Handsome, nice muscle definition

This person looked remarkably plain in appearance.

His height seemed a bit stubby compared to the extraordinary growth of most soul masters, standing at only about 1.7 meters.

However, his arms, shoulders, and back were covered in exaggerated muscles, and his entire presence stood there like a small wall, possessing a weight that was impossible to ignore.

Suddenly, Wang Chuan became interested.

Because in this version of the Douluo Continent where methods were quite backward, the vast majority of soul masters relied primarily on meditation to grow stronger.

Yet this man showed clear signs of physical training, which in Wang Chuan's eyes was quite rare; it also meant that this person's combat power among soul masters of the same rank should be quite impressive.

This sparked a desire in Wang Chuan to recruit him.

After all, from now on, Wang Chuan would be venturing out into the continent, so he couldn't keep troubling Grandpa Wang Lie every time he needed to hunt for a soul ring.

Therefore, when he set out, Wang Chuan had already made up his mind.

If he could encounter a soul master with good character, forming a team and becoming brothers to explore the Douluo Continent together would be a wonderful thing.

So, Wang Chuan walked a bit closer.

The burly man was currently resting with his eyes closed, and Wang Chuan noticed the sign he had placed in front of him, written in crude, bold characters.

[Recruiting teammates. I am a Power Attack System soul master looking to hunt a thousand-year soul beast to advance to Soul Elder. Once successful, I am willing to join the team and pay off the debt with my share of the loot and soul master subsidies.]

Seeing this, Wang Chuan fell silent for a moment.

On one hand, despite the man's imposing aura, his cultivation was surprisingly "low."

Moreover, judging by the notice, this man belonged to the typical category of impoverished soul masters, hoping to trick others into helping him hunt a soul beast first, then paying off the debt with labor and future soul master subsidies.

However, in Wang Chuan's view, this was nothing unusual; it was simply the survival wisdom of an ordinary soul master.

But for this man to demand a thousand-year soul ring right off the bat without even stating his soul ring configuration or strength—no wonder no one had paid him any mind for so long.

After a quick analysis, Wang Chuan realized that this person's current strength not only couldn't help him, but he was also likely semi-illiterate.

Wang Chuan began to hesitate; this person was a bit of a mixed bag. Should he recruit him or not?

Just then, perhaps because Wang Chuan had lingered in front of him for too long, blocking the sunlight he was using for his nap, the burly man opened his eyes in annoyance and grunted.

"Who are you? If you aren't joining the team, stop getting in my way."

Clearly, having been ignored for so long, the burly man was quite irritable himself.

However, facing Wang Chuan's perfect 1.9-meter physique without a hint of cowardice, Wang Chuan actually felt a bit more appreciation for this rough man.

It showed that this person lacked no courage.

At the same time, Wang Chuan realized that there were benefits to having low strength.

If this person passed his test of character, he would be a helper cultivated from the very beginning, and his loyalty would certainly be more guaranteed than that of a powerhouse recruited halfway through.

So, Wang Chuan didn't mind the offense in the man's words and smiled.

"Hello there, handsome. You've got some nice muscles; I've taken a liking to you.

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

For a moment, the eyes of the previously impatient burly man cleared up, and he even looked a bit shy.

Because in all his years, this was the first time someone had called him "handsome."

He was the type of person who would return a favor tenfold if someone showed him a little respect. Rubbing his slightly stiff face, the burly man introduced himself with a hint of awkwardness.

"Hello, my name is Zhao Wuji, a level 30 quasi-Soul Elder. Do you mean you want to recruit me into your mercenary group and agree to my terms?"

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

After all, what Soul Elder among civilian soul masters didn't have a one-white, two-yellow configuration? Some even had two-white and one-yellow. Yet here he was, demanding a thousand-year soul ring right away.

For such a soul ring, the most powerful soul-hunting mercenary groups charged at least a thousand Gold Soul Coins.

So even if he was willing to pay back the debt, soul hunting was a life-and-death business; he might encounter a powerful soul beast tomorrow and die in the Soul Hunting Forest, turning the debt into a bad one. Thus, this condition was truly asking for the moon.

As for relying solely on Soul Elder subsidies?

No soul master was a saint; the interest rates would be predatory.

After all, Zhao Wuji would be safe while they were still risking their lives, and they would need someone to keep an eye on Zhao Wuji to ensure he didn't skip out on the bill, so charging extra was quite reasonable.

Because of this harsh economic reality, Zhao Wuji was even thinking that if no one helped him in the next two days, he would just go it alone.

(PS: Because the Douluo currency system is chaotic, I have categorized the spending levels here: Titled Douluo are in the millions, matching the price of a soul bone; Soul Douluo are in the hundreds of thousands, matching rare treasures; Soul Saints are in the tens of thousands; Soul Emperors are in the tens of thousands; Soul Kings are in the thousands; Soul Ancestors to Soul Elders are in the thousands. The two ten-thousand-year soul beasts Wang Chuan hunted last time were comparable to Soul King powerhouses, so they sold for at least ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, with the price doubling for every stage higher.)

To Zhao Wuji's counter-question, Wang Chuan nodded slightly, feeling a bit pleasantly surprised.

He hadn't expected that by pure coincidence, he would have the chance to bring this "troublemaker" under his command ahead of schedule.

One had to know that Zhao Wuji was truly famous in Douluo for his loyalty—a real MAN who dared to stay behind to cover for his students even when facing a hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape!

Suddenly, Zhao Wuji was overjoyed; he hadn't expected that after waiting for so many days, he had finally found a sucker.

Ah, wait, that wasn't right—he had found a kind soul.

Zhao Wuji patted his chest repeatedly and promised loudly.

"Hahaha, Captain, you have a great eye! You picked me out right away.

Rest assured, I won't let you down. My martial soul is the top-tier bear-type martial soul, the Vajra Bear. Once I obtain my third soul ring, I will definitely be a powerhouse attacker for the team."

"That goes without saying; you're someone I have high hopes for."

Wang Chuan offered a timely compliment, then temporarily shelved his plan to head straight for the Sunset Forest, deciding to get better acquainted with Zhao Wuji first. Before long, the two arrived at a restaurant.

Because of his massive spending earlier, Wang Chuan was now down to just a few dozen Gold Soul Coins.

Therefore, Wang Chuan didn't dare order any high-end soul beast meat, opting instead for dishes he considered cheap.

But to Zhao Wuji, who was used to a hard life, this already counted as a luxurious feast.

On top of that, having already racked up a large debt to the team before even starting work, Zhao Wuji appeared somewhat reserved while eating, lacking his previous boldness.

However, as he ate, Zhao Wuji noticed something off and asked curiously.

"Captain, you ordered so many dishes; the two of us won't be able to finish them. Are these for the other members? Wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate for us to start eating so early?"

Wang Chuan, who had just downed a large basin of beast meat porridge to whet his appetite, paused for a moment, but quickly returned to his natural demeanor.

"No, they're just for us. Our team doesn't have anyone else at the moment, and isn't it normal for people like us who train our bodies to have a high consumption?

Stop overthinking it and hurry up and eat. I can tell your muscles are wailing; they are craving more nutrition!"

Zhao Wuji nodded subconsciously.

But muscles wailing—is that even something you can see?

Zhao Wuji looked down in confusion at his own robust muscles, then looked at Wang Chuan's even more perfect proportions, and a look of sudden realization dawned in his eyes.

"Since the Captain can train his muscles to such perfection, what he says must be right."