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

Lu Yuan smiled but didn't say thank you. He stood up, stretched his now fully recovered body, and then walked out of the workshop.

Outside, it was almost dawn. The group of madmen from the "God-Making Project" were still sweating profusely as they underwent their self-torture-like training. Meanwhile, Yan Ji, Mu Bingli, and Lin Ziling, three stunning beauties with distinct personalities, were all waiting at the workshop entrance, having waited all night.

When they saw Lu Yuan come out, their faces showed concern.

"Kid, are you alright? There was such a commotion inside just now..." Yan Ji was the first to rush up and look him up and down.

"You look terrible," Mu Bingli said softly.

"Do you need me to prepare a recovery potion for you?" Lin Ziling asked.

Looking at the three beautiful faces filled with worry before him, Lu Yuan suddenly felt a warmth in his heart. This feeling of being cared for seemed quite nice.

He took a deep breath and then spoke with an unprecedentedly solemn tone.

He first looked at Yan Ji: "From today onwards, stop calling me 'kid.' You can call me Lu Yuan, or..."

He paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Call me 'Captain'."

Yan Ji was stunned. Looking into Lu Yuan's eyes, which were no longer those of a naive boy, but filled with confidence and control, her heart skipped a beat. She realized that the man before her was no longer the greenhorn she needed to "train." He had grown into someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her, even lead her.

"Captain..." she murmured unconsciously.

Then, Lu Yuan turned to Mu Bingli: "You don't owe me anything. I helped you because you're my teammate. I don't want my teammate to be a fool who only knows how to express gratitude by hurting himself. We're equal comrades, understand?"

Looking into his clear yet earnest eyes, Mu Bingli's own eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded emphatically: "Yes... Captain."

Finally, Lu Yuan's gaze fell on Lin Ziling: "Your knowledge and wisdom are crucial to our team. Your value is no less than any divine artifact. From now on, don't underestimate yourself. You are the 'brain' of our team."

Lin Ziling, this usually calm and rational scholar-genius, couldn't help but blush with excitement after hearing Lu Yuan's high praise and recognition: "Yes! Captain!" She nodded vigorously.

Lu Yuan's words, devoid of any fancy rhetoric, precisely struck the softest spot in the hearts of these three exceptionally talented women. He didn't delve into romance; instead, he redefined their relationship in the most direct way—from superior and subordinate to comrades-in-arms; from bestowing favors and repaying them to equal partners; from those being protected to indispensable core members.

This kind of respect and recognition is more touching than any romantic confession for proud women like Yan Ji, Mu Bingli, and Lin Ziling!

Looking at the man before them, who seemed to have undergone a transformation overnight, their eyes held not only the original admiration and respect, but also a new light of "following".

"Alright." Lu Yuan clapped his hands, breaking the somewhat ambiguous atmosphere. He glanced around at the team members who were still diligently practicing, then announced in a voice that wasn't loud but loud enough for everyone to hear: "Everyone, stop! Training is over! Now, take a shower, have a meal, and then come to me to collect your new toys! The day is over, and our 'feast' is about to begin!"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire East China Sea base seemed to be put on pause. The next second, a deafening cheer erupted!

On the shores of the East China Sea, the "Divine Craftsman's Workshop" that was specially built for Lu Yuan has now been transformed into a heavily guarded military fortress.

In the center of the workshop, a colossal furnace, hundreds of meters tall, crafted entirely from an unknown alloy and inscribed with countless profound runes, stood silently. This was the highest-level forging furnace in China, urgently transported from the Celestial Realm—the [Heaven and Earth Creation Furnace]!

Beneath the furnace, Lu Yuan, dressed in a dry black combat suit, stood solemnly. Behind him, the eleven official members of the "God-Making Project," along with three reserve members, all clad in uniform battle armor, stood in neat rows, completely silent.

The playful or arrogant expressions of the past were gone from their faces, replaced by an almost pilgrimage-like piety and fervor. Their gazes were all focused on Lu Yuan and the mountain of "materials" piled up in front of him.

It was a small mountain truly built of "treasures." There were "Sea God Armor" salvaged from the wreckage of the Atlantis fleet, shimmering with a ghostly blue light; there were "Dragon King Tendons and Bones" extracted from the body of an ancient lava dragon, burning with golden flames; and there were also various legendary rare metals and natural treasures urgently transported from various secret realms and the national treasury of China.

Each of these items, taken alone, would be enough to cause a bloodbath. But now, they are merely side dishes in this "feast".

Outside the workshop, Su Lie, Qian Sen, Li Qingcang, and other leading figures from the military and scientific research communities were watching intently through holographic screens. They were about to witness the birth of a miracle that could potentially reshape the entire world.

"Are you ready?" Lu Yuan turned around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the team members in front of him.

"Be ready at any time! Captain!" Led by Gu Tianye and Xiang Batian, the fourteen men roared in unison! Their voices were filled with boundless fighting spirit and anticipation!

"Very good." Lu Yuan nodded, said no more, and turned to face the enormous [Heaven and Earth Creation Furnace]. He took a deep breath and slowly connected his spiritual power with the entire furnace.

"Buzz—" The huge furnace emitted a buzzing sound that seemed to come from ancient times. Countless runes on the furnace body lit up one by one, and a terrifying pressure emanated from the furnace.

