I can receive unlimited protection; my parents handed me over to the state.

Having gotten rid of that annoying old man, Lu Yuan wandered aimlessly around the sports center.

The little incident just now had killed his appetite for watching the excitement any longer.

He found a bench in a corner, took out the special drink that Zhao Qingxuan had prepared for him from his backpack, unscrewed it, and took a sip.

The cool liquid, carrying a faint aura of psychic energy, slid down his throat, calming his overheated mind, which had been agitated.

"This world is really interesting."

He looked at the "geniuses" not far away, who were arguing heatedly over a spot in a second-rate academy, and couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including sadness and regret).

Once upon a time, he was just like them, believing that awakening an A-level talent would allow him to rise to the top and become a superior person.

But now he realizes that the so-called A-level and S-level are nothing more than slightly stronger ants in front of the real state apparatus and those SSS-level monsters standing at the top of the pyramid.

He himself, however, was propelled to a height that even he found astonishing, because of an F-level mutated talent.

This feeling is wonderful.

It's like playing a game where everyone else is painstakingly leveling up by defeating monsters, while he directly obtains administrator privileges.

Just as Lu Yuan was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a gaze fall on him.

That gaze was peculiar; it was neither aggressive nor scrutinizing, but simply a pure, slightly curious look.

Lu Yuan followed his intuition and looked in that direction.

Under a large tree not far away, a girl was standing.

The moment Lu Yuan saw the girl, he felt his breath catch for half a second.

nice.

The ultimate beauty.

If the beauty of that girl in the white dress was like that of a finely crafted porcelain piece, beautiful as it was, it lacked a soul.

The beauty of the girl before me is natural, as if she embodies the spirit of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon.

She wore a simple white martial arts uniform, and her waist-length silver hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall formed from moonlight.

Her features are beyond description.

Those eyes were a deep blue, like the color of the entire starry sky, clear and profound, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

Her skin was more delicate and smooth than the finest mutton-fat jade, and it shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

Her temperament is even more unique.

She possesses both the purity of a young girl and a calmness and composure beyond her years.

She stood there quietly, seemingly isolated from the noisy world around her, a scene in herself.

So many people were coming and going around her, but no one noticed her presence, as if she were shrouded in an invisible mist.

Only Lu Yuan could see her clearly.

When Lu Yuan looked over, the girl seemed to notice as well.

She neither flinched nor showed surprise.

She simply smiled slightly at Lu Yuan.

That smile, like the first melting of ice and snow, like spring flowers in bloom, made the whole world pale in comparison.

Then, she nodded gently to Lu Yuan, turned around, and with light steps, slowly disappeared into the end of the crowd.

She didn't say a word from beginning to end.

Lu Yuan sat on the bench, staring in the direction she had disappeared, and remained lost in thought for a long time.

Who was that girl just now?

The one-day holiday came to an end quickly.

That evening, Lu Yuan returned to Villa S-0.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Su Lie sitting on the sofa in the living room with a dark face.

"Grandpa Su? What brings you here?" Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised.

"Hmph! If I hadn't come, would you have forgotten about our one-month agreement?" Su Lie glared at him irritably.

"How could that be?" Lu Yuan smiled and sat down opposite Su Lie. "I've always remembered."

"Just remember that." Su Lie's expression softened slightly. "What were your thoughts on today's admissions fair?"

"My thought is..." Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king."

"Hahaha! Well said!" Su Lie burst into laughter at his words. "Those little brats, all swaggering around outside, would be nothing more than a mouthful of food for the star beasts if thrown to the front lines!"

After laughing, his expression turned serious again.

"Lu Yuan, time is running out. There are only ten days left until the one-month deadline."

"The situation in the North is not optimistic. The physical immune BOSS 'Void Nightmare' has appeared several times, and our regular troops are completely powerless against it."

"Those people up there are pressuring me every day. And that old fox, Chief of Staff Zhao, is just waiting to see me make a fool of myself."

Su Lie's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible fatigue and anxiety.

"I've staked all my hopes on you."

