C14 Rogue Cultivator Great Seller

"Hey there, friend!" A middle-aged voice suddenly called out from behind Ho Liao. "Are you looking to cross the river? I can give you a ride!"

Ho Liao turned around to see a tall, imposing man standing quietly in front of him. Behind the man was a magnificent, blood-red horse with a single horn on its forehead, and it had no reins.

Ho Liao had a hunch that this man was far more skilled than he was.

"Oh, if you can take me across the river, I'd be truly grateful!" Ho Liao said, bowing politely.

"We're all heading to Tornado Valley. Why not travel together?" the middle-aged man replied with a courteous nod.

Tornado Valley? Ho Liao had never heard of it before, so he couldn't help but ask, "What's happening at Tornado Valley?"

"Aren't you going there?" The man glanced at Ho Liao, then sheepishly added, "I guess I just assumed!"

"Well, I don't really have a destination in mind. If there's something exciting at Tornado Valley, I'd love to tag along and see for myself!" Ho Liao replied with a smile.

"Tornado Valley is a massive marketplace where independent traders gather to exchange goods. Once we cross the river, we'll be almost there. You'll find everything from potions and treasures to rare materials and stones," the man explained.

Ho Liao wasn't particularly interested in the trading itself, but the idea of seeing so many people from miles around gather in one place intrigued him.

The middle-aged cultivator noticed the excitement on Ho Liao's face and chuckled, "Since you're interested, why don't we ride my dragon-horse across the river together?"

"Is your horse really that amazing? But what about mine?" Ho Liao asked curiously, eyeing the dragon-horse.

"Don't worry, my dragon-horse can hold onto your horse's reins and pull it across," the cultivator replied confidently.

As the dragon-horse carried both the cultivator and Ho Liao across the river, Ho Liao was amazed. He glanced back to see his own horse being dragged along like a sack of potatoes, and couldn't help but think it was pretty useless.

"May I ask your name, and where can I buy a horse like this?" Ho Liao inquired respectfully.

"My last name is Huo, and you can call me Brother Huo," the cultivator laughed heartily.

As soon as he finished speaking, the dragon-horse reached the riverbank, filling Ho Liao with envy.

Huo Tian dismounted and helped Ho Liao pull his horse out of the river. "This horse is actually a crossbreed between a mythical beast and a regular horse. You can probably find one in Tornado Valley, but it's nothing special. If you could get your hands on a true mythical dragon-horse, now that would be a treasure!" Huo Tian explained.

"Just call me Ho Liao, Brother Huo," Ho Liao said as he mounted his horse. "How far is Tornado Valley from here, and how many spirit stones would a dragon-horse cost?"

"Just about sixty miles more and we'll reach Tornado Valley. But those antelope beasts cost at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!" Huo Tian said as he mounted his horse, riding alongside Ho Liao.

Ho Liao was taken aback, calculating in his mind. Even after seizing seven storage bags from the Flying Cloud Sect disciples, he only had about a thousand spirit stones—far from enough to buy an antelope beast.

Noticing Ho Liao's expression, Huo Tian laughed heartily. "We freelancers can't compete with sect disciples. They wouldn't even want these antelope beasts if we gave them away!"

"So what?" Ho Liao thought to himself. "One day, I'll have those sect disciples under my feet!"

In the blink of an eye, they covered the sixty miles. What lay before Ho Liao wasn't much of a valley but rather a flat, open space at the foot of a mountain. If not for the massive stone monument inscribed with 'Tornado Valley,' Ho Liao would never have guessed its name.

Seeing Ho Liao's confusion, Huo Tian explained, "This used to be a real valley. About a hundred years ago, two freelance cultivators fought over an ancient book here. Their battle wiped out one side of the valley, leaving it as you see now. The remaining mountain was renamed Solitude Mountain!"

Hearing about a war that destroyed a mountain, Ho Liao clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that he was still too weak. He wondered when he might be able to move mountains and fill seas.

At this moment, Tornado Valley was bustling with activity. Over a thousand cultivators gathered in small groups, but none of them set up stalls like ordinary people.

Leading his horse through the crowd, Huo Tian was soon approached by an elderly man with a white beard. The old man eyed Huo Tian's dragon-horned horse and asked, "Friend, are you selling this dragon-horned horse?"

"If I can buy a beast-horned horse, then this one is up for grabs!" Huo Tian replied with a cheerful smile.

"I just took a look around, and there aren't any beast-horned horses available. If none show up before nightfall, it's unlikely there will be any at this trade fair," the old man responded.

"If there aren't any beast-horned horses this time, I plan to head to the Black Rain Forest to catch one myself!" Huo Tian declared with determination.

"Going alone is impossible. Even sect cultivators prepare extensively with potions and magical tools before heading to the Black Rain Forest. How could we possibly have those resources?" the old man exclaimed in surprise.

"If I don't take a chance, I'll just end up disappointed every time I come here!" Huo Tian said seriously, then added with a determined bite of his lip, "I don't want to be disappointed forever!"

Just then, a laugh that sounded like a crow's caw echoed through the air. In the distance, a magnificent horse with a horn on its forehead and a reddish-brown coat appeared, seemingly flying as it swiftly entered Tornado Valley.

"Beastly wildebeest!" Huo Tian and the old man exclaimed in unison.

On the back of the beastly wildebeest sat a middle-aged man with wild hair and a face covered in dirt. If it weren't for the fact that he was riding the creature and his eyes sparkled with intelligence, Ho Liao would have thought he was a beggar.

This beggar-like cultivator had two young women in emerald robes draped over his arms. They were motionless, seemingly unconscious.

The ragged cultivator tossed the two young women to the ground and laughed maniacally, "I'm Ouyang Zhong, and I've captured two female disciples from the Soulkeep of the Swiftstriders. I'm here to trade them for a few spirit stones. Who's buying?"

The gathered rogue cultivators were taken aback. The Swiftstriders were a major sect located thousands of miles away in the mountains, known for their low profile. Despite having fewer than ten thousand disciples, they were recognized as a major sect because they had Lightbringers among them—exceptionally powerful ones at that. And there wasn't just one of these high-level Lightbringers in the Swiftstriders. With such strength, who would dare to act recklessly? Most rogue cultivators wouldn't dare offend the Swiftstriders, as they couldn't afford the consequences!