The City Full of Low-Level Hangers

The gates of Nuoding City were bustling with activity, with merchants and pedestrians forming a long, winding queue to enter and exit.

Su Yu held Tang Wu's hand, waiting in the middle of the line as the crowd slowly shuffled forward.

Several guards clad in iron armor stood on either side of the gate, clutching long spears and eyeing the passersby with lazy, indifferent gazes.

When it was their turn, a burly, bearded guard reached out and impatiently shook the coin purse in his hand. His eyes swept over the patched, coarse cloth clothes worn by Su Yu and Tang Wu, filled with undisguised contempt.

"Entry fee: one Copper Soul Coin per person. If you don't have the money, get lost and stop blocking the people behind you."

The guard barked in a rough, grating voice.

Su Yu remained calm. Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out two Copper Soul Coins, and tossed them over.

The Copper Soul Coins traced a parabola through the air and landed steadily in the guard's palm.

The guard was stunned, seemingly surprised that these two children, who looked like little beggars, could actually produce the money. However, he didn't say anything else and waved them through.

Having paid the entry fee, Su Yu and Tang Wu officially stepped into the prosperous city.

Walking along the wide bluestone streets of Nuoding City, the sounds of hawking vendors were endless.

The roads were lined with all sorts of shops: blacksmiths selling weapons, apothecaries selling herbs, and bun shops and barbecue stalls wafting with rich, savory aromas.

The streets were crowded with carriages and people; nobles in gorgeous silk mingled with commoners in coarse linen, creating a scene full of vitality.

For Tang Wu, who had lived her whole life in the remote, tiny Holy Soul Village, this was an entirely alien new world.

Tang Wu looked around with curiosity, her clear, wide eyes unable to take it all in.

She looked at the street performer breathing fire on her left, then at the stall filled with colorful cloth dolls on her right, her small face flushed with excitement.

She gripped Su Yu's hand tightly, terrified of getting lost in the dense, surging crowd.

As they walked, a sweet, cloying fragrance drifted toward them.

Tang Wu's pace slowed involuntarily.

She turned her head, her gaze fixed intently on a candied hawthorn stall by the side of the road.

The stall was packed with skewers of bright red hawthorns, coated in a layer of crystal-clear syrup that shimmered under the sunlight, emitting an alluring sweetness.

Tang Wu swallowed subconsciously, a faint gulping sound escaping her throat.

But she was sensible; she didn't ask for one. After a single glance, she forced herself to look away and tugged on Su Yu's hand, ready to keep moving.

She knew they only had a little money left, which they needed to save for food and lodging, and they absolutely couldn't spend it recklessly.

Su Yu saw right through her little thoughts.

He stopped, pulled Tang Wu back, and led her directly to the candied hawthorn stall.

"Boss, two skewers of candied hawthorns."

Su Yu said in a crisp voice.

The stall owner was a smiling, middle-aged fat man who, upon hearing the request, quickly pulled off the two largest, reddest skewers and handed them over.

Su Yu generously took out the Copper Soul Coins he had just scavenged from the bandits, paid the price, and handed one of the skewers to Tang Wu.

"Here, take it and eat."

Su Yu said with a smile.

Tang Wu froze, her large eyes shimmering with disbelief.

She took the skewer, which was longer than her own face, with both hands, her eyes suddenly turning red.

In her memory, apart from Su Yu, no one had ever been this kind to her.

"Thank you, Brother Yu."

Tang Wu's voice was soft and sweet. She carefully extended her pink, delicate tongue and licked the top hawthorn, which was coated in thick syrup.

The rich sweetness melted in her mouth instantly. Her large eyes curved into crescent moons, and a look of immense satisfaction bloomed on her face.

Su Yu also took a bite of his own skewer, the sweet and sour flavor stimulating his taste buds.

As he ate, he quietly activated the Eye of Truth.

A brilliant golden light swirled deep within his pupils.

In an instant, the bustling, noisy street before him underwent a earth-shattering transformation.

