The journey went exceptionally smoothly. After nearly half a day of the ship traveling at full speed, they finally entered the area where He Jie's team hunted demonic beasts. Each team member had their own specific duties. For example, He Jie's younger brother, He Ze, was responsible for tracking and scouting due to his exceptional skills in these areas. As a new member, Zhang Yiyi had not yet coordinated with the others, so He Jie initially assigned her the simplest role—defense. Further responsibilities would be allocated once she became familiar with the team's workflow.

Defense involved standing guard while the rest of the team located and hunted their target. Zhang Yiyi's role was to prevent sudden attacks by other demonic beasts or interference by opportunistic cultivators who might take advantage of the team's focus during the hunt.

He Ze was skilled at selecting prey and luring targets. For instance, among fourth-stage demonic beasts, he could always pick the ones that required less effort to subdue and fetched a better price. His extensive knowledge of the species, characteristics, and habits of demonic beasts in this sea area was invaluable.

Liu Song and Zhang You were the main attackers. Their cooperation—one attacking openly and the other striking from the shadows—focused on exploiting the beasts' weak points, making them the team's primary offensive force.

He Jie assisted with the finishing blows and efficiently dismembered the beasts, sorting out and collecting every usable part with precision. Nothing went to waste.

By contrast, Zhang Yiyi's role as a symbolic defender on the first day felt almost redundant, as if she were freeloading.

"Big Sister He, do you need any help?" Zhang Yiyi asked after the team had successfully hunted three fourth-stage demonic beasts. Feeling somewhat guilty about sharing the loot without contributing much, she couldn't help but offer assistance.

He Jie was busy dissecting the carcass of a demonic beast, sorting its valuable parts into categories for storage. Space in their storage pouches was limited, so proper processing was essential to maximize the number of beasts they could bring back.

"There's no need. You wouldn't be able to handle this yet," He Jie replied without stopping her deft movements. "The difference between an experienced hand and a novice can significantly affect the value of what we sell. But feel free to observe and ask questions if you don't understand something."

Despite Zhang Yiyi's lack of contributions so far, none of the team members were displeased about sharing spirit stones with her. A single trip to sea could last anywhere from ten days to several months; focusing too much on small, immediate gains was short-sighted.

"Don't worry. This is just the beginning," He Ze chimed in with a good-natured tone. "Once you've gotten the hang of our routines, there'll be plenty for you to do. We'll be in this area for at least a month, so there'll be no shortage of opportunities."

Zhang Yiyi nodded with a smile, deciding not to force herself into the fray.

In less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn, He Jie had finished cleaning up the battlefield. Even the bloodstains and stench had been dealt with. The ship set off again to search for their next target.

Throughout the journey, Zhang Yiyi primarily interacted with He Jie, with whom she had quickly built a rapport. Occasionally, He Ze would join in their conversations. Liu Song and Zhang You, however, had yet to exchange more than a few words with her.

The atmosphere among the group was pleasant. There were no troublemakers or internal conflicts, making their simple partnership refreshingly normal.

He Jie was in high spirits. Within a short period, they had successfully hunted three fourth-stage demonic beasts, which could fetch a minimum of 1,500 low-grade spirit stones in total. After dividing the earnings proportionally, each team member would receive several hundred spirit stones.

If their luck continued, they would recover the maintenance cost of their ship within another day, and everything beyond that would be pure profit.

"1,500?" Zhang Yiyi asked reflexively, surprised. "Three fourth-stage demonic beasts are worth only 1,500 low-grade spirit stones?"

By that calculation, each beast was worth only 500 low-grade spirit stones.

"Yes, and that's already a decent amount," He Jie replied with a nod.

He Jie, of course, noticed the surprise in Zhang Yiyi's tone. This young woman clearly thought fourth-stage demonic beasts were being sold at an unreasonably low price.

She explained, "There's no helping it. Scattered cultivators have very limited means of making a living. Many of them make their living hunting beasts here in Canglang Sea, which means there's an oversupply. With so many demonic beasts being hunted, their materials naturally lose value."

Zhang Yiyi thought it made sense. The demonic beasts in the sea seemed unclaimed, free for anyone to hunt, but the reality was that the materials always ended up being sold to stores owned by various families. These families operated in similar ways, squeezing as much value as they could from scattered cultivators.

"Then we just have to hunt more beasts," Zhang Yiyi said thoughtfully after a moment, realizing that making a fortune by hunting demonic beasts wasn't exactly a reliable path.

