Chapter 279: A Frenzied Market, Forming a Centaur Legion! (6000)

Chapter 279: A Frenzied Market, Forming a Centaur Legion! (6000)

A tsunami of voices erupted in the chat channel!

"Oh my god! This is actually a Secret Elixir of Life. It directly restores two thousand health points! My current health is only just over three thousand, so a single bottle of this potion can heal me to full!"

"Yeah, it's terrifying. This secret elixir only has a 30-second cooldown. If I had enough of them, I could even tank a Boss-level monster. Oh, by the way, I'm a Knight!"

"Holy crap, keeping a bottle of this on you is literally a lifesaver!"

For everyone, nothing was more important than their own lives.

And Cao Xing's secret elixir had surprisingly good effects. A single bottle could restore most Tier 2 Survivors to full health.

This was truly a divine, life-saving medicine!

The Survivors began to pipe up: "Brothers, save a bottle of this secret elixir for me, I have elderly parents and young children to support."

"Save one for me too! Let alone one thousand Ice Dragon Marks, I'll buy it instantly even for two thousand!"

"Damn it, I'm going all out. I'm going to borrow some Ice Dragon Marks from my ex-wife."

"…"

Just as they were all preparing to borrow Ice Dragon Marks, Cao Xing spoke up: "Everyone, the stock of this secret elixir is slightly larger than the previous magic potion."

"However, I do not plan to exchange them for Ice Dragon Marks this time."

Hearing that last sentence, a chorus of disappointment immediately echoed through the chat channel.

However, some still asked with a glimmer of hope, "Then Great Lord Cao Xing, what do you need? Materials or blueprints?"

Cao Xing said directly, "Training manuals, recruitment scrolls, pet contracts, and the like. Of course, if you have some special blueprints or equipment, you can also message me privately to negotiate a price."

"I'm mainly looking for Centaur recruitment scrolls. For training manuals, Frost Archer, Shadow Killer, and Ascalon Warriors are preferred."

Hearing this, hope was rekindled in the Survivors' eyes!

"Haha, I have two Tier 1 Centaur Warrior recruitment scrolls. I thought their tier was too low, so I didn't summon them. I didn't expect them to come in handy now!"

"Training manuals? I happen to have some Frost Archer training manuals here. I didn't have enough workers in my territory, so I never used them."

"Great! I also have two Centaur Spear and Shield Cavalry recruitment scrolls, but they are Tier 1. I wonder if Great Lord Cao Xing wants them!"

The Survivors who had these scrolls in hand were extremely excited.

And Cao Xing quickly listed the Improved Secret Elixir of Life and set the trade price.

[Consigned Item: Improved Secret Elixir of Life (Medium)]

[Item Stock: 1200]

[Required Items: Centaur Recruitment Scroll, Frost Archer Training Manual, Shadow Killer Training Manual…]

[Consigner: Cao Xing]

[Seller's Note: One recruitment scroll = 5 bottles of Secret Elixir of Life, one training manual = 2 bottles of Secret Elixir of Life, 1 pet contract = 1 bottle of Secret Elixir of Life. If it is Elite-grade, the price can be negotiated higher.]

…

Cao Xing's price was not considered high.

For all Survivors, troop types were the most important resource.

Even if they summoned them and sold them as slaves, they could exchange them for a decent amount of resources.

Of course, compared to selling slaves for resources, the Improved Secret Elixir of Life held a much greater temptation for them.

After all, one recruitment scroll could be traded for five bottles of Secret Elixir of Life, which was equivalent to getting five extra lives for free!

In an instant, a large number of Survivors rushed to the market to trade with Cao Xing.

[Transaction successful. You have obtained [Tier 1 Centaur Archer Recruitment Scroll]*2, and lost [Improved Secret Elixir of Life]*10…]

[Transaction successful. You have obtained [Frost Archer Training Manual]*5, and lost [Improved Secret Elixir of Life]*10…]

[Transaction successful. You have obtained [Intermediate Pet Contract (Blue)]*3, and lost [Improved Secret Elixir of Life]*3…]

[Transaction successful. You have obtained [Tier 1 Centaur Spear and Shield Cavalry Recruitment Scroll]*3, and lost [Improved Secret Elixir of Life]*15…]

[Transaction successful…]

…

System notifications frantically spammed the screen.