He began to scan the surrounding crowd.

At this sight, Su Yu nearly failed to hold back a laugh.

He had originally thought the novice village of Holy Soul Village was already exaggerated enough, but he hadn't expected Nuoding City to be a den of monsters.

Not far to his front-left, a shirtless, thick-necked butcher was brandishing a large cleaver, hacking forcefully at a piece of pork ribs on a chopping block.

Every strike was heavy and powerful, making the block thud with every impact.

And above this butcher's head, a translucent green panel was shining brightly.

[Butchery Dao System]

[Host: Zhu Dachang]

[Current Task: Slaughter ten live pigs and sell five hundred catties of pork today.]

[Task Progress: Slaughtered (8/10), Sold (320/500)]

[Task Reward: Strength attribute point +0.1, Mastery of pork preservation techniques.]

Su Yu watched the butcher, who was sweating profusely for a mere 0.1 strength attribute point, and felt speechless.

This guy had probably transmigrated several years ago, spending every day wrestling with pork on this chopping block, working himself to death for such pathetic rewards.

Su Yu shifted his gaze toward a tailor shop across the street.

The owner of the tailor shop was a scrawny old man wearing reading glasses, holding a tape measure as he took measurements for a plump woman.

The old man's technique was extremely proficient, his scissors darting swiftly across the fabric.

Likewise, a blue panel hovered above the old man's head.

[God-Level Sewing System]

[Host: Tailor Li]

[Current Task: Perfectly sew one hundred civilian garments without a single loose thread or flaw.]

[Task Progress: 99/100]

[Task Reward: Agility attribute point +0.1, one new qipao blueprint.]

Su Yu chewed on his candied hawthorn, observing with great interest.

Throughout the city, low-level cheaters like the butcher and the tailor were countless.

The bun seller had a [Chef God Bun System], the blacksmith had a [Hundred Refinements Steel System], and even the beggar at the street corner had a [Myriad Worlds Begging System] floating above his head.

These low-level hosts were all bitterly grinding away at their daily tasks.

They were tightly bound to these menial professions by the tasks issued by their systems, working themselves to the bone every day for a negligible amount of attribute points or monetary rewards.

They believed themselves to be children of destiny gifted with golden fingers, thinking that as long as they completed their tasks, they could step-by-step reach the pinnacle of life.

But they had no idea that the rewards provided by these low-level systems were completely disproportionate, like carrots dangled in front of a donkey—always visible, but never enough to be full.

Most importantly, these low-level hosts were so completely immersed in their own system worlds that they didn't even notice the gaze of Su Yu, the system hunter.

Standing in the crowd, Su Yu watched these cheaters busy with their tasks, a strong sense of superiority welling up in his heart.

Possessing a rule-type martial soul like the Conceptual Eraser, which could directly modify the underlying logic of systems, meant he stood at the very top of the food chain.

In his eyes, these people were nothing more than marionettes whose task objectives could be tampered with at any moment.

If he wanted to, he could change the butcher's task to killing one hundred people, or the tailor's task to sewing his own burial shroud.

However, Su Yu did not do so.

These low-level systems weren't even worth the effort of his modification; forcibly altering them would only waste his precious soul power.

Su Yu withdrew his gaze, the brilliant gold in his eyes gradually fading.

"Brother Yu, the candied hawthorn is delicious."

Tang Wu had already finished half of it, a bit of sugar syrup still clinging to the corner of her mouth.

"If it's good, I'll buy you some every day."

Su Yu smiled, reached out to wipe the syrup from the corner of her mouth, and took her hand to continue walking forward.

The two passed through several bustling streets, the surrounding noise gradually fading away.

The buildings on both sides of the road changed from ordinary shops to tall, tidy residences.

Soon, a towering archway appeared before them.

The archway was over ten meters high, constructed entirely of solid stone, appearing solemn and imposing.

Embedded directly above the archway was a massive refined iron plaque, upon which four large characters were carved with vigorous, powerful strokes: Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy.