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

After Lu Tianhe finished speaking, the air in the living room seemed to freeze into glue.

Looking at his father's face, contorted with excitement, Lu Yuan felt a pang of anxiety. +100? The thought was too much for him to bear. If he actually made a +100 kitchen knife, he could probably slice the Earth in half while chopping vegetables.

"Dad, sit down first, don't raise your blood pressure." Lu Yuan reached out to pull his father up. "Theoretically, there's no upper limit, but there's a prerequisite."

Lu Tianhe plopped back down on the sofa, but before he could even settle in, he bounced back up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "What are your conditions? Money? Or your life? As long as you don't have to tear this old man apart and sell him for scrap, we'll sell everything we own to support you!"

"Not quite that exaggerated, but close." Lu Yuan pointed to his head. "Mental strength."

He held the star-patterned steel in his hand; its heavy weight calmed him considerably. At school, the system had only given him a general hint; now, back home, the message had become much more specific and brutal.

[Target: Star-patterned steel (raw material)]

[Current material strength: Excellent]

[Basic Enchantment Cost: 5 Spirit Points per use (increases exponentially with each Consecration level)]

[Note: Host's current total mental energy: 8 points (mortal limit is 10 points)]

Lu Yuan read the data on the panel to his father.

"8 o'clock..." Lu Tianhe's lips twitched. "Is this piece of junk so bad that you can't even get enough blue bars to hit the first hammer blow?"

Lu Yuan shrugged, tossing the star-patterned steel back onto the table with a dull thud: "If it were just ordinary iron, I might be able to knock it a couple of times. But this is star-patterned steel; the better the material, the more it's consumed. Right now, I'm just a kid holding a nuclear launcher—no password, no power."

"This is indeed a big problem." Lu Tianhe sat down again, this time without jumping up. He stroked the layer of stubble on his chin, his eyes becoming deep. "In the world of Star Sea, level is everything. From level 1 to 100, with each level up, physical attributes and mental strength will improve. You are currently a level 0 blank slate, so of course your mental strength is insufficient."

He paused, then held up two fingers: "Do you know what level our country's highest combat force, the so-called S-class Star Envoy, is right now?"

"The textbook says it's probably between level 60 and 70," Lu Yuan replied.

"That's what they say to outsiders." Lu Tianhe sneered, picked up the half-pack of cigarettes on the coffee table, wanted to light it, glanced at Lin Rou beside him, and then put it down sheepishly. "Actually, Azure Dragon is only level 68. The higher you go, the more experience you need to level up, the more astronomical it becomes. The experience needed to go from level 68 to 69 is enough for you to go from level 0 to level 50 ten times."

"And if you want to support that 'unlimited' blessing, your mental strength must keep up. In other words, you have to level up. Level up like crazy."

Lu Tianhe sighed, a sense of helplessness in his eyes: "Leveling up requires resources. Equipment, potions, dungeon tickets, even hiring a high-level player to boost your character... none of these don't cost money. I know what our family's resources are. My retirement pension plus your mother's salary can afford to send you to an ordinary university, but to support a god-level blacksmith who can squander mental energy at will..."

He shook his head, not uttering that cruel conclusion.

In this era, the poor rely on literature, the rich on martial arts. Lu Yuan's situation is one where, even after mutating, he still needs massive amounts of resources to fill the gaps.

Lin Rou hadn't said anything until now, but suddenly interjected, "Old Lu, how about we sell our old house in the East District?"

"Even selling them wouldn't be enough!" Lu Tianhe scratched his hair in frustration. "That's only a few dollars! This kid's talent is a bottomless pit! The initial investment might start at several hundred million! We couldn't even fill it by selling a kidney!"

Lu Yuan felt a pang of sadness seeing his parents worrying about money. He was about to say, "Maybe I'll just practice slowly," when Lu Tianhe suddenly raised his head, his somewhat cloudy eyes flashing with a piercing light.

"Son, are you afraid of dying?"

Lu Yuan was taken aback, then smiled: "Dad, I'm your son. It's not shameful to be afraid of death, but being afraid of death yet still wanting to win is our family tradition."

"Good lad!" Lu Tianhe slapped his thigh. "Since that's the case, let's not keep this a secret. Such a big secret is beyond our means, and we dare not. A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. If those powerful families or foreign forces find out you have this ability, you'll be tied up in a basement and enslaved for life tomorrow."

"So?" Lu Yuan roughly guessed what his father was thinking.

"Hand it over!" Lu Tianhe uttered two words decisively, "Hand myself over to the country!"

