Beneath Garbage Mountain, Lily finds herself in a vast subterranean space within the massive layers of earth.
With Tu Xingsun by her side, there is no difference between the underground and the surface.
The speed of returning from Black Street to Garbage Mountain is incredibly fast. When Feilian had been flying with Lily in the sky before, they had to remain alert to the situation in the air.
In the underground, this is no longer necessary. Movement is unhindered, for all beneath the earth is the domain of the Earth Lord, Tu Fu Xingjun.
There was no delay along the way. Lily returned to Garbage Mountain, and no other contestants had yet arrived. As she emerged onto the surface, she left a trail of small eyes scattered across the vast expanse of the mountain.
Of course, this time it wasn't the little white doves.
Instead, Dreamforging had produced a whole array of objects that appeared to be nothing more than various types of trash, but in reality, they concealed small gadgets with hidden cameras.
Lily's consciousness was connected to these little gadgets. Though she was underground, she could directly observe the situation outside.
The "special supply storage point" marked on the competition system's map was located at the summit of a garbage mountain.
The competition environment is virtually identical to reality, with the various piles of trash and the stench of decay in Garbage Mountain perfectly recreated.
Lily was currently in the deep underground, a thousand meters beneath the surface of the garbage mountain. Tu Xingsun had simply excavated a small space for her, square and spacious.
At this moment, the pair of one person and one divine being were exceptionally relaxed.
Lily's backpack was placed in one corner of the small space, and she sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly meditating to restore her mental energy.
The viewers in the live stream, seeing Lily finally settle down, also let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally taking a break. After such a long fight, I'm exhausted just watching. I almost thought an entire day had passed. Now that I think about the system prompt, it's only been five hours since the competition started!"
"Lily has only played five rounds. Did you forget about that little group of three Dreamforgers from the Wood, Demon, and Insect tribes? They've already faced off against more than ten Dreamforgers. Their efficiency is off the charts!"
" this is just the first day. Won't things only get more intense from here? Are they really going to fight dozens of rounds in a single day? Just thinking about it is exhausting. No matter how high one's mental energy is, it can't last forever."
"Lily is also recovering her mental energy because she's exhausted, but does she still have the strength to fight for special supplies? Even if that personification of Tu Fu Xingjun is powerful, she's not just facing one or two Dreamforgers."
"Wait, Lily's awake. What is she doing?"
In the live stream, Lily slowly opened her eyes. She glanced around at the spacious yet unusually empty surroundings, seemingly pondering for a moment. Then, with a simple motion of her hand, several objects appeared out of thin air.
Two straw-woven mats, a small tea table, a stove, and tea utensils.
The red clay stove burned fervently, radiating warmth, while the teapot bubbled and simmered. Lily had long since removed her mask. She sat on a cushioned mat, tea flowing steadily into the cup, and served a cup to the person across from her, Tu Xingsun.
"This is my first time making tea; if there is anything amiss, I hope Lord Xingjun will not take offense."
Lily raised her hand and poured herself a cup of tea as well.
This was her first time forging dreams to create food and drink. In the past, Lily had shaped objects like brushes and dragon-finding rulers—these lifeless things were indeed practical.
The cushion, stove, and teapot could also be considered lifeless objects, yet Lily had forged dreams of ancient mythical beasts from China and legendary deities. However, she had never attempted to forge something as mundane as food and drink.
As the tea slid into her mouth, the lingering frustration on Lily's face seemed to dissipate, replaced by a refreshing, mellow taste. The fragrance of the tea lingered, with a sweetness that gradually surfaced—a flavor that was unmistakably that of the old white tea she remembered.
In the past, white tea had been her most frequent drink, and when she forged the dream, it was the very same variety she had often enjoyed.
When going out for field research, it was more about exchanging pleasantries and making small talk than actual exploration. By the end of the day, she couldn't even count how many words had been exchanged. A thermos of tea kept by her side, both refreshing her mind and quenching her thirst.
Staring at the teapot, Lily couldn't help but ponder. If the taste of tea could be forged and restored through dreams, then... could other foods be recreated in the same way?
[Eh? Eh? What is this? Water? No, it's not water. Why is the cup so small?]