The trading frenzy lasted for a full five minutes!

The 1,200 bottles of Secret Elixir of Life consigned by Cao Xing were also completely sold out.

Looking at the massive pile of recruitment scrolls in his backpack, Cao Xing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hahaha! There truly is strength in numbers. It was well worth the long preparation I put into making this secret elixir."

This time, his harvest was beyond imagination!

Glancing at his backpack, this trade session had accumulated:

[Centaur Warrior Recruitment Scroll *44]

[Centaur Spear and Shield Cavalry Recruitment Scroll *57]

[Centaur Archer Recruitment Scroll *17]

These recruitment scrolls were all Tier 1.

There was nothing that could be done about it; at the current stage, the Survivors' levels were not high, so the scrolls they obtained were only Tier 1 or Tier 2.

They usually kept Tier 2 scrolls for their own use; no one would take such things out for trade.

"Excellent, now I can completely put together a Centaur Legion!"

Cao Xing thought to himself, absolutely delighted.

In addition to those, there were a total of 172 [Beginner + Intermediate Pet Contracts].

As well as [Frost Archer Training Manual]*24 and [Shadow Killer Training Manual]*7.

Plus some miscellaneous materials and other items.

This trade session could be described as extremely bountiful!

Cao Xing patted his backpack with deep satisfaction.

"As expected, Francesca and Harold are my money-printing machines. With these two, plus me providing them with materials, I can continuously obtain resources from the market."

"How wonderful!"

Cao Xing pondered, "Now, it's time to digest the gains from this haul."

"There are currently no suitable candidates to train with those training manuals, but I can summon the Centaurs first."

"After all, these Centaurs are only Tier 1 creatures, so it's better to raise their levels as quickly as possible."

Of course, what Cao Xing appreciated most about the Centaurs was their [Mount] function, which could be combined with the Wild Boar Warriors to form a unique kind of cavalry regiment.

However, this feature required 100 Loyalty to unlock.

Thus, Cao Xing summoned Kantor and Kandaer.

*Clack, clack, clack!*

The familiar sound of hooves rang out.

"Lord, we are here!"

Cao Xing nodded slightly. "Kantor, Kandaer, I will be summoning many Centaurs in a moment. I'll leave them to you to lead."

Hearing this, the two of them immediately said, "Oh! Are new companions coming?"

"Please rest assured, strong Lord, we will discipline them well!"

Cao Xing smiled. "Good."

With that, he directly pulled a large number of scrolls out of his backpack.

[Do you want to use Tier 1 Centaur Warrior Recruitment Scroll *44?]

[Do you want to…]

Cao Xing clicked 'Yes' immediately!

At the same time,

a total of 118 hexagram arrays appeared in front of Cao Xing.

These hexagram arrays were all emitting waves of energy.

Beams of light shot up into the sky, so bright that it was almost impossible to keep one's eyes open!

"Neighhh!!!"

Within the light, Cao Xing heard the loud neighing of numerous horses.

It was as if a herd of warhorses was running wild.

At the same time, the rough voices belonging to the Centaurs rang out.

"Spirit, pride, wildness, freedom! This is the main theme of us Centaurs. The spirits of our ancestors protect us!"

"Centaur Warrior, Centaur Spearman, Centaur Archer, Kanlunding/Kanlahe/Kansite… reporting to you!"

In an instant, over a hundred Centaurs stood straight in place.

Cao Xing swept his gaze over them and found that this group of Centaurs was divided into three squads based on their classes.

One squad consisted of Centaur Warriors, just like Kantor and Kandaer, wearing light armor and holding blunt weapons.

On another side was a group of heavy cavalry clad in black heavy armor from head to toe—even their horse backs were covered in thick plating. They held a three-meter-long spear in their left hand, while some raised a shield!

