Chapter 98: Second Subsidiary Sand Table Initial Ideas

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The reason the Cthulhu evil god is so terrifying undoubtedly stems from his genetic talent: "Unspeakable Dread." One cannot look directly at him or listen to his voice. Simply put, it’s a passive "Death Aura" skill: any creature with a lower cultivation level than him instantly perishes. Yet, this aggregated creature before him seemed to have lost this ability?

Xu Zhi then examined its genetic talent:Spiked Shell: A tough exoskeleton offering exceptional defense, capable of deflecting most physical damage and neutralizing some mental damage.

"It must be due to the Rubik's Cube's rigid structure; it seems quite effective," Xu Zhi mused. "Coupled with its immortality, it's practically designed to be the ultimate tank, absorbing the deadliest blows!"

It possesses inherent damage reflection, inflicting considerable counter-damage. Moreover, even if one manages to destroy it, it instantly regenerates. The three remaining tank-oriented genetic talents—"Form Shifting," "Regeneration from a Single Drop of Blood," and "Eternal Existence"—are certainly not to be trifled with.

"How utterly frustrating," he thought. "I'll just lie here and take the hits, and you'll end up defeating yourself through your own attacks."

Pondering for a moment, Xu Zhi asked the Hive Sub-Brain, "Why is the Unspeakable Dread ability absent?"

The Hive Sub-Brain replied with a mechanical voice: "Previously, it comprised 173 distinct species. Currently, it is considered a single species, and the mental fluctuations emanating from a single species are largely uniform, lacking the chaotic and disorganized consciousness of a multitude of beings."

Xu Zhi understood instantly upon a moment's reflection. Although its constituent parts undergo organ differentiation, with each organ serving a distinct function, it is ultimately still a single species—the "Rubik's Cube." It's akin to a colony composed of black ants, termites, and flying ants, all merely branches of the same species.

Xu Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly. "This is comparable to a single individual whose body cells differentiate into bones, skin, and flesh. While the organs in different areas vary in form, they all fundamentally originate from cells that differentiated from the same 'source.'"

The absence of the Unspeakable Dread ability was, therefore, only natural. Despite being an "assembled" creature, it bore a closer resemblance to a true living organism.

"It's a success, then. Now I can mass-produce demigod creatures. Isn't that incredibly potent?" Xu Zhi chuckled. "Should I create a few more? A demigod army!" He glanced around his room, a smile spreading across his face. "Perhaps I should replace everything?"

If the tables, chairs, beds, and lamps were all aggregated creatures, each a demigod... a twisted, mysterious, and terrifying room—that would truly embody the magnificent style befitting a Creator God. The mere thought of it made him feel as if he had reached the pinnacle of his existence.

At this point, however, the Wisdom Sub-Brain advised, "It is not recommended to create an excessive number of these expendable creatures."

"Expendable creatures?" Xu Zhi paused, bewildered. "But these are demigods!"

The Hive Sub-Brain explained, "The previous generation of Hive Queens was far more skilled in assembly-line production, mass-creating artificial beings. These demigod creatures served as the lowest-tier, expendable units for the Hive Queens in their conquest of other civilizations... At present, it's not advisable to cultivate too many, as the energy cost would be unsustainable."

In other words, he was too weak now to sustain them? Xu Zhi considered this information.

In reality, whether he created one or countless wouldn't matter if they merely existed. But if they were truly voracious, requiring immense energy to sustain their bodily functions, then indeed, he couldn't afford to create too many. He was already running low on resources.

The Hive Sub-Brain continued: "While this creature possesses infinite potential and limitless growth, quality outweighs quantity. It is advised to expend significant resources cultivating only a single specimen."

"What resources would that require?" Xu Zhi couldn't help but ask.

"Cultivation resources," the Hive Sub-Brain stated. "Hive Queen, you intend to integrate the Second Evil Eye gene into each 'cell' individual and pursue a cultivation path, correct?"