"First step, smelting!" Lu Yuan shouted, reaching out and grabbing at the small mountain of materials in mid-air!

"Boom!" The entire hill shook violently, and then, to everyone's astonishment, the thousands upon thousands of rare materials with different attributes and materials transformed into a colorful torrent, which was drawn by an invisible force and thrown into the huge furnace!

"My God... he just threw it all in?!" A materials science expert from the Xinghai Research Institute exclaimed in shock on the screen. "The melting points and properties of different materials are completely different! Mixing them together so roughly will cause the furnace to explode!!"

His words represented the sentiments of all the researchers present. This completely violates all the fundamental laws of forging! This is not forging! This is suicide!

However, Lu Yuan ignored their concerns. His eyes were tightly closed, his immense spiritual power completely absorbed into the furnace. In that world filled with violent energy, he was the only god!

"Fire is Yang." With a thought, the [Heart of Lava] instantly erupted with endless light and heat, transforming into raging flames that engulfed the entire furnace space! Countless metals with low melting points were instantly melted into liquid.

"Ice is Yin." With another thought, the [Soul Ice Crystal] instantly released extreme cold, like an icy blue storm, precisely enveloping the divine metals and strange bones with extremely high melting points and difficult to process. Extreme heat and extreme cold collided violently on the surface of the ice crystal, and those indestructible legendary materials actually began to crumble and soften inch by inch under this repeated "tempering".

"Wind, rise!" "Thunder, come!" "Water, freeze!" "Earth, gather!"

Lu Yuan, like a god wielding the power of creation, continuously issued commands that became law. Under his control, the originally chaotic and disordered materials within the furnace miraculously began to be categorized and placed in their proper places. Impurities were burned away by the extreme flames, and the essence was re-condensed by the pure rules.

This scene was transmitted in real-time to the holographic screen outside via the monitoring array inside the furnace. All the experts and scholars who had just been worried about the furnace exploding were frozen in place, as if under a spell. Their worldview was completely overturned at this moment. They watched the figure of the young man strolling leisurely through the raging elemental storm, pointing out the world, and their minds were completely blank.

Is this...is this really something a human could do? This isn't forging; this is clearly creating the world!

"Step two, shaping!" After an unknown amount of time, when all the materials in the furnace had been purified into the purest energy droplets, Lu Yuan's voice rang out again.

His immense spiritual power transformed into fourteen invisible giant hands, precisely seizing fourteen clumps of energy liquid of different attributes from the multicolored ocean of energy, and then beginning to knead, pound, and stretch them at an unbelievable speed...

A wild battle axe burning with blood-blue flames gradually took shape—the [Thousand Transformations Beast Soul Axe - Final Form] prepared for Gu Tianye! A massive mountain-splitting axe, crackling with dark golden lightning and radiating boundless domineering aura, appeared next—the [Heaven-Splitting Titan Axe - Complete Form] prepared for Xiang Batian! A demonic sword, its blade seemingly formed from endless killing intent and radiating a blood-red light… that was Ye Cang's [Asura]! A beautiful ancient zither, its body interwoven with the two extreme powers of ice and fire, seemingly containing the entire starry sky… that was Mu Bingli's [Nine Heavens Jade Pendant - Ice and Fire Yin and Yang]!

One after another, artifact embryos, each with a unique shape but all exuding an aura of world-destroying destruction, rapidly took shape in Lu Yuan's hands! The entire process was fluid and seamless, filled with an indescribable violent aesthetic!

"The final step! Protection of all things! Infusion of divine soul!"

Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes! In his eyes, it seemed as if the sun, moon, and stars were being born and dying! He bit his fingertip, and fourteen drops of golden blood containing the power of his original rules shot out, precisely merging into the fourteen divine artifact embryos!

"Buzz—!!!" The moment the blood merged, the fourteen artifact embryos, which were originally just inanimate objects, simultaneously emitted a buzz filled with joy and submission! As if welcoming their creator!

"Go!" Lu Yuan pointed, and the fourteen ultimate artifacts that had been fully formed transformed into fourteen dazzling streams of light, which roared out from the [Heaven and Earth Creation Furnace] and then hovered precisely in front of their respective masters!

"My...God..." Gu Tianye trembled as he reached out and grasped the [Thousand Transformations Beast Soul Axe], custom-made for him. The instant he held the axe handle, an unprecedentedly powerful force surged through his entire body! He felt as if he had merged with thousands of divine beasts; if he wished, he could transform into any legendary, terrifying behemoth at any time!

"Hahaha! This! This is the power that belongs to me, Xiang Batian!" Xiang Batian raised the giant axe that seemed capable of splitting the heavens and earth, and laughed wildly! He felt that if he were to swing the axe down now, he could split this planet in two!

Mu Bingli gazed intently at the exquisitely beautiful ancient zither before her, a fusion of ice and fire. She could feel that the zither was an extension of her own body. She no longer needed to consciously control ice, nor did she need to fear fire. Because from this moment on, she was the Queen of Ice and Fire!

"All personnel, the divine weapons are fully equipped!" Lu Yuan looked at the fourteen team members in front of him, whose auras had undergone earth-shattering changes, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He turned to face the utterly petrified figures in front of the screen, and announced in a calm yet undeniably domineering tone: "Grandpa Su, Dean Qian, my 'League of Gods' is ready. Now, notify the 'Seafood Market' across the street... open the doors and deliver the vegetables!"