Chapter 2671: Hundreds of Boats Competing

"It doesn't make sense. For a lottery, a larger number is naturally better. Whoever made this rule is just messing around," Lu Ye complained as he walked.

The problem was that the number on his lot was ironically 'too auspicious.'

Su Yan suppressed a smile. The two little ones were still gnawing on the giant fruits. The previous two had been eaten, so Lu Ye bought them two more.

However, remembering that he wasn't the only one out of luck – the two little ones had also been eliminated in the first round, and only Su Yan had advanced to the next – Lu Ye felt a little more balanced.

Turning his head, Lu Ye noticed some people playing chess nearby.

This was clearly another kind of test, but unlike the fierce combat of the arena battles, this type of competition involved no weapons.

He knew for certain that he was terrible at chess; there was no need to even consider it.

Lu Ye then saw tests involving alchemy and artifact crafting. After wandering for a while, he couldn't help but scratch his head, "Yan'er, isn't there any test here that directly grants qualification to enter the Tower of Time?"

None of the tests were one-shot deals. Just like Su Yan, she had only advanced to the next round and still had to wait for notification.

Su Yan pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems there is one test that qualifies directly."

"Where?" Lu Ye's eyes lit up.

"I'll ask Yin'er," Su Yan said, sending a message.

A short while later, she received a reply and beckoned, "Senior Brother, follow me."

Lu Ye, holding a small one in each hand, stepped forward to follow.

A few moments later, Lu Ye looked at a remarkable sight ahead: a massive waterfall cascading down from the void. The water of the waterfall wasn't actually water; its origin and destination were unknown.

It hung eerily in that section of the void, roaring with power.

Many cultivators were gathered below, waiting.

"'A Hundred Boats Competing for Flow!'" Su Yan explained, pointing upwards. "Senior Brother, do you see the shining pearl above the waterfall?"

Lu Ye looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw a glimmer of light within the waterfall. However, it was obscured by the spray, and he wouldn't have noticed it if Su Yan hadn't pointed it out.

"Yin'er said that if anyone is capable of taking that pearl, they won't need to participate in the next round; they'll directly qualify to enter the Tower of Time."

Lu Ye nodded, then quickly looked puzzled. "Why does it seem like all the participants in this test are Dragon Descendants?"

Dragon Descendants, as they were called, were those with a dragon bloodline, but not pure-blooded dragons.

It wasn't surprising that Lu Ye could tell, as the physical characteristics of these Dragon Descendants were too obvious: some had dragon horns, some had dragon heads, and many more were covered in dragon scales.

Su Yan explained, "Because of this particular test, Dragon Descendants have a significant advantage when participating. Yin'er said it seems to be a confrontation with temporal power, so even if cultivators of other races participate, they have no chance of winning. Over time, 'A Hundred Boats Competing for Flow' has become exclusively for Dragon Descendants. You could say it has now evolved into a test specifically for them."

Lu Ye understood.

If it involved a confrontation with temporal power, then other races indeed had no advantage, only Dragon Descendants.

"But Senior Brother, don't worry," Su Yan reassured him. "Spatial power is equivalent to temporal power to some extent, so you can use spatial power to counter it just the same."

Lu Ye wasn't worried about anything; he was just wondering if he could retrieve the pearl hanging at the very top of the waterfall.

However, since things had come to this, he could only try. Even if he failed, qualifying for the next round shouldn't be a problem.

At worst, he could simply guard a platform like Su Yun, which would be a bit tedious but would at least guarantee him a spot in the Tower of Time.

"Then, Yan'er, wait for me here for a bit," Lu Ye said, entrusting the two little ones to Su Yan before heading towards the registration area.

A moment later, he stood beneath the waterfall, holding a small wooden boat, a strange expression on his face.

This wooden boat was the tool for this competition. Since it was "A Hundred Boats Competing for Flow," such a tool was naturally required. It could be considered a treasure, but its grade was too low.

After all, it was distributed for free, so it couldn't be too expensive.

The crucial point was that the boat could not be damaged during the competition; otherwise, he would be directly eliminated.

In other words, Lu Ye would not only have to contend with temporal power but also allocate some of his strength to protect the wooden boat.

He looked around and saw a considerable number of Dragon Descendants participating, nearly a thousand of them, each appearing strangely shaped.

"What are you looking at?" a Dragon Descendant with a dragon's head on his left suddenly glared at him fiercely.

Lu Ye looked innocent; he was just glancing around and hadn't been deliberately staring at anyone.

"Do you also have dragon bloodline?" The Dragon Descendant scrutinized Lu Ye. Among this group of participants, Lu Ye was definitely an anomaly, as he showed no dragon characteristics whatsoever on the surface. "You're not a human, are you?"

Lu Ye didn't bother to respond, remaining silent.

"You brat, just you wait." Unexpectedly, the Dragon Descendant adopted a relentless stance.

After waiting a bit longer, as the Hegemon presiding over the test waved his hand, Lu Ye felt the wooden boat in his hand suddenly surge, then expand to the size of a person.

Lu Ye leaped onto the single wooden boat, enveloped it with his power, and launched himself toward the waterfall in front of him.

A massive resistance hit him, and for a moment, he lost his balance, almost falling over.

"Haha, you really are a human!" The Dragon Descendant who had just spoken to Lu Ye burst into laughter upon seeing his discomfiture. With power surging around him, he landed steadily on the waterfall, his wooden boat cutting through the waves and moving rapidly upstream, quickly disappearing into the distance.

To his left and right, numerous Dragon Descendants employed various methods. Their wooden boats, like fish, darted through the waterfall, though their speeds varied.

"Sister Su Yan, your husband looks so clumsy," Feng Erwu said, pointing at Lu Ye while eating a fruit.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone else has gone, but he's still spinning in place," Huang Erliu agreed, nodding.

Su Yan immediately turned and glared at them. "Spit out everything you've eaten!"

The two little ones immediately shrank their necks.

At the bottom of the waterfall, Lu Ye slowly stabilized himself, having figured out a bit of the trick.

The force of the cascading waterfall wasn't actually strong; he could easily resist it. The crucial point was that the sweeping force also contained temporal power.

This wasn't a waterfall at all; it was practically a long river of time!

It was precisely for this reason that Dragon Descendants held a greater advantage than other races in this kind of competition: they all possessed a degree of dragon bloodline and cultivated temporal power, though its strength varied.

Cultivators of other races, no matter how powerful, would expend significantly more energy in resisting the sweep of temporal power, putting them at a natural disadvantage. How could they possibly compete with Dragon Descendants?