The sky was bright, and a cool breeze wafted by.
In the mild spring wind, Nuoding City, located on the border between two nations, remained extremely busy.
This was one of the important transit points for trade between the two great empires. The constant flow of carriages and horses, coupled with the clamor of human voices, created a bustling and vibrant scene.
Along a narrow side street away from the main thoroughfare, cloth stalls, fish markets, and various snack shops were tightly packed together. The flow of pedestrians was so dense it was almost suffocating.
Amidst the surging crowd, the small figure of Zhao Liuyun, holding a string of candied fruits, moved through at an unhurried pace.
Although his height only reached the waist of an average person, his black attire with purple patterns subtly hinted at nobility. At first glance, he seemed like the young master of some aristocratic family.
In reality...
Listening to the hawkers' shouts and the noisy bargaining, and smelling the mingled scents of sweat and dust, Zhao Liuyun's dark eyes gleamed with a calculating focus as he scanned for a suitable target to 'operate' on.
That's right, he was a petty, low-class thief.
As a foundling, Zhao Liuyun was picked up and raised by an old man skilled in the arts of thievery.
When he was three, the old man insisted on passing down this ancestral skill, forcing him to learn how to steal.
He mastered the trade and became a thief by the age of five, honing a pair of skillful hands.
He had already completed dozens of successful thefts.
Of course, as a transmigrator sent to the Douluo Continent by the Great Fortune Celestial Venerable, the values he cultivated in his past life still profoundly influenced him.
Zhao Liuyun had three things he wouldn't steal.
First, he wouldn't steal from those dressed in rags.
Why should the poor make life difficult for the poor?
A flat, meager purse was heartbreaking to look at. That tiny accumulation might be the hard-earned savings of a person's month of labor.
Second, he wouldn't steal from familiar faces.
Countless people traversed the border between the two nations. It was never a wise move to put himself in danger by stealing from residents who lived permanently in the city for a small profit.
Furthermore, he wouldn't steal from the powerful and influential.
Power and influence represented Soul Masters, representing strength. If he didn't want to lose his footing in the city or even be casually crushed, he had to be cautious.
His usual targets were small merchants who had a bit of money but couldn't afford a Soul Master escort.
"You're the one!"
After a seemingly casual appraisal, a subtle flash of light swiftly crossed Zhao Liuyun's eyes.
He saw a Fatty dressed in silk, accompanied by a burly, muscular middle-aged man whose eyes were sharp and his physique robust—clearly a formidable fighter.
However, the heightened spiritual perception he possessed due to his transmigration made Zhao Liuyun certain:
This person was not a Soul Master, and he was currently distracted!
Like being in a classroom, the person's body was present, but his mind had wandered off somewhere.
"Because nothing has gone wrong for a long time, he's become complacent? An opportunity has arrived!" Zhao Liuyun was secretly delighted, and while making his conjecture, he slightly quickened his steps.
In the instant they brushed past each other, his hand reached out lightly. The blade he had prepared was silently slid to his fingertips.
In a flash, his fingers darted out like a spitting serpent's tongue—a light slice, a hook, a flick—and the heavy silk purse securely dropped into his palm.
The purse was soft and substantial, pressing heavily against his thumb-web, radiating a reassuring scent of money.
"Mission accomplished!"
The silent two words slipped past his throat. A sense of exhilaration flashed through his mind, and the corners of Zhao Liuyun's lips lifted slightly. A thrill of triumph crossed his eyes.
He tilted his head back, his gaze briefly meeting the Fatty man and his guard.
Their eyes happened to be looking over.
They hadn't noticed the abnormality yet, but they would soon realize what had happened.
Zhao Liuyun smiled faintly, his figure slipping into the crowd like a swimming fish. After a few turns, he quietly disappeared into the maze of streets and alleys.
The Fatty man, confused, returned a smile. Once the child's figure vanished, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and instinctively patted his waist.
His money bag was gone!
"Catch the thief! Someone stole something!"