"It's not that simple," He Jie laughed. "Don't let today's luck fool you. Hunting three fourth-stage beasts so quickly is rare. Normally, it doesn't go this smoothly. While the Canglang Sea has plenty of demonic beasts, most cultivators target third- and fourth-stage beasts. Over time, the numbers dwindle in these areas. Going deeper into the sea might yield higher-stage beasts, but the risks increase significantly.

"Fifth- and sixth-stage beasts are far more valuable. Just the core of one can sell for hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones. But what's the use if we lack the strength to claim them? Without spirit stones, we can't cultivate; without cultivation, we can't hunt higher-stage beasts. It's a vicious cycle.

"This is why life is so difficult for scattered cultivators. Many recognize the trap but are powerless to escape it. Some take risks, but true success stories are exceedingly rare. Most who venture too far never return."

The power ceiling in this small world was limited to the Nascent Soul stage. Nascent Soul cultivators were rare and usually belonged to influential families. They wouldn't bother hunting demonic beasts in the Canglang Sea since it was seen as beneath their status.

That left low- to mid-stage scattered cultivators as the majority in these hunting grounds. Their limited range meant that even the lower-stage beasts in the outer seas were becoming scarcer. To hunt more, they had to venture deeper into the sea, which was fraught with dangers beyond their ability to handle.

He Jie sighed. "Spirit stones are becoming harder to earn. At best, we can only hope for good luck each time we venture out." She glanced at Zhang Yiyi and added, "To someone like you, this may feel like a trial or experience, but for us, it's pure survival."

He Jie had long suspected that Zhang Yiyi's claim of being a scattered cultivator was a cover. She seemed more like a sheltered child of a well-off family. However, He Jie bore no inherent dislike for such people, despite the fact that most resources in this world were monopolized by families of all sizes.

"I heard that many small families recruit guest cultivators with a minimum requirement of late Foundation Establishment. Have you ever thought about joining a family as a guest cultivator?" Zhang Yiyi asked, glancing toward Liu Song and Zhang You at the other end of the boat.

Judging by the spirit stones earned from their hunts, guest cultivator roles seemed to offer better income and greater safety. With Liu Song and Zhang You both appearing to have been at late Foundation Establishment for some time, they should qualify for such roles.

"Of course we've thought about it," He Jie said helplessly. "But the competition is fierce, and families recruit very few. People like us, with no connections and average strength, rarely get selected. Besides, Liu Song and the others didn't want to split from He Ze and me, so we gave up on that idea and formed our own team instead."

He Jie's words revealed the struggles of the lowest-tier scattered cultivators. While her explanation was genuine, she also harbored a small ulterior motive. She believed that Zhang Yiyi, being so young and already at mid Foundation Establishment, had to come from a family with significant resources. This suggested she held a considerable position in her family, making her someone worth befriending.

Zhang Yiyi, however, quickly realized He Jie's underlying intentions. She felt awkward but didn't find He Jie's approach offensive. Life was hard, and He Jie wasn't crossing any ethical lines—her behavior was understandable.

But Zhang Yiyi also knew she couldn't fulfill He Jie's expectations. She wasn't a privileged family member but a newly minted low-tier guest cultivator herself. She didn't have the influence or resources to help anyone.

Realizing this, Zhang Yiyi decided to distance herself a little, avoiding conversations that might give He Jie false hope.

He Jie noticed the subtle shift in Zhang Yiyi's attitude and sighed quietly, turning her gaze toward the endless sea.

Fortunately, the silence didn't last long.

Their good luck continued, and before long, He Ze signaled the discovery of another demonic beast. With work to be done, everyone quickly focused on their tasks.

Days passed swiftly. By the twenty-third day, Zhang Yiyi had become well-integrated into the team. They had hunted over 200 demonic beasts, ranging from third- to fourth-stage. Even with her smaller share, Zhang Yiyi earned nearly 10,000 low-grade spirit stones. The others, naturally, earned even more.

This trip had been far more fruitful than any of their previous ventures, and the group even joked that Zhang Yiyi had brought them good luck. Their camaraderie improved, and Zhang Yiyi had transitioned from a newcomer to a trusted team member, contributing both in defense and as an assist in battles.

Despite this, Zhang Yiyi often had to suppress her true strength to blend in. She had already decided that this would be her last time working with a team. Her real goal wasn't to earn spirit stones but to refine her techniques, which she could do more freely on her own.

"Big Sis, when are we heading back?" He Ze asked, suggesting they quit while ahead. Twenty-three days in, they had already exceeded expectations.

Before He Jie could respond, Zhang Yiyi, who had been sitting at the bow of the ship, suddenly turned toward the calm southeastern sea. Her voice was steady but serious.

"It's here—a sixth-stage demonic beast!"