Mingxi, who felt everyone around her staring: "..."

Shi Lei's loud voice was truly full of vitality.

Yao Xuan, who also felt everyone around him staring at his Beastmaster: "..."

His Mingxi was indeed a celebrity.

Just her name alone could shock the entire venue, with a 100%Return rate (turnover rate, meaning head-turning rate).

Extremely domineering.

He was still too late after all.

Alas.

This time last year, within this gate, human faces and peach blossoms reflected each other's redness. Now, the human face is unknown, but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.

What a pity!

Mingxi, who could somewhat sense Yao Xuan's emotions, again: "..."

What are you pitying?

If it were willing to expose itself, she believed no one in the world wouldn't go crazy for it.

Not only because it was a Celestial Mystery Nine Radiance Python, but also because it was the only Divine-level Pet Beast in the world today.

"Brother Shi, Sister Lan."

"Have you been waiting long?"

Mingxi walked towards the Shi Lei couple, not angered by Shi Lei's impulsiveness. Although she had only interacted with him once, she roughly understood him.

He had a somewhat impulsive and unrestrained personality.

And his voice was indeed loud.

This was natural, and very difficult to change.

Lan Qin and Shi Lei naturally also noticed the gazes of the surrounding people, knowing the power of the name 'Mingxi'.

"No, we just arrived recently too."

Lan Qin calmly replied to Mingxi while unflinchingly pinching her husband's ticklish spot. Having been married for several years, she had completely adapted to his firecracker-like volume.

His problem wasn't just ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) his loud voice; he also often spoke without thinking.

Every other day she had to clean up the mess because of it. If she hadn't adapted, they would have divorced long ago.

"The specific rules should be out soon. Let's head to the town's central plaza now."

Shi Lei, whose ticklish spot was being fiercely pinched by his wife, remained expressionless, smiling heartily and generously, seemingly unconcerned by the various scrutinizing glances directed their way.

"Alright."

Mingxi naturally had no objections and, together with Yao Xuan, happily followed behind the couple and their Pet Beasts.

Town Central Plaza.

It was packed with people.

As they expected, not long after, a humanoid Mechanical Beast appeared. It represented Tiangong and announced the rules for qualifying for the Dream Workshop Challenge.

The information was almost exactly what the Shi Lei couple had found out.

The rules were still relatively simple and straightforward.

It was to obtain a special black-patterned flag from each of the four locations: Gear Town, Pallet Forest, the foot of Heaven's Crown Mountain, and the mid-slope of Heaven's Crown Mountain. Then, before sunrise the next day, take all four flags to the summit of Heaven's Crown Mountain and hand them over to the event organizer.

There were only one hundred black-patterned flags in each designated area, carried by Mechanical Beasts made by Tiangong.

However, there were tens of thousands of participants, so the intensity of the competition was imaginable.

Not to mention, to obtain the flags, one had to snatch them from Mechanical Beasts, so acquiring all four flags was not easy.

Furthermore, each Beastmaster was only allowed to summon one Pet Beast to assist in the flag snatching.

"Only a hundred spots? That's too few."

"Shark-arm, do you understand math? Do you have any logic? The hundred spots you're talking about are only in the best-case scenario. During the process of snatching the black-patterned flags, there will inevitably be people who only get one or two."

"...It seems so."

"Well, this is going to be lively. Look at the green eyes of these people, even crazier than some people scrambling for limited edition merchandise in ACG."

Mingxi looked at the crowded central plaza and couldn't help but join in with a complaint.

Yao Xuan beside her held a round fan he had bought in town yesterday, fanning himself with increasing elegance, like a noblewoman.

He squinted his snake eyes, looking very interested in the chaos before him.

7:00 PM sharp.

The black-patterned flags in Gear Town were deployed.

At the top of the largest gear-stone grinding disc in the town center.

This grinding disc was like a giant umbrella, and the huge disc was the umbrella canopy.

And the umbrella handle was a stone pillar formed by interlocking gear stones.

The stone pillar was a hundred meters high.

Compared to its height, its circumference seemed very thin, making the gear grinding disc, which was four to five hundred meters in diameter, look as if it could fall at any moment.

Twelve Mechanical Beasts carrying flags were placed on this grinding disc.

Countless Beastmasters commanded their respective Pet Beasts to try to climb or fly up, but there were also dozens of ordinary Mechanical Spiders around the gear grinding disc.

These spiders could spray sticky oil and interference waves, making climbers fall embarrassingly from any angle, whether in the sky or on land.

"Hehe, it's our home court!"

Shi Lei rubbed his fists, "Ah Qin, it's up to you!"

