As time passed, everyone's energy was increasingly depleted. Some had already sustained injuries, their clothes stained with blood, but no one retreated.
After Ye Yu executed another Divine Departure with his twin blades, the Ice Spears ahead shattered. He stepped on the air, creating a sonic boom, and propelled himself upward with the recoil, reaching out with his right hand.
Finally, his hand touched the vortex. In an instant, the Ice Spears dissipated, and the bone-chilling cold of the space vanished.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling an overwhelming warmth, and cheered excitedly, "We made it!"
"That was really tough."
"Even our Dominant Feather Pirate Crew struggled so much. No other pirate crew could have faced this alone and succeeded."
...
Lin Muxue and the others looked extremely displeased. As enemies, they had inadvertently helped Ye Yu pass this high-difficulty Mystic Realm.
Li Cang tried to console them, "Actually, we also gained some benefits. We participated and can earn experience. Given the difficulty of this Mystic Realm, the experience must be substantial."
Lin Muxue's eyes lit up, her anger slightly subsiding. She sneered, "We all put in a lot of effort, especially me with the Rumble Rumble Fruit. I'm sure I'll get a good share of the experience! Not only will my strength improve, but I'll also get to annoy Ye Yu. Most importantly, I'll annoy Ye Yu! These past few days, he's been driving me so mad, I feel like I'm developing lumps in my chest!"
Ye Yu overheard and asked, "Lumps from anger? Do you want me to massage them away for you?"
Lin Muxue fumed, "Shameless!"
Ye Yu warned, "Then you better not let me give you breast cancer from all this anger."
Lin Muxue thought coldly, "Soon, it'll be your turn to be angry."
However, just as she was secretly gloating about the experience she would gain, a notification rang out.
"The person who touched the vortex receives 50% of the experience from this Mystic Realm. The remaining 50% is to be distributed by this person."
This brief statement was like a bucket of cold water poured over Lin Muxue, Li Cang, and the others. Their smiles froze on their faces, and their expressions turned ugly again, as if they had just eaten something disgusting.
Xia Ling and the others burst into laughter upon hearing the news.
"Hahaha, this is great!"
"Good thing it's the Captain who's distributing it, otherwise I'd be a bit upset."
"I don't want them getting any experience either."
...
Ye Yu's lips curled into a slight smile upon hearing the notification, feeling particularly pleased. Naturally, he had no intention of letting Lin Muxue and the others benefit.
Directly receiving 50%, Ye Yu's level rose to 28. He then began distributing the remaining 50% of the experience.
First, he looked at the three vice-captains and arranged, "Everyone has worked hard. Each vice-captain will receive 5% of the experience, and each Executive will get 2%."
Upon receiving their shares, they were thrilled. This small portion of experience allowed them to level up twice, significantly boosting their strength.
As Ye Yu continued to distribute experience to the Combat Crew, Lin Muxue and the others grew anxious.
Lin Muxue could no longer hold back and shouted, "We deserve some too! We helped and got injured in the battle. Without us, you wouldn't have passed the Mystic Realm. You have to give us some experience!"
Li Cang and the others chimed in, "Yes, give us some too!"
Ye Yu looked coldly at Lin Muxue and the others, sneering, "Hmph, give you some? You're dreaming!"
Lin Muxue and the others were seething with anger, their fists clenched so tightly that their nails almost dug into their palms. Their bodies trembled slightly with rage.
Ye Yu ignored Lin Muxue and the others, continuing to distribute the remaining experience points to the combat crew members.
Once all the experience had been allocated, Lin Muxue and her companions were utterly despaired, their hearts filled with resentment. They wished they could rush at Ye Yu and fight him to the death, but they could only entertain the thought.
After distributing the experience, Ye Yu ordered everyone to board the ship and continue their voyage. He coldly glanced at Lin Muxue and the others, instructing them to return to the manure storage compartment.
Lin Muxue could no longer control her emotions and screamed hysterically, "Ye Yu, why did you choose me? Why are you treating me like this?"
"Why? Don't you know the reason? Among the four captains, you were the obvious choice."
Lin Muxue recalled her past actions, her face turning grim. She couldn't refute his words and even felt the urge to kneel and apologize, but she quickly dismissed the thought. No, she would endure this humiliation for now.
At this moment, if Jin Mo, Song Ling, and Wang Quanshi knew of Lin Muxue's misery, they would undoubtedly feel relieved that Ye Yu hadn't chosen them as slaves.
The Dominant Feather Pirate Crew continued their journey, soon leaving the icy region behind.
Lin Muxue and the others resumed their wretched lives, spending their days surrounded by flies.
Three days passed quickly.
During these three days, they didn't encounter any new Mystic Realms, but they did face numerous Sea Beasts and Ferocious Beasts, and they also found treasure chests.
Now, they were approaching a new treasure drop point.
Ye Yu's level remained at 28. Without encountering any high-difficulty Mystic Realms in the past three days, it was difficult for him to level up, especially as the difficulty of leveling increased with each new level.
For Lin Muxue and the others, these three days felt like an eternity. When it was time to bathe, they shuffled out of the manure storage compartment like zombies, staggering toward the bathing area.
After bathing, they no longer reeked, but their spirits remained broken. Though only three days had passed, it felt like three years to them.
They wanted to scream, "Do you know how we've lived these past three days?"
Back on the deck, Ye Yu and the others were feasting, tossing the leftovers into a corner.
Lin Muxue and her companions, no longer restrained by dignity, rushed forward and devoured the leftovers ravenously. They were so hungry that the scraps tasted like a gourmet meal to them.
As they ate, they stole glances at Ye Yu and the others, their eyes filled with hatred.
After eating, they reached the treasure drop point. Many other pirate ships were nearby, but they all kept their distance, not daring to challenge the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew for their treasure.
The treasure was dropped, but Ye Yu's level still didn't increase, though he was now very close to level 29.
Only twenty-two days had passed since the true anomaly began, and reaching level 29 was already an impressive feat. The top prodigies were only at level 29.
These prodigies were now delighted, gazing at the two towering stone tablets.
"Now at level 29, with thirty-eight days left until the Stone Tablet Mystic Realm, reaching level 40 won't be a problem. It's good that we're not below level 30; otherwise, Ye Yu and the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew would undoubtedly be in first place. Ye Yu would have the highest bounty, and the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew would become the One King Pirates. But once we reach level 40, that will be their weak period."
"Yes, starting from level thirty, we inherit everything from the Pirate Ability Users, making us even stronger. But Ye Yu won't inherit anything extra."
...
At that moment, Lin Muxue glanced at the stone tablet and sneered inwardly, "Ye Yu, there are still thirty-seven days until our one-on-one duel! By then, I will definitely be at least level forty, and I'll make sure to crush you in the fight!"