The piercing cry echoed through the air, causing pedestrians in all directions to clutch their own wallets, and also making the Fatty man's guard frantically search.
The guard tried to look through the crowd, but with the dense flow of people and the labyrinthine paths, where could he possibly find him?
The two looked at each other, then realized with a sense of dejection that they couldn't even clearly recall the child's appearance—it was vague and unclear...
On the other side, Zhao Liuyun, having successfully stolen the purse, swiftly changed his clothes. He weaved through the crisscrossing alleys and entered an unremarkable small house on the edge of the city.
Tossing the money bag in his hand, he glimpsed the small glimmer of gold among the silver, and a smile couldn't help but curve on his lips.
It wasn't just for the money; what excited Zhao Liuyun was the prompt that appeared in his mind.
[You are performing a theft. Years of practice have made the entire process seamless. [Thief] Class Experience +1]
[You are performing a theft. Years of practice have made the entire process seamless. [Thief] Class Experience +1]
...
Skipping past the series of repeated Class Experience notifications, his attention focused on the final, wonderful line of text.
[The required experience for the [Thief] Class has been met. Would you like to Class Change?]
"Class Change!"
Zhao Liuyun roared silently in his heart.
This was his 'cheat'—the "Class Panel"—and one of the root reasons he hadn't given up stealing.
Taking up an Class could grant Class Traits and corresponding Class Skills, providing a strong assurance for when he entered a Soul Master Academy.
He was turning six and was due for Martial Soul: Awakening. He didn't have the time to search for an entirely new Class!
The profession change occurred without any special phenomena. Zhao Liuyun looked expectantly at the changes on the panel.
[Class Panel]
[Host: Zhao Liuyun]
[Age: 6 years old]
[Martial Soul: ???]
[Soul Power: ???]
[Physique: 4 (The standard physique for a normal adult male is 10)]
[Soul: 17 (The standard Soul strength for a normal adult male is 10)]
[Classes: Hypnotist Lv1 (Locked), Thief Lv1 (1/10000)]
[Class Traits: Calm Mind (Hypnotist), Agility (Thief)]
[Class Skills: Hypnosis (Hypnotist), Extreme Reflexes (Thief)]
He first looked at the first Class, [Hypnotist].
The trait was [Calm Mind (A Hypnotist needs to hypnotize people with a peaceful heart. Your rationality is always online, allowing you to maintain composure at all times)].
The professional skill was exactly as its name suggested: [Hypnosis].
It was activated by consuming spiritual power. When activated, it had no visible anomalies or signs. Its strength and effect were directly correlated with Zhao Liuyun's spiritual power.
Of course, contrary to popular imagination, this skill wasn't omnipotent like in certain genres—it couldn't turn people into defenseless slaves with a mere glance.
It could only influence a person's emotions and perform the most superficial form of hypnosis.
But it was already powerful enough.
When Zhao Liuyun performed a theft, he would use hypnosis to lower people's vigilance and blur their immediate memory of his appearance.
With his powerful Spiritual Power, facing ordinary people with average spiritual power, he was invariably successful and had never failed.
The only regrettable thing was that this Class came from his previous life and was somehow locked in this life, preventing it from leveling up.
However—
"Phew~ Heaven always leaves a path. I'll find other ways."
Letting out a soft breath, the faint regret in Zhao Liuyun's heart dissipated, and his gaze returned to the panel.
This profession change added the new Class [Thief Lv1], the new trait [Agility], and the new skill [Extreme Reflexes].
The process of changing professions needed no further explanation; in short, it involved setting an professional goal and putting it into practice.
The profession change to [Thief] proved that one had to go through arduous efforts to gain the panel's recognition.
Other professions were no different.
Perhaps exceptions existed, for example, Zhao Liuyun had tried multiple times but was unable to set [Student] as a goal.
As for the trait...
"Agility?"
Zhao Liuyun looked up, slightly bewildered, only to feel as though his body was somewhat out of his control.
His agile, active fingers were light as flying birds, seemingly ready to break free and soar freely into the sky the next moment.