Chapter 65: Do You Want “Wide Noodles”?

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In the spacious Soul Hunting Hall, Lin Ye made his way to one of the walls. Embedded in the wall was a large crystal panel, covered with various recruitment notices from different soul hunting groups.

Having learned the standards for these groups from his master, Lin Ye had a clear idea of what to look for: a qualified soul hunting group. The group needed to have at least four members, including a defense-type soul master to fend off soul beasts, a power attack-type soul master for offense, a sensitive attack-type soul master for reconnaissance, and a food-type soul master for supplies.

Some might wonder why Lin Ye was looking for a group with only four members instead of the usual five, or why there was no support-type soul master for recovery. The answer was simple—because Lin Ye intended to fill that missing role himself! He would serve as the team's support-type soul master, ensuring the group's sustainability during their hunts.

As he scanned the notice board, searching for groups looking for a support-type member, something made Lin Ye pause.

Most of the recruitment notices he was interested in read something like this:

"Divine Tiger Soul Hunting Group: Leader is a Soul King-level expert, with five members, including two power attack-type Soul Ancestors, one defense-type Soul King, one sensitive attack-type Soul Ancestor, and one food-type Soul Elder. Now recruiting a support-type soul master, minimum rank: Soul Grandmaster!"

"Golden Dragon Soul Hunting Group: Leader is a Soul King-level expert, with six members, including one power attack-type Soul King, two defense-type Soul Ancestors, one sensitive attack-type Soul Ancestor, and one food-type Soul Elder. Now recruiting a support-type soul master, minimum rank: Soul Grandmaster!"

"Wind Sword Soul Hunting Group: Leader is a Soul King-level expert, with four members, including one power attack-type Soul King, one defense-type Soul King, one sensitive attack-type Soul Ancestor, and one food-type Soul Grandmaster. Now recruiting a support-type soul master, minimum rank: Soul Grandmaster!"

...

"Why do all these soul hunting groups require their support-type soul masters to be at least Soul Grandmaster level?" Lin Ye muttered, feeling a headache coming on.

After three months of intense cultivation at Notting Academy, Lin Ye had only progressed from a rank-15 soul master to rank-17. There was still a significant gap before he could reach rank-20 and break through to become a Soul Grandmaster. By his calculations, it would take at least another six months to reach that level, after which he'd need to hunt a soul beast to obtain his second soul ring.

"No way! I can't wait that long," Lin Ye shook his head, unwilling to give up. He decided to keep searching.

The groups he had just reviewed were all led by Soul Kings, which were naturally on the higher end of the spectrum. So, Lin Ye lowered his standards slightly and began looking for groups led by Soul Ancestors instead.

But after browsing through all the notices from Soul Ancestor-level groups, Lin Ye found that they, too, required support-type soul masters to be at least at the Soul Grandmaster level.

Lowering his standards even further led him to groups with problematic compositions that didn't meet his criteria at all, so he dismissed those outright.

"What's going on here?" Lin Ye frowned, puzzled by the consistent requirement for support-type soul masters to be Soul Grandmasters.

"Could it be that the Evernight Forest is more dangerous than I thought, and only support-type soul masters at the Soul Grandmaster level can barely protect themselves? Or is it because soul masters with only one soul ring are too limited in their abilities, requiring a more experienced support-type to be useful?"

Both theories seemed plausible to Lin Ye. Even if they weren't entirely accurate, there had to be some truth to them.

Still, after spending so much time in the hall, Lin Ye hadn't found a suitable soul hunting group to join. The ones he had his eye on either weren't recruiting support-type soul masters, or their requirements were too high for him to meet. And the groups that didn't have such high standards were simply not up to par.

After giving it some thought, Lin Ye made a decision. "Forget it. I'll spend another six months cultivating. Once I've reached the Soul Grandmaster level, I'll try again to join a group."

With his mind made up, Lin Ye left the Soul Hunting Hall.

It was still early in the day, so he decided to stock up on supplies for his venture into the Evernight Forest. He needed items like dry rations, water skins, realgar for repelling insects, and flint for making fires.

If all went well, Lin Ye planned to venture into the forest as early as the next day. It had been a long time since he'd engaged in proper combat, and the Evernight Forest would surely provide him with worthy opponents.

As he walked through the bustling streets, Lin Ye eventually found a store that sold dry rations. The shop was large and bustling with customers, most of whom were spirit masters, judging by their attire and demeanor. This was no surprise—after all, only those preparing for a trip into the Evernight Forest would need to buy so many provisions.

Upon entering the store, Lin Ye was immediately greeted by a rich aroma, a mixture of grain and the warm scent of milk. Shelves filled with various types of dry rations stretched out in every direction.

In the Douluo Continent, dry rations generally came in four varieties: flatbreads, baked cakes, steamed buns, and bread. Of course, each category had numerous subtypes with different flavors and textures, but they all fell into one of these four basic groups.

After observing the store for a while, Lin Ye noticed that steamed buns were the most popular choice. Compared to the greasier bread or the drier flatbreads and baked cakes, steamed buns seemed to be the most practical option. They didn't carry the risk of causing indigestion like bread, nor did they make one excessively thirsty like flatbreads and baked cakes.

In short, steamed buns were the most convenient and safest choice for those venturing into the Evernight Forest.

Deciding to follow the trend, Lin Ye walked over to the section where the steamed buns were sold, grabbed a cloth bag, and began selecting his rations.

While Lin Ye was picking out steamed buns, another person beside him was doing the same. This was a tall, burly man, towering over Lin Ye by almost half his height. He had close-cropped hair, dark skin, and a noticeable scar running diagonally across his face.

Seeing a young boy like Lin Ye picking out so many rations, the man was visibly surprised. Why would a kid need so many provisions? Surely he couldn't be going into the forest alone, could he?

The man's astonishment slowed down his own pace, but Lin Ye paid him no attention. After quickly picking out more than twenty steamed buns, Lin Ye headed to the counter to pay.

"Boss, how much for these?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the number of buns in Lin Ye's bag, did some quick calculations, and smiled. "One silver soul coin."

Lin Ye handed over the coin, tied up his cloth bag, and prepared to leave. His plan was to find a quiet alley and store the provisions in his jade pendant.

But just as he walked out of the store, a young man with a buzz cut appeared next to him, grinning mischievously. He leaned in and asked in a low, secretive voice, "Hey, brother... you want some 'wide noodles'?"

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