He pointed to the sky: "The situation on the front lines is terrible, terribly terrible. The news is full of good news and never bad news. They say that the Azure Dragon repelled the Void Whale, but that's only because they had no other choice. The Void Whale was just a scout; the real Void Army is still waiting in the wings. Our country is currently being strangled. We only have a handful of high-end combat forces, and our equipment upgrades are too slow to keep up with the evolution of the Star Beasts."

Lu Tianhe's voice lowered, carrying a worry only a veteran could understand: "Last month, my old comrade-in-arms messaged me saying that the northern defense line almost collapsed. Why? Because a BOSS with physical immunity appeared on the other side, and our swords were like tickling it. If we had had a weapon with a high enough level of 'true damage' or 'armor penetration' enchantment, even just one, we could have saved thousands of brothers from dying."

At this point, Lu Tianhe's eyes reddened.

Lu Yuan fell silent. Although he had never been on the battlefield, that number weighed heavily on his mind.

"Your talent isn't just about your future; it's a strategic weapon that can change the course of a battle." Lu Tianhe stared at Lu Yuan. "Hand you over, and the country will provide you with the best resources, the strongest bodyguards, and treat you like a precious panda. You only need to focus on leveling up and forging, and you won't have to worry about anything else. Are you in?

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate at all: "Let's do it."

That's too awesome, right? It's like someone telling you, "You just spend the money, and I'll reimburse you, with no limit on the amount." Only a fool wouldn't do that.

"Okay!" Lu Tianhe was a decisive person. Once he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate any longer.

He stood up and walked to a storage cabinet in the corner of the living room. The cabinet was locked and required fingerprint verification. Lu Tianhe fiddled with it for a while and finally pulled out an old-fashioned, black, brick-like communicator from the very back.

This thing looks older than Lu Yuan, and it has a yellowed label with a series of numbers on it.

"This was given to me by my old commander when I retired," Lu Tianhe said, wiping the dust off his phone with a nostalgic tone. "He said that as long as it wasn't something that violated principles like murder or arson, I should call this number if I encountered any insurmountable difficulties. Although it's a one-way satellite phone, it connects directly to the higher-ups."

Lin Rou walked over nervously and straightened Lu Tianhe's collar: "Old Lu, once this call is made, our family's life will be very different from now on."

"It's different now." Lu Tianhe took a deep breath, his fingers trembling slightly as he pressed the red power button. "Our son is going to be a national treasure, and we'll benefit from that too. From now on, when we go to the market, let's see who dares to shortchange me."

"drop--"

The communicator's green light came on, the signal bars fluctuated a few times, and finally stabilized at full strength.

Lu Tianhe dialed a number he knew by heart.

With the hands-free switch on, the only sound in the living room was the static of the electricity.

Three seconds later, the call was connected.

A noisy sound came from across the street, like someone playing mahjong or chopping meat.

"Who is it? Disturbing my sleep so late at night. If it's an insurance salesman, I'll follow the signal and break your legs."

A loud, robust old man's voice rang out, tinged with a strong sense of irritability.

Upon hearing this voice, Lu Tianhe, who had been standing straight, instinctively straightened his back even more, brought his legs together, and almost saluted.

"Report! Lu Tianhe, former captain of the Third Special Operations Brigade of the Jianghai War Zone!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

The noise from before vanished instantly, as if the old man had taken the phone to a quiet place.

"Little Lu?" The old man's voice sounded surprised, tinged with a hint of mockery. "You little rascal, you're still alive? I thought your bones had turned to ash. What, calling me at this hour? Need money for medicine? Or have you gotten into some trouble you can't handle?"

"If you're short of money, don't ask. I have two bottles of good wine here. You can sell them and it'll help you through the rest of the time."

Lu Yuan could tell that although the old man had a sharp tongue, his protective instincts were exactly the same as his own father's.

Lu Tianhe grinned, wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes: "Old Chief, I'm not short of money, nor am I looking for trouble. I'm here to give you a gift."

"A gift? You?" The other person scoffed. "What good stuff could you possibly have? If it's just a few pounds of cheap tea, forget it, I'm afraid it'll give me diarrhea."

"It's not tea." Lu Tianhe glanced at Lu Yuan, his voice suddenly becoming extremely serious, even trembling slightly. "I'm sending you a 'nuclear weapon'."

"What the hell?" The person on the other end clearly thought he had misheard. "Are you drunk? Possessing weapons is a capital offense. If you want to go in and operate the sewing machine, don't drag me down with you."

"The real deal." Lu Tianhe ignored the old man's sarcasm and said in a deep voice, "My son, Lu Yuan. He just awakened tonight."