At a glance, this group of heavy cavalry possessed extremely high defense and terrifying lethality.

And finally, there were over a dozen Centaur Archers holding bows.

To Cao Xing's surprise, these Centaur Archers were actually all female.

Compared to the male Centaur Warriors, their four hooves were more slender, and their back curves were flatter.

Their human upper bodies were covered in beast-skin armor, concealing their slightly perky breasts.

Ancient tattoo patterns were etched onto their deep blue skin.

Their lower horse bodies were also clad in beast-skin armor, and they held large bows in their hands, exuding a primitive aura.

This group of Centaurs also noticed the two standing beside Cao Xing.

Kantor and Kandaer, also of the Centaur race, each held a massive scythe, their entire bodies radiating a terrifying aura.

Compared to this group of Tier 1 Centaurs, they were countless times more powerful!

One of the Centaur Cavalrymen exclaimed in awe, "Two Centaur Warriors, you are truly robust. The aura radiating from you makes me feel as if I am facing a Thousand-man Commander!"

The Centaur Warriors chimed in, "Yes, even in the military, these two would definitely be renowned experts!"

Even the female Centaurs looked at Kantor and Kandaer with eyes full of admiration.

A few female Centaurs even threw coquettish glances at Kantor.

As a race that revered strength, they deeply worshipped the strong, and their personalities were highly uninhibited.

Meanwhile, Kantor and Kandaer felt a bit lightheaded from all the flattery.

However, when they looked at Cao Xing beside them, they suddenly remembered something.

Kantor said, "Of course! Kandaer and I are already Tier 3 Chieftain-class warriors. But with the Lord's various blessings, we can even take on Tier 4 Centaurs!"

The Centaurs chimed in, "Oh! I can feel it. You two indeed possess power far exceeding Tier 3."

"It is truly the territory's good fortune to have two such powerful Centaur Warriors guarding it!"

However, Kantor corrected, "No, you have it wrong. Before entering the summoning space, we were also just ordinary Centaur Warriors with only Tier 2 strength."

"It is all thanks to the Lord's continuous nurturing along the way that we can be where we are today!"

"Being able to come to this territory is our true good fortune!"

Hearing this, the Centaurs all turned their gazes toward Cao Xing.

Only now did they notice this human who seemed low-key, but whose aura was extremely terrifying!

"So this is our Lord. He looks even stronger than these two Centaur Warriors!"

[part:gemini-3.5-flash-lite]

"That's right, I feel like a single glance from the Lord could kill us directly!"

As a level 40 Frost Mage, Cao Xing could indeed wipe out these Centaurs with a single AOE magic spell.

He didn't speak, instead having this group of Centaurs wait a little longer.

At the same time, he called over Liu Muxue, Hilda, Blot, and other creatures with group buff abilities.

Seeing this newly appeared group of Centaurs, they understood Cao Xing's intention.

Suddenly, a bunch of group skills were unleashed.

[Blessing of Courage], [Queens Will], [Resonance Totem]…

All the Centaurs felt a power far exceeding their current level permanently remaining within their bodies!

"Modir's forefathers above, this power… is so terrifying…"

"Forefathers! I feel like my current attack power can even inflict damage on Tier 3 powerhouses!"

"I must be dreaming, how could there be such a terrifying blessing effect!"

Kantor immediately raised his scythe and stepped forward to say, "You are not dreaming, these are just a few blessing effects from the Lord!"

"From now on, you will follow us to defend the territory."

"Perform well, and the Lord will not only bestow even stronger blessings upon you, but also enhance the strength of all you Centaurs!"

The Centaurs instantly became even more excited, casting fiery gazes toward Cao Xing one after another.

[Because you helped enhance their strength, Centaur Lancer Canst's loyalty has increased. Current loyalty: 71]

[Because you…]

…

Over a hundred system prompts appeared.

The loyalty of all Centaurs had risen above 70!

Seeing this, a smile also appeared at the corner of Cao Xing's mouth.

Then, he opened the attribute panels of these Centaurs and took a look.

