The dreamforger shares a unique bond with their creations, and this is equally true for Lily with the taotie and shen beast she personally forged.
The Replica Beasts can exist independently of the dreamforger, but this existence is limited and closely tied to the dreamforger's mental energy index and the strength of their mental power.
The stronger the mental power, the longer the creation can exist.
Of course, this also depends on the specific creation.
For example, the brush Lily previously forged through dreamcrafting, a mere inanimate object, consumes negligible mental energy, allowing it to recover in the blink of an eye and persist indefinitely.
However, for higher-tier creations, such as the replica beasts, their duration of existence depends on the amount of mental energy the dreamforger invests into them.
According to the law of conservation of cosmic energy, everything in the universe is bound by the principle of conservation.
Lily consumed her mental energy to forge the taotie and shen beast through dreamcrafting,
The taotie roams in search of food, carrying a shen beast on its back. With every breath and movement, it expends mental energy, converting it into physical energy for its own body.
If this continues, with energy constantly expended and nothing replenishing it, the taotie's energy reserves will eventually be exhausted, causing its form to collapse and dissipate.
But for now, there is no such "if."
Lily's gaze held a hint of weariness. As the dreamforger of the taotie, she could clearly sense that both the taotie and the shen beast were growing ever more powerful.
The taotie, incessantly devouring, expends almost no energy in its restless wandering and movement.
As for the shen beast, it continuously absorbs mist, automatically converting it into internal energy. Carried by the taotie, it is in a state of constant intake, with no energy being expended.
Lily's points continued to rise steadily, with each beast the taotie devoured causing a small increase in her score.
On the Starsea Dreamforger real-time leaderboard, in the brief moment it took for viewers to switch channels, Lily's score saw a dramatic surge.
Six thousand, seven thousand, eight thousand...
The rapid rise in points made everyone's scalp tingle, as the gap between Lily and the other dreamforgers grew wider, leaving them far behind.
Such a dramatic shift in points caught the attention of the entire star network's audience. Who was this dreamforger at the top of the leaderboard?
What family, what faction, what race, and who could have trained such a terrifying new dreamforger?
Some viewers entered the livestream, while others began searching everywhere for information about the contestant Lily.
The information available on the Star Network was limited to the basic details Lily had provided when registering for the Dreamforger Selection Tournament: her name, age, and administrative planet.
Contestant Lily, from Feiniao Star, 25 years old.
[This contestant is clearly sitting here without moving—how is her score increasing? Is there a major bug on the Star Network?! It's one thing for the network to have occasional glitches, but shouldn't the engineers be properly maintaining the Dreamforger livestreams?!]
[It's definitely a system malfunction! This is a bug of historic proportions! The entire Star Network operation should be thrown into the trash planet!]
Since the livestream's main camera follows the contestant, wherever the contestant goes, the primary viewing angle shifts accordingly.
The Star Network audience, who had come in to see how the top-ranked contestant was dominating, instantly erupted in chaos.
Just sitting there, doing nothing, and still gaining points?
Other contestants were still struggling, fighting with their replica beasts or fleeing in a desperate scramble.
It's definitely a bug!
There's no doubt something is wrong!
The wave of curious onlookers flooding into Lily's livestream was endless. At this very moment, the customer service for the Starsea Dreamforger livestreams was being overwhelmed, with messages piling up to 99999999+, all demanding a recount of the points, citing the bug.
The entire Star Network was abuzz with discussions. Such a major issue naturally caught the attention of the Starsea Dreamforger Council and the Dreamforger Livestream Battle Committee.
Although the committee overseeing the Dreamforger Livestream Battles was composed of high-ranking figures—ranging from the Vice President of the Federal Dreamforging Academy, to imperial generals, the Vice President of the Star Network Corporation, dreamweavers from the Civilization Library, the Celestial Demon Lord of the Demon Race , and top-tier dreamforgers—all of them would be paying close attention.
