Yonghe Venerable

The majestic Craftsman God Mountain pierced directly into the depths of the clouds and mist. At its foot, hundreds of powerhouses from various races knelt. Luo Feng's gaze swept over them, recognizing that approximately a third were Universe Venerables, while the rest were Undying-level powerhouses. "Nearly two hundred Universe Venerables kneeling," Luo Feng sighed inwardly. "The allure of being able to forge Supreme Treasures is indeed immense."

"Huh, why aren't you going?" Bo Ni Sha hovered beside Luo Feng, looking at him with curiosity.

"I merely said I'd like to learn." Luo Feng smiled, looking down at Bo Ni Sha. "Of course, I'm interested in the legendary Craftsman God Master's techniques, but I'm not confident. So, it's more out of curiosity... just to observe."

"They're just trying their luck too. Out of over five hundred, it'd be good if two or three were accepted as disciples." Bo Ni Sha pointed towards the distant group of kneeling alien powerhouses—some energy beings, some flesh-and-blood creatures, some rock-based lifeforms—all prostrating themselves.

Waiting in silence...

"How long have they been kneeling?" Luo Feng asked.

"They'll wait until the Craftsman God Master appears," Bo Ni Sha said nonchalantly. "It's normal to kneel for thousands or tens of thousands of years. But no one has ever exceeded 100 epochs. If you don't even have the perseverance to kneel for such a long time, how can you be qualified to learn the art of forging Supreme Treasures?"

Luo Feng nodded slightly.

"I won't keep you company. I'm going to find my friends." Bo Ni Sha circled Luo Feng once, then flew directly towards a distant dark blue building, entering it to visit her friends.

...

Luo Feng, meanwhile, gazed up at the majestic Craftsman God Mountain, walking towards it step by step.

"So many aliens."

Luo Feng glanced at the various architectural styles in the distance. These numerous ancient buildings, standing tall, were constructed by alien powerhouses who had visited the Craftsman God Master throughout history. Most were empty now, but quite a few still housed alien powerhouses.

"They must be alien powerhouses seeking treasures," Luo Feng mused.

"The fourth black metal plate is on Craftsman God Mountain, and the Craftsman God Master is right there. With his power, how could I possibly obtain it? Even if I managed to steal it, the Craftsman God Master controls space and time; he could easily catch me." Luo Feng looked up at Craftsman God Mountain. "How am I supposed to get it?"

Lost in thought, Luo Feng had already reached the foot of the mountain.

"Stop!"

"Friend, halt!" A deep and a clear voice rang out.

Luo Feng turned his head.

Among the densely packed five hundred-plus kneeling Universe Venerables and Undying-level powerhouses, dozens looked over. One alien, with four hooves and a human-like body over three hundred meters tall, gazed at Luo Feng with three golden eyes, its voice clear: "Friend, Craftsman God Mountain is where the Craftsman God Master and his disciples reside. Apart from them, no other powerhouse is permitted to enter Craftsman God Mountain without the Craftsman God Master's consent. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to him."

"Oh." Luo Feng chuckled. "Thank you. I was just lost in thought."

"Are you also here to become a disciple of the Craftsman God Master?" the alien asked, looking down at Luo Feng. Though kneeling, it was still much taller than Luo Feng.

"I'm merely curious. If there's a chance, I'd certainly strive for it," Luo Feng replied. At the same time, he secretly wondered what kind of lifeform this alien Venerable was. According to his memories, no known race matched the alien before him.

"Indeed, one shouldn't give up if there's a glimmer of hope," the Golden-Eyed Venerable chuckled. "I can already forge Ordinary Supreme Treasures. Before coming here, I was full of confidence. But after arriving... I realized I'm still not enough compared to the peerless geniuses from various races across the cosmos who forge weapons. Look, that Monster Race Undying over there, merely Undying-level, can already forge Ordinary Supreme Treasures. His chances of being accepted as a disciple by the Craftsman God Master are much higher than mine."

Luo Feng looked over in surprise. The alien beast, resembling a golden-furred gorilla, was also kneeling there, its aura slightly weaker, likely Undying-level.

"Undying-level, forging Ordinary Supreme Treasures?" Luo Feng blinked.

"Geniuses truly are everywhere," Luo Feng sighed inwardly.

The Golden-Eyed Venerable sighed with emotion: "In the Ancestral Mystery Realm, I was flattered as a grandmaster artificer, but upon arriving here, I realized how far behind I truly am. Although we special lifeforms are powerful in terms of strength... we don't have an absolute advantage in weapon forging. Look, these alien Undyings, merely Undying-level, were brought to Yinfa Mystery Realm, Craftsman God Star, by their race's powerhouses. How could they come here without some skill? Most of these hundreds of Undyings can probably forge Pseudo-Supreme Treasures."

"Pseudo-Supreme Treasure?"

Luo Feng secretly wondered, "What level is considered a Pseudo-Supreme Treasure?" It seemed to be an internal term among artificer grandmasters; at least, he, an outsider, didn't understand it.

"Good thing I didn't try to become a disciple," Luo Feng thought. "If I had, it would have been truly embarrassing."

"You should try too," the Golden-Eyed Venerable chuckled. "The Craftsman God Master's conditions for accepting disciples are very strict. While talent is considered, many other aspects are too. As long as your forging talent isn't bad, and you can forge Pseudo-Supreme Treasures... maybe with some luck, you could become a disciple of the Craftsman God Master. Look at me, I've been persistent."

