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

When Lu Yuan uttered the words, "I also have my own rules," the entire seminar room instantly fell silent.

All eyes turned to him.

They knew the real show was about to begin.

To obtain a weapon crafted by a "master craftsman," one must inevitably pay a price.

This is a matter of course.

"Master Lu! Just tell us! What are the rules? As long as it's within our power, we'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Gu Tianye was the first to pat his chest and pledge his loyalty.

"Yes! Master Lu! Please feel free to ask!" Xiang Batian said with a hearty expression.

Lu Yuan found their impatient expressions amusing, but maintained a calm demeanor.

He held up three fingers, his voice calm and measured.

First, the materials.

"What I want to create for you is not mass-produced standard equipment, but unique weapons that perfectly match each of your talents and fighting styles."

"Therefore, the materials I need will be very special and very rare."

"From now until we depart tomorrow, each of you must prepare a 'gift' that I will find acceptable, based on your own abilities."

Lu Yuan paused here, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of everyone present.

"The value of this 'welcome gift' will directly determine the level of care I put into designing the weapons for you, as well as the order in which you receive the finished weapons."

"In other words," Lu Yuan's lips curled into a faint smile, "it's about materials. Of course, we can use materials from national resources. Whoever provides the best materials will have the most powerful weapons, and they'll get them sooner. Anyone who tries to fool me with a bunch of junk..."

"Well, I'm sorry, your weapon will be last in line. As for its quality... well, hehe."

Although he didn't finish his sentence, that "hehe" said it all.

The moment this rule was announced, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.

ruthless!

Too bad!

This is blatant, open conspiracy!

Link the quality of their weapons and the time it takes to obtain them directly to the materials they submit!

Who can stand this?

Who doesn't want their weapon to be awesome? Who doesn't want to get their hands on it as soon as possible and dominate the battlefield?

Now, they not only have to compete in terms of strength, but also in terms of... family wealth!

Gu Tianye and Xiang Batian, those two simple-minded guys, hadn't thought that far ahead. They just thought, "It's just submitting materials, right? Just submit them!"

"No problem, Mr. Lu! I'll have my father empty our family's treasure trove and send it to you right away!"

"Our Xiang family is the same! We guarantee your satisfaction!"

The two men patted their chests and made all the promises.

But people as meticulous as Lin Ziling and Mu Bingli instantly understood the deeper meaning behind Lu Yuan's move.

This is not just about requesting materials.

Furthermore, it serves as a disguised "investigation" and "screening" of them.

A person's family wealth, to a large extent, also represents the power of his family and the resources he can mobilize.

In this way, Lu Yuan can quickly conduct a preliminary assessment of the "value" of each of them.

"Second," Lu Yuan continued, holding up a second finger, "design."

"As I said, I'm creating custom weapons. Therefore, I need to know all the data about each and every one of you."

"Including but not limited to your innate characteristics, energy circulation patterns, preferred combat techniques, physical limits, and even... your personality and combat philosophy."

"This afternoon, I will talk to each of you individually. I hope you will not hide anything from me. The more honest you are with me, the more perfect the weapons I have designed for you will be."

"Of course, you can choose to hold back. But you will bear the consequences."

This rule shocked everyone.

Should I disclose all my data?

For a Star Envoy, this is almost equivalent to exposing all their trump cards to others.

If someone else had made this request, they would have definitely turned hostile on the spot.

However, it was Lu Yuan who made this request.

It is a "master craftsman" who can determine the quality of their future weapons.

This put them in a dilemma.

Is it better to keep your secret and then get a weapon that might not be so suitable?

Or should he choose to trust the young man before him without reservation, in exchange for a divine weapon that would allow him to unleash his full potential?

After a brief moment of hesitation, almost everyone chose the latter.

Are you kidding me!

Faced with the temptation of a "miracle artifact," what does a little secret matter?

Besides, handing over your data to the "Master Craftsman" and having him tailor-make a weapon for you sounds like a sure-fire way to make money!

"I'm fine! Mr. Lu! You can look at my body however you like! You can study it however you want!"

Gu Tianye was once again the first to speak out, and he spoke with such boldness that anyone who didn't know better would think he was going to sacrifice himself.

"I agree as well." Ye Cang, the usually taciturn Asura swordsman, spoke up, which was quite rare for him.

His voice was still cold, but unusually firm.

For a true swordsman, a good sword is more important than his life.

With these two taking the lead, the others naturally had no objections.

"Very good." Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Then, the third one."

He extended his last finger.

"And that's the most important one."

Lu Yuan's expression turned extremely serious.

"Starting tomorrow, on the northern battlefield, I need you to do one thing for me."

"Gather materials."

"What I need are not ordinary star beast materials. What I need are special materials that have been mutated and contaminated by void energy."

"For example, bones that have grown into crystals, flesh that has become metallic, or unstable 'energy cores' left behind after the death of those void creatures."

"These things may be dangerous, useless junk to you. But to me, they are the key to forging more powerful weapons."

"The quantity and quality of these special materials you submit will affect the final quality of the weapons I forge for you in the future."

"Even..." Lu Yuan looked at everyone and slowly threw out an ultimate temptation that none of them could resist.

"If anyone could find for me a legendary mutated material that is unlike anything I've ever seen before, containing special 'rules'..."

"Then, in return..."

"I can forge a real one just for him..."

"A divine artifact."

When the word "divine artifact" came out of Lu Yuan's mouth, it was like a thunderclap.

The entire seminar room went completely crazy.

If the previous promise of "at least one layer of protection" brought them immense happiness...

Now, the promise of "forging a true divine artifact on your own" sent them to the peak of ecstasy!

Artifact!

What does that mean?

