As Li Qing looked at the flag in his hands, his tender little face filled with shock and confusion.
"The Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag?! This thing... If I remember right, wasn't it the magic treasure of that old geezer Ancestor Minghe in the legends of the Primordial World, and one of the Five Innate Flags?"
As someone from an age of information overload, Li Qing wasn't unfamiliar with this sort of mythological lore.
"But the problem is... When I was paying my respects just now, I paid my respects to all the bigwigs from both the East and the West, but I didn't pay my respects to the Lord of the Blood Sea! So why did this one show up of all things?"
It wasn't that he thought the flag was no good.
Give him a break. One of the Five Innate Flags was a top-tier innate spiritual treasure. It specialized in defense and could control all the waters under heaven. In the world of Douluo Continent, it was absolutely an out-of-bounds existence.
It was just that this sudden surprise had caught him completely off guard, and even left him with a faint sense of unease.
Ancestor Minghe's things weren't easy to take. Could there be some kind of karmic entanglement or hidden danger?
"Could it be that my subconscious desire for water was too strong, and this flag master just happened to be the big shot among water-type treasures, so it sensed me?" Li Qing could only make wild guesses.
While Li Qing's thoughts churned, Seahorse Douluo had already recovered from his initial shock.
He drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, then walked over to Li Qing. His voice carried a gravity and curiosity unlike anything before. "Child, don't be alarmed. Tell me, what is your Martial Soul... called?"
Seahorse Douluo's voice pulled Li Qing back to reality from his chaotic thoughts.
He raised his head and met the Titled Douluo's eyes, full of curiosity and solemnity. He knew he couldn't show weakness now, much less reveal the flag's true origins.
He steadied himself and answered in a tone befitting a six-year-old child, tinged with uncertainty and naivety. "Lord Seahorse, I... I feel like it's called the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag."
"The Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag?"
Seahorse Douluo repeated the name under his breath, his brows drawing together as he rapidly searched his memory for every known top-tier Martial Soul.
In the end, he found no mention of it in either the records of Sea God Island's inheritance or the famous and powerful Martial Souls of the mainland.
The name sounded ancient and mysterious, carrying an indescribable aura of the Dao.
"I've truly never heard of it." Seahorse Douluo shook his head, but his eyes shone even brighter.
An unknown Martial Soul often meant limitless possibilities, especially when accompanied by the astonishing phenomenon from earlier.
"Child, put away your Martial Soul first. Its quality is important, of course, but Innate Soul Power is what determines a Soul Master's starting point. Come, let's test your Innate Soul Power."
Li Qing did as he was told. With a thought, the little flag's hazy image, radiating boundless waters, dissolved into specks of blue light and merged into his body.
A feeling of blood ties and perfect command welled up within him. This Martial Soul seemed to be a part of his body from the very beginning.
He reached out his slightly pale little hand and placed it on the transparent crystal ball.
Everyone's eyes focused on the crystal ball, which looked so ordinary.
As was customary, the brighter the light, the higher the Innate Soul Power.
The children of Sea God Island generally had decent Innate Soul Power. Everyone was used to seeing lights corresponding to levels three or four, and even levels seven or eight appeared now and then.
What happened next, however, completely overturned everyone's understanding.
The instant Li Qing's palm touched the crystal ball—
"Hum!"
The crystal ball seemed to come alive, letting out a cheerful, clear hum.
Then, without requiring any guidance at all, blinding blue light surged out of Li Qing's palm like a floodgate breaking open, filling the entire crystal ball in an unstoppable rush!
"Innate Full Soul Power! That's definitely Innate Full Soul Power!" someone shouted excitedly from below.
Ten levels of Innate Soul Power was a legendary starting point. It meant that the moment one obtained a Soul Ring, one could become a Soul Master, with a limitless future ahead!
Delight shone in Seahorse Douluo's eyes as he murmured, "Just as I thought, Innate Full Soul Power! Heaven has blessed Sea God Island with another peerless genius!"
Yet his joy lasted only an instant before giving way to even greater shock.
The blue light inside the crystal ball didn't stabilize. Instead, it grew brighter and more violent by the second!