"I'm just curious, merely curious," Luo Feng quickly said.

...

Luo Feng immediately distanced himself from the group of over 500 alien forging geniuses, who were sincerely kneeling to seek mentorship, and set up a simple courtyard for himself at the foot of the mountain.

"Forging?"

"Damn it."

"Forget Pseudo-Supreme Treasures, I can't even handle a slightly decent weapon. Back when the Yunmo Star ship was modified, and secret patterns were engraved, I had to hire internal staff from the Virtual Universe Company." Luo Feng shook his head inwardly. He was a complete layman, utterly clueless. Being among these peerless forging geniuses from across the vast cosmos, Luo Feng felt a bit ashamed.

Standing at the courtyard entrance.

Luo Feng looked at the over 500 kneeling alien figures in the distance, then gazed up at the majestic Craftsman God Mountain: "Originally, my plan was to seek mentorship like the other powerhouses, infiltrate Craftsman God Mountain, and then slowly figure out how to get the black metal plate. But now it seems—no one can go up the mountain except the Craftsman God Master and his disciples."

"What should I do?"

"How am I supposed to get that black metal plate?" Luo Feng was troubled.

...

Unable to think of any solution, Luo Feng didn't fret. Instead, he quietly waited at the foot of Craftsman God Mountain, carefully observing its movements and looking for an opportunity.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.

During his half-year stay at the foot of Craftsman God Mountain, Luo Feng became acquainted with most of the alien powerhouses residing in the other buildings. All these waiting powerhouses were Universe Venerables, and many were even Universe Overlords! They had all come here to seek Supreme Treasures from the great Craftsman God Master.

"I lead a race, and all its treasures depend solely on me." A four-armed giant sat cross-legged beside Luo Feng, sighing with emotion. "Although I've joined the Nine Domains Alliance, the highest-ranking beings in the Nine Domains Alliance are the Universe Masters. Even though I'm a Universe Overlord, I'm far behind in terms of resources."

"For example, a powerhouse from a race with a Universe Master can exchange three sets of top-tier Supreme Treasure suits for one Ordinary Supreme Treasure. I, however, would need four sets of top-tier Supreme Treasure suits!" The four-armed giant shook his head. "This is just an example... I always get the short end of the stick in various aspects."

Luo Feng nodded slightly.

"It's different from the peak races," the four-armed giant shook his head. "The six great peak races have immense power and countless treasures; their powerhouses are very content. When they exchange treasures within their race... they hardly ever suffer losses. But for races like ours, where I'm the only Universe Overlord... Hmph... Youluo, if I ever fall, please lend me a hand and ensure my Silkworm Rock Race can continue its legacy."

Luo Feng said, "Yonghe Venerable, don't speak like that. If you fall, the Nine Domains Alliance will resurrect you. If you ever need my help, Youluo, I will naturally provide it."

Yonghe Venerable was one of the alien powerhouses Luo Feng had met here with whom he got along quite well.

He was the great leader of the Silkworm Rock Race.

If he were to fall... the entire Silkworm Rock Race would face annihilation.

Yonghe Venerable constantly had to consider his race, so he was unwilling to exchange for Supreme Treasures within the Nine Domains Alliance, as it would be too disadvantageous.

"I can only come to the Craftsman God Master!" Yonghe Venerable sighed. "The Craftsman God Master can forge a Supreme Treasure from the materials of many other Supreme Treasures. This is much better than exchanging within my race. This way, I can still have plenty of resources for my race's development. I need to be strong myself, and the future generations of my race also need to rise... Alas..."

Luo Feng secretly admired him.

His own strength was considerable, yet he remained unburdened, thanks to the immense power of the human race. But this Yonghe Venerable, not much different from himself in power... had to bear the rise and fall of his entire race.

"Xiluoduo was also a Universe Overlord back then, and his fate is quite similar to this Yonghe Venerable's," Luo Feng mused. "With Xiluoduo, the Golden Horn Race could exist independently in the cosmos. But with Xiluoduo's demise... the Golden Horn Race could only attach itself to stronger entities, becoming a vassal race."

...

Just as Luo Feng and Yonghe Venerable were conversing.

Suddenly—

"Look, the Craftsman God Master's disciples!"

"It's the Craftsman God Master's disciples!"

Luo Feng and Yonghe Venerable rose simultaneously. Even from other palaces and building complexes, alien Venerables emerged one by one—all here to seek Supreme Treasures. Looking at the figures streaming out of the various structures, there were easily over a thousand.

A longing gleamed in the eyes of these alien powerhouses, because having the Craftsman God Master forge a Supreme Treasure for them incurred a much smaller cost compared to exchanging for one within an alliance...

The thousand-plus alien Venerables all looked towards the dozen or so figures flying down in the distance. These figures were either majestic, or diminutive, or covered in fur, or made entirely of metal...

The dozen or so figures descended.

"Senior Brothers," one of the five hundred-plus kneeling alien powerhouses respectfully spoke up. "May I ask when the Craftsman God Master will be able to see us?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Master has gone to visit a friend. He might not return for thousands or tens of thousands of years. Just wait patiently."

One of the Craftsman God Master's dozen or so disciples spoke, and then they swiftly transformed into streaks of light and flew away.

"Visiting a friend?"

In the distance, Luo Feng's eyes narrowed.