Watching the scene unfold, Xu Zhi nodded, relieved. "Don't blame me for discouraging you. You were asking for trouble—and giving me trouble too. Do you think this electric fan doesn't use electricity? An industrial fan like this consumes far more power than an air conditioner. Does my orchard not pay electricity bills?"
Feeling justified after crushing a certain transmigrator's ego, Xu Zhi returned to his sandbox orchard, sat comfortably on a chair, and casually bit into an apple. "I'll leave this fan here. Whenever someone gets too close to the sky and the realm of the gods, I'll just blow them back down!"
Though outwardly relaxed, he remained inwardly alert. "I'm still too weak. According to their power scale, I'm just a level-one novice wizard. The lie I crafted was nearly exposed! The natives of my sandbox world are developing way too quickly. Under someone's guidance, they're already recklessly exploring the world's boundaries, searching for the gods in the heavens."
Level-seven epic wizards were indeed terrifying.
It took hurricane-force winds of over a dozen levels to blow away this tiny "ant"...
In fact, this ant-sized creature already had enough strength to easily kill an ordinary adult!
"Level seven is already threatening. What about the next level? Each wizard level marks a qualitative change, with power increasing hundreds or even thousands of times…"
Currently, level-seven epic wizards weren't too catastrophic due to their tiny size.
But once they reached level-eight—the mythical wizard level—size would no longer be an obstacle. They would become virtually invincible!
An ant-like creature, smaller than a grain of rice, able to fly around freely, wield a staff, and unleash forbidden magic over wide areas, could easily massacre humanity.
"Fortunately, a level-eight mythical wizard hasn't appeared yet. It's still just a theoretical realm hypothesized by the Three Witches back then," Xu Zhi frowned slightly.
The Three Witches had originally proposed these wizard rankings (level six legendary, level seven epic, level eight mythical) based purely on clues accidentally revealed by Mercury, the God of Wisdom.
After all, according to ancient Sumerian records, Gilgamesh was assumed to be one major level stronger than the Three Witches of level six, thus level seven. Mercury had called him a "demi-god," implying that the next level—level eight—was that of a true god.
Thus, the term "level-eight mythical wizard" was born.
"I never thought a casual remark would trigger so many theories and speculations, turning fiction into reality so quickly. We've already reached level-seven epic, and the mythical level-eight wizard will appear eventually… I must plan ahead."
That level was essentially a terrifying deity.
A god of the wizard world, albeit an ant-sized god.
"But even an ant-sized mythical wizard could cause devastating damage if released into human society. Imagine a tiny ant flying everywhere, waving its staff, slaughtering people in the streets. It's frightening just to think about."
Xu Zhi considered this bizarre scenario carefully. "This is a higher-dimensional supernatural civilization, even if I made their physical size extremely small."
He frowned again. "Moreover, I need to actually create the realm of the gods—'Achilles' in the heavens. Eventually, someone will reach level eight and explore it. By then, my lie will be exposed."
Being a Creator was truly exhausting.
In fact, their rapid growth and swift breakthroughs were likely due to their tiny bodies. Smaller sizes made it easier for energy to condense, causing terrifying qualitative leaps.
Even a tiny fraction of qualitatively changed power, despite their diminutive size, wasn't something an ordinary person could resist.
As the civilization developed further, their tiny sizes would become even more advantageous compared to larger beings.
After dealing with his daily "rebellion" event—knocking down a troublesome fellow who had tried to ascend to the heavens—Xu Zhi suddenly received a phone call from Chen Xi.
"Honey, I've arrived safely at school," came a soft voice from the other end.
Xu Zhi immediately relaxed, his irritation with the earlier troublemaker forgotten. His voice softened, "I'm glad you're safe. Don't worry, I'll order a computer online and send it over. Just sign for it when it arrives. Then, once the third beta test opens, you'll be able to start playing."
"Okay, great!" Chen Xi sounded excited.
Xu Zhi chatted affectionately with her for a while before finally hanging up.
"I promised to start the third beta test before, but someone's rebellion nearly made me forget about it." Xu Zhi thought briefly. Although Li Shengjiang was still inside the sandbox, at his current rate, he had at least a hundred years of lifespan left—just about a day in reality.
If online players helped him extend his lifespan, it might become several hundred years—still just a few days in real time. Xu Zhi couldn't be bothered with him for now.
Taking advantage of this period, Xu Zhi decided to prepare the third beta test of his leisurely evolution sandbox. After all, this was his core business—his source of extraordinary species.
And he needed to get Chen Xi inside.
"I have to evolve more species." Xu Zhi pondered. "But the floating island, the realm of the gods—what a headache! How do I even create that?"
Previously, he'd enthusiastically conducted research himself, creating new species like the Insect Apes and enriching the world. After experiencing the convenience of having others do the hard work, he'd happily handed it off. Why create new species himself when he could have these players working tirelessly for free?
But now, tasked with designing the realm of the gods, Xu Zhi found himself stumped again.
"Forget it. Let's deal with that during the third beta."
He spent several hours finalizing the new third beta plan, carefully preparing the details well into the evening.
Early the next morning, the sun shone brightly. Xu Zhi checked the announcement carefully for errors and then posted it on the official forum.
[Version 0.3 of the "Spore Evolution" Closed Beta Officially Launches]
Thank you, everyone, for your continued support and enthusiasm for our game. Due to popular demand, we are now opening the third beta test, with thirty available spots. Players are welcome to apply.
As usual, the announcement immediately caused a sensation on the forum.