In a far distance.
A large houseboat was sailing up at top speed.
It seemed like a magical boat, with never-ending thrust power.
It was cut through big waves while traversing at top speed.
A beautiful melody could be heard from the boat. There were drums and bells.
A subtle tune.
Classical and light-hearted.
It made them feel refreshed and energized.
In a blink of an eye, it was already much closer to them.
The elder looked astonished, "Well, young master, you were right about this boat! It is a trick of an ancient almighty being!".
The young practitioner squinted his eyes to look at the boat, "A welcoming vessel, it could only be conjured by someone above the level of a Great Saint. This ancient relic is remarkable! It's from the previous era!".
The elder nodded his head, "You are very knowledgeable, young master? Yes, this is a legendary welcoming vessel, only a great practitioner could win its favor. It is extremely picky about its passengers.".
The people were curious.
The young master couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by that, senior?".
Struck by a wave of joy, the elder broke into a kind smile.
"One must be of a certain caliber to attract the attention of the vessel. But the type of boathouse that appears is still determinant on your level of status."
He was smiling as the boat approached them.
"Like this one, it must be the most superior! Only someone of great caliber could release such a majestic boat. The less power it recognizes, the smaller the boat. The smallest one would probably be a canoe. You won't be able to tell where it'll carry you though, it could be somewhere good, it could be somewhere bad."
"I see, you must stand at the river bay…" the young master looked dejected.
He had searched the grounds umpteen times but he had never been to the river bay.
Nothing floated in this river, it was too dangerous!
He never thought that such opportunities existed by the river.
If he had appeared sooner by the river, the great boat would have taken him someplace nice!
He was sure about that.
He was a tad regretful now.
The experienced practitioner was accompanied by another young talent.
He was a westerner from earth.
He had golden hair and a big build, a rather handsome lad.
He stepped out and said, "I wonder what kind of boat would appear if I stood by the river.".
The young practitioner and the elder were elated, the ship was about to arrive in another five minutes.
It seemed like victory was before their eyes.
The young practitioner urged him, "You can go ahead and try! If a boat appears, it would be your luck and your fortune!".
The westerner replied in fluent Mandarin, "Are you for real?".
"Of course! I'll honor my words," the young practitioner replied.
"Great!" the foreigner marched to the edge of the river.
Everyone else looked eager to try it themselves.
This was a relic from the previous era!
Who knew what kind of treasures it hid?
They would be blessed with just one magical item.
The group of them clamored to the edge of the bay waiting to showcase their powers.
They just wanted to know what kind of boat would appear for them.
They knew a fight laid ahead of them.
They weren't naïve fools. The first boat must have ferried someone important and formidable.
But they were light-hearted. They were confident that the young practitioner and the elder were powerful enough to combat whoever who was on the other boat.
The young practitioner must be the most influential being on earth now.
Not even anyone from the Floating city would be his match!
Perhaps, not even Chu Yu!
What son of the earth.
Don't be ridiculous.
Chu Yu was just a hillbilly that rose from being a punk.
How could he be compared to this young practitioner from a distant galaxy?
This guy was the descendant of a mighty family!
They were just conserving their powers when they chose not to antagonize the Floating city.
They must have a greater plan.
This practitioner in front of them was different from that hooligan in the floating city.
Chu Yu occupied himself with local brawls and neighborhood scuffles.
The young practitioner and the elder didn't pay any attention to such unworldly distractions.
They were only afraid of one person in the world.
It was Yi.
But Yi was gone.
The young practitioner and the elder had told them that Yi would never return.
The Earth was their oyster!
This group was comprised of heirs to great clans and families on earth.
Their families had drawn up their own plans without Chu Yu.
They didn't want to put all their eggs in one basket.
On one hand, they responded cordially to the Floating city, on the other, they sent all their heirs to the same place. To be together with the young master here.
Even if they were followers, it was better to follow a survivor than to follow Chu Yu to their graves.
These influential families were extremely scheming.
Even if… purely hypothetical.
Even if the Floating city really won the battle at the end, they had prepared their stance.
Excuses were easy to find.
They would just explain that their younger members were foolish and disobedient, that they have fallen into the lure of a bunch of thugs. They would demand their young ones to be punished, to be locked up!
They were just going to be locked up at home, it was no big deal.
They had it all thought out.
The solar system would fall sooner or later.
It was a matter of time.
If they sent their descendants to follow the young master, they would be of influential statuses when peace was regained!
The young ones followed the plans well too.
They would obey the young master and the practitioner, acting meek and loyal.
Occasionally they would let themselves go for a bit of fun.
Like right now.
A dozen of them were lined up by the riverside.
Teasing one another.
"Shall we bet? Let's see whose boat will be larger!"
"Hahaha, sounds like a solid bet! I'll bet on myself!"
"What are the stakes?"
"I just received the eldest daughter of a respected family, although she is only a Supreme Realm practitioner, she is extremely beautiful. Her voice is sweet and melodic. I haven't called dibs on her yet, I'll use her as stakes!"
It was a young master from a financial corporation on Earth. Dressed in a set of custom suits, he looked extremely handsome.
Someone else chipped in, "Mr. Zhou, your chick is pretty darn fair, you bear to part with her?".
"Of course, of course! Who says that I am going to lose anyway?"
"I have a magical pill on me that could upgrade you to the True Lord level immediately!"
"I have a magical object, it's quite powerful…"
"I have…"
The young men were joking around betting on their treasured items.
A couple of middle-aged men in the group were standing far away, they looked disinterested.
What treasures hadn't they seen?
Money?
Power?
Women?
Haha, they had it all!
Materials?
Pills?
Metals?
Magical objects?
The young master was generous and had gifted them plenty before.
All of them were equipped with magical objects.
"Hey! You guys, aren't you guy going to participate?"
One of them shook his head nonchalantly, "We'll pass.".
"Hey, come on, let's all have a bit of fun! Don't be a Debbie downer!" Mr. Zhou remarked.
Motherf*cker!
The older men were expressionless. How dare you consider us as equals.
The younger men walked away seeing the snobby looks the older men gave them.
They weren't too bothered.
It wasn't like they were going to be best friends in one or two days.
They could take things slow and develop their camaraderie in time to come.
The bunch of them waited a long while for the boats to appear.
But there were none in sight.
The men's faces looked gray.
The elder laughed, "What are you guys troubled over? Maybe the boats only appear one at a time. Stop fooling around, come on over. When this matter is settled, I'll let you guys play around here for a couple of days in search of your own fortune!".
Even though they were ants, even if they were dung… they had their value.
They could be used as fertilizers, am I right?
The elder knew how to appease them.
It was like feeding their pets.
The group of them walked back happily.
They didn't think much of it.
The elder, however, looked slightly worried.
The situation… was odd!
He had read about welcoming boats, it wasn't like this!
The vessel will appear for whoever that was deserving of the fortune.
If there were ten deserving candidates, ten corresponding boats would appear.
Even if a hundred-people appeared by the river bay.
It was a masterful trick, accurate and consistent.
If none of the boats appeared when the group of them stood by the edge.
There could only be one explanation.
There wasn't any fortune left in this place!
He squinted to look at the approaching boat, "Who is that… on the boat?".