HUFF...!
Su Ye woke with a start, bolting upright in bed, his chest heaving as he gulped down mouthfuls of fresh air.
A moment later, his eyes flickered and he subconsciously scanned his surroundings.
Then, Su Ye frowned, a look of confusion on his face.
'Where is this?'
It was a narrow, cramped, cold, and damp wooden room that smelled faintly of mildew.
Set into the wall was a small, round glass window, allowing a sliver of faint sunlight to filter into the room.
Without much hesitation, Su Ye threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked to the window to look outside.
The sight that greeted him made his expression freeze.
A vast, endless expanse of clear blue. Occasionally, a few white-bellied fish would leap from the water's surface.
'This is...'
'The ocean?!'
Considering his surroundings and the faint, constant rocking sensation...
'Am I on a ship?' Su Ye was astonished.
'A kidnapping?'
'But who would go to the trouble of kidnapping a recent graduate who couldn't even find a job?'
'And use a centuries-old wooden boat to do it?'
Before he could reach a conclusion, the faint reflection in the small glass window revealed his current appearance.
A handsome young man of about sixteen or seventeen, with eyes as black as lacquer and a somewhat pale complexion.
He was a few years younger and even had the kind of face that could easily charm a rich older woman.
But Su Ye couldn't bring himself to be happy.
'This isn't me!'
Just as Su Ye was reeling in shock and suspicion, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his mind.
"Ugh..." A flood of fragmented memories and images surged forth, and Su Ye clutched his temples in pain.
About a dozen minutes later, after absorbing all the memories, he finally raised his head, his expression complicated.
He had transmigrated!
He had arrived in a supernatural world where Cultivators existed, and he had taken over the body of a young man who shared his exact name: Su Ye.
According to the original owner's memories, this cultivation region was a vast, boundless ocean. Due to its countless islands, it was collectively known as the Yaoguang Islands.
Su Ye's home, Donglong Island, was one of these thousands of islands.
It possessed a second-rank Spirit Vein, its lands and waters were fertile, and it was home to millions of mortals.
Four years ago, the Foundation Establishment family that ruled Donglong Island, the Luo Family, sent cultivators to Su Ye's town to test the local children for Spiritual Roots.
Su Ye was found to have a low-grade Spiritual Root and was thus recruited by the Luo Family as an external member, granted a Cultivation Technique, and began to cultivate.
Now, at sixteen years old and at the second level of Qi Refining, Su Ye had been assigned to serve on the Flying Serpent, a Demon Hunting Ship belonging to Donglong the Luo Family.
'A Demon Hunting Ship?'
Those who live by the mountains live off the mountains; those who live by the sea live off the sea.
The Island Cultivation Realm lacked the vast lands of its inland counterpart. The Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine grown on the islands were barely enough to be self-sufficient.
Therefore, for most of the families and sects in the Yaoguang Islands, the lion's share of their income came from the nigh-inexhaustible supply of demon beasts in the ocean!
However... it was extremely dangerous!
A particularly vivid memory surfaced in Su Ye's mind.
The massive Flying Serpent activated its magical radiance, locking onto its prey. Then, several small, canoe-like Spiritual Boats were lowered by ropes.
He and a few companions paddled a small Spiritual Boat, advancing on a massive shadow under the water's surface. It was dozens of meters long, its ghostly white dorsal fin exposed.
With a mix of fear and excitement, they poured all their strength into the harpoons in their hands and hurled them with all their might!
Blood blossomed in the water!
But... this seemed to have thoroughly enraged the creature beneath the surface. The waves churned as a colossal force struck!
BANG!
The entire Spiritual Boat was capsized. The world spun as seawater swallowed his vision. The massive demon fish's silhouette glided past him, tearing another companion who had fallen overboard to shreds...
Of the six people in Su Ye's boat, four ended up as fish food!
"Haaa..." The memory was so realistic it made the hairs on Su Ye's arms stand on end.
'Hunting demons... it really is a perilous business!'
