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

When Ling Jing asked, "You must be the 'Divine Craftsman'?" everyone present, including Bing Ren, instinctively held their breath. They knew that this SSS-level big shot from the mysterious "Spirit Suppression Hall" had clearly seen through something.

Standing atop Pangu, Lu Yuan met Ling Jing's probing gaze with an expressionless face, neither confirming nor denying. He simply said, "You flatter me, Lady Ling Jing. I'm just a blacksmith who's had a bit of good luck."

"luck?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Jing's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "To be able to forge three pseudo-divine artifacts containing the power of 'rules,' and to have the 'Pangu' prototype from the Star Sea Research Institute serve as your personal vehicle—if this is what you call luck, then we so-called SSS-level geniuses probably wouldn't even be qualified to be born."

Although her words were spoken in jest, the underlying affirmation and shock at Lu Yuan's abilities were undisguised. These words stirred a storm of emotions within Bing Ren beside her, and Gu Tianye and the others observing through binoculars in the distance!

Three pseudo-divine artifacts? The prototype of Pangu? Just how many more trump cards does Lu Yuan have that they don't know about?

"Lord Lingjing, now that the matter has been resolved," Lu Yuan didn't want to dwell on the issue any longer and directly changed the subject, "Shall we go back now?"

"certainly."

Ling Jing nodded, knowing that some things were not suitable to be discussed here. With a wave of her hand, the enormous golden pillar of light that had descended from the sky shone brightly once more, and a spatial portal, even more stable and larger than before, slowly appeared before everyone.

"Let's go."

She led the way into the portal, followed immediately by Bingren and his men. Lu Yuan, controlling Pangu, gently lifted Ye Cang, Gu Tianye, Xiang Batian, and the others with his energy, sending them into the portal. Finally, he himself piloted Pangu, slowly entering the golden light curtain.

……

After a dizzying spin, when everyone opened their eyes again, they were back in the familiar teleportation hub of the Celestial World. Qian Sen and Zhao Qingxuan were already waiting there.

"Welcome back, heroes."

Qian Sen looked at the group of "geniuses" before him, who, though disheveled, possessed eyes even more resolute and sharp than before, and a smile of immense satisfaction spread across his face. When his gaze fell upon Ling Jing, he burst into laughter: "Ling Jing, long time no see! This time, it's all thanks to you!"

"Mr. Qian." Ling Jing bowed slightly to Qian Sen, her attitude quite respectful. "You're too kind. I was just following orders."

"Alright, alright, let's skip the formalities." Qian Sen waved his hand, then rubbed his hands together, looking at her expectantly. "So? Did you get it?"

"I have successfully completed my mission."

Ling Jing nodded and handed over the golden Rubik's Cube that sealed the Heart of Anubis. Qian Sen's eyes lit up the moment he saw the cube! He snatched it away and examined it like a child who had received a beloved toy, turning it over and over in amazement and making continuous "tsk tsk" sounds.

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

"Such pure, fundamental rules of the abyss! With it, our research on the 'Abyss' can advance by at least another hundred years!"

He grabbed the Rubik's Cube and prepared to run to his laboratory.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Ling Jing quickly called out to him upon seeing this. "Elder Qian, I have some things to report to you and the committee regarding this incident, especially some of the 'special' behaviors of this 'divine craftsman'."

Her gaze flickered almost imperceptibly at Lu Yuan, who was preparing to slip away not far away.

Upon hearing this, Qian Sen paused, glanced back at Ling Jing, then at Lu Yuan, and a sly smile appeared on his face: "Alright, I understand."

"Zhao Qingxuan".

"exist."

"Take these little ones to rest first, use the best medicine and the best food to help them recover as quickly as possible." Qian Sen paused, then added with emphasis, "Especially Lu Yuan, he expended the most energy this time, so throw him directly into the S-grade life cradle and soak him for three days and three nights!"

"Yes." Zhao Qingxuan replied with a smile, and then led Lu Yuan and the others away from the teleportation hub.

Watching their departing figures, Ling Jing slowly spoke, "Elder Qian, now you can have a proper chat with me about that 'Master Craftsman,' right?"

Her voice was filled with unprecedented curiosity: "I simply cannot imagine how a boy not even twenty years old could forge those rule-based weapons that even I find terrifying?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Sen simply smiled mysteriously: "Want to know?"

"Um."

"Then you have to agree to one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Join our 'God-Making Project'." Qian Sen looked at her, his eyes gleaming with ill intent. "How about being a 'sparring partner' for us future 'gods'?"

……

three days later.

