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

Ice Blade and his elite soldiers stared at the surreal scene before them, their jaws practically dropping to the floor.

They rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating from being in the North for too long.

Just who are these guys?

Just a moment ago, they were fighting like cockfighting roosters, risking their lives for a broken rock.

Why are they all so eager to see their own father now, just because this seemingly frail boy has woken up?

And these things they took out...

Tyrannosaurus Rex hind leg meat? Thousand-year-old snow lotus? Earth spirit milk?

I rely on!

What the hell are these things?

Ice Blade swallowed hard, feeling that all the battles he had fought over the past few decades had been for nothing.

He worked so hard on the battlefield, risking his life, and the military merits he earned in a month probably wouldn't even buy this bowl of soup!

Why is there such a huge difference between people?

"Alright, alright, stop fighting over it."

Looking at the mountain of "tribute" in front of him, Lu Yuan felt completely overwhelmed.

He was really hungry, but with so many people surrounding him, he couldn't eat.

"Where is Butler Zhao? Have him make arrangements. I need to go back and rest immediately."

Lu Yuan said something to the air.

He knew that Zhao Qingxuan was definitely watching everything here through some kind of surveillance device.

Sure enough, he had barely finished speaking when...

A silver-white spatial portal appeared out of thin air beside him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Lu requires immediate, top-level medical care. Please make way."

Zhao Qingxuan's gentle and refined voice came from the teleportation portal.

The crowd reluctantly made way for him, but their gazes, filled with concern and reluctance, remained fixed on Lu Yuan.

"Mr. Lu! Please get some rest! We'll be waiting for you to come back!"

"Master Lu! Take care of yourself! I'm entrusting my battle axe to you!"

Amidst the reluctant farewells of the crowd, Lu Yuan, supported by Ye Cang, stepped into the teleportation portal.

As the portal slowly closed, Ice Blade finally snapped out of his shock.

He walked to the empty pit and looked at the two enormous battle axes still stuck in the ground in the distance, exuding a terrifying aura.

A storm raged within him.

He now finally understood why Dean Qian Sen and General Su valued these "new recruits" so much.

And I finally understand why that seemingly weakest boy is actually the true core of this group.

Master craftsman...

So this is the power of the "divine craftsman"?

He was capable of creating artifacts that could change the course of war.

It can also make these unruly and lawless top geniuses willingly submit to him.

"It seems that this era is truly about to change."

Ice Blade gazed at the hazy sky and murmured to himself.

……

The Celestial World, "Divine Craftsman's Palace".

Lu Yuan was directly sent into the highest-grade "life-sustaining medical tank" that he was already very familiar with.

The warm, pale green nutrient solution, brimming with rich life energy, enveloped his entire body.

An indescribable feeling of comfort and warmth instantly spread throughout my body.

His body, which had become extremely weak due to the excessive burning of his life essence, was recovering rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept more soundly than ever before.

He had a very long dream.

In his dream, he returned to Jianghai City, back to that small home filled with the aroma of braised pork.

Father Lu Tianhe's injuries had healed. He no longer needed to endure the excruciating pain that felt like a thousand ants gnawing at his heart every day. He picked up his battle sword, which had been gathering dust for many years, and practiced his swordsmanship with great vigor in the courtyard.

Lin Rou, the mother, no longer needed to toil every day to make a living. The wrinkles on her face caused by worry disappeared, and she returned to being that young and beautiful battlefield rose.

The three of them sat together, eating and chatting.

The sun is shining brightly.

The years are quiet.

……

When Lu Yuan woke up again, it was three days later.

He stepped out of the medical tank, feeling as if he had been reborn.

Not only have all the previous consumption been fully restored.

He even felt that his body and mind had undergone a qualitative leap because of that extreme "destruction and reconstruction"!

He opened his attribute panel.

Character Panel

Name: Lu Yuan

Codename: Master Craftsman

[Level: 45]

[Mental Strength: 300/300 (Starry Sea Meditation Technique - Level 6)]

Physical fitness: S-

[Newly acquired skills: Soul Forging (Beginner), Rule Grafting (Beginner)...]

"Holy crap!"

Even Lu Yuan couldn't help but swear when he saw his own attributes.

My level jumped from 33 to 45!

This is without him personally killing a single monster!

