Cave Refuge

For this person who started talking about his dreams the moment they met, Dong Tianyu was also somewhat perplexed.

Seeing that Dong Tianyu was still indifferent, the other party seemed to suddenly realize something, reorganized his language and introduced himself: "I apologize, seeing you standing on a Flying Sword made me think you were engaged in Sword Flight. I was just expressing my thoughts on the spur of the moment.

Let me reintroduce myself. I am Grayson Todd of the Tiger Guard, I came here to assist the Magic City Government in suppressing the Otherworldly Invaders."

Knowing the other party's background, Dong Tianyu couldn't continue to feign ignorance: "Dong Tianyu."

Although Dong Tianyu's response was somewhat cold, Grayson was not deterred and continued enthusiastically: "You should not be an Artifact Master, right?"

Though he phrased it as a question, Grayson's tone was quite certain. Seeing that Dong Tianyu did not answer, he continued: "Everything I said was true. Although I have a great Talent for Martial Arts, I still wish to pursue Cultivation. After all, whether it's Sword Flight like you, or achieving a long Life Expectancy, these are things I deeply desire."

And I won't hide it from you, while my Martial Cultivation has already reached the Grandmaster Realm, I would not hesitate to abandon my martial prowess if I could obtain a method of Cultivation, even if it means starting over."

Despite Grayson's sincerely expressed words, Dong Tianyu didn't believe a word, thinking to himself that those involved in the Officials' circles are never this simple, openly discussing their dreams with a stranger.

However, having said so much, Dong Tianyu didn't want to let the other person lead the conversation. Therefore, he did not continue on the topic, but straightforwardly asked: "You just saw me standing on the Longsword and flying, how can you be sure that I'm not an Artifact Master?

Also you claim you're a Tiger Guard sent by the Imperial Court to help suppress Otherworldly invaders, what proof do you have? Furthermore, you stated your Cultivation Level has reached the Grandmaster Realm, how can you prove that?"

Hearing Dong Tianyu's series of counterquestions, Grayson was not anger, but smiled instead. After all, as long as Dong Tianyu was willing to speak to him, whether kindly or disdainfully, it indicated a willingness to communicate.

At this moment, Grayson was worried about meeting someone who would refuse to talk to him, or worse, someone who would simply leave upon hearing about his identity.

Of course, Grayson noticed Dong Tianyu purposefully avoided the subject of Cultivation, but the more Dong Tianyu avoided the topic, the more accurate Grayson believed his guess was.

Yet Grayson wasn't in a hurry. They had only just met and hadn't developed any rapport, so it presented no issue if Dong Tianyu avoided some topics, especially since despite being still enamored with the idea of Cultivation,

he had already reached the Grandmaster Realm on his Martial Path, which had greatly enhanced both his combat strength and his Life Expectancy limits.

So even though he still admired Cultivation methods, upon seeing some clues, he was not overly anxious, given his current youth and abundant Life Vitality.

Moreover, now that he has reached the Grandmaster Realm, even without a standard Cultivation Method, he could take the Martial Arts Path. Given his natural talent, this approach may even be more suitable for him.

Nonetheless, after witnessing Dong Tianyu's Sword Flight, Grayson still decided to befriend Dong Tianyu first. If Dong Tianyu indeed had a Cultivation Method, Grayson wouldn't mind paying a significant price to acquire it from him.

While he wasn't sure if the Cultivation Method Dong Tianyu would sell him would be effective, everything required backup plans.

Of course, at this moment, since their relationship hasn't reached that level, Grayson kept these thoughts to himself, planning to later subtly inquire Dong Tianyu as they got to know each other better.

For now, he aimed to foster a good relationship with Dong Tianyu, so in response to Dong Tianyu's previous queries, Grayson didn't show annoyance but instead replied earnestly:

"The reason I'm sure you're not an Artifact Master is because I've seen many who, like you, are capable of Sword Flight. Those Artifact Masters can also ride on Flying Swords freely like Cultivators, but most of the time, they won't use the Strange Creature ability 'Sword Flight' unless it's for something important."

The reason, as you might guess, is that using the Strange Creature abilities consumes Life Vitality. While the loss of Life Vitality can be recovered slowly through food and rest, excessive consumption can lead to a real decrease in Life Expectancy."

This is why these Artifact Masters, despite having the capability of Sword Flight, would not readily exhibit this ability in their daily lives."

"Although Artifact Masters can gain various powers similar to Innate Divine Abilities through contracting with Strange Creatures, every use of these powers would consume their Life Vitality or even reduce their Life Expectancy."

After listening to Grayson's explanation, Dong Tianyu was somewhat speechless. It turned out that Artifact Masters could indeed display abilities like Sword Flight by relying on contracted Strange Creatures.

However, even with such abilities, those Artifact Masters would not frequently use them, as each use was akin to a gamble with life where one careless moment could lead to profound consumption and directly sap an Artifact Manipulator's life, resulting in instant death.