Xu Zhi nodded. His thoughts aligned with those of the players: integrating the Evil Eye gene into every organ and tissue, allowing each part to cultivate independently, would unlock its true power.

"So, 17,321 unit blocks would equate to 17,321 wizards, forming an army capable of conquering countless civilizations. How many resources would such cultivation demand?"

Cold sweat beaded on Xu Zhi's forehead. A veritable bottomless pit!

The Hive Sub-Brain continued: "Furthermore, even if we take a step back and consider them cultivating slowly on their own without resource assistance, that's also impossible. They lack self-awareness and cannot cultivate independently. The Hive Queen would need to individually control each of their bodies for them to train."

"17,321 wizards who can't cultivate on their own? I'd have to control each one individually for them to train?" Xu Zhi felt his head spinning. "This is absolutely impossible, isn't it?"

Xu Zhi found cultivating alone exhaustive; controlling 17,000 wizards to cultivate would be unfathomable.

"It's not impossible; merely a protracted endeavor," the Hive Sub-Brain replied. "Furthermore, once they cultivate to Level Four Wizards, they will transcend their lower-tier status, develop their own intelligence, and be able to continue cultivating automatically."

"I'm supposed to cultivate each of them to Level Four Wizard? Are you joking? There are over seventeen thousand! I'd go bald from exhaustion, and it still wouldn't be feasible!"

Xu Zhi was helpless. He was merely a Level One Wizard himself; Level Four was still an incredibly distant goal! The further one progresses, the more the requirements multiply exponentially. Even for a genius like Li Shengjiang, the former Alchemist Emperor, reaching Level One Wizard took a month. It took a year to reach Level Two Wizard, seven years to reach Level Three Wizard, and twenty years to reach Level Four Wizard.

"If I controlled each of the over 17,000 wizards to cultivate from scratch, each would take over two decades?" Xu Zhi immediately discarded the notion of creating another. The cultivation demands were simply too immense, an unending void that could never be filled.

However, despite the terrifying consumption, the potential was indeed formidable, allowing for virtually limitless growth. Such a war machine, a terrifying super organism, cannot be measured by the cultivation realm of a single life form. Imagine a group of creatures, none even Level One Wizards, combining to possess combat power comparable to a demigod. What then of Level Two or Level Three? And what if each one were a Level Six Legend or a Level Seven Epic? A composite life form comprising over 17,000 individuals... Unimaginable!

Nevertheless, having over 17,000 wizards cultivate to such a realm was pure fantasy; for now, it remained merely a thought.

"This kind of arduous, brain-draining cultivation reminds me of the laborers in certain orchards," Xu Zhi mused, his brow furrowing slightly. "Perhaps I should launch a new second sub-sandbox: a Wizard Cultivation Simulator?" He was struck by a sudden idea: What if these 17,000 Rubik's Cube cells were controlled by "players" to cultivate into wizards?

Perhaps the advertisement slogan should be something like this: "Wizard Cultivation Simulator: The ultimate choice for casual players! Experience the thrill of becoming a wizard and embark on an exciting journey of step-by-step cultivation to become powerful."

It seemed feasible. Xu Zhi propped his chin on his hand. "But this is too monotonous. It's simply cross-legged cultivation and meditation—far too hardcore. Even the most oblivious person would likely find it completely uninteresting, offering no real game experience."

He needed to carefully consider the specific public access format and the concept for a new sandbox, figuring out how to entice players into this "trap"... If successful, the "little pets" in his orchard would possess boundless potential!

"Let's observe the situation here first," Xu Zhi decided. After temporarily setting aside these matters, he turned his gaze to the vast sandbox world, resuming his usual covert observations and scouting the enemy's activities.

The forum was extremely lively. This was because many individuals had begun living within, interacting with the natives, and acquiring new information. Soon, a trending post quickly ascended to the homepage.

This book is available on Tianya or Tianya Online Library.