that of Martial Soul fusion, though still manageable.

"Martial Soul, fusion!"

This time, I resisted the urge to shout, "Time to morph!"

With the fusion activated, I closed my eyes once more and reopened them in Sharingan state. In this combined state, the Light and Soul attributes coexisted harmoniously. Merging these two states consumed my soul power more quickly, but the benefits were undeniable.

Additionally, I realized that my third eye could now be activated.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to test this..." I murmured, gathering my soul power to open the eye on my forehead. I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down my spine—what I had seen in my Spiritual Sea when awakening my Martial Soul was nothing short of unsettling.

The eye opened slowly. To my surprise, it revealed a Sharingan, but instead of the usual red, its hue was golden with a single black tomoe.

"I feel the Light and Soul attributes merging into something new..." I muttered in awe. However, before this new attribute could fully form, the golden glow began to fade. My third eye turned a blood-red color, and my hair shifted from gold and white to black and red. My blood heated up, and my Martial Soul assumed a unique soul-type attribute.

"Although the dominant attribute is soul, I can sense faint traces of fire in my body. This reminds me of the Uchiha lineage," I murmured, feeling beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

My thoughts grew chaotic, overtaken by a rising fury that felt ready to erupt. The crimson glow in my eyes reflected an uncontrollable rage, eager to be unleashed upon the world.

Before losing complete control, I forced the fusion to end. All my soul power was consumed in the process, leaving me drained. My body collapsed, and I lay on my back, feeling every ounce of my energy depleted.

"My strength in this state surpasses all others, especially with the power of the third eye, which is incomparably stronger than my two Sharingans. However, losing the ability to think clearly in battle is a risk I cannot afford to take," I sighed deeply, frustrated at my inability to control the third eye's power for now.

---------------------------------------------

In the distance, two figures watched intently.

"So, it really is the White Tiger Martial Soul..." Teacher Qi sighed. "Xiao Bai will face many challenges ahead."

Beside her, Jiangqi clenched her fists, her determination unwavering. "I won't let anything happen to Young Master Bai. I'm now a Spirit Elder with three spirit rings and level 37. I'll do the impossible to protect him!" As she spoke, she noticed something change in Dai Mubai.

"Wait... what's this?" Jiangqi asked, startled at the transformation of the White Tiger into a black one.

"What a powerful soul attribute... It's not a second Martial Soul, it's like a mutation," Teacher Qi remarked, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Xiao Bai has achieved a skill mutation. This seems to allow the White Tiger to take on two distinct forms," the older woman said, excitement evident on her face.

"Xiao Bai has gained something rare. With this mutation, he has a better chance of surpassing his brothers and securing the imperial throne."

Neither of them, however, noticed the terrifying power hidden behind the Sharingan.