[I just saw Lily put dark-colored dried grass leaves into the container she was pouring water from. It looks like some sort of herbal drink?]
[The water is a tangerine orange, it looks so delicious. Ahh, but now there's no immersive sensory experience service. I really want to try it.]
[Everything here feels so ancient. The cup isn't transparent, but it looks like it has such a great texture.]
The attention of the viewers in the livestream shifted once more. What had Lily forged this time? Everything looked so new and intriguing that the audience wished they could step into the competition site and touch or feel it for themselves.
The fleeting emotions and thoughts vanished in an instant. Lily was unaware of the attention her casual creation had drawn from the viewers. As she raised her hand to refill Tu Xingsun's cup, a sudden shift in her consciousness occurred.
Her hidden, sharp awareness—like the subtle gaze from behind heaps of discarded rubble—caught sight of a shadow!
At this moment, other dreamforgers had already arrived at this special resource point.
Lily glanced at her personal panel once more. Her current score placed her seventh in her region, but on the vast leaderboard of the entire competition, she hadn't even made it into the top thousand. There were still plenty of skilled dreamforgers excelling in battle.
Through the scattered eyes of her awareness, Lily was the first to spot a black cat.
She raised an eyebrow. The cat was especially agile, darting through the piles of refuse, leaping up and down. It was unclear whether it was trying to draw attention or if it was scouting the surroundings on behalf of its master.
The black cat was clearly no ordinary feline. Lily didn't quite recognize its breed, but its agility was unparalleled. It was less like a cat and more like a sleek, shiny little black leopard.
After the cat appeared to scout the area, it quickly dashed off. Moments later, its master emerged. Lily could now clearly see the approaching dreamforger—wearing a blue wristband, a slender foxperson dreamforger.
The foxperson dreamforger swiftly approached the special resource point's heap of refuse, quickly digging a small opening large enough for one person. Holding the black cat, they squeezed through the hole and then covered it with the surrounding debris, concealing the entrance completely.
Lily suspected that the foxperson dreamforger had likely left some form of surveillance hidden within the refuse piles.
After all, this place was incredibly convenient for hiding things—mounds of refuse stacked one after another, with trash scattered everywhere. It was easy to forge something, and no one would be able to recognize it.
Who would have the time or patience to search through each pile one by one?
Just as the foxperson dreamforger had concealed themselves, there was movement from another direction. Lily quickly controlled her small eyes to look over.
Well, this time, it was a large group—another small faction, four dreamforgers with green wristbands. Two humans and two insectoids, a greater number, more power.
This group of dreamforgers didn't approach the refuse pile where the special resource point was located. Instead, they stationed themselves at the edge of another garbage mound, situated nearby.
Lily watched as they forged a strange object, one that completely concealed the figures of the four dreamforgers. It merged seamlessly with the garbage mound, camouflaging them entirely.
At this moment, Lily was holding her tea cup, her small eyes—linked through her mental power—scanning the outside situation. To the viewers in the livestream, however, she appeared to be lost in thought, seemingly dazed and pondering something.
[Lily doesn't seem worried at all? She's actually daydreaming.]
[Haha, I have this feeling that the drink she forged must be so terrible, but she can't bring herself to admit it, so she's just holding onto it.]
[Maybe not? It seems like she's deep in thought. I can see that Lily's pupils are a bit unfocused, clearly distracted.]
There were movements coming from several directions, places Lily couldn't keep track of.
At that moment, she heard Tu Xingsun's voice, saying, "Eh?"
Lily, distracted by multiple tasks, looked up at Tu Xingsun and asked, "What's wrong, Lord Xingjun? Is there something unusual?"
Tu Xingsun smiled faintly, "It seems, Lord, that digging into the ground isn't just a hobby of ours."
Lily slightly raised her chin, "Oh?"
Other dreamforger competitors from the region seemed to be hiding underground as well, though it was unclear what forging techniques they were using.
"I'll take you to see, Lord." Tu Xingsun rose, and Lily followed suit.
"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Xingjun."
With a flick of his sleeve, the next moment, the two had vanished from the small space, leaping over a thousand meters of soil to the place where Tu Xingsun had sensed the disturbance.