The feedback from the rules alone, and the "contribution" to the origin of the world, from forging those three divine artifacts, gave him such terrifying experience points!

His mental strength even broke through the 300-point mark!

The [Starry Sea Meditation Technique] has also broken through to the sixth level!

His physical fitness level jumped from A+ to S-!

This is already on par with a B-rank Star Envoy specializing in physical enhancement!

More importantly, he also awakened two brand-new forging-related divine skills!

【Soul Forging】: Allows you to directly forge and shape soul-type materials.

【Rule Grafting】: This allows you to forcibly "graft" the "rule fragments" contained in one material onto another weapon!

If either of these two skills were to become known, it would be enough to drive blacksmiths all over the world crazy!

And now, they all belong to him alone!

"This is... a huge profit!"

Lu Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the unprecedented surge of power within his body, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

Although the process was very dangerous.

I almost killed myself.

But the harvest was just too damn rich!

Just as Lu Yuan was still excited about his sudden increase in strength...

Zhao Qingxuan's figure appeared silently in front of him.

"Mr. Lu, you're awake."

Zhao Qingxuan's face still wore that gentle and refined smile, but his eyes held an undisguised sense of awe.

"Professor Su and Dean Qian have been waiting for you in the reception room for a long time."

Lu Yuan changed into clean clothes and followed Zhao Qingxuan to the reception room.

As soon as he entered, he saw two familiar figures.

Su Lie and Qian Sen.

The two bigwigs were sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and chatting. Judging from their animated expressions, they were clearly in a good mood.

"Oh, our hero is awake?"

When Su Lie saw Lu Yuan enter, he immediately put down his teacup, stood up laughing, and his tiger-like eyes were filled with undisguised admiration and affection.

"Hey kid, come here, let me take a good look at you!"

Without saying a word, he pulled Lu Yuan to his side and patted Lu Yuan's body with his large, fan-like hands.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad, you're much stronger! And you have much more energy!"

Su Lie nodded in satisfaction, looking like a neighborly old man showing off his grandson.

"Grandpa Su, Dean Qian."

Lu Yuan greeted the two big shots with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Alright, alright, Lao Su, you're about to beat him to a pulp."

Qian Sen, who couldn't stand it any longer, pushed up his glasses and waved to Lu Yuan.

"Lu Yuan, come and sit down. You've done a great job this time!"

Qian Sen's face was also filled with excitement and exhilaration.

Lu Yuan sat down on the sofa, and Zhao Qingxuan immediately served him a cup of specially made tea that exuded a rich, life-giving aroma.

"How's the situation in the North?"

Lu Yuan took a sip of tea and asked. This was what he was most concerned about right now.

"How is it?"

Upon hearing this, Su Lie immediately perked up again. He slapped his thigh and began to speak with great enthusiasm.

"What else can we do? A great victory! An unprecedented great victory!"

"Ever since you sent those two 'divine weapons' over, Tang Long and Yan Ji have been acting like they've been cheating!"

"That kid Tang Long, wielding your [Soul Suppressor] weapon, charged into the lair of the void creatures all by himself! Those creatures that used to give us headaches, like the 'Shadow Assassins' and 'Grievous Aggregates,' were like paper in front of his hammer! One hit, one kill; one hit, a whole bunch! The scene was... wow, like playing whack-a-mole!"

"He single-handedly turned the enemy's command structure upside down! He forcefully pushed their battle lines back over a hundred kilometers!"

"And that girl, Flame Princess!"

Su Lie spoke with great enthusiasm, his mouth dry. He picked up his teacup, took a big gulp, and continued.

"With that Phoenix Cry sword in hand, she's practically a mobile calamity on the battlefield! She doesn't even need to lift a finger anymore; with a thought, the sword flies out on its own, transforming into a fiery phoenix to chase and burn those Void Lords!"

"Those level 50+ lords who used to be able to fight her to a standstill can't even withstand three of her moves! They were instantly burned to ashes!"

"Just these three days! Only three short days!"

Su Lie's voice suddenly rose, filled with pride and arrogance.

"We have not only completely wiped out all high-level void creatures in the T-03 area of ​​the Northern Territory!"

"Furthermore, it pushed our forward positions forward by three hundred kilometers in one go!"