That's the legendary ultimate weapon, powerful enough to suppress the fate of a nation!

It is a supreme treasure that even S-class powerhouses dream of, something that can only be encountered by chance and is extremely rare!

Throughout the entire Chinese nation, there are only a handful of officially recognized divine artifacts!

And now, Lu Yuan is actually saying that as long as he can find materials that meet his requirements, he can forge one for each of them individually?!

"Holy crap!"

Gu Tianye could no longer control his emotions and blurted out a curse. He looked at Lu Yuan with a gaze that no longer seemed to be looking at a person.

That's looking at a living, walking, breathing god!

"Master Lu...Master Lu...you...you're telling the truth?" His voice trembled with excitement. "As long as...as long as we find the materials you mentioned...you'll...you'll really...make a divine artifact for me?"

"Of course it's true." Lu Yuan nodded, a faint smile on his face. "I never joke."

"Aaaaaaah!"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Gu Tianye could no longer contain his elation. Like a mad bull, he jumped up and down wildly, each jump causing the alloy floor to thud loudly.

"A divine artifact! I'm going to have a divine artifact! Hahahaha!"

It wasn't just him.

Everyone present, including Xiang Batian, Mu Bingli, Ye Cang... these top geniuses who are usually aloof and never show their emotions, are now breathing rapidly, their cheeks are flushed, and their eyes are burning with an unprecedented raging fire called "ambition" and "desire"!

The way they looked at Lu Yuan could no longer be described as "fervent".

That's like the most devout believer looking up to their one and only God!

As long as they could obtain a divine artifact, let alone collecting mutated materials in the Northern Territory, they would probably rush to the Void Base Camp naked without hesitation!

"Alright, these are my three rules."

Lu Yuan looked at the group of "classmates" below the stage who had completely lost their minds and nodded in satisfaction.

He knew that he had achieved his goal.

Through these three rules, he can obtain a massive amount of rare materials that he himself has no time to collect.

More importantly, he completely bound this group of proud and arrogant young people to his own chariot.

From today onwards, they are no longer just "classmates".

They will become his most capable "treasure hunters" and "material suppliers" on his path to becoming a "master craftsman".

The stronger they are, the more dangerous the places they can go, and the more precious the materials they can bring back.

He, in turn, can make them stronger by forging them more powerful weapons.

This is a perfect, positive cycle.

"Well then," Lu Yuan glanced at the time, "that concludes the morning's classes. Meeting adjourned."

"I'll be here at 1 PM to begin the first round of 'one-on-one conversations.' As for who goes first and who goes last..."

Lu Yuan smiled and glanced at everyone.

"It all comes down to whose 'sincerity' is the greatest."

After saying that, he ignored everyone and turned around. Under Qian Sen's approving and appreciative gaze, he leisurely walked out of the seminar room.

As soon as he left, the entire seminar room erupted in chaos!

"Hurry! Contact my dad! Tell him to pack up everything in our family's treasure trove that lights up and send it over! And it has to be fast!"

Gu Tianye was the first to pull out his terminal and roared wildly into it.

"Hey Gu! What are you yelling about! You dare to show off your family's worthless junk?"

Not to be outdone, Xiang Batian also dialed his family's communication line.

"Feed? Dad! It's me! Don't ask why! Now! Right now! Immediately! Bring me that ancestral 'Heart of Titan' from the Xiang family! Yes! That one! What? That's our Xiang family heirloom? Heirloom my foot! If you don't bring it over, our Xiang family won't even have a hair left!"

"Mu Bingli! Wait for me! Are you going to sell your 'Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Soul'? I'll offer double the price!"

"roll!"

"Lin Ziling! Didn't you say you knew the young lady of the Star Alliance Chamber of Commerce? Quick! Help me contact her! I need to buy things! As long as they're rare materials, I'll take as many as I want! Money is no object!"

The entire seminar room turned into a frenzied bidding war for procurement.

Everyone went crazy, using all their connections and networks to frantically search for all sorts of rare materials.

They were well aware that the number of people available for Lu Yuan's "private talk" that afternoon was extremely limited.

And who can be the first to bring a "gift" that satisfies even the "Master Craftsman" to meet him?

Whoever wins will gain the upper hand in this "battle for the divine artifacts"!

……

Lu Yuan returned to Villa S-0 and leisurely enjoyed the sumptuous lunch that Zhao Qingxuan had prepared for him.

He had long anticipated the frenzied "purchasing storm" that he had single-handedly instigated.

"Mr. Lu," Zhao Qingxuan looked at Lu Yuan's calm and composed demeanor and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Your move was truly brilliant. You mobilized everyone in one go."

"There's no other way," Lu Yuan said while cutting the Grade A psionic steak on his plate. "I'm only one person, and my energy is limited. If I want to collect enough valuable mutated materials in a short time, I have to mobilize the power of the masses."

"And," he forked a piece of tender steak, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, "this isn't just for myself."

"The wars of the future will not rely on one or two superheroes. They will require a powerful team composed of countless strong individuals."

"What I need to do is to be the strongest support for this team."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingxuan looked at Lu Yuan with even greater admiration.

This young man not only possesses unfathomable abilities, but also has profound foresight and a broad mind that far surpasses those of his peers.

Perhaps this is what Su Lao and the Supreme Committee truly valued about him.

At 1 p.m. sharp, Lu Yuan returned to Strategic Discussion Room A-1.

The seminar room was now quiet, devoid of the morning's hustle and bustle.

Everyone sat upright and quietly awaited his arrival.

But those burning gazes and those faces filled with tension and anticipation still betrayed their inner turmoil.

In the open space in front of the seminar room, small mountains made of various rare materials have been piled up.

In front of each "small hill" stands a master.