The light flickered and shuddered violently, as though a primordial beast were trapped inside, desperate to break free!
The crystal ball began to creak under the strain. Fine white cracks, like a spiderweb, appeared across its surface, radiating from the spot where Li Qing's palm pressed against it!
"What... What's happening?" "Is the crystal ball going to explode?" Exclamations rang out from below.
Seahorse Douluo's expression changed dramatically. He had lived for nearly a hundred years, yet had never seen—or even heard of—a testing crystal ball breaking because it couldn't withstand someone's Innate Soul Power!
Just how immense was this child's talent?!
"Crack—!"
A crisp, unmistakable sound, like ice splitting apart, drowned out all the surrounding noise!
As everyone stared in shock, a hideous crack as thick as a finger burst across the surface of the crystal ball, which had been made from special materials. Then it exploded outright.
Silence! A deathly silence!
Everyone seemed to have been frozen in place. They gaped at the shattered crystal ball, their eyes wide.
They weren't the only ones. Even Seahorse Douluo was just as stunned.
He opened his mouth, his throat dry. Just as he was about to announce this news in a trembling voice—a piece of news that would shake all of Sea God Island, and perhaps even all of Douluo Continent—
Another change occurred!
Without warning, a pure, warm blue pillar of light, imbued with supreme majesty and vast divine power, descended like the Milky Way from the Ninth Heaven. It shot straight from the direction of Sea God Hall, towering at the center of Sea God Island!
The pillar of light moved faster than the eye could follow, enveloping Li Qing with pinpoint precision!
"Hum—!"
A sacred, majestic aura swept over them, as powerful as a tsunami yet gentle as a mother's whisper.
Bathed in the blue pillar of light, Li Qing felt warmth spread through his entire body. Every cell in him seemed to be cheering.
Then a delicate trident emblem, about the size of a fingernail and traced in pure golden light, slowly appeared right in the center of Li Qing's forehead!
Though small, the trident radiated unquestionable divine authority, as if it represented the will of the ocean!
"Sea God's Light! It's a blessing from Lord Sea God!" A devout Sea Soul Master fell to his knees on the spot, tears of excitement streaming down his face.
"That mark... What is it? Is he blessed by the gods?" Most of the others stared at the Golden Trident Mark on Li Qing's forehead, bewildered and awestruck.
They had heard of the mark bestowed by the Sea God Trial, but they had never heard of divine light descending directly to bestow a mark!
Seahorse Douluo stood rooted to the spot, his mind completely blank.
The shattered crystal ball was already beyond his understanding. Now, what were this sudden Sea God's Light and mysterious Golden Trident Mark?
Why would Li Qing's Martial Soul Awakening cause Lord Sea God to personally bestow a divine miracle?
That golden trident was no ordinary Sea God Trial mark. The aura it gave off was more ancient, more pure, and seemed to carry a hint of... recognition?
Just as Seahorse Douluo's thoughts reeled and he had no idea what to do—
"Whoosh!"
A dazzling golden streak shot from the direction of Sea God Hall, seemingly by teleportation. It moved so quickly that no one present could make out its trajectory.
As the golden light faded, an incomparably beautiful and noble woman appeared silently on the awakening platform, radiating peerless grace.
The newcomer was a woman dressed in a luxurious scarlet robe trimmed in gold, which showcased her graceful, statuesque figure to perfection.
Her deep-blue hair, like the ocean, fell all the way to her waist. Her breathtaking features seemed to embody the very beauty of heaven and earth, so exquisite they took one's breath away, yet they were imbued with a sacred majesty that brooked no irreverence.
In her hand, she held a golden scepter taller than she was, its tip set with a huge blue gemstone that radiated soft yet powerful energy.
Silver high heels adorned her feet, making her already tall figure seem even more statuesque.
Simply standing there, she seemed to become the center of the world. An air of elegance, sanctity, and power flowed naturally around her, inspiring everyone nearby to feel awe and bow in worship.
She was none other than Sea God Island's supreme ruler, the Sea God's High Priestess, the ninety-ninth-level Peerless Douluo—Bo Saixi!
Before you continue