Lan Qin pushed up her glasses and calmly commanded: "Old Jin, lock onto the core frequency of the Mechanical Spiders and release a regional electromagnetic short circuit."

A metal spiral appeared on Metagross's head, like the bamboo copter on Doraemon's head. It spun, carrying Metagross into the air.

It wasn't the only one.

Tarunta also had one on its head, but neither of them got too close to the grinding disc; they were also wary of those randomly spraying Mechanical Spiders.

Upon reaching the designated position, the light in Metagross's eyes flickered rhythmically, and an invisible electromagnetic wave spread out.

Instantly, the Mechanical Spiders targeted by Metagross seemed to be drunk, their movements became wobbly, the light in their eyes flickered erratically, and the sprayed oil and electric waves went completely off course.

"Good opportunity!"

"Tata, quickly use magnetic manipulation to help suck the flag down!" Shi Lei roared.

Tarunta was a small, agile, humanoid Steel-type Transcendent creature. Every part of its body could be freely disassembled and then reassembled as needed.

This characteristic was somewhat similar to a Mechanical Beast, but in reality, it was a genuine Transcendent creature.

It was extremely skilled at manipulating metal.

As it hovered in the air, it raised both hands, and a powerful magnetic force locked onto a small black flag on a Mechanical Beast on the gear grinding disc.

With a "whoosh," a black-patterned flag accurately flew into Tarunta's hand.

After succeeding, Metagross and Tarunta immediately returned to their respective Beastmasters.

"Got one, that was pretty simple!"

Shi Lei triumphantly waved the flag in his hand.

This made the Beastmasters around them, who were still fiercely battling the "drunk" Mechanical Beasts, look on with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"Steel-type? Lucky you!"

A sneering voice sounded.

Three sloppily dressed Beastmasters surrounded them.

Their Pet Beasts were a Primeape, a Persian, and a Honchkrow.

"If we can't snatch the flags from those Mechanical Beasts, can't we snatch them from humans and Pet Beasts?"

All three people and their three Pet Beasts had malicious expressions.

"Kid, hand over the flag, save us the trouble."

The leader stared at the flag in Shi Lei's hand, his greed undisguised.

Shi Lei's face darkened. He tucked the flag into his embrace, and Tarunta immediately stood in front of him, its metallic body glinting with cold light.

"Want to snatch ours? Then try it!"

Lan Qin's Metagross also floated forward, ready to strike.

"You refuse a toast, so you'll drink a forfeit!"

"Primeape, Karate Chop."

"Persian, Fake Out."

"Honchkrow, Dark Pulse."

The three were clearly accustomed to working together and immediately launched their attack.

Primeape charged forward swiftly, Persian's figure blurred, attempting to interfere, while Honchkrow spewed out dense black mist to obscure vision.

Shi Lei and Lan Qin reacted quickly. Tarunta met Primeape, and Metagross raised a metal wall to block the interference.

The Pet Beasts on both sides were evenly matched in strength, but the opponents had a numerical advantage and also worked together extremely well. For a moment, the Shi Lei couple's side was suppressed. Tarunta retreated repeatedly under Primeape's frenzied attacks, its metallic body emitting dull thudding sounds.

And the Shi Lei couple were also attacked by the three punks.

Shi Lei, having to protect Lan Qin, was soon knocked to the ground by a punch.

And that black-patterned flag also fell into the hands of the leading punk.

"Husband!"

Lan Qin rushed to Shi Lei's side, calling out in distress.

From beginning to end, none of them had asked Mingxi for help.

Just as Primeape's heavy punch was about to land on Lan Qin's chest.

Mingxi, who had been lazily watching the scene as if it had nothing to do with her, slightly raised her head and winked at Yao Xuan beside her.

Yao Xuan's snake eyes glanced at the three arrogant Pet Beasts, without any superfluous movements.

The next instant, an invisible, intangible, yet mountain-heavy force suddenly Descended!

Primeape, about to throw another punch, froze with its fist in mid-air. Its entire body seemed to be filled with lead, its movements slowed by more than ten times, and the frantic expression on its face turned to astonishment and strain.

Persian, attempting to sneak into the shadows, was directly squeezed out of its stealth state by this force. Its four claws gripped the ground tightly, as if a thousand-pound burden was pressing on its back, unable to even lift its tail.

Honchkrow, who had just stirred up black mist, fared even worse. It was as if an invisible giant hand had directly slapped it down from mid-air, landing on the ground with a "thud." Its wings flapped futilely, but it couldn't get off the ground at all.

Not just the Pet Beasts, the three Beastmasters also felt their breathing catch, as if the surrounding air had become thick and heavy, making movement difficult for them.