"Awakened? That's good. S-rank? And a rare profession at that? If he awakens to S-rank, I might write him a recommendation letter for military academy." The old man's tone became slightly more serious, but he didn't take it too seriously. After all, while S-rank was rare, it wasn't anything special in the eyes of someone at his level.

"Rank F"

"beep……"

The other side got eliminated immediately.

Lu Tianhe looked awkwardly at the communicator in his hand, while Lu Yuan next to him almost burst out laughing.

"His temper hasn't changed at all." Lu Tianhe shook his head helplessly and dialed again.

This time it rang five times before I answered.

"Lu Tianhe! Are you kidding me? You call me an F-rank? Do you want me to arrange a job for him peeling potatoes in the cafeteria?" The roar almost shattered the loudspeaker.

"Old Chief, please let me finish!" Lu Tianhe stopped playing the submissive and roared back, "An F-rank blacksmith! But with a mutated talent! Trait: Blessing of All Things! Unlimited! Unlimited, you understand? It means that as long as there are resources, he can upgrade Old Li's rusty kitchen knife into a divine weapon!"

There was another deathly silence on the other end of the phone.

This time, the silence lasted an unusually long time. A full minute.

Lu Yuan could even hear the heavy breathing on the other side, the panting of some enormous creature awakened.

"Lu Tianhe." The old man's voice changed. The previous mockery and irritability vanished, replaced by a chilling majesty and calmness—the oppressive aura of a true leader. "Do you know what the words 'unlimited' mean in a military court? If you dare lie about this, I'll kill you myself."

"I'm willing to sign a pledge." Lu Tianhe saluted the air, his eyes like knives. "If I tell a single lie, you don't need to lift a finger; I'll jump off the eighteenth floor myself."

"Moreover, just now in front of me, this kid received a system notification saying that as long as his mental energy is sufficient, he can stack it infinitely. The problem now is that his level is too low, his mana bar is insufficient, and his family is poor and cannot afford to support this powerful figure."

The other side remained silent for a few more seconds.

Immediately afterwards, there was a sound of tables and chairs overturning, as if the old man had suddenly stood up.

"Where are you? Still that doghouse in the veterans' compound?"

"Yes."

"Don't move. Tell your son not to go out, not to answer the phone, not to order takeout, and preferably not to even open the curtains."

The old man spoke very quickly, with an unquestionable commanding tone: "Disconnect the internet at home, turn off all electronic devices that can emit signals, except for this communicator. I'm leaving now."

"Huh? You're coming over?" Lu Tianhe was taken aback. "Aren't you in the capital? This is such a long way..."

"Beijing my ass! I'm just inspecting defenses in Jianghai City!" the old man cursed. "I was just checking to see if you were dead, but I didn't expect you to give me such a huge shock."

"Listen up, Lu Tianhe. If it's true, your son is a strategic resource for the nation, more important than ten S-class star envoys. Protect him well, or I'll skin you alive and make a drum!"

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The call ended again.

This time, Lu Tianhe wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted. He slumped onto the sofa, his back soaked in cold sweat.

"All done." Lu Tianhe looked at Lu Yuan, grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking, "Son, your golden thigh has arrived."

Lu Yuan looked at the dark communicator, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Is this the power of a nation? A mere description of a possibility is enough to make that legendary figure lose his composure like this.

"Dad, who exactly is this old commander?" Lu Yuan asked curiously.

Lu Tianhe chuckled, his eyes filled with admiration: "You've heard of him too. In the past, China had the 'Twelve Star Envoys,' and now only two remain. One is the current Commander-in-Chief, and the other is him."

"He was known as the 'Prison-Suppressing King,' and once guarded the entrance to the abyss alone for half a month, killing so many star beast corpses that the entire canyon was filled with them—Su Lie."

Lu Yuan gasped.

Su Lie? That legendary S-class Star Envoy who's been "gloriously retired" according to textbooks? That fierce man who claimed that as long as he was alive, the Abyss wouldn't dare cross the line?

Those thighs are indeed quite thick.

Just then, a sharp whooshing sound came from outside the window.

It wasn't the sound of an ordinary vehicle engine, but rather a roar similar to that of a jet fighter flying low overhead.

Lu Tianhe's expression changed, and he suddenly rushed to the window, peeking out through the gap in the curtains.

Above the veterans' compound, the once pitch-black night was torn apart by several blinding searchlights. Three black-painted armed helicopters hovered in mid-air in a triangular formation, their massive rotors whipping up a fierce wind that sent the old trees in the compound swaying wildly.

Below the helicopter, a dozen dark figures rappelled down in unison, quickly surrounding the building where the Lu family was located.

