Night fell, and the long day's work was done.
The Luo Family's manager gazed approvingly at the demon fish's remains—a pristine white skeleton, picked as clean as if devoured by a swarm of ants.
"A job well done. Everyone gets an extra serving of demon fish for dinner tonight."
Of course, the crew members who didn't share the Luo name weren't given the fresh demon fish. They received frozen meat stored in the Ice Crystal Pod.
The storage space in the Flying Serpent's Ice Crystal Pod was limited, so fresh demon fish meat was given priority.
As for the older, frozen stock, throwing it away would be a waste. But left in the ship's hold, it would rot within days. So, it was passed off as a "perk" in the crew's meals.
"The texture's not bad," Su Ye remarked, chopsticks in hand as he chewed the demon fish meat.
Even frozen, the demon fish was still tender and tasty.
More importantly, after eating the demon fish, a surge of Spiritual Qi rose within him. It circulated through his meridians, a great boon for his cultivation!
"Mr. Su, I'm heading back to my room to cultivate," Zhao Li said before hurrying away.
Su Ye glanced around. Most of the other crew members in the dining hall were doing the same.
The demon fish was too precious; no one wanted to waste its effects.
He followed the crowd and returned to his room as well.
WHOOSH.
A single Dust Cleaning Skill cleansed him of the blood and grime he'd accumulated.
Still, he was a bit of a neat freak, so he changed into a set of clean clothes.
Then, he sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing, mechanically circulating the Ghost Water Skill.
Su Ye had a low-grade Spiritual Root, but his highest Spiritual Energy Sensitivity was to the water element. That was why he had chosen this water-based Cultivation Technique from the Luo Family.
Aided by the original owner's memories and his own experience from two lives, Su Ye quickly adapted and became proficient in circulating the Ghost Water Skill.
He even had the mental capacity to let his thoughts wander.
'The Luo Family is surprisingly generous when it comes to Cultivation Techniques. This Ghost Water Skill qualifies as a Small Treasure Skill.'
'Of course, it can't compare to the high-level techniques that serve as the cornerstone of a sect or great family, but it's clearly a cut above the common, garden-variety ones…'
'The original owner found out that even within the Luo Family, many members outside the direct bloodline cultivate the Ghost Water Skill. That means there probably aren't any hidden pitfalls in the technique itself.'
Overall, Su Ye was satisfied with the Ghost Water Skill. At least until he reached Foundation Establishment, there was no need for him to switch techniques.
'The only problem is that as a non-family member, I don't have the complete Ghost Water Skill, all nine layers of it…'
The version of the Ghost Water Skill Su Ye had only contained the first four layers, enough to support his cultivation only up to the Mid-stage Qi Refining realm.
The reason was self-evident.
'This is just another lock, using the Cultivation Technique to make sure I don't run off…' Su Ye sighed softly.
The Luo Family truly went to great lengths to bind non-family members like him to the Demon Hunting Ship.
Sigh. The Luo Family.
'Ah, whatever. We're not friends or family; there's no such thing as a free lunch…' Su Ye shook his head.
The Luo Family had guided his predecessor onto the path of cultivation. No matter how you looked at it, that was a favor. To put it more dramatically, it was a stroke of immortal fate!
But their actions—forcing people onto a Demon Hunting Ship to undertake such a perilous job—was their way of cashing in that favor.
He didn't resent them for it. He would continue to do his duty as a crewman on the Demon Hunting Ship.
He'd just treat it as a transaction.
But if they expected him to unconditionally serve the Luo Family after he made something of himself, they were dreaming.
'The most they can expect is that I won't turn on them later,' Su Ye thought.
「An hour and a half later.」
Su Ye opened his eyes.
His cultivation of the Ghost Water Skill was finished for the day.
Cultivators in the Early-stage Qi Refining realm have limited meridian strength. Normally, they'd feel strained after cultivating for just one hour a day.
They could push themselves, but not only would their efficiency plummet, they'd risk overloading their meridians—or even injuring them, hindering their future progress.
However, Su Ye had eaten the demon fish meat today.
The Spiritual Qi it contained nourished his meridians, so he was able to cultivate for an extra half hour.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, Su Ye was startled by a realization.
"Huh?"
'Did my Magical Power increase more than usual today?'
He was certain it wasn't because of the demon fish. The body's previous owner had eaten it several times after boarding the ship, so he had memories to serve as a baseline.
'Why is that?'
Suddenly, a thought struck Su Ye.
He opened the virtual panel.
And there, next to the [Realm: Level 2 Qi Refining] entry, was a small, upward-pointing arrow!
With a thought, Su Ye's consciousness 'touched' the arrow symbol.
As if opening an expanded menu, lines of text appeared.
[Cultivation Acceleration: 10%]
[Flying Serpent: Tier 1 High-Grade Spirit Ship (45%)]
[Crew Members: 57/50 (10%)]
[Crew Morale: 64/50 (10%)]
[Total Cultivation Acceleration: 65%]
[Limited by Profession Level [Seaman Lv. 1], you can currently only enjoy 10% of the cultivation acceleration.]
"Cultivation acceleration!" Su Ye's spirits soared, and he sat bolt upright.
No wonder he felt he'd gained more Magical Power than usual!
Su Ye couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement.
This body only had a low-grade Spiritual Root. He was also forced to serve on a Demon Hunting Ship, unable to benefit from a family's Spirit Vein.
Even the work perk of regularly eating demon fish only served to offset the disadvantage of not having a Spirit Vein.
Su Ye had agonized over the problem of his slow cultivation speed, but he'd never found a solution.
'When you were limited by your innate talent, what could you do?'
Before, Su Ye had thought the only solution was to use his attribute-boosted combat power.
To fight, to snatch, to plunder more resources to make up for his deficient aptitude!
But now...
'Maybe he wouldn't have to?'
'Even though it's only a 10% cultivation acceleration now, it definitely won't be limited to this in the future!'
Su Ye was full of confidence.
With cultivation acceleration, both the speed and safety of his cultivation would undoubtedly improve!
Beaming with joy, Su Ye stared at the panel for a long time before closing it in satisfaction.
He extinguished the oil lamp, and darkness instantly flooded the room.
Su Ye lay on his bed. The moonlight filtered through the small glass window, casting a faint glow into the room.
"This bed is hard as a rock..." Su Ye muttered, burrowing into his blankets.
He tossed and turned a few times but couldn't find a comfortable position. In the end, he just gave up trying.
Su Ye lay flat on his back. He closed his eyes but couldn't sleep, so he opened them again and stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling.
"So I really... crossed over," Su Ye sighed.
Tonight was his first full night in this new world.
As for how he felt...
Exhausted.
Utterly exhausted.
The accumulated exhaustion from a full day's labor washed over him now that he was finally resting.
Su Ye felt drained, too tired to even lift a finger.
But...
'This exhaustion... it actually felt... relaxing?'
After all, this was purely physical fatigue.
It wasn't like his past life, where he'd lie in bed at night, tossing and turning.
Back then, his mind would be filled with regret for another wasted day, mixed with a bleak pessimism for the future. The combination of psychological pressures left him utterly drained, body and soul.
Su Ye summoned the panel, watching the faint blue light ripple across its surface.
The experience points he'd earned proved that today hadn't been a waste.
And the panel's wondrous power was enough to convince him that his future was anything but bleak!
The bed was hard, but that night, Su Ye slept soundly.