"When exactly are you going to get that S-rank weapon out?"

Lu Yuan looked at Su Lie's bloodshot eyes and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his head, his eyes clear and firm.

"Grandpa Su, don't worry."

"The weapon's blueprints and all the procedures are already in my mind."

"However, I don't want to build it now."

"What?" Su Lie frowned. "What are you trying to do, kid?"

Su Lie stared at Lu Yuan, his eyes, which seemed to see through people's hearts, filled with scrutiny and incomprehension.

"You brat, do you even know what you're saying?" Su Lie's voice was deep, laced with suppressed anger. "Every single second on the northern front lines, soldiers are sacrificing their lives! What they lack is a weapon that can penetrate their defenses! And you're telling me you're going to wait?"

The atmosphere in the living room instantly plummeted to freezing. Zhao Qingxuan stood to the side, barely daring to breathe. He knew very well that Su Lie was truly enraged. This old general couldn't bear to see his comrades, who were fighting valiantly on the front lines, suffer.

"Grandpa Su, please don't be anxious." Lu Yuan was not intimidated by Su Lie's imposing manner. He remained calmly seated on the sofa, poured himself a glass of water, and said, "I want that weapon to be made as soon as possible more than anyone else. But not now."

"Why!" Su Lie slammed his hand on the table, causing the water in his teacup to spill. "You brat, give me a straight answer! If you can't give me a proper explanation, I'll tie you up and take you to the forge right now!"

"Because my condition hasn't reached its peak yet." Lu Yuan took a sip of water to moisten his throat before explaining slowly, "You've seen my talent 'Blessing of All Things.' It's not just simple forging and enchanting; it's more like... weaving rules."

"Each blessing is a profound resonance between my spiritual energy, materials, and the rules of the world. The consumption of my spiritual energy is secondary in this process; the most crucial thing is that my 'essence, energy, and spirit' must reach an absolute peak state."

Lu Yuan raised his head, looking intently at Su Lie: "I'm only level 30 now, and my mental strength has just broken through the 100-point mark. Although it's not bad among my peers, it's still far from my limit. The hellish training of the past two weeks has indeed given my body and combat skills a qualitative leap, but my mental strength is still in a period of rapid growth."

"I can feel that in the next ten days, my mental strength will reach another level. My body will also be able to adapt better to this high-intensity energy operation."

"What I'm forging isn't just an ordinary S-rank weapon. What I want is a divine artifact that can truly change the course of the battle, one that can utterly obliterate that 'Void Nightmare'..."

"Forging a divine weapon requires my absolute best, my peak mental strength! Otherwise, even if it's created, it will only be a flawed product with a beautiful exterior, failing to achieve the effect I desire. That would be the greatest irresponsibility towards the soldiers on the front lines and towards the nation's resources!"

Lu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was firm and resounding, filled with undeniable confidence.

Su Lie was stunned.

Looking at the young man before him, his clear and determined eyes, and his calmness and composure far beyond his years, made the anger in his heart dissipate without him even realizing it.

He recalled the report Zhao Qingxuan had submitted. The report described in detail the scene when Lu Yuan forged the "Wind and Thunder Guide"—the almost frenzied dedication, the draining of every last bit of his spiritual energy; the domineering and resolute attitude of "I am the creator."

He got it.

This kid isn't delaying, nor is he afraid.

He was pursuing an ultimate form of perfection.

He saw himself as the first and most important "material" for that future artifact. He needed to polish himself to the most perfect state before he could begin the forging process.

"Furthermore," Lu Yuan added, seeing that Su Lie's expression had softened, "Grandpa Su, you might have some misunderstanding about my forging method. Traditional forging requires a lot of time for polishing, quenching, and inscribing magic arrays. But I don't need that."

"As long as my mental strength is sufficient, as long as I am in peak condition, and as long as the materials are complete, forging that weapon will, for me, take at most... just one night."

One night?

Su Lie and Zhao Qingxuan were stunned once again.

In one night, can you create a weapon that can change the course of a battle?