"Look, it's here." Tu Xingsun pointed ahead, and Lily saw that within the soil, vicious, clawing vines were laboriously extending, digging through the earth to carve out a tunnel.
The way the vines strained and struggled made Lily want to laugh, though she couldn't quite explain why.
Although the vines looked somewhat terrifying—pitch black with a hint of deep green, clearly not ordinary plants—they were now struggling, digging through the soil with their ghostly, claw-like tendrils. Lily could almost feel the vines' reluctance, their helplessness.
However, the manipulation of these vines deep underground suggested that this dreamforger was most likely from the Wood Tribe.
Wood Tribe competitors were typically adept at forging dreams related to their own race, using their innate connection with nature. It gave them a natural advantage, allowing them to handle their chosen craft with ease.
Lily's livestream viewers also saw this scene, and some had already recognized the vines.
[Holy shit! That's the Ghost Hand Vine, right? The infamous strangling, man-eating vine, and this dreamforger is using it to dig a tunnel?!]
[If I hadn't seen the distinctive tentacles and color of this Ghost Hand Vine, I would have thought I was seeing things.]
[By the way, the special resource drop should be coming soon, right? Has anyone checked out other livestreams? Did you find out how many competitors have shown up to snatch the resources?]
As the viewers discussed in the chat, the Ghost Hand Vine continued to dig forward, and upon spotting Lily and Tu Xingsun, it swiftly retreated, pulling back as if its life depended on it.
Seeing this, Lily let out a soft laugh. She had only come to watch the spectacle, but now that the Ghost Hand Vine was being used to dig a tunnel, she was eager to meet the dreamforger behind it.
As the Ghost Hand Vine retreated frantically, its master was, of course, somewhere underground.
However, before the vine could return to its dreamforger's side, Lily and Tu Xingsun had already come face to face with the master behind it.
Tu Xingsun, with Lily in tow, merely tapped the ground, and in a single breath, they appeared right in front of the Wood Tribe dreamforger.
At that moment, the Wood Tribe dreamforger had been lying flat on the ground, mirroring the actions of the Ghost Hand Vine. The sudden appearance of Lily and Tu Xingsun caused her to roll over and spring to her feet, pausing for five or six seconds in a daze before reacting.
As soon as she saw Lily, she nearly let out a startled scream, but upon noticing the red wristband on Lily's arm, she quickly covered her mouth.
Though they hadn't met before, it was a relief to know they were from the same faction.
After a closer look at Lily's face, the Wood Tribe dreamforger blinked her large eyes rapidly and exclaimed, "You... you're the first-place human contestant."
The small red flower atop her head tilted slightly to one side, as if she were deep in thought, trying to recall something.
The Wood Tribe girl thought for a long while but couldn't quite recall Lily's name.
"Yes, I was the first-place contestant in the previous round. Don't worry, we're on the same side." Lily glanced at her wristband.
This was the first time she had encountered a fellow dreamforger from her faction today. Although they were strangers, as long as they were in the same competition, they were temporary allies, their fates intertwined.
"So, what brings you underground too? I thought only our Wood Tribe liked to burrow into the earth."
The girl had round baby fat on her face, making her rather cute, with dark green hair cascading into two long braids. Her fingertips were adorned with sharp vine-like thorns, and atop her head sat a bright little red flower, like a quirky little antenna.
Apart from the red flower on her head, her clothing was made up of various shades of green, blending harmoniously with her surroundings.
Lily glanced at her and said, "What you're thinking is exactly what I'm thinking."
"I heard movement underground, so I came to check it out."
The girl seemed to understand only partially, her curiosity shifting to Tu Xingsun, who stood beside Lily. However, she didn't ask any questions.
Upon hearing that Lily was just here to check the commotion, the girl let out a sigh of relief.
"My name's Emily. You scared me! I was worried about running into dreamforgers from other factions while digging the tunnel."
Emily quickly reached up to touch the little red flower on her head, almost as if she were patting her chest to calm herself.
"I'm Lily," Lily replied.
Seeing the calm exchange between Lily and the Wood Tribe dreamforger, the livestream viewers let out a rare collective sigh of relief.