However, no matter how influential these bigwigs were, in their eyes, this was still a performance by a group of newcomers. They would watch and take note of the standout performers, but they wouldn't be keeping a constant, unwavering watch.
Especially since this was only the first official round of the Dreamforger Livestream Battle, with only one committee member overseeing the event—Shanyue, a dreamweaver from the Civilization Library.
"Shanyue, stop sleeping! There's an emergency in the first round of the livestream battle. Get up and handle it now!"
"Shanyue, is there a bug on the Star Network? How has such a big issue not been resolved yet? Stop being lazy!"
"If you don't handle this soon, it'll be a failure in oversight, and you'll lose your attendance for the committee."
The Starsea Dreamforger Livestream Battle has always had clear regulations. The committee members rotating in for duty usually have little to do; it's mostly about using their mental energy to selectively pick the best talents for their own factions, scouting for promising contestants for the final tournament. It's typically considered a cushy job—six months per event, all while fulfilling the Library's attendance requirements.
Exactly, that's why Shanyue volunteered for the committee position in the first place—to slack off. He never expected that the moment the event started, he'd be thrust into action.
Urgent messages flooded in one after another, relentless as a ticking clock. Shanyue, unwilling to respond, begrudgingly entered the livestream battle supervision zone. His subordinates, as if seeing a savior, sighed in relief.
"Committee member Shanyue, this is the contestant who's been reported for irregularities, suspected to be linked to a Star Network bug."
Shanyue sluggishly lifted his eyelids, as if they could never fully open, and saw Lily, who had fallen to the ground in a daze, along with the terrifyingly high points and rankings displayed beside her.
"However, based on our emergency checks and replays, there's absolutely no anomaly, no bug. This contestant's points all come from battles with her replica beasts. The problem is, since the replica beasts moved too far, the main camera couldn't capture them."
As his subordinate spoke, they adjusted the screen for Shanyue.
"A Dreamforger's creations appearing at a distance? Simply adding another perspective would fix it. Do I really need to explain this to you?"
Shanyue's tone was laced with contempt, as if he were speaking to an idiot. Wasn't this a simple fix that the Star Network's tech department should have been able to handle?
"It's already done, Committee member. Once you imprint, it'll be live instantly." His subordinate responded cautiously, as Shanyue darkened his face and left his mental imprint.
Damn the committee system, Shanyue thought bitterly. Such trivial matters still required an imprint. No wonder fewer people wanted to take on the role of overseeing the livestream battles—they were all afraid of the hassle.
Ever since a malicious update had been inserted into the system during a previous emergency to help a contestant cheat, many features of the once diverse Dreamforger Livestream Battles had been cut, including some key functionalities.
The moment Shanyue completed his imprint, the Dreamforger Livestream Battle's perspective-switching feature was instantly activated.
All the viewers in the Star Network livestream received a prompt:
[The perspective-switching feature is now online. Contestants can have multiple perspectives during the competition, and viewers can choose from multiple contestant views or see all perspectives simultaneously.]
Meanwhile, in Lily's livestream, where the viewers had been in an uproar, a new prompt appeared:
[Remote replica beast perspective detected, automatically synchronized and activated.]
Remote replica beast perspective? The audience was momentarily stunned.
Then, beside Lily's leisurely perspective, they saw the two replica beasts that had previously disappeared and wondered where they had gone.
In front of them was a massive herd of mammoths, each one several times the size of the two smaller replica beasts!
The size difference between the two was striking.
The long elephant trunks exhaled a gust of air toward the small beasts, their massive legs moving ahead, each step capable of crushing the two tiny creatures underfoot.
[??? Are these Lily's replica beasts? Why aren't they by her side, and why are they facing a herd of mammoths?]
[These two replica beasts are done for… such a shame about that shell, it can absorb mist.]
[The dreamforger is neglecting their duties, letting their replica beasts stray so far away from them!]
