The Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag, One of the Five Innate Banners of the Primordial Era

Sea God Island, Sea Horse Holy City.

A crowd stood in orderly lines along a street paved with gleaming white stone.

Sunlight passed through the faint halo above the island, condensed from Sea God Divine Power, and cast warm, gentle rays over the distinctive ocean-style buildings lining the street and the faces full of reverence and hope.

Among the children in line, a black-haired boy who looked about six stood out.

His name was Li Qing. Six years ago, he had unexpectedly crossed over to Douluo Continent and been found by residents near Sea God Island.

Unlike the other children his age, who whispered excitedly or nervously, his eyes held a complex mix of emotions far beyond his years—deep worry and burning anticipation.

As someone who had arrived in this world by accident, he knew better than anyone how cruel its rules were.

Martial Souls and Soul Power—those two things determined the course of a person's entire life.

The strong could soar through the skies and earn the reverence of thousands.

The weak, meanwhile, might spend their lives in obscurity, or even struggle just to survive.

If I awaken a Trash Martial Soul, or suffer a disastrous Martial Soul mutation like Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Moonlight Pavilion's master, Tang Yuehua, then I'm probably done for.

Li Qing's heart hammered like a war drum as he stared at the temporary Awakening Platform ahead.

On the platform, a man dressed in a Sea Soul Master's robe gently guided the children through the awakening ceremony.

He was Seahorse Douluo, one of the Seven Sacred Pillars' guardians on Sea God Island, and a man of exalted status.

Having a Titled Douluo personally awaken the children's Martial Souls showed just how much Sea God Island valued the cultivation of its next generation.

Time dragged by amid the tension.

Cheers of excitement and relief came from the front of the line.

It had to be said: the bloodlines of Sea God Island's residents were indeed exceptional.

Having lived here for generations, nourished by the Sea God's blessing, and with most of their parents being Soul Masters, the children had a very high chance of awakening Soul Power thanks to their inherited traits.

Every one of the dozen or so children ahead of Li Qing had awakened Soul Power. The lowest had reached rank three, while the highest had even reached rank seven, causing quite a stir.

Watching this, Li Qing felt even more pressure.

In an environment like this, if he turned out to be an outlier, the gap would be unbearable.

"Next, Li Qing." Seahorse Douluo's gentle voice drifted over like a sea breeze, yet Li Qing shuddered from head to toe.

It's finally my turn!

He drew a deep breath and forced down his churning thoughts, then began praying frantically in his heart. Bless me, Jade Emperor! Show your divine power, Buddha! Have mercy, Guanyin! Great Ancestors of the Three Pure Ones, hear me! Gods of the East or West, mighty beings passing by—please, for all the trouble I went through to cross over, give me a decent Martial Soul! I'm not asking for a top-tier one like the Clear Sky Hammer or Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. An ordinary Martial Soul I can cultivate will do! Just don't let it be a hoe or a sickle or something...

With this nearly incoherent prayer and his heart threatening to leap out of his throat, Li Qing walked stiffly up to the Awakening Platform.

Seeing the child so obviously nervous, Seahorse Douluo's eyes flickered with amusement.

He had seen countless children like him, and gently reassured him, "Relax, child. Close your eyes and carefully sense the power within you. Lord Sea God will protect his people."

As he spoke, Seahorse Douluo extended his right hand and slowly infused Li Qing's body with a gentle yet immense surge of Soul Power.

The power was warm and vast, as embracing as the ocean. It instantly eased Li Qing's stiffness and some of his tension.

Li Qing did as he was told and closed his eyes, focusing his mind.

At first, he felt nothing unusual inside himself, only Seahorse Douluo's gentle Soul Power flowing through him.

But gradually, the area around his lower abdomen began to grow warm, as though something dormant was awakening.

An indescribable tremor stirred deep in his blood, growing stronger by the moment!

Suddenly, not outside his body but in his sea of consciousness, boundless water vapor and mysterious light surged forth, as if the world were being created!

Then, the shadow of a flag appeared. It shifted from blurry to clear, slowly taking shape.

The flagpole was a deep black, neither metal nor wood. It felt smooth and warm to the touch, yet gave an impression of being as heavy as a mountain and enduring since time immemorial.

The flag itself was a blue so deep it seemed to contain the essence of the entire ocean. On closer inspection, countless intricate, mysterious runes seemed to flow slowly across it, at times surging like waves, at others drifting like gentle rain, containing the endless laws of water.

Even more astonishingly, the moment the flag appeared, the vast sound of tides seemed to ring through Li Qing's sea of consciousness, mingled with the whispers of ancient gods.

A hazy halo of water vapor gathered around the flag of its own accord. The vapor was not still; it conjured one vision after another. At times, clouds and rosy mists billowed; at others, the celestial river seemed to pour backward. Amid the shifting vapor, the faint shadow of a Azure Dragon seemed to coil and roar, radiating the supreme majesty of ruling over all waters and stabilizing the universe!

"What... what kind of Martial Soul is this?" Li Qing's mind was completely captivated by the flag's mysterious and awe-inspiring presence.

He had never seen a description of anything like this Martial Soul in any record of Douluo Continent.

It was unlike a tool-type soul, a beast soul, or even a body soul. Instead, it seemed like... the phantom of a treasure containing the laws of heaven and earth.

Meanwhile, outside.

Just as Seahorse Douluo's Soul Power guided the force within Li Qing to its peak, a sudden transformation occurred!

A gentle yet immeasurably powerful blue pillar of light shot up from Li Qing without warning!

Water vapor swirled within the pillar, and mysterious runes flickered faintly.

Though it released no powerful shock wave, every Soul Master present with a water-attribute Martial Soul, including Seahorse Douluo, felt an indescribable tremor and reverence deep in their souls!

It was as if they had encountered the sovereign of water, and could not help wanting to bow down in worship.

"What is this?!" The gentleness on Seahorse Douluo's face was instantly replaced by shock.

As a peak Sea Soul Master, he was exceptionally sensitive to the energy of water.

From this pillar of light, he sensed an aura of water's laws so pure that it even surpassed what was contained in Sea God Divine Power!

The aura was still faint, like a young sprout, but the nature of its essence was so exalted that it was utterly unheard of!

The light slowly faded, finally condensing above Li Qing's right palm into a small flag about a foot tall.

Its flagpole was deep black, its flag deep blue. Waterlight flowed over it, runes flickered in and out of view. Though it was only a phantom, it emanated a mysterious presence that calmed the heart and made all waters submit.

The Awakening Platform fell silent in an instant. Everyone was awestruck by this unprecedented Martial Soul manifestation, their eyes fixed on the little flag floating above Li Qing's palm.

Li Qing opened his eyes and stared blankly at the phantom flag hovering over his palm.

This was the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag, one of the Five Innate Banners of the Primordial Era!