Meanwhile, Su Ye and Zhao Li were eating dinner.
On one side of the cafeteria, someone watched Su Ye, narrowing his eyes and muttering resentfully.
"This pretty boy gets a bit of good luck today and just becomes a full crew member?"
"It took me, Meng, a full two years on this ship before I was officially promoted!"
"Feng, am I right?"
The voice wasn't loud, but the cafeteria wasn't very large to begin with.
As a cultivator who had gone through two class promotions and had his physique enhanced, Su Ye heard every word perfectly.
"Hm?" Su Ye frowned and turned his head toward the source of the voice.
He saw three men sitting around a circular table.
One was fat, one was tall and skinny, and one was stout.
In front of each of them was a small bowl of demon fish meat, indicating their status as full crew members.
The one who had spoken was the tall, skinny man.
However, Su Ye's gaze quickly moved past him.
He looked at the man beside the tall, skinny one—a man with a sturdy build, an ordinary face, and an even somewhat impassive expression.
This was the "Feng" the skinny man had mentioned.
'Fourth level of Qi Refining...' Su Ye sensed the impassive man's Magical Power fluctuations.
'A Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.'
His heart stirred. After a moment of thought, he recalled the man's information.
Feng Dequan.
Like him, Feng Dequan was a member of the Luo Family with a different surname, but he was a very old hand.
This was already his fifth year of service!
Nothing else needed to be said; surviving for five years on a perilous Demon Hunting Ship was proof enough of his extraordinary capabilities.
Su Ye's brow furrowed slightly.
Fighting was forbidden on the Flying Serpent, so he wasn't afraid.
But he didn't want to get into a conflict with a Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator over such a pointless squabble.
Compared to Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators, those at the mid-stage had broken through a major bottleneck.
The strength of their Magical Power and their physical bodies showed significant improvement.
In actual combat, one Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator could often match three to four Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators!
Noticing the slight apprehension in Su Ye's gaze, the tall, skinny man grew even more smug.
He was about to act cocky with someone else's backing and continue his provocations.
Just then, a sturdy, calloused arm pressed down on his shoulder.
"Menghou, just eat your food."
Feng Dequan's impassive face betrayed no emotion as he pushed down, forcing Menghou back into his seat!
Menghou immediately fell silent, quiet as a mouse. He buried his head in his food without a hint of displeasure.
Then, Feng Dequan turned to Su Ye and nodded, a hint of goodwill in his eyes.
Su Ye was taken aback for a moment, then responded with a smile.
A potential conflict was resolved before it could even begin.
'He doesn't show his emotions, and he knows how to handle his subordinates. This man is someone to be reckoned with...'
Su Ye glanced at Feng Dequan, making a mental note of him.
After eating the demon fish meat, Spiritual Qi surged within him. Su Ye returned to his room and began to cultivate.
It was worth noting that after reaching [Seaman Lv. 2], his cultivation acceleration had also increased.
It had risen from the original 10% to 15%.
[Cultivation Acceleration in Progress: 15%]
...
The next two months passed quickly. During that time, things went smoothly, and there were no deaths or injuries.
And now, the Flying Serpent had been at sea for a full six months!
On this day, the ship's bell rang out on the deck, and the crew assembled.
Su Ye emerged from the mid-level cabins and followed the flow of people to gather on deck.
A few minutes later, the doors to the upper-level cabins opened.
Two figures emerged, one after the other. The person behind was none other than the first mate, Luo Jing.
Su Ye raised an eyebrow and looked at the person in front. 'Is that... the captain?'
Ever since they had set sail, the captain of the Flying Serpent had remained in seclusion, not even making daily inspections of the deck.
Su Ye searched his memories and found he could barely even recall the captain's face...
At that moment, the captain and first mate walked to a raised platform, looking down over the numerous crew members.
Su Ye looked up, squinting against the light to see the captain's face.
He was a handsome, elegant young gentleman with a scholarly air.
