Ocean Life

Today was not particularly hot, and the wisp of wind blowing from the vast Taihe Mountain Range was unexpectedly refreshing.

When Lin Tuo said those words, his entire being seemed to undergo a subtle change.

Am I a god?

It was a very interesting, and very important, question.

If Lin Tuo had not seriously considered it before, then from the moment he used the Secret Seal to hypnotize the entire continent, he had finally been forced to confront the question seriously.

If creating life was the definition of a "deity," then he clearly was not one.

Even though he had opened up a land for life to reproduce upon, the evolution of living beings had its own laws. At most, he could be considered Pangu, not Nuwa.

If judged by the strength of one's power, then to the lives within the Sandbox, he undoubtedly was one.

His breath was a gale, his cough was thunder. If he wished, he could easily overturn and destroy the entire Sandbox world, then tear everything down and start anew.

The question was how he viewed himself.

That was very important.

While controlling the Secret Seal, Lin Tuo had once mocked himself, saying that unlike the Mad Emperor, he was not a mad god.

The moment he said it, he immediately realized that he had already been subtly influenced by the Secret Seal's "negative effect," which had magnified certain thoughts hidden deep within his heart.

Only then did Lin Tuo suddenly awaken and realize that, deep within his subconscious, he had already begun to see himself as a god.

That was an extremely dangerous thought.

Lin Tuo knew very clearly that his true strength was, at most, comparable to a martial arts master from a television drama. In a fantasy cultivation story, he would only just have set foot upon the path of cultivation.

His deterrence over the Sandbox's living beings also came entirely from the mysterious item known as the Evolution Sandbox.

He was like a game administrator. Though he appeared able to use permissions to decide the life and death of characters within the game, in the end, he was merely an ordinary person borrowing external power.

A true "deity" clearly should not build authority and power upon external forces.

That was like water without a source. Once he failed to recognize his own place and lost himself in that illusory thrill of ruling—

Given enough time, even without the Secret Seal, Lin Tuo might evolve into a "Mad Emperor" and ultimately walk toward destruction.

There were simply too many similar examples in reality.

Almost every year, some ordinary people unexpectedly shot to fame online. In just a few months, or even a few days, they could obtain wealth and fame beyond what many people could imagine earning in an entire lifetime...

And many of those people lost themselves because of it, drifting on cloud nine until their reputations were ruined and they fell from grace.

They rose like meteors, then fell like meteors.

After suddenly obtaining "power," it was never easy to hold fast to one's original heart and see oneself clearly.

To guide the development of Sandbox civilization, Lin Tuo could "pretend" to be a deity and act as circumstances required.

But he knew very clearly that he absolutely could not truly see himself as a god.

He could not wield his power recklessly.

Otherwise, perhaps before long, his personality would gradually become twisted, and he would suffer the backlash.

Lin Tuo even suspected that, subconsciously, he had brought Hua Xi out in part to use her as a reminder to himself.

Whenever he saw Hua Xi, he could clearly realize that the humans in the Sandbox were not fundamentally different from himself. They were not "ants" upon the ground, but living, breathing individuals.

This would keep him from falling into a predicament similar to that of the "Mad Emperor."

These thoughts and reflections had remained hidden in his heart until this moment. Only when faced with Hua Xi's question did he finally speak them with absolute certainty.

And at the very moment he spoke those words, Lin Tuo's heart stirred. His body suddenly warmed, and a wisp of nearly invisible Black Qi seeped out from within him before completely dissipating.

Within the spiritual platform of his heart, all dust was swept away, leaving it as clear and pure as before.

At that moment, Lin Tuo only felt that his "state of mind" had undergone an invisible "advancement."

"An ordinary person?" On the mountain path, Hua Xi naturally had no idea about the change that had just occurred within Lin Tuo.

She merely asked in confusion, then looked at him and said earnestly, "You are not an ordinary person."

"Mm... perhaps. It's rather complicated to explain..."

Lin Tuo smiled. As they walked, he brought out the explanation he had prepared.

In the end, he still did not tell Hua Xi about the "Evolution Sandbox."

He only vaguely explained that he had accidentally obtained a kind of "superpower," an ability that allowed him to travel through time and space and exert influence upon them. Well, it was not difficult to understand that it had been an accident.

And Hua Xi simply listened attentively from beginning to end. There was surprise in her eyes, as well as confusion, but in the end, it all turned into trust.

Though she could not fully understand the logic behind it, she was certain that Lin Tuo, this "deity," was not bad, much less "evil"... and for her, that was enough.

"So, you're a good god?"

"I told you, I'm not... ah, think whatever you want."

Without realizing it, the invisible barrier between them gradually dissolved. The way Hua Xi looked at him held less reverence and more warmth.

"Alright, this is your room. You can sort out your clothes, bedding, and whatever else yourself, then get a good night's sleep... walk off the meal... we'll talk about the rest tonight. I still have some things to do."

After returning to the Martial Arts Hall, Lin Tuo settled Hua Xi in the room next to his own.

Only after watching the little girl enter the room with her arms full of bags, her belly swollen round from overeating, did he smile and shake his head before returning to the study.

In the study, Lin Tuo drew his Avatar back into his body. In a rather good mood, he looked toward the Sandbox.

His gaze first fell upon that "Potted Plant."

While taking Hua Xi shopping, Lin Tuo had found time to "switch his consciousness" back to his main body and feed the lifeforms within the Potted Plant.

At first, Lin Tuo had planned to toss them a sausage, or perhaps a potato.

Considering the scale, it would have been enough to feed them for a long time.

But when he imagined the terrifying sight of a group of people watching a sausage that blotted out the sky, as enormous as the Taihe Mountain Range, descend upon the earth—

Lin Tuo shuddered. It seemed far too horrifying, so in the end, he only chose to throw in some breadcrumbs.

Though they were still frighteningly huge to the Sandbox lifeforms, they were at least within an acceptable range...

Both humans and carnivorous animals could eat them. As for herbivores, Lin Tuo simply plucked a blade of grass from the courtyard and tossed it in.

He added some water