New viewers immediately began to panic, while those who had been watching Lily's livestream remained silent for a moment. Then, a few quietly sent out messages:
[Actually... it's not like that.]
[They're not weak.]
Just as the mammoth herd was about to trample the two small beasts, crushing them like insignificant ants, some viewers could no longer bear to watch.
[Sigh, I can't stand seeing replica beasts disintegrate and vanish in front of me.]
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred.
The small beast's body grew rapidly, expanding from about half a person's height to a full human size. It opened its massive jaws, like a black hole suddenly appearing in the universe, and devoured the mammoth herd.
One after another, the elephants were swallowed whole, until the entire herd had vanished into the beast's enormous mouth. Then, the small beast closed its jaws and returned to its original size.
Its belly didn't even bulge slightly; its stomach remained perfectly flat, as though it had never consumed anything, as if the mammoth herd had never existed at all.
In the blink of an eye, the herd was gone.
And, in perfect sync, Lily's score surged once again, skyrocketing in a massive wave.
Star Network viewers: !!!
[Holy crap! This replica beast is way too strong! How did it even manage to swallow all that?]
[Master, I've figured it out! So this is how it works! I get it now!]
Many Star Network viewers were still in a daze. So this wasn't a bug at all—it was how the points were really earned!
Looking at the other contestant livestreams, many dreamforgers were struggling to lead their replica beasts into battles, avoiding herds of beasts and only daring to face isolated ones in duels. Every now and then, they'd frantically flee.
But here, Lily had two fully matured replica beasts that could already go out and earn points on their own.
Was this really possible?
The viewers watched as the small beast, once again alone, strapped its large shell on its back and began wandering off in search of its next battle.
As the minutes ticked by, the viewers still lingering in Lily's livestream became somewhat numb.
At first, they had come to see what bug the contestant had exploited.
Then, they stayed to watch how much the replica beast could consume, how vast its appetite was.
And then… there was nothing more to see.
The competition arena, once shrouded in thick mist, was now completely cleared, the mist having been absorbed by the large shell. The sky was a deep blue, and the ground—there were no living beasts left.
All the solitary beasts and herds that the two small replica beasts had encountered were devoured clean.
Every living thing had been consumed, fully and without exception.
And yet, the small beasts remained in their original form, only enlarging when faced with larger beasts, making it easier for them to devour their prey.
The viewers had grown numb to the sight—watching it eat, watching it devour everything.
In the end, as the small beasts, their bellies full, returned with the large shell on their backs to the now-rested Lily, the audience fell silent.
"Back already?" Lily called out. The two small beasts obediently settled by her side, completely shedding their former ferocity.
Lily glanced at her personal panel.
[Contestant Personal Panel]
[Contestant Name]: Lily
[Contestant Star Domain]: Tana Star Domain — Sikke Star Region — Feiniao Star
[Current Round]: Arena
[Current Points]: 39,800 / 1,000
[Dreamforger Rating]: S-Class
[Seascore Ranking]: 1
Where was the arena?
No need to search—it was this vast, boundless expanse, a natural battleground in itself.
The match time was three days, and only one day had passed so far.
"Contestant Lily, you have completed the arena—would you like to end this match early?"
The familiar voice of the Star Network examination system rang out. Lily's brow furrowed slightly. No wonder the Taotie had returned—seems like it had eaten the entire arena.
The system was asking whether she wanted to end the match early. Lily thought for a moment. There was no rush—she could always proceed to the next round. Finishing early would allow her to rest, and perhaps take a look at how the other contestants were faring.
"After this match ends, the contestant will automatically open an independent Dreamforging Hall, where you may select your own Dreamscape. During the Dreamforger Livestream Battle, all your Dreamforging creations can be transferred to display, along with sensory immersion."
The system's announcement was also heard by the livestream audience, and they immediately became excited.
[So early in the competition? Lily is ending the match already? Hurry up and open the space and independent Dreamscape! I want to touch that little beast and the big shell!]
