Handsome, Nice Muscles

This man looked utterly ordinary.

Among the unusually well-developed Spirit Masters, he was somewhat short and stocky, only about 1.7 meters tall.

But his arms, shoulders, and back were covered in exaggerated muscles. Standing there, he looked like a small wall, with a presence that was impossible to ignore.

Wang Chuan was immediately intrigued.

On the relatively backward Douluo Continent, the vast majority of Spirit Masters relied mainly on meditation to grow stronger.

Yet this man bore obvious signs of physical training. Wang Chuan found that exceptionally rare, and it also meant that this man's combat strength should be considerable among Spirit Masters of the same rank.

That gave Wang Chuan the thought of recruiting him.

After all, Wang Chuan would be traveling the continent from now on. He could not possibly keep troubling Grandpa Wang Lie every time he needed to hunt a Spirit Ring.

So before setting out, Wang Chuan had made up his mind.

If he encountered Spirit Masters with decent character, forming a team and becoming sworn brothers with them to explore the Douluo Continent together would not be a bad thing.

So Wang Chuan stepped closer.

The burly man was resting with his eyes closed. Wang Chuan also noticed the sign placed in front of him, written in bold, rough lettering.

[Seeking teammates. I am a power-attack-type Spirit Master. I need to hunt a thousand-year Spirit Beast to advance to Soul Elder. Afterward, I am willing to join the team and use my share and Spirit Master stipend to repay the labor cost.]

Wang Chuan fell silent at the sight.

On one hand, the man looked imposing enough, yet his cultivation was so "low."

Moreover, judging by the notice, he was a typical impoverished Spirit Master, hoping to persuade others to help him hunt a Spirit Beast first, then repay the debt through work and his future Spirit Master stipend.

But Wang Chuan did not see anything wrong with that. It was simply the survival wisdom of an ordinary Spirit Master.

Still, the man had immediately demanded a thousand-year Spirit Ring without even stating his Spirit Ring configuration or strength. No wonder no one had shown any interest all day.

After analyzing it all, Wang Chuan realized that this man's current strength would not only be no help to him, but he was also most likely semi-illiterate.

Wang Chuan began to hesitate. This man was a little questionable—should he recruit him or not?

Just then, perhaps because Wang Chuan had lingered in front of him for too long and blocked the sunlight during his nap, the burly man opened his eyes in irritation and said in a muffled voice.

"Who the hell are you? If you're not joining up, quit getting in my way."

Clearly, after being ignored for so long, the burly man was furious too.

Still, he showed not the slightest fear in the face of Wang Chuan's perfect 1.9-meter physique. That gave Wang Chuan a few more points of appreciation for this rough fellow.

It showed that he did not lack courage.

At the same time, Wang Chuan figured something out. Being weak had its advantages.

If this man's temperament passed Wang Chuan's test, then he would be a helper Wang Chuan had cultivated from humble beginnings. His loyalty would surely be more reliable than that of powerful experts recruited halfway through.

So Wang Chuan did not take offense at the man's rude words. He smiled and said,

"Hello there, handsome. Nice muscles—you've caught my eye.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Chuan, and I'm currently looking for people to form a mercenary group. Interested?"

For a moment, the burly man's previously impatient gaze became a little clearer, even carrying a trace of shyness.

After all, this was the first time in his life that anyone had called him handsome~

He was the sort of person who returned a foot of respect with a yard of respect. Rubbing his somewhat stiff face, the burly man introduced himself with slight restraint.

"Hello, my name is Zhao Wuji. I'm a level-thirty prospective Soul Elder. You mean you want to recruit me into your mercenary group and agree to my request?"

As he spoke, Zhao Wuji pointed at his sign, clearly lacking confidence in his own demand.

After all, among commoner Spirit Masters, which Soul Elder did not have a configuration of one white and two yellow Spirit Rings? Some worse off even had two white and one yellow. Yet he had come right out asking for a thousand-year Spirit Ring.

For Spirit Rings like that, even the lowest fees charged by powerful hunting mercenary groups were over a thousand Gold Soul Coins.

So even if he was willing to repay the debt, Spirit Beast hunting was work done with one's life on the line. He might encounter some powerful Spirit Beast in the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow and die there. Then the debt would become bad debt. His terms truly were asking far too much.

As for relying solely on a Soul Elder's Spirit Master stipend?

No Spirit Master was a saint. When the time came, demanding thirty percent interest would be considered mild.

After all, Zhao Wuji would be safe, while they would still be risking their lives. They would even need someone to watch Zhao Wuji to make sure he did not run off on the debt, so charging more was perfectly reasonable, right?

Because of this harsh economic reality, Zhao Wuji had even begun to think that if no one was willing to help him in another two days, he would do it himself.

(PS: Because the monetary system in Douluo is chaotic, here is a special breakdown of spending tiers. Titled Douluo: ten million, comparable to the price of a Spirit Bone. Soul Douluo: one million, for rare treasures. Soul Saint: several hundred thousand. Soul Emperor: one hundred thousand. Spirit King: ten thousand. Soul Ancestor to Soul Elder: one thousand.

The two ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts Wang Chuan hunted last time were each comparable to a Spirit King-level expert, so they sold for at least ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. After that, the price doubled with every major increase in strength.)

In response to Zhao Wuji's question, Wang Chuan nodded slightly, inwardly delighted.

He had not expected that by sheer coincidence, he would have a chance to recruit this notorious troublemaker so early.

Zhao Wuji was known in Douluo as someone truly loyal to his friends. He had even dared to stay behind against a hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape to cover his students' retreat. A real man!

Zhao Wuji was instantly overjoyed. He had not expected that after waiting bitterly for so many days, he had finally found a sucker.

Ah, pfft, no. He had found a kindhearted person.

Zhao Wuji repeatedly patted his chest and loudly promised,

"Hahaha, Captain, you really have a good eye. You took a liking to me right away.

Don't worry, I won't disappoint you. My Martial Spirit is the top-tier bear-type Martial Spirit, the Vajra Bear. Once I obtain my third Spirit Ring, I'll definitely be one of the team's best power attackers."

"Of course. You're someone I think highly of."

Wang Chuan flattered him appropriately, then temporarily abandoned his plan to head straight for Sunset Forest. He intended to get more familiar with Zhao Wuji first. Before long, the two arrived at a restaurant.

After his previous heavy spending, Wang Chuan only had a few dozen Gold Soul Coins left.

So Wang Chuan did not dare order any high-grade Spirit Beast meat and simply chose a few dishes that seemed cheap to him.

But to Zhao Wuji, who had long lived in hardship, it was already a lavish feast.

Moreover, he had incurred a large debt to the group before even starting work. Zhao Wuji seemed somewhat restrained while eating, no longer as bold and carefree as before.

But as he ate, Zhao Wuji noticed something odd and asked curiously.

"Captain, you ordered so many dishes. The two of us can't finish all this, can we? Did you order food for the other members? Isn't it bad for us to start eating before them?"

Wang Chuan, who had just downed a huge basin of beast-meat porridge to whet his appetite, froze for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

"No, it's for us. There aren't any other members in our group yet. Besides, for people like us who train our bodies, isn't a high food intake perfectly normal?

Stop overthinking and eat quickly. I can tell your muscles are crying out—they crave more nutrition!"

Zhao Wuji nodded instinctively.

But could one really tell that muscles were crying out?

Confused, Zhao Wuji lowered his head to look at his own robust muscles, then looked at Wang Chuan's even more perfect proportions. Realization immediately appeared in his eyes.

"If the captain can train his muscles so perfectly, then what he says must be right."