[Centaur Lancer: Canst]

[Level: Level 8 672 / 70000 (Tier 1 Common Creature)]

[HP: 1247 / 1247 (Pale Tree Bonus)]

[Attack Power: 65 ~ 67 (Weapon Bonus)]

[Armor: 43 ~ 49]

[Skills: Primary Spear and Shield Mastery (Spear attack power increased by 10%, shield parry probability increased by 10%), Charge and Poke (Increases movement speed by 100%, raises the spear to attack all enemies along the way, dealing 147% piercing damage to them, cooldown: 60 seconds)]

[Legion Skill: Victorious Charge (Led by a powerful Centaur leading other Centaurs in a victorious charge, armor increased by 50%, attack power increased by 30%, movement speed of all Centaurs remains consistent, and causes stun and knock-up effects on hit enemies, cooldown: 150 seconds)]

[Talent: None]

[Bonds: Centaur (100 members activated)]

[Satiation: 66]

[Loyalty: 72]

…

[Centaur Archer: Camini]

[Level: Level 7 672 / 6000 (Tier 1 Common Creature)]

[HP: 1154 / 1154 (Pale Tree Bonus)]

[Attack Power: 53 ~ 59 (Weapon Bonus)]

[Armor: 29 ~ 31]

[Skills: Primary Archery Mastery (When fighting with a bow, attack speed + 10%, attack power + 10%), Agile Shooting (Fires 8 arrows in the next 5 seconds, during which you can move quickly and jump to dodge enemy attacks, skill cooldown: 40 seconds)]

[Legion Skill: Victorious Charge]

[Talent: None]

[Bonds: Centaur (100 members activated)]

[Satiation: 69]

[Loyalty: 71]

…

"Not bad, not bad, the legion skill has also been activated."

"Aside from their relatively low level, these Centaurs basically have no major shortcomings."

"As for those Centaur Warriors, there's no need to look at them; their evolution path is the same as Kantor's."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing said to them,

"Welcome, strong Centaur Warriors, Centaur Spear and Shield Cavalry, and archers."

"Just as Kantor and Kandaer said, as long as you perform well, you will continuously grow stronger here!"

"Let us build a powerful territory together!"

All the Centaurs immediately straightened their bodies and saluted in unison, saying, "We are willing to offer our loyalty to the powerful Lord!"

Kantor said respectfully, "Lord, should I take them over for training right now?"

He seemed a bit impatient.

But Cao Xing shook his head.

The levels of these Centaurs were all too low. Coincidentally, the Ice Dragon Horn challenge would take place in the afternoon, which could make their levels skyrocket rapidly.

However, the advancement of these hundred-plus Centaurs required a large amount of Hearts of Power.

However, for Cao Xing, who had 2.54 million Ice Dragon Marks, this was not a problem at all.

He first opened the [Dragon Shop], spent 120,000 Ice Dragon Marks to exchange for 120 [Primary Hearts of Power].

Then he spent another 1.2 million Ice Dragon Marks to exchange for 120 [Intermediate Hearts of Power].

A system prompt appeared.

[Exchange successful, Ice Dragon Mark – 1320000…]

…

In an instant, Cao Xing's reserve of two million Ice Dragon Marks dropped to 1.22 million.

But this didn't have much of an impact.

After all, digesting these resources and using them to enhance strength was the most important thing.

Thus, with a wave of Cao Xing's hand, he took out all the Hearts of Power.

The sight of several hundred Hearts of Power placed on the ground was quite spectacular.

Those Centaurs asked with surprised expressions, "Strong Lord, what are these?"

Cao Xing said, "In our territory, Tier 1 power is still too weak."

"There will be a large-scale battle in the afternoon with a huge number of monsters, which is enough for your levels to rise all the way to Tier 3."

"Take these Hearts of Power. During the battle, if you reach the limit of your current level, withdraw from the battlefield to make a breakthrough."

"Rejoin the battle after the breakthrough is successful. Did you all understand?"

All the Centaurs wore solemn expressions!

How could they not know that Cao Xing was helping them enhance their strength.