A thought stirred in Lily's mind. She decided to end the match. Her contestant livestream abruptly closed.
In the next moment, Lily appeared within her personal space. Unlike the "homes" of regular Star Network residents, this was the independent space for Dreamforger contestants in the Star Network's preparation zone.
The Dreamforging Hall served as the contestant's personal Dreamforge showcase—a visual catalog of their Dreamforging achievements—displayed on the Star Network homepage. It included their name, dynamic images, and a brief introduction from the public database.
However, Lily's Dreamforging creations were not yet in the public database. She filled in all the details herself before opting to make them public for display.
Afterward, she entered her Dreamscape.
The scene unfolded as the mantis shrimp flicked its tail. Taotie and Shenshou were both there, having just left the competition site. As soon as they saw Lily appear, they eagerly rushed over to greet her.
However, it was clear that Taotie wasn't in the best of moods at the moment. Lily's Dreamscape was still in its very early stages—its space was small, and one could reach the end with just a few steps.
Lily wasn't afraid of a little squabble. As creations of the same Dreamforger, replica beasts couldn't actually consume one another. Even if Taotie was tempted, all it could do was put the Mantis Shrimp Beast in its mouth, chew it around, and spit it back out.
The Dreamscape space was still extremely limited in its initial state, so she asked the system how to expand it. The answer came quickly: 1,000 Star Coins per square kilometer.
Lily: ...
She only had a bit over 1,000 Star Coins on her right now.
Fortunately, she was currently in the training camp, so there was no need to spend much money. She certainly couldn't let her little ones live in cramped quarters.
There were only three of them now, but there would be more in the future. A collective dormitory couldn't be this small, after all. The road to earning more Star Coins was long and arduous.
Lily observed that she had expanded her Dreamscape's borders just a little—enough to be better than nothing.
Although all three of her replica beasts could live in the water, she couldn't count on the next replica beast being aquatic as well. She certainly wouldn't be training a land-bound duck to swim.
With a wave of her hand, a patch of land appeared.
Because her Dreamscape was still rather rudimentary, Lily didn't make it public. She only opened her Dreamforging Display Hall for viewing.
In the two days while waiting for the other contestants to finish their matches, Lily locked herself in her dormitory, set her meal plans, and activated Do Not Disturb mode. The enthusiastic looks from the instructors and staff in the preparation zone made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
At times, she'd wander through other contestants' livestreams, and at other times, she'd retreat into her Dreamscape to spend time with Taotie and the others.
Two days later, the competition ended, and the scores were tallied. Lily stared at the reward for her first-place finish in the first official match: 100,000 Star Coins and 10,000 square kilometers of personal Dreamscape space. She fell silent.
Had she known this would be the prize, she wouldn't have spent that 1,000 Star Coins earlier.
Turning down James' enthusiastic invitation for a celebratory meal and all the distracting messages flooding her inbox, Lily looked at the freshly granted 10,000 square kilometers of space. Without hesitation, she dove straight into her personal Dreamscape and began redecorating.
She stood in the vastness of her newly expanded Dreamscape, brimming with ambition. The Mantis Shrimp and Taotie were both from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and this Dreamscape was to be their home, created for her creations.
Her eyes sparkled with determination. The renovation of this Dreamscape would start with the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Taotie hailed from the Northern Mountains Classic, specifically the Mountain of Gou Wu, where jade abounded above and copper below. The Mantis Shrimp resided in the Western Mountains Classic, in the Taiqi Mountains, where the waters were teeming with them. The Zhongshan and Hunxi Mountains were home to other mythical creatures that had caught her attention.
This 10,000 square kilometers of Dreamscape was just the beginning.
With the first match behind her, no one could reach Lily. Unbeknownst to anyone, within her Dreamscape, a scroll of the Classic of Mountains and Seas was gradually unfurling, revealing the first traces of her ambitious creation.