Lu Yuan emerged refreshed from the S-rank "Cradle of Life." After three days and three nights of intensive recuperation, he not only fully recovered from all his previous exhaustion, but his strength had also reached a new level!

Character Panel

Name: Lu Yuan

Codename: Master Craftsman

[Level: 48]

[Mental Strength: 320/320 (Starry Sea Meditation Technique - Sixth Level)]

Physical fitness: S-

My level has skyrocketed again! My mental strength has also broken through the 320-point mark!

"Cool!"

Lu Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the unprecedented surge of power within his body, and felt an indescribable sense of comfort throughout his body.

"Mr. Lu, you're awake."

Zhao Qingxuan appeared before him again right on time: "Dean Qian wants you to go to his office immediately after you wake up."

"Oh? What does the old man want now?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"It's said to be about the next steps in the 'God-Making Project,'" Zhao Qingxuan said with a smile.

Lu Yuan nodded, changed his clothes, and followed Zhao Qingxuan to the director's office of the Star Sea Research Institute. As soon as he entered, he saw Qian Sen sitting there chatting with Ling Jing, the "Spirit Suppressing Hall" master whom he had met once before.

"Hey, our main character has arrived." Qian Sen waved to Lu Yuan as soon as he saw him. "Come, come, Lu Yuan, let me formally introduce you."

He pointed at Ling Jing and said, "This is Ling Jing. From today onwards, she will officially join our 'God-Making Project' and serve as a specially appointed instructor for your 'Practical Theory' and 'Mental Defense' courses."

"Hello, Instructor Ling Jing." Lu Yuan nodded to Ling Jing as a greeting.

"Greetings, Master Craftsman." Ling Jing also stood up and bowed slightly to Lu Yuan, her attitude exceptionally respectful.

This made Lu Yuan a little uncomfortable: "Ahem, Instructor Ling Jing, you're too kind. Just call me Lu Yuan."

"Alright, alright, don't be so polite, sit down and let's talk." Qian Sen waved his hand, gesturing for the two to sit down. "Lu Yuan, you've done a great job again this time!"

He paused, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement: "Our research institute's preliminary analysis of the Heart of Anubis has revealed that it not only contains pure abyssal primordial rules, but more importantly, it also records incomplete information about the 'Creation Runes' at the very bottom of the 'Abyss'!"

"Although it's just a small, incomplete piece of information, its value to us is immeasurable!" Qian Sen exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement. "With it, we might even be able to reverse engineer part of the 'Abyss's' underlying logic, thereby finding a way to fundamentally control them!"

Listening to Qian Sen's explanation, Lu Yuan's heart stirred. Creation runes? That sounded incredibly powerful.

"So," Qian Sen looked at Lu Yuan, rubbing his hands together with anticipation, and said, "to reward your great contribution this time, and for the sake of the upcoming plans, the committee has decided to assign you a brand new task."

"What mission?" Lu Yuan asked.

"It's very simple." Qian Sen revealed a sly smile. "For the next two months, you don't need to do anything. Your only task is to forge iron."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone extremely solemn: "Make me the exclusive weapons for Gu Tianye, Xiang Batian, Lin Ziling, Mu Bingli... all eleven of them! And they must be genuine... divine artifacts!"

"A true divine artifact?"

Looking at Qian Sen's face, which screamed "Say yes!", Lu Yuan felt a sharp pain in his teeth. "Dean Qian, I think I told you last time that divine artifacts aren't like cabbages; they're not something I can just create whenever I want." He helplessly spread his hands. "Those things require the right timing, the right place, the right people, and most importantly, inspiration!"

"I know! I know!" Qian Sen nodded repeatedly, his smile growing even more obsequious. "Of course I know that the creation of a divine artifact requires inspiration! So this time we won't rush you! Two months! A full two months!"

He held up two fingers and waved them in front of Lu Yuan: "For the next two months, you don't need to participate in any training or attend any classes. The entire 'Divine Craftsman Palace,' including that [Pangu] machine, will be entirely yours to use! Whatever materials you need, we'll find them for you! Even if the national treasury doesn't have them, we'll find a way to get them for you from other war zones, or even from the black market abroad!"

"We have only one request!" Qian Sen's expression became extremely solemn. "Two months from now, we need to see at least five! Five true divine artifacts sufficient to arm our elite fighting force!"

"this……"

Looking into Qian Sen's unwavering gaze, Lu Yuan knew he couldn't avoid it this time. However, upon reflection, this mission wasn't entirely bad for him. Being able to focus wholeheartedly on forging research for two months without distractions, with the country providing materials at any cost, was a rare opportunity.