"Three hundred kilometers! Do you know what that means, kid?"

Su Lie excitedly grabbed Lu Yuan's arm, "This is equivalent to pushing the battle line right to the doorstep of the Void Rift!"

"We've completely shifted from a passive defensive stance to an active offensive one!"

"And all of this is because of you!"

Su Lie looked at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with endless gratitude.

As Lu Yuan listened to Su Lie's story, he felt a surge of pride and excitement.

Although he was not on the battlefield, just by listening, he could imagine the magnificent and epic scene.

And he deserves some credit for all of this.

The sense of accomplishment he feels from using his own creations to change the world and protect his country is more satisfying and makes him proud than any personal improvement in strength.

"This is just the beginning."

Qian Sen, who hadn't said much until now, finally spoke up.

His face carried a scholar's rigor and fervor.

"We have already conducted preliminary data collection and analysis on those two weapons."

"We've discovered that your 'protection' rules go beyond simply assigning a weapon a certain property."

"It's more like modifying the underlying logic of the weapon itself!"

A glint of wisdom flashed in Qian Sen's eyes. "Take, for example, the 'Nirvana' property of [Phoenix Cry]. It's not just about allowing weapons to self-repair. We've discovered that it can even actively sacrifice a portion of its own primordial energy to shield Yan Ji from a fatal attack when she suffers a fatal blow!"

"There's also the 'spatial shackles' of [Soul Suppression], which locks down more than just space. Our analysis shows it can even subtly interfere with the 'flow of time'!"

"This is completely beyond our understanding of 'Enchanting' and 'Forging'!"

Qian Sen looked at Lu Yuan as if he were looking at a huge, unknown treasure.

"Lu Yuan, you have opened a door to a whole new world!"

"A divine gate that allows us to use 'objects' to fight against and even control 'rules'!"

Listening to the two big shots' lavish praise, Lu Yuan maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but he was secretly a little smug.

"Grandpa Su, Dean Qian, this is what I should do."

He asked modestly, "So, what are our new plans?"

"Of course!"

Su Lie slammed his hand on the table, pulled out a top-secret document stamped with the bright red seal of the Supreme Military Commission, and slammed it in front of Lu Yuan.

"Given the immense contribution you have made this time, the committee has unanimously decided to comprehensively upgrade your training program!"

Su Lie pointed to the document and said, "From today onwards, your authority will no longer be limited to the 'God-Making Project'."

"All military bases, research institutes, and strategic reserves throughout China will be unconditionally open to you!"

"Take whatever you need! No need to apply! No need to report!"

"Your will is the highest command!"

This condition shocked even Lu Yuan.

That's too much power!

This is practically a passport that allows him to roam freely throughout all of China!

"In addition," Su Lie added, "the committee has also decided to assemble a dedicated personal guard for you."

"The guards will be selected from the most elite special forces units in all major war zones across the country. Their sole mission is to ensure your absolute safety."

"They can even do anything for you when you need it."

A meaningful glint flashed in Su Lie's eyes.

Lu Yuan knew that this guard team was called "protection" but was actually "surveillance".

This is an invisible shackle that the higher-ups placed on him while granting him supreme power.

Lu Yuan didn't care about this.

He knows very well where his value lies.

They also know what they should and shouldn't do.

As long as he doesn't do anything that harms the national interest.

This guard will be his sharpest claws.

"Besides these, there's one more thing."

Qian Sen then spoke up.

He pushed another document in front of Lu Yuan.

"This is the training program for the second phase of the 'God-Making Project'."

Qian Sen looked at Lu Yuan and said, "Although the war in the North has been temporarily stabilized, we are all well aware that this is only temporary."

"The Void will not give up easily. Even more terrifying, the Abyss has been lurking in the shadows all along."

"We need greater power."

"Therefore, the committee has decided to accelerate the entire process of the 'God-Making Project'!"

A glint of madness flashed in Qian Sen's eyes.

"Over the next three months, you 'geniuses' will undergo the most brutal and insane extreme trial in history!"

"You are about to traverse all the high-risk instances controlled by our Huaxia!"

"You are about to face the most terrifying star beasts!"

"You will be pushing your limits, pushing your potential to the limit, time and again, to the brink of life and death!"

"Three months later, those who survive will gain the final qualification to enter 'that place'."