This eerie stagnation lasted for less than three seconds.

But in just these three seconds, the victory was decided.

Tarunta seized the opportunity, landing a solid Steel Claw on the slow-moving Primeape, sending it flying.

Metagross's Psychic also accurately hit the unavoidable Persian and Honchkrow.

The three punks, along with their precious Pet Beasts, tumbled into a heap, looking utterly disheveled.

And that heavy sensation that made their hearts palpitate came and went quickly, as if it was just their illusion.

Mingxi then slowly walked forward, took the black-patterned flag from the dumbfounded punk's hand, and weighed it in her hand.

She didn't look at the three punks on the ground again, but instead swept her gaze over the other Beastmasters and Pet Beasts around, who had been eager to act as the 'mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind' but were now silent with fear.

She smiled softly, her voice not loud, yet it clearly spread throughout the surroundings: "This flag was obtained by my friend through his own ability."

"Whoever tries to snatch it, I'll chop off their claws!"

Words fell.

A sound.

"Crack!"

"Ah ah ah ah..."

Everyone was astonished.

The punk leader's right hand was actually stomped off, a complete separation of palm and arm.

If some people from Green Field Fairytale University had seen this scene, they would have found it strikingly similar to when someone had taken a head with each hand back then.

Back then, she could pluck off heads with her bare hands. Now, with her physical fitness reaching the human limit, it was naturally effortless for Mingxi to stomp off a hand with her bare foot.

But the display of this skill terrified the surrounding crowd, making them all freeze in fear!

Too terrifying!

Was this woman even human?

Mingxi seemed unaware of how outrageous what she had done was.

She smiled, shook the flag in her hand, and then turned around.

She solemnly tucked it back into the hand of Shi Lei, who hadn't fully reacted yet, "Brother Shi, keep it safe."

Shi Lei dazedly took the flag, looking at the three guys and three Pet Beasts on the ground who couldn't get up, especially the one whose palm was detached from his body.

He then looked at the smiling Mingxi and Yao Xuan beside her, who had once again resumed his lazy posture, as if he had only blinked just now. He suddenly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Sis, sis... just now... what was that..."

Mingxi blinked, looking innocent: "Nothing, my Yao Xuan is just a bit mischievous."

Mischievous?

A single glance could crush three Shi-level Pet Beasts and three Beastmasters into dust, leaving them utterly helpless.

Indeed, quite mischievous.

"Brother Shi, I'll still have to trouble you and Sister Lan to help me get a flag too."

Shi Lei and Lan Qin naturally agreed wholeheartedly. They weren't blind, nor were they foolish.

It was clear that the partner they had invited on a whim was a big shot.

Her Pet Beast's strength was even more unfathomable.

They had struck it rich!

Now that the big shot was willing to condescend and ask for their help, where else could they find such a good thing?

Help!

Must help!

Not helping would be un-Dragonflower Country-like!

Just like before, with Metagross and Tarunta working together, they successfully obtained two flags from the top grinding disc.

But this time, no one with poor judgment jumped out to snatch their flags.

Mingxi's act of breaking a hand with her bare foot had, after all, deterred those with ill intentions.

Because they were certain that they themselves couldn't achieve such clean and precise 'footwork'. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Sis, we can enter the mountain now."

The Shi Lei couple, despite their shock, quickly adapted to Mingxi's changed 'identity'.

"Alright."

Mingxi and her two companions were the first to leave Gear Town.

The moment they stepped into Pallet Forest, it was as if they had instantly switched world channels.

The air became humid, fresh, carrying the scent of earth and a mixture of countless plants, with a slightly sweet aroma.

Giant trees rose straight from the ground.

Their canopies spread freely high in the sky, layers of green leaves almost obscuring the heavens, only occasionally casting down a few filtered, pale golden light beams, like spotlights on a stage, illuminating the Floating spores and dust motes swirling in the air.

Underfoot was a thick layer of fallen leaves, soft and yielding when stepped upon.

A gentle rustling sound emanated, as if the forest was whispering softly.

There were also thorny vines climbing in various postures and huge glowing fluorescent mushroom jungles.

According to the rule prompt, the Mechanical Beasts carrying the black-patterned flags were hidden deep within this fluorescent mushroom forest.

Standing outside the mushroom forest, those fluorescent mushrooms were all beautiful, well-behaved, and adorable, looking exactly like the fantastical creatures that would only appear in a fairytale world.

Making one wish to live there forever.

But if they knew the name of this mushroom forest, they probably wouldn't think they were beautiful and lovely anymore.

This fluorescent mushroom forest was called 'Life Without Return'!