No wonder the Sea God chose someone like this as his successor; there was a reason for it!

Bo Saixi listened quietly, her face devoid of any superfluous expression.

Once he finished, she merely offered a faint, indifferent smile. Turning away, she cast her gaze toward the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Qian Daoliu, you and I have known each other for more than a day. Do you truly believe such rhetoric could deceive me?"

She turned her head, her clear eyes fixed upon him: "If I am not mistaken, you have not come here to see me, but for that child who triggered the light of the Sea God's inheritance, have you not?"

The smile on Qian Daoliu's face faltered for a moment, then dissolved into a helpless, bitter laugh.

He knew well the intelligence of the woman before him; lies often appeared pale and flimsy in her presence.

Since he had been seen through, further pretense would only place him at a disadvantage.

He nodded, admitting it candidly: "Indeed, Bo Saixi, you are always so sharp. I have indeed come for that child. The descent of the Sea God's light is no small matter; I wish to see with my own eyes what kind of brilliant and talented individual could earn such favor from the Sea God."

Bo Saixi fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing her options.

The sea breeze whipped at the hem of her dress, snapping loudly.

After a long while, she spoke softly, her voice sounding ethereal amidst the crashing waves: "By rights, he is the God-child of my Sea God Island, chosen personally by the Sea God himself. Everything about him is the highest secret of my island and should not be seen by outsiders, especially... you."

She paused, then shifted her tone: "However, you are, after all, the worldly representative of the Angel God, and we are both servants of deities. Allowing you to watch from afar is acceptable. But you must not reveal yourself, you must not interfere, and you must observe only from a distance."

Upon hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Qian Daoliu's eyes. He had not expected Bo Saixi to agree so readily, nor to offer such relatively lenient terms as watching from afar.

He bowed his head solemnly: "Very well, I agree. I shall only watch from a distance; I will never reveal myself, nor will I interfere."

Bo Saixi nodded and added: "Furthermore, there is something I wish to ask you. That child's martial soul is quite peculiar; it is called the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag. I have scoured every record on Sea God Island, yet there is no mention of it. Your Spirit Hall has a long history and deep foundations, having perused all the wonders of the continent. I wonder... have you ever heard of this martial soul? Or any records related to it?"

She had finally asked the question. The mystery and power of the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag, along with the endless riddles surrounding Li Qing, made it impossible for her to let it go.

Since Qian Daoliu was here, perhaps she could glean a clue from him.

"The Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag?"

Qian Daoliu repeated the unfamiliar name in a low voice, his brows furrowing as a look of contemplation entered his eyes.

A moment later, he shook his head slowly, his tone certain: "I have never heard of it. The martial soul archives of the Spirit Hall are as vast as the sea, but I am certain I have never seen the name Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag. What is unique about this martial soul? Could you let me see it?"

A flicker of disappointment, difficult to detect, crossed Bo Saixi's eyes, but it vanished quickly.

She shook her head without further explanation: "If you do not know, then so be it. Come, follow me."

The two spoke no more. Their figures transformed into two streaks of light—one gold, one blue—and darted toward the Sea God Hall. Their speed was akin to teleportation, yet they did not stir a single ripple on the island.

Arriving near the Sea God Hall, Bo Saixi signaled for Qian Daoliu to conceal his presence and aura. She then suppressed her own divine radiance and, like an ordinary person, walked slowly to the door of the room where Li Qing resided.

She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked gently on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A moment later, the door creaked open from within.

Li Qing's small face poked out. He seemed to have just finished his meditation, his face still flushed with the warmth of his cultivation.

Seeing Bo Saixi at the door, a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes: "Big Sister? Why are you here? Is something the matter?"

Bo Saixi looked at the child, who was a mass of riddles, and tried to keep her tone soft and natural: "Little Qing, Big Sister is still a bit worried and wants to see your martial soul again. Could you release the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag once more so Big Sister can take a closer look?"

Li Qing blinked, feeling a bit strange inside.

What is up with this beautiful big sister today? Hasn't she already seen it several times? She saw it at the awakening platform, and she saw it at the Sea God Hall, so why does she want to see it again? Women are truly troublesome; their thoughts are so hard to guess...

Hearing this familiar, complaining inner voice resonate in her mind, the corners of Bo Saixi's mouth twitched imperceptibly, and a sense of grievance welled up within her for no reason.

Consider her, Bo Saixi, the High Priestess of Sea God Island, revered by thousands—in nearly a hundred years, who had ever dared to disparage her like this in their heart?

Not to mention thinking she was troublesome!

Yet, because these words came from Li Qing's heart, she could not even refute them. She could only harbor silent resentment while maintaining a gentle and warm expression on her face.

"Oh, okay." Although Li Qing muttered to himself, he agreed quite obediently on the surface.

He took a step back, his thoughts shifting.

In an instant, the room filled with a misty vapor. The Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag—with its pitch-black pole, deep blue banner, and flowing runes that seemed to contain the infinite mysteries of water—reappeared above his palm, hovering slowly.

The flag fluttered without wind, emitting an ancient, vast, and incredibly pure water-attribute energy fluctuation that bathed the entire room in a deep azure light.

Bo Saixi's gaze was instantly locked onto the flag. She once again carefully sensed the aura of the water's origin, which made even her heart tremble.

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, the moment Li Qing released his martial soul, Qian Daoliu's brilliant golden eyes contracted sharply, and a light of unbelievable shock erupted from the depths of his pupils!

"This... what is this?!"

A storm of unprecedented proportions raged within Qian Daoliu's heart!

Even with his century of experience, having seen countless powerful and bizarre martial souls in the Spirit Hall's archives, having personally experienced the overbearing and peerless Clear Sky Hammer of Tang Chen, and even possessing the top-tier god-level martial soul of the current age, the Six-Winged Angel, he felt a shock and disbelief he had never known before!

How sharp was his perception?

Almost the instant the flag appeared, he captured a power contained within it that transcended his level of cognition—a power that was nearly the origin of the laws themselves!

Its purity, its vastness, its antiquity—it even faintly surpassed the Six-Winged Angel martial soul he knew, and it surpassed the sacred aura originating from the Sea God that radiated from Bo Saixi beside him!

This was no ordinary top-tier martial soul; this was absolutely not any inheritance known on the continent!

This was an existence that stood above all known martial souls, sharing the same source as the origin of the gods, and perhaps... even more ancient, even more fundamental!

"Could it be... a god-level martial soul that has never appeared before?!"

This conclusion left Qian Daoliu feeling a sense of suffocation.

The ancient texts accumulated by Spirit Hall over tens of thousands of years, and the memories passed down through generations by the Angel God, had never recorded a power of this form, of this origin!

It was as if it had appeared out of thin air, shattering the inherent understanding of the martial soul system that had existed on the Douluo Continent for ten millennia!

Watching the solemnity, curiosity, and even a hint of complex emotion he could not fathom in Bo Saixi's eyes as she stared at that banner, Qian Daoliu became even more certain that Bo Saixi, this High Priestess of the Sea God, was equally ignorant of the origin of this martial soul!

It was no wonder the Sea God had chosen such a person as a successor; there was a reason for it!