If anyone else had said that, Su Lie would have slapped them so hard they'd fly to the sky.

But it was Lu Yuan who said this. He was a monster who had already created miracles and was about to create even greater ones.

"Okay!" Su Lie remained silent for a long time before finally squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth.

He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, seemingly processing this astonishing information.

"Ten days! I'll give you another ten days!" Su Lie pointed at Lu Yuan, his tiger-like eyes rekindling with hope. "In these ten days, whatever you need, just tell Zhao Qingxuan! Whether it's dragon liver from the heavens or phoenix marrow from the earth, as long as it's available in China, I'll snatch it for you, even if I have to!"

"All I want is for you to remember what you said today!"

"Ten days from now, I want to see a weapon that can pierce a hole in the sky!"

"You will see." Lu Yuan stood up and nodded solemnly to Su Lie.

"Alright, I'm off!" Having gotten the answer he wanted, Su Lie didn't linger and turned to leave in a hurry. He still had too many things to arrange and deploy.

He was going to pave the way for the divine artifact that would be born in ten days.

Watching Su Lie's departing figure, Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light.

Ten days.

These ten days will be his final transformation.

He wants to adjust his condition to an unprecedented peak.

Then, with the most magnificent forging, declare to the world—

Divine craftsman, descend!

……

Meanwhile, in Jianghai City, thousands of miles away...

Inside a public training hall filled with the smell of sweat and the clanging of metal.

"boom!"

A heavy sandbag was kicked to its death with a powerful, sweeping kick. The special filling material inside, mixed with sweat, flew everywhere.

Gao Yang was shirtless, his muscles bulging, sweat trickling down his bronze skin like streams. His eyes no longer held their former pride and arrogance, but only a kind of obsessive madness and sinister glint.

Ever since he was publicly humiliated by Su Lie at the graduation ceremony and had his guaranteed admission qualification revoked by Canglong, he has fallen from the heights of success into the depths of despair.

He is no longer the favored son of heaven who is admired by all.

He became a joke. A pathetic laughingstock used to highlight Lu Yuan, that F-rank blacksmith.

He dared not go out, dared not go to school, and dared not even look at any news on his personal computer. Because he knew that those who had once admired and envied him were now mocking his overestimation of his abilities with the most vicious words.

His father, the man who had placed high hopes on him, did not hit or scold him for the first time after hearing the news. He just looked at him deeply and sighed, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

That look of disappointment in his eyes caused him more pain than any beating or scolding.

"Lu Yuan! Lu Yuan! Lu Yuan!"

Gao Yang slammed his fists against the hard alloy wall again and again, letting his finger bones collide with the metal, drawing blood.

"Why! By what right!"

He couldn't figure it out.

He clearly possesses A-level combat talent and is the undisputed number one in the school! The future belongs to him!

But why, just because of that good-for-nothing's appearance, everything he had was destroyed!

He is not willing!

He doesn't agree!

"You just wait... Lu Yuan..." Gao Yang gasped for breath, leaning against the wall, his eyes like those of a predatory beast. "I won't give up so easily! Didn't you get into the capital? Didn't you become a member of that bullshit 'Divine Craftsman Project'?"

"I'm going to the capital too! I'll participate in this year's National Star Envoy Academy Entrance Examination! I'll use my abilities to get in fairly and squarely!"

"I'll show you that I, Gao Yang, am the true genius! And you will always be nothing but trash who rose to power through crooked means!"

"One day, I will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold, for all the humiliation you have inflicted upon me!"

He wiped the blood off his hands, turned around, and walked to the other side of the training hall.

There, a huge dungeon poster hung—[Deathmines (Levels 10-25)].

This is a low-level dungeon known for its high difficulty and high mortality rate.

However, its rewards are also much more generous than those of dungeons of the same level.

Gao Yang's gaze fell on the small print at the very bottom of the poster.

[Rare Drop: Wind Spirit Crystal (can be used to enhance wind attribute skills)]

He clenched his fist.

Now that he had lost the academy's support, he would risk his life to fight for a future!

""