[You scared me! I thought we were about to run into dreamforgers from another faction and start a fight again. Fighting on the ground is one thing, but if they start fighting underground too, that would be a mess.]
[The Wood Tribe girl is so cute! Hahaha, Lily finally got lucky and ran into a teammate. I wonder if they'll team up with Emily.]
[When Lily and that 'Star Lord' appeared earlier, they totally stunned the Wood Tribe girl.]
"Alright, I was just here to take a look. You can keep digging, I'm heading back now."
After speaking with Emily, Lily refocused on the movements happening around her.
"Oh, okay, see you, Lily!" Emily blinked, then nodded vigorously, her little red flower wobbling along with her movement.
Just then, the system prompt appeared.
"Attention all participants, the special resource for this division has arrived. Countdown: three minutes!"
Lily's eyes flashed—another countdown.
"Three minutes?" Emily fiddled with the little red flower on her head, scratching her scalp in thought. She mumbled to herself, "Guess I don't need to keep digging then."
"Star Lord, let's head back for now," Lily said, turning to Tu Xingsun.
She gave Emily a nod, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared as quietly as she had arrived.
The system countdown continued, but Lily remained unhurried. As the countdown entered its final ten seconds, Lily, back in the underground space, still sat calmly on her cushion, not a hint of movement.
Even the loudspeakers within the garbage mountains echoed with the system announcement:
"Special resources for this division have been deployed. The next deployment will be in six hours."
Lily sat on the cushion with her eyes closed, though in reality, she was using her small eyes to keep watch over the situation above ground.
As far as she knew, at least a dozen groups had already set up ambushes around this small heap of garbage.
Those with fewer numbers, like Lily and Emily, as well as the fox clan youth who arrived earliest, all came alone.
The largest group, however, was the small team of four Dreamforgers.
Lily wasn't sure whether the Dreamforgers who had come here shared the same intentions, but there were only two possible reasons for deliberately coming to the garbage hill.
One was for the special materials.
The other was to set up an ambush and gain points.
Or perhaps, both were true.
Moreover, the one thing Lily was most concerned about was how many portions of these special materials there actually were.
The materials capable of restoring mental energy were far more valuable than ordinary medical kits, food, or water.
Ordinary materials could be claimed with a wristband, and when Lily had observed the automatic water vending machine back then, she noticed that after taking a portion, there was no change inside, as if it were infinite.
In the competition, special materials were dispensed every few hours, with the location announced an hour in advance. It was as if they were hoping the participants would fight and scramble for them, so the quantities were surely limited.
Lily's mind raced as she kept a close eye on the movements around her.
Almost at the same time the special materials were being dispensed, someone on the garbage hill had already made their move.
A human Dreamforger, equipped with a glider, swooped down diagonally, heading straight for the material drop point.
He was the first!
Lily believed that she was not the only one observing the situation at this moment.
The first person to take the risk would either succeed and claim the prize or fall right there—what a bold move!
"Boom boom—"
It was the sound of gunfire.
Just as the Dreamforger with the glider was approaching the material drop point, the Dreamforgers lying in ambush within the garbage hill had already made their move.
It wasn't just one Dreamforger who made a move.
Through the perspectives of her several spies, Lily could clearly see a flying, strange beast appear from within the garbage hill.
The winged flying beast, in Lily's view, resembled a mighty giant eagle! It clamped its jaws onto the daring Dreamforger's glider, viciously dragging him away, not allowing him to approach the material drop point.
The glider on the dreamforger had already been brutally torn off by the giant maw, yet he remained calm and composed, instantly dispelling the glider with a swift motion.
Taking advantage of the moment while the giant roc was still tearing at the glider, the man leapt down directly. With a push of his hand, an invisible air shield instantly formed around him. Enveloped by the shield, he rushed toward the supply point at the top of the trash mountain.
From Lily's vantage point, the dreamforger was already very close to the supply point—no more than ten paces away.
But how many blows from his opponent could that air shield truly withstand?
A thunderous blast struck the trash mountain, and as the light wave swept across, even Lily's field of vision was momentarily disturbed.
The photon cannon hadn't struck the dreamforger—nor had it been meant for him.
That blast was aimed at the trash mountain itself. The heap that held the special supply point trembled faintly, and the struck debris disintegrated into nothingness.