'No wonder a family-based power like the Luo Family actively recruits external members and provides them with Cultivation Techniques and resources...'
It was as if Su Ye understood something, and a chill went through his heart.
'Ugh... can I just pack up and run away?'
Honestly, Su Ye would rather be unemployed than do a dangerous and unpredictable job like demon hunting.
But after rubbing his throbbing temples and thinking for a moment, a troubled look appeared on his face.
It seemed... he had no choice at all!
'According to the agreement, external members like me have to serve the Luo Family on a Demon Hunting Ship for ten years, and we're not allowed to change jobs midway through...'
"Fuck! That's so crooked!" Su Ye couldn't help but curse.
According to his memories, the original owner had been serving on the ship for less than three months and had already faced a life-and-death crisis.
'Ten years?'
'At this rate, I'll be nothing but bones by the time it's over!'
Especially since, with a low-grade Spiritual Root like his, cultivation progress was slow.
Reaching the third level of Qi Refining within three years would be considered good; it was almost impossible to hope for any significant increase in his strength in the near future.
"Sigh..."
"The path of cultivation is a treacherous one..." Su Ye sighed.
'Other Transmigrators, even the unlucky ones, at least get to muddle through as a spirit farmer or a Talisman Master in some market town. Me? I start out on a death ship, doing a job where I risk my life every day!'
But just then.
DING-A-LING!
The crisp ringing of the ship's bell cut through Su Ye's thoughts!
'That bell means... all crew to the deck?'
Having just arrived, Su Ye didn't dare to be careless. Afraid of arousing suspicion, he quickly left his room.
This floor must have been the crew's quarters. As far as the eye could see, both sides of the long, narrow corridor were lined with wooden doors.
At that moment, the door directly opposite Su Ye's happened to open.
A dark, skinny teenager wearing a short-sleeved shirt and reeking of fish stepped out. He looked at Su Ye and greeted him warmly.
"Mr. Su, morning. Let's head to the deck together."
Su Ye's eyes flickered as he recalled the skinny teenager's identity.
Zhao Li. He was from Su Ye's hometown and had been tested alongside him, also being found to possess a low-grade Spiritual Root.
Their aptitudes were similar. The only difference was that Su Ye came from a wealthy merchant family, while Zhao Li was from a poor fishing household and always carried an unpleasant fishy smell.
The original owner hadn't been stupid, though. He hadn't put on airs. Instead, he had leveraged his worldliness and their shared background to look out for and win over Zhao Li.
Over time, the two naturally grew closer, with the younger boy addressing him as Mr. Su.
Mimicking the original owner's habit, Su Ye smiled and replied to Zhao Li, "Yeah, let's go."
Doors on both sides of the corridor opened one after another as a dozen or so crew members emerged. Su Ye and Zhao Li followed the flow of people up to the deck.
SLOSH!
The thick smell of blood assaulted them. A river of gore flowed freely across the deck!
The carcass of a demon fish, over twenty meters long and as large as a small hill, lay sprawled across more than half the deck!
"Don't just stand there gawking! Get to work!"
"It's been sitting here all night. We have to finish processing this demon fish today!"
A Luo Family steward, dressed in brocade Daoist robes, stood to the side, shouting orders at the crew.
Su Ye picked up a butchering knife and began to work on the demon fish's corpse alongside the other crew members.
Standing in the filthy blood, breathing in the pungent stench, and using a butchering knife to slice through the demon fish's tough hide and flesh was truly arduous work.
Even with the aid of the original owner's memories, Su Ye was soon panting and drenched in sweat. He even nearly cut his hand on a fish scale.
'So tiring. This job isn't just dangerous, it's back-breaking labor...' Su Ye let out a long breath, planning to slack off for a bit.
But just then.
A line of text suddenly appeared in his vision.
[Processing Catch, [Seaman] EXP +1]
'Huh?'
Su Ye froze. The next second, an irrepressible wave of ecstatic joy surged through him!
'Holy shit, I have a cheat ability.'