Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship

According to the information obtained from the Soul Search performed on the Shu Family cultivators.

The native island was located within a Chaotic Reef District filled with turbulent whirlpools.

Furthermore, more than one type of second-rank demon beast frequented the area around that Chaotic Reef District...

The Shu Family cultivators had only managed to find a relatively safe route to the native island through a pure stroke of luck.

But even so, there was still a chance of encountering second-rank demon beasts!

Out of caution,

Su Ye did not go himself.

Instead, he spent some Spirit Stones to commission a team of Loose Cultivators.

The Donglong Island Marketplace had many Loose Cultivators trying to make a living, some of whom had a professional role similar to ’adventurers’.

Su Ye selected a team with a good reputation and ordered them to set out on a small, single-masted sailboat.

They were to carry resources the natives lacked, such as Spirit Rice, and attempt to negotiate.

’I hope they bring back good news...’

...

「A little over a month later.」

At the Donglong Island port, Su Ye sat in his portside residence, dressed in a black robe with a slightly grim expression.

A sturdy, well-built man with a listless aura stood cautiously in the main hall, reporting to Su Ye.

"Mr. Su, the first half of the route you gave us was fine."

"But on the latter half, two second-rank demon birds have built a nest and taken up residence..."

’Second-rank demon birds, and two of them?!’

Su Ye’s heart sank.

’Second-rank demon birds, known for their eyesight and mobility!’

’For any cultivator trying to pass through this route, they’re an absolute nightmare!’

"Wait... then how did you make it back alive?"

Su Ye suddenly thought of this and asked curiously.

With the speed and Defense Power of their small sailboat, it would have been impossible for them to escape the pursuit of second-rank demon birds.

"They must be in their breeding season. The male was out hunting for food at the time, leaving only the female in the nest incubating the eggs."

"Worried about the safety of her eggs, the female bird didn’t give chase. She just drove us away."

"But even so, we lost three men..."

The man’s face turned pale, a look of lingering fear appearing on it.

"I see..." Su Ye’s eyes showed he was pondering. After a moment of thought, he instructed a servant.

"Take him down to receive his reward."

The man bowed and departed gratefully.

Su Ye was lost in thought.

With second-rank demon birds nesting there, the Shu Family’s route was essentially useless.

’No, that’s not right...’

’The breeding season will eventually end. Once the chicks mature and leave the nest, the parents should move on as well...’

’Besides, I’m only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. I’m not in a hurry for the Sea Successor Remains.’

’I can wait,’ Su Ye mused.

Of course, Su Ye didn’t completely trust the man’s side of the story.

He instructed a few Luo Family cultivators to secretly monitor the man’s activities.

At the same time, Su Ye posted another bounty in the marketplace, commissioning a different team to go and investigate.

...

「One month later.」

The second team dispatched by Su Ye returned.

However, of the six who left, only one came back.

’Sent another team to their deaths...’

’Alright, it seems he was telling the truth...’

Listening to the survivor’s tale, the corner of Su Ye’s mouth twitched.

This team had bad luck. They ran into the male bird while it was out hunting and became its takeout.

Fortunately, the male bird left after it had its fill, leaving one survivor.

However, their deaths were not in vain. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Su Ye learned the species of the second-rank demon bird.

"Evil Celestial Auk."

A four-winged, blue-and-black feathered, extremely fast, amphibious demon beast with an Earth-grade bloodline!

A demon beast’s Earth-grade bloodline was comparable to a cultivator’s Earth Spiritual Root, meaning its combat power was relatively high among its peers!

Roughly equivalent to 1.3 Luo Xiyins not using talismans.

Two Evil Celestial Auks would be 2.6 Luo Xiyins.

He could only wait for their breeding season to end.

And based on the typical nesting period for this type of demon bird, that could take several years, perhaps even longer...

"Give him a larger reward..." Su Ye waved his hand, giving up on any further attempts for now.

’Sigh... I’m not in a rush... I’ll just wait patiently.’

...

「In the blink of an eye, a year had passed since the end of the Luo-Shu war.」

Donglong Island port.

Aboard the Golden Sword Orchid, in the captain’s quarters.

Su Ye, who was sitting cross-legged, finished his cultivation and exhaled a long breath of clear air.

VMMMM!

His eyes opened, the faint blue spiritual light within his pupils shining brighter than ever!

’I’m about half a month’s progress away from the sixth level of Qi Refining...’

’But my Azure Dragon Force cultivation has broken through to the second level of Body Refining!’

Su Ye made this judgment after a Spiritual Self-Inspection.

This speed was a bit slower than his original estimate.

It wasn’t because Su Ye had been slacking off, addicted to Luo Qing’e’s ice cream, and neglecting his cultivation.

Rather, after the state of war had ended, it was unreasonable to demand the crew be on standby 24/7.

Even using ’guarding against the Qi Family’ as an excuse, the Golden Sword Orchid only conducted patrols periodically.

But the frequency of these patrols couldn’t match the wartime pace.

As a result, the progress of Su Ye’s cultivation—the experience points he gained—had inevitably slowed down.

"Sigh, why do crew members need vacations?"

Su Ye lamented with some regret.

’Human crew members need time off. So weak!’

But there was nothing to be done.

According to Su Ye’s tests, only beings with high intelligence and a cultivation base could be classified as ’crew members’.

Mortals, mindless puppets, and low-rank spiritual beasts with undeveloped sentience were not counted among the crew.

The panel’s strict criteria quashed any of Su Ye’s little ideas about exploiting loopholes.

’However, as my Cultivation Realm and the spirit ship’s rank increase...’

’Perhaps in the future, I’ll be able to ’create’ some excellent crew members who are sentient and never leave their posts?’

Su Ye mused to himself.

He recalled a movie from his past life, with those seafood-like crewmen trapped on the Flying Dutchman, forever without freedom.

The Cultivation Realm was full of mysterious methods: Witchcraft and Gu, Curse Skills, Corpse Refinement...

’It shouldn’t be too hard to draw inspiration from and imitate them, right?’

’In that case, for some enemies whose crimes don’t warrant death, I could totally spare their lives!’

’Or I could even recruit from the public, with a slogan like, ’Once you board my ship, all past grievances are wiped clean’?’

’I could plant a curse on them so they can never disembark, then have them serve until their lifespans are exhausted...’

’Yes, very humane.’

Su Ye nodded in satisfaction.

...

After finishing his cultivation for the day, Su Ye stepped onto the empty deck, enjoying the sea breeze.

"TSK TSK TSK..."

Leaning against the ship’s rail, he held out a hand full of corn kernels.

Before long, the sweet corn kernels attracted a flock of gray port pigeons.

A row of pigeons stood on the railing, craning their necks hesitantly.

Several more impatiently flapped their wings by Su Ye’s hand, or even landed right on it to peck at the corn.

Su Ye had been coming to feed them often during this period and had a good relationship with the flock.

’Coo coo, so cute~’

Feeding the pigeons, Su Ye’s mind was peaceful and relaxed.

Just then,

a Luo Family Demon Hunting Ship sailed in from the sea, arriving at the port.

"Hm?"

Su Ye had only glanced casually, but his brow twitched. A thoughtful expression on his face, he started walking toward the docks.

Soon, crewmen from the Demon Hunting Ship disembarked, supporting one another. Their faces were grim, and many of them were injured.

"The damn Qi Family, they’ve gone too far!"

...

...