"Good heavens..." Lu Tianhe swallowed hard. "It's only been less than five minutes since he hung up the phone, right? Did that old bastard just airdrop the entire guard company here?"

"Knock knock knock!"

There was a knock on the door. The sound wasn't loud, but it was rhythmic and carried an undeniable air of authority.

Lu Tianhe straightened his clothes and winked at Lu Yuan: "Go, open the door. Don't be a coward, this is your backer from now on."

Lu Yuan nodded, walked to the door, took a deep breath, and pulled open the security door.

An elderly man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit stood outside the door.

He was short, with gray hair, and was holding two walnuts in his hands, which he was playing with. He looked like any ordinary old man you'd see in a park.

But when Lu Yuan met the old man's eyes, he felt as if he were being stared at by an ancient behemoth. Those eyes were not cloudy, but sharp as if they could see through everything.

Behind the old man stood two rows of heavily armed soldiers. Although the dark muzzles of their guns were pointing towards the ground, the chilling atmosphere was suffocating.

"You are Lu Yuan?" The old man looked Lu Yuan up and down, his gaze finally settling on his hands, which were somewhat dexterous from years of twirling pens.

"Hello, Grandpa Su," Lu Yuan greeted him politely.

A hint of admiration flashed in Su Lie's eyes. To be able to greet someone under such an aura, this kid's mental fortitude was far superior to his father's back then.

"Neither humble nor arrogant, that's interesting." Su Lie stepped into the room and, without any ceremony, sat directly in the seat that Lu Tianhe had just been sitting in.

Lu Tianhe was already standing ramrod straight, and with a fawning expression, he went over to pour tea: "Old Chief, you came so quickly, this tea is still hot."

"Don't give me that." Su Lie didn't take the teacup, but looked directly at Lu Yuan. "Where's the thing? Take out that piece of iron."

Lu Yuan picked up the star-patterned steel from the table and handed it over.

Su Lie took the iron block, weighed it in his hand, and then pulled out a seemingly ordinary military dagger from his pocket.

"Let's give it a try." Su Lie placed the military dagger and the iron block together on the coffee table. "Right here, in front of me. Let's see what this 'limitless' technique is all about."

Lu Yuan looked at the military dagger, and the system panel popped up instantly.

[Target: Standard Military Bayonet (Refined Steel)]

Current Status: Normal

Basic enchantments available: Sharp, Solid, Bleed.

[Estimated consumption: 3 points of mental energy (first level)]

Without saying a word, Lu Yuan reached out and pressed down on the military dagger.

"Enchantment: Sharpness".

He silently recited it in his heart.

A faint warmth welled up from between his brows, flowing down his arm to his fingertips. The previously somewhat dull military dagger suddenly emitted a soft hum, and a flash of cold light appeared on its blade.

[Enchanting successful. Current level: +1.]

Su Lie's eyes flickered slightly. He picked up the military dagger and casually slashed it across the corner of the coffee table.

"Sizzle—"

The hard marble coffee table corner was cut off like tofu, with a smooth, mirror-like cut.

"+1 has this effect?" Su Lie was somewhat moved. A normal +1 enchantment would at most make the blade a little faster, it would never be able to cut through stone like mud.

"Continue." Su Lie put the military dagger back, his eyes burning.

Lu Yuan felt a slight throbbing in his head, a sign of mental energy depletion. But he could still hold on.

"Enchantment: Sharpness. +2."

Another 3 points of mental energy were drawn. This time the sensation was significantly stronger; it felt like being pricked by a needle in my brain.

"Buzz!"

The cold light on the bayonet suddenly intensified, and there was even a faint layer of airflow swirling around the blade.

Su Lie picked it up again, but this time he didn't chop the table. Instead, he took out a coin from his pocket and tossed it into the air.

He lightly swung the bayonet.

The coin split silently in mid-air, the cut even turning slightly red from the high temperature generated by the high-speed cutting.

"Great!" Su Lie slapped his thigh, his action a perfect replica of Lu Tianhe's earlier. "This is what a +2 looks like! Those so-called premium +2 items on the market are garbage compared to this!"

He stared intently at Lu Yuan, as if he were looking at an undiscovered gold mine.

"Can we add more?"

Lu Yuan assessed his condition. He had 2 points of mental energy left; if he forced himself to gain 3 more, he might faint.

"Yes, but..." Lu Yuan gave a wry smile, pointed to his head, "I'm out of mana. If I tap it again, I'll probably be lying here making you call an ambulance."

Instead of being disappointed, Su Lie laughed loudly, the sound shaking the dust off the ceiling.

"Hahaha! No mana is good! No mana means this is your limit, not the limit of your talent!"