Furthermore, through the process of forging divine artifacts for Gu Tianye and the others, he was able to gain a deeper understanding of those bizarre SSS-level talents and the "rules" they represented. This was also of great benefit in improving his own proficiency and understanding of the [Blessing of All Things] talent.

"Okay." In the end, Lu Yuan nodded in agreement. "However, I need them to be with me throughout the entire process."

"No problem!" Qian Sen agreed immediately. "Let alone cooperating, they'd probably be more than happy to do anything for you right now!"

……

So, over the next two months, Lu Yuan began his first true "secluded forging" in the Celestial World. Gu Tianye, Xiang Batian, Lin Ziling, Mu Bingli, and others also became frequent visitors to the "Divine Craftsman Palace".

Their daily task was to take turns being Lu Yuan's "sparring partners" and "guinea pigs".

Today, in order to study Gu Tianye's [Beast God Bloodline], Lu Yuan will have him fuse with more than a dozen different star beast bloodlines in one day, and then record every subtle change in his body. This has caused Gu Tianye to almost explode and die on the spot several times due to bloodline conflicts.

Tomorrow, in order to test the freezing efficiency of Mu Bingli's [Ice Soul Divine Soul] against different energies, Lu Yuan will have her attempt to freeze various high-risk energy bodies, ranging from A-level "Earth Core Lava" to S-level "Annihilation Rays." Several times, Mu Bingli has fainted in the laboratory due to mental exhaustion.

The day after tomorrow, in order to find the most suitable medium for transmitting Ye Cang's "Asura Killing Intent," Lu Yuan will have him use blade blanks forged from hundreds of different rare metals to repeatedly slay simulated star beasts composed of "aggregates of resentment." With each slaying, Ye Cang's soul will have to endure a direct impact from the resentment.

……

The scene was so heartbreaking that anyone who heard about it would weep. Every "genius" who walked out of the "Divine Craftsman's Palace" alive felt as if a layer of skin had been peeled off, suffering inhumane torment both mentally and physically.

Strangely, not a single person complained, and not a single person quit. On the contrary, they were all as energetic as if they had been injected with stimulants, rushing to the "Divine Craftsman's Palace" every day. They even had several fierce "all-out brawls" in private in order to get more of Lu Yuan's "guidance" time.

Because they knew that every time Lu Yuan "tortured" them, he was gathering crucial first-hand data to tailor-make that unique artifact for them! Every instance of pain meant they were one step closer to their own "artifact"!

In this frantic, bittersweet process of "involution," time flies by.

Two months later.

When Lu Yuan dragged his somewhat tired body out of the [Heaven and Earth Creation Furnace], eleven brand-new divine weapons, each emanating a different aura but equally powerful enough to be suffocating, floated silently behind him!

【Thousand Transformations Beast Soul Axe - Ultimate Form】!

[Titan Axe of Creation - Complete Form]!

【Nine Heavens Jade Pendant - Ice Soul - Complete Form】!

【Asura - Final Form】!

……

Each and every one of them is a true legendary artifact! Each and every one of them is enough to bring about a tremendous qualitative change in the strength of an SSS-level genius!

When Gu Tianye and the others received their long-desired divine weapons from Lu Yuan, they all wept. These tall, burly, and usually fearless tough guys, now clutched their weapons and cried like children. The scene was incredibly moving.

After completing this "miraculous" feat, Lu Yuan finally got his long-awaited vacation.

"Kid, well done." Su Lie looked at the eleven brand-new divine artifacts and the eleven future "war gods" whose strength had skyrocketed, and patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder with great satisfaction. "You should take a good rest during this time."

He paused, glanced at the time, and said, "Perfect timing. The substitute members for the 'God-Making Project' in the other major regions should be arriving today. According to the rules, a full member should go to greet them."

"Everyone else is currently in seclusion familiarizing themselves with their new weapons, so you're the only one with plenty of free time." Su Lie pointed at Lu Yuan, a malicious smile on his face. "This glorious and arduous 'welcoming' mission is now entrusted to you."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan was immediately overwhelmed. Welcoming new students? He was going to be a "nanny" again? He recalled the "pleasant" experience of welcoming Xiang Batian and his group last time, and a chill ran down his spine.

"Grandpa Su, look at me, I just came out of seclusion and my body is still weak... Why don't you find someone else?" Lu Yuan tried to struggle.

"Enough talk! You're the one!" Su Lie glared at him, cutting him off immediately. "That's an order! Go now! Don't let our colleagues in other war zones think we capital city officials don't know manners!"

"Alright." Lu Yuan could only reluctantly agree.