As luck would have it—or misfortune—a foxkin dreamforger clutching a black cat appeared in the scorched zone, his expression dark as thunder.
The very spot hit by the blast happened to be the location of his hiding place!
He only had time to raise his largest shield in defense, leaving himself completely exposed on the trash mountain.
The black cat in the foxkin dreamforger's hands instantly transformed into a leopard cat, and the foxkin swiftly mounted it, climbing rapidly toward the summit of the trash mountain.
It was unclear whose long-range laser cannon kept firing at the two exposed dreamforgers. As they drew closer to the supply point, others, unable to wait any longer, began to make their move.
Lily's eyelids flickered as she recognized them—it was the small group of two humans and two insectoid dreamforgers!
Hissing serpent tongues filled the air as a swarm of vipers emerged from the trash mountain, large and small, blocking the path of anyone trying to pass.
One of the human dreamforgers wore special跳 shoes on his feet, bouncing up the rugged trash mountain with each leap, as if he were performing a long jump to scale the heights.
A portable flying device lifted off from the base of the neighboring trash mountain, and more and more dreamforgers joined the fray.
Amid the chaos of the battle, just at that moment, someone—no one knew who—struck. A thick black mist suddenly swept in from around the trash mountain, threatening to obscure the vision of everyone on the scene.
A mere small sub-area, just a special supply point, yet it seemed to bring forth every imaginable tactic and method.
Lily opened her eyes, no longer willing to wait.
In the midst of the chaos was the perfect opportunity—who could possibly know who had taken the supplies?
The backpack containing supplies and medical kits was fastened back onto Lily's shoulders. With a quick gesture, Tu Xingsun grasped the corner of her cloak, and in the next moment, Lily had already appeared on the ground beside the trash mountain.
T
he domain controlled by Tu Xingsun is the land, and the mountain of garbage is formed by the accumulation of various refuse, making it impenetrable. Even Tu Xingsun cannot directly ascend to the peak here and can only send Lily to the ground.
As soon as Lily arrived, the familiar dark vines began to emerge from the earth beneath her feet. The dark vines seemed to be merely probing; upon seeing Lily, they appeared startled and quickly burrowed back underground.
Lily raised an eyebrow, uncertain of what Emily was planning.
However, that had nothing to do with her.
The black mist now enveloped the entire garbage mountain, and Lily thought to herself, The mental energy consumed must be considerable.
[Damn, I've finally emerged from the earth. Where did this black mist come from?!]
[What's all this noise? I must have turned up the stream volume too high, my ears are ringing from the sound!]
The viewers in the livestream had finally awaited Lily's appearance, but instead of the anticipated excitement, their vision was clouded by the black mist.
Within the mist, the sounds of battle echoed relentlessly.
To only hear but not see—wasn't that enough to drive one mad with curiosity?
Hearing the intense sounds of battle, Lily no longer hesitated. She bid farewell to Tu Xingsun and immediately soared into the air. A black cloud platform appeared beneath her, and as she mounted it, the platform swiftly floated toward the peak of the garbage mountain.
In this black mist, the larger the target, the faster the speed, making it more likely to attract attention. The cloud platform moved silently, while Lily gripped the longsword at her waist tightly.
Using the cover of the black mist, she coated herself and the platform in black from head to toe, even wrapping her external dream-forging layer in another veil of mist, seamlessly blending into the darkness.
In the thick, pitch-black mist with howling winds, where even ghosts were barely visible, Lily had no interest in ambushing other dreamforgers. Taking advantage of this opportunity to seize special resources and then fleeing was the real priority.
To minimize risk and avoid drawing attention, the cloud platform moved at a moderate pace. However, Lily's keen senses soon detected that the black mist seemed to be thinning, its color growing lighter.
Her expression sharpened, and she immediately sped up the cloud platform. The mist was likely about to be dealt with.
Lily could already see the shimmering mark of the special resource point. As she drew closer to the peak of the garbage mountain, the black mist continued to dissipate, soon no longer able to conceal her form.
A sharp, eerie cry pierced the air: "Miaow—"
The sudden cry froze Lily's hand for a moment. That sound—it was the leopard cat of the fox-tribe dreamforger. Had it not left yet?