However, his overly pale skin gave him a somewhat gloomy and frail appearance.
Luo Qingjun, captain of the Flying Serpent.
Although he was the captain, his Magical Power fluctuations were only at the level of someone who had just entered the fifth level of Qi Refining.
The first mate, Luo Jing, on the other hand, was at the sixth level of Qi Refining...
'A captain whose cultivation is lower than his first mate's. The lord is weak while the minister is strong...' A sense of amusement flickered in Su Ye's mind.
As for how Luo Qingjun was able to surpass Luo Jing to become captain, Su Ye wasn't particularly surprised.
'Xi, Guang, Qing, Yuan... the generational names of the Luo Family's direct lineage.'
The Luo Family's generation poem was quite long, and the body's original owner couldn't be bothered to memorize it.
But he still remembered the names for the most recent four generations: Xiguang Qingyuan.
Luo Qingjun was from the 'Qing' generation of the Luo Family's direct lineage.
As a member of the direct lineage, it wasn't too outrageous for him to command a Demon Hunting Ship with a cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining.
At that moment, Luo Qingjun cleared his throat, faced the crew, and began to speak.
"Fellow crew members, the Flying Serpent has been at sea for half a year, and our gains have been substantial."
"After consulting with the first mate, I have decided to set course for the wind belt and return to Donglong Island."
As soon as he said this, joyful expressions appeared on the faces of many crew members.
"We're going home!"
"The captain is wise!"
By heading to the wind belt, they could use the power of the year-round gales to return home quickly.
Typically, once they reached the wind belt, it would only take two to three months for the Flying Serpent to return to Donglong Island!
'Returning...' Compared to the excited crew, Su Ye's expression was calm.
He glanced at his experience panel.
[Class: Seaman Lv. 2 (215/300)]
During the past two months, Su Ye had participated in another successful demon hunt.
However, it seemed that because he had merely participated in that hunt by throwing a few harpoons, and hadn't played a decisive role like he did with the Long-beaked Swordfish, Su Ye had only gained a dozen or so experience points from it.
As for the rest of his experience points, he had accumulated them through his daily hard work.
At this moment, Su Ye thought to himself.
'Even if the Flying Serpent is heading back and won't be hunting any more demons, I should still be able to level up and change my class before we dock...'
'Plus, after we dock, I'll get my share of the Spirit Stone earnings from this hunt.'
'I can also purchase some elixirs and use the Spirit Vein on Donglong Island to accelerate my cultivation!'
Considering all this, returning was actually a good thing for him.
...
The crew dispersed, and Luo Qingjun and Luo Jing returned to the upper-level cabins.
Luo Qingjun's face showed his displeasure.
"Why are we returning now?"
"The cargo hold is only seventy percent full. The profits this time will barely reach two thousand Spirit Stones. That's just a passing grade at best..."
"This is my first voyage!"
Luo Jing shot him a glance, his eyes cold with derision.
"So?"
"You expected to just stay cooped up in your room on bed rest every day and have the cargo hold fill itself up... is that it?"
Luo Jing couldn't be bothered to put on a pleasant face for this so-called "captain" who didn't even patrol the deck.
"You...!" Luo Qingjun's expression changed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Watch your attitude! I am the captain!"
The moment he mentioned that, Luo Jing's face darkened.
"The captain of the Flying Serpent should have been me!"
This worthless mutt only got the position because of his direct lineage and an elder for a father.
He was parachuted onto the Flying Serpent right before we set sail, taking the captain's position that should have been mine!
And I'm the one who has to bust his ass to make sure the profits from this hunt at least get a passing grade...
"Haaah..." Luo Jing took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.
"In any case, let's just get back quickly. You can take the profits from this voyage, pad your record, and get a comfortable transfer to another post."
"And then... I hope to never see you again!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Luo Jing stormed away.
Leaving Luo Qingjun standing there alone, his face alternating between pale and livid. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words.
"Luo Jing!"