With excited expressions in their eyes, "Understood, Lord!"

"You truly are a generous and powerful Lord!"

Those female Centaurs added, "And also a handsome Lord!"

The next moment, a large number of system prompts appeared.

[Due to your generous gift, territory member Canst's loyalty has significantly increased. Current loyalty: 85]

[Due to your generous gift, territory member Camini's loyalty has significantly increased. Current loyalty: 87]

[Due to you…]

…

On the surface, Cao Xing remained calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

The Eternal Power state plus Hearts of Power—smashing down both sets meant almost no troop type could withstand this offensive.

They all offered their loyalty to him one after another, and all Centaurs had loyalty above 85!

Next, as long as they were nurtured for a period of time, even having everyone reach 100 would be an easy matter.

Cao Xing waved his hand, then let Kantor and Kandaer take the other Centaurs to train.

After that, he continued to patrol within the territory.

Walking all the way past the three-story Lords Cabin, the five-meter-high Kings Altar, as well as rows of residential houses and Elemental Arrow Towers.

Looking at those buildings and the large number of residential houses, Cao Xing also felt deeply emotional inside.

From a small campfire, the entire territory had developed to its current scale, filling one with a sense of accomplishment.

"Right now, the territory's population is increasing more and more, and we can carry out a second expansion soon."

"However, when I used the tavern recruitment function last time, it didn't seem to have much effect."

"I've waited for two days, and there's still no news of newcomers visiting."

But thinking about it, it was normal; after all, the tavern's recruitment function sends invitations to the indigenous people near the territory.

Coupled with the fact that Cao Xing had been using the Ice Dragon Horn to challenge these past two days.

Those indigenous people might have been scared away after seeing the massive amounts of Ice Nest Monsters.

Moreover, his current manpower was already sufficient.

Time slowly passed.

Soon it reached around twelve noon.

At the same time.

Yao Yiming also sent a message over there.

"Great Lord Cao Xing, we have rested well and can get ready to start the second wave of Ice Dragon Horn challenges."

"Alright, wait a moment, I'll send two people over to back you up."

Worried that any missed Ice Nest Monsters might cause unexpected accidents, Cao Xing thought it safer to dispatch two warriors.

Thus, Cao Xing called Jonard and Josent over and quickly explained what needed to be done.

The two tall Dragonblood Warriors instantly straightened their bodies.

Cao Xing said, "You guys go over. Under normal circumstances, you don't need to make a move. If any monsters attack their territory, just kill them directly."

The two said respectfully, "As you command, Lord!"

After speaking, they quickly departed.

A few minutes later, the two arrived near Yao Yiming's territory.

On Cao Xing's end, he connected to Yao Yiming's communication and said, "You can start."

"Alright, Great Lord Cao Xing."

As the words fell, he and Cao Xing simultaneously used the Ice Dragon Horn.

Regional Announcement: "Attention Survivors, Survivor lord 'Yao Yiming' has used [Ice Dragon Horn (Medium)]…"

Regional Announcement: "Attention Survivors, Survivor lord 'Cao Xing' has used [Ice Dragon Horn (Medium)]…"

…

Two system prompts instantly ignited the chat channel of District 17.

"Brothers, Great Lord Cao Xing and Yao Yiming actually used medium horns at the same time. Are they getting ready to sprint for the leaderboard in these last two days?"

"Great Lord Cao Xing aside, there is definitely no suspense about first place this time. But this Yao Yiming is actually so fierce too; could he be trying to snatch second place?"

"It's very likely! Yao Yiming already has over eight hundred points now, ranking fifth, but as long as he challenges a medium Ice Dragon Horn once more, he can overtake them in one fell swoop and seize the second-place position!"

"Holy crap! It seems to be true, this Yao Yiming is way too fierce. Whose general is he?"

"Brothers, this guy seems to be from District 174 as well. What do you guys think, is it possible he is Great Lord Cao Xing's person?"

"…"

Facing this suddenly appearing dark horse Yao Yiming, everyone felt extremely shocked.

…

…