The leopard cat's vision and sense of smell were remarkably sharp, and even in the black mist, it was speeding toward Lily's direction.
At this moment, Lily was only a few steps away from the special resource point. The cloud platform beneath her surged forward at maximum speed. Then, with a loud boom, an explosion rang out.
It was the light-flame gun. A single shot struck Lily's cloud platform, instantly scorching the black mist, causing her to momentarily flash into visibility like a lightbulb in the dark!
In that brief moment of light, dreamforgers from various positions immediately spotted Lily.
Lily's expression hardened as attacks from different directions surged toward her. Amid the howling wind, the claws of the leopard cat, the dissipating black mist, and the loud bang-bang of gunshots all filled the air.
She raised a formidable barrier of bronze walls around herself. But just as her feet were about to reach the special resource point, a sudden drop beneath her caused her to nearly tumble, her body's gravity shifting wildly as she almost rolled off balance.
[What happened? Did she fall?]
[That scared me! Did she trip over the garbage?]
[No, wait! There must be a change in the gravitational and magnetic fields!]
Someone had placed a gravity device at the resource point, altering the gravitational field. One wrong step, and it would send you tumbling!
The bronze walls were still struggling to hold, but Lily's red bracelet flashed, and the special resource's packaging material appeared right before her.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. At that very moment, several zip lines appeared mid-air, reaching for Lily's resource pack and even hooking onto her pant leg. They intended to snag both her belongings and her!
The zip lines collided directly with the bronze barrier, causing it to shatter into pieces.
Lily glanced down, and beneath the special resource point, amidst the garbage heap, she saw a hole suddenly appear. From it, dark, sinister ghostly hands and vines began to emerge.
Her pupils contracted in shock as the passage quickly widened, and a hand crawled out.
Without a second thought, Lily yanked, pulling a dust-covered Emily right to the special resource point.
There was no time for words. As Lily grasped the special resource in her hand, she had no chance to store it in her bag, for attacks were already descending upon her.
A swarm of vipers and countless insects suddenly surrounded Lily, and the sound of gunfire rang out. At the same time, Emily managed to grab the special resource, and her ghostly vine reached out to coil around Lily.
"Lily, I'll take you out," Emily said. She knew Lily's strength lay underground, and they had to get back to the earth quickly.
[Wait, what's going on? When did the Wood Tribe girl climb the mountain?]
[It seems... maybe... she came up through a tunnel? She emerged from the garbage mountain. By the Sea of Stars above, how did she manage that?]
[The dreamforger Lily summoned, that Xingjun person, doesn't seem to be able to fly, and the flying beast isn't around anymore. How are they going to escape? I'm freaking out!]
The viewers in the livestream watched the dangerous situation unfold, their anxiety mounting as they felt like ants on a hot pan. Even though they weren't at the scene, the tension was palpable. How could Lily escape this?
[If they follow the tunnel Emily dug, they'll be safe underground!]
At that very moment, beneath their feet, within the garbage mountain, a deafening explosion erupted, shaking the very heavens.
The sudden explosion sent shockwaves of immense force from the inside out, causing the entire mountain to tremble violently. The overwhelming blast nearly hurled them into the sky.
It was as if the garbage mountain had erupted like a volcano, and there was no time to return underground. Their only option was to race upwards—faster, the better.
With the situation escalating rapidly, Lily steeled herself. She could forge dreams with her bare hands; Tu Xingsun had done it, so another wouldn't hurt.
"Please, Lei Zhenzi, manifest—"
In an instant, thunder roared through the heavens.
Within the livestream, viewers watched in awe as an extraordinary figure descended from the sky.
With a blue-green face, deep red hair, and eyes that gleamed with violent energy, the figure's face was both terrifying and strange, adorned with monstrous tusks. His mouth was unlike anything they had ever seen.
He carried a golden staff on his back, his wings crackling with intertwined blue and purple lightning.
He soared through the air, heading straight for Lily. With one hand, he grasped her, and with the other, he seized Emily. The winds howled, and thunder rumbled as he flapped his wings, soaring higher and higher.
In the blink of an eye, they were already thousands of miles away.
Livestream viewers: !!!