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

Chapter 42 Heading to the Front Lines

"Your talent is very strong."

This was Lu Yuan's first comment on Mu Bingli.

Upon hearing this, Mu Bingli's beautiful, icy blue eyes remained unmoved as she quietly gazed at Lu Yuan, awaiting his next words. Unlike Gu Tianye, she was not easily flustered; she knew very well that this master craftsman's evaluation would not be limited to such a simple statement.

"But," as expected, Lu Yuan's next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, "the way you're using it is simply... a waste of its precious resources."

Mu Bingli's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Wasting resources?

This was the first time she'd heard this term from someone else, especially used to describe her prized S-rank talent. If it were anyone else, she probably would have already hurled an ice spear at them. But the person who said it was Lu Yuan.

"The core of 【Ice Soul Divine Soul】 lies in freezing the 'soul' and 'rules'. It's not like you're using it as just a more powerful ice magic."

Lu Yuan's voice was calm and unhurried, yet carried an undeniable authority. His mental energy had swept through Mu Bingli's body, thoroughly examining all her data.

"Every time you use your talent, you are forcibly drawing power from the very source of your soul to simulate the rules of 'absolute zero.' It's like asking a three-year-old to swing a 100-pound sledgehammer. You might be able to lift it with difficulty and kill an ant, but every swing is a huge tear and damage to your own body."

Looking at Mu Bingli's pretty face, whose eyes were slightly wide with shock, Lu Yuan slowly revealed the cruel truth.

"You are not in control of the power. You are being consumed by the power."

"With every bit of strength you gain, the 'Frost Beast' within you awakens a bit more. You think you're getting stronger, but in reality, you're just taking one step at a time toward the abyss of self-destruction."

"Am I right?"

When Lu Yuan asked those last three words, a crack finally appeared on Mu Bing-Li's perpetually icy face.

Her lips trembled slightly, and for the first time, a hint of vulnerability and confusion appeared in her beautiful, icy blue eyes.

Because she knew that every word Lu Yuan said was correct!

He was describing the facts that were happening to her!

She never told anyone this secret, not even her family or her teachers. Everyone only saw the power and glory beneath her S-class talent, but no one knew that every night, she used all her willpower to suppress the increasingly violent and uncontrollable icy power within her.

She was like someone walking on a tightrope over a cliff, each step filled with trepidation. She didn't know when that force would completely overwhelm her, turning her into an eternal ice sculpture, devoid of thought and emotion.

This secret was her greatest fear.

But now, this boy, whom she had only met twice and had only spent less than five minutes with, had so casually and nakedly exposed her deepest fears!

How did he figure that out?

"How...how did you know?" For the first time, Mu Bingli's voice trembled slightly.

"Not only do I know, I also know how to solve it." Lu Yuan looked at her with a confident smile.

"Solve it?" Mu Bingli's breathing became rapid instantly.

This problem plagued her for three whole years. She consulted countless renowned teachers and consulted numerous ancient texts, but could find no solution. Everyone told her that this was the price she bore with her S-level talent, a destiny she had to endure.

But now, this boy is actually saying that he can solve it?

"Your problem is not that you are too powerful, but that you lack a medium to help you 'control' and 'channel' this power."

Lu Yuan picked up the drawings and pen on the table again. This time, he wasn't drawing a battle axe or a longsword.

Instead, it was a guqin with a unique shape.

The body of the instrument is made of a single piece of crystal-clear ice, while the strings are woven from countless fine threads that resemble the light of the soul.

"I call this zither 'Nine Heavens Jade Pendant - Ice Soul'."

Lu Yuan pointed to the blueprints and began his explanation.

"Its body will be forged from this 'Ten Thousand Years of Profound Ice Soul' as the main body, supplemented by 'Starry Mithril' and 'Ethereal Crystal'. It will not only be able to bear your violent icy power to the greatest extent, but also resonate with the ice and snow elements in the world when you play it."

"And its strings will be woven from a mixture of 'Heavenly Silkworm Silk' and 'Soul-Capturing Spider Silk,' and then personally tempered for forty-nine days using the power of your 'divine soul.' Each string will be directly connected to your soul."

"From now on, you will no longer need to use your soul to forcibly suppress that power."

All you need to do is play the piano.

Lu Yuan looked at Mu Bingli's eyes, which were growing brighter with excitement, and slowly said:

"What you play will no longer be ordinary notes, but a symphony of rules."

"As the music begins, ten thousand miles of ice freeze. When the piece ends, both soul and spirit perish."

"This instrument will become an extension of your soul. You will no longer be a slave to power."

"You will become the true wielder of the power of ice..."

"goddess."

When Lu Yuan finished speaking the last word, Mu Bingli could no longer control her emotions.

A single, crystal-clear tear, carrying a hint of coldness, slowly slid down from the corner of her perfect eye.

It wasn't because of sadness, nor because of pain.

Rather, it's because of joy.

It is an indescribable, ultimate joy that comes from seeing the dawn of hope in the depths of despair.

Looking at the seemingly omniscient and omnipotent young man before her, the thick iceberg in her heart, frozen for eighteen years, quietly melted a corner at this moment.

"Is my material... enough?" She looked at the "Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice Soul" on the table and, for the first time, felt a little insecure about the family fortune she was so proud of.

"Not enough. Far from it." Lu Yuan didn't mince words and wrote another list of materials on the back of the drawing, which was even more exaggerated and outrageous than Gu Tianye's.

Chapter Fifty-Three: The "Involution" of Geniuses

Looking at the list of materials that almost blinded her, Mu Bingli showed no sign of backing down. Instead, an unprecedented fighting spirit ignited in her beautiful, icy blue eyes.

"I understand." She solemnly put away the drawing, which was more important to her than any imperial edict, and then bowed deeply to Lu Yuan.

Thank you.

Her voice was still cool and clear, but it carried a hint of genuine sincerity and gratitude.

After saying that, she didn't linger. She turned around and left the seminar room with firm steps.

Looking at her slender yet resolute back, Lu Yuan knew that this woman would probably unleash more terrifying energy than anyone else in order to gather that set of materials.

After all, it was more than just a weapon to her.

That was the only hope that could change her fate.

……

Over the next few hours, Lu Yuan had one-on-one conversations with the remaining members of the "God-Making Project" one by one.

For those geniuses, this process is nothing short of a painful yet pleasurable "public execution."

Lu Yuan was like the strictest and most learned mentor.

He always managed to pinpoint the fatal flaws and wrong directions in how each of them used their talents.

Then, using a completely new approach that they had never heard of and dared not even imagine, they designed a unique weapon for them that could unleash their talents and potential to the fullest extent.

For example, Ye Cang, who possessed the SSS-level [Asura Sword Heart].

Lu Yuan directly rejected his epic-level sword, which he had always treasured and which was crafted by a top master.

"Your blade is too 'dead'," Lu Yuan said. "It's just a sharp piece of iron, unable to bear your ever-growing 'Asura killing intent.' Every time you kill someone, your killing intent intensifies. But your blade remains stuck in the same place. One day, you will lose control because your killing intent is too strong, and ultimately, you will be devoured by your own sword intent, turning into a madman who only knows how to kill."

Then, Lu-Yuan designed a demonic sword for him called [Asura].

That knife will possess "life".

It feeds on Ye Cang's "Asura Killing Intent". The more people Ye Cang kills, the stronger the blade becomes. And the stronger the blade becomes, the better it helps Ye Cang control that violent killing intent.

Man and knife will form a perfect, symbiotic, and growing closed loop.

When Ye Cang received the blueprints that required ninety-nine different star beast materials, each containing varying degrees of "resentment" and "killing intent," a fanatical smile, more painful than a grimace, appeared on his perpetually icy face for the first time.

For example, there's the SSS-rank [Time Walker] Ishihara.

Lu Yuan pointed out that his biggest problem was the low efficiency of storing and utilizing "time energy." Every time he used his ability, it was like using a leaky cup to pour water on a fire.

Therefore, Lu Yuan designed a special magical artifact for him called the Hourglass of Time.

That hourglass can not only store a massive amount of "time energy" like a power bank, but also increase its battery life by more than ten times.

Even more terrifying is that it can also create an independent "time realm" within a small area by consuming stored energy.

Within his domain, Ishihara is the only god! He can make an enemy's movements as slow as a snail, or make his own attacks faster than the speed of light!

When Ishihara saw the list of materials that required "the reverse scales of ancient dragons" and "the flowing sands of the Eternal Hourglass," materials that only existed in legends, his face, which always carried a hint of caution and melancholy, revealed for the first time an expression of ecstatic joy, as if he had discovered a new continent.

……

In just one afternoon, Lu Yuan had "brainwashed" almost every member of the "God-Making Project".

When the last person, holding the blueprint that had made him tremble with excitement, left with profuse thanks,...

Lu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

He leaned back in his chair, feeling even more tired than if he had been forging for three days and three nights straight.

Dealing with these "geniuses" is incredibly mentally exhausting.

However, the results are also obvious.

He looked at the empty seminar room and a smile appeared on his lips.

He knew that from this day forward, all the rare and precious materials outside would likely be back in his hands.

"Mr. Lu, thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Qingxuan had appeared beside him without his noticing, smiling as she handed him a cup of warm, fragrant tea.

"It's alright." Lu Yuan took the teacup, took a sip, and felt that the fatigue caused by excessive mental exertion had been relieved quite a bit.

"What are your plans next?" Zhao Qingxuan asked.

"Wait." Lu Yuan looked out the window at the azure sky and slowly uttered a single word.

"Wait for them to send over the first batch of 'sincerity'."

The Celestial World, the Teleportation Hub.

Eleven young and upright figures stood here, waiting to depart.

Each of them changed into a brand-new, dark black standard combat uniform made of special materials.

That's the exclusive mark of the "God-Making Project" members.

The fervor and excitement of yesterday were no longer on their faces.

Instead, there was an unprecedented calm and determination.

After a night of "frenzied shopping," each of them had prepared, to varying degrees, the most substantial "gift" they could offer to Lu Yuan.

And now, they are about to embark on their journey.

Go to the northern battlefield, a place brimming with both danger and opportunity.

Go there to prove your worth.

Go there, for yourself and for Lu Yuan, to find those legendary materials that can forge divine artifacts!

Gu Tianye and Xiang Batian, these two biggest troublemakers, were unusually quiet at this moment.

The two stood together, their eyes burning with a fierce flame called "competition".

Last night, they almost got into a fight in their own treasure vault over a piece of A-grade "Thunderous White Tiger" beast bone.

In the end, they were each kicked out by their own fathers.

"You just wait, you surnamed Xiang." Gu Tianye lowered his voice and said viciously to Xiang Batian, "Once we get to the Northern Border, let's have a competition to see who can gather all the materials Master Lu wants first!"

"Let's compete! Who's afraid of who!" Xiang Batian retorted without backing down. "How could the foundation of my Xiang family be compared to that of your Gu family, a nouveau riche? My father has already sent people to 'Wanbaolou,' and I'm determined to get those key ingredients that Master Lu wants!"

"Bullshit! Our Gu family is the most sincere!"

It looked like the two were about to start arguing again.

"Shut up, all of you."

A cold voice came from the side.

It is Ye Cang.

He still had that unapproachable demeanor, clutching his old knife in his arms, leaning against the corner of the wall, closing his eyes to rest.

Instead of wasting our breath here, we should think more about how to survive on the battlefield.

His words instantly silenced Gu Tianye and Xiang Batian.

Yes.

The battlefield is no child's play.

Just then.

The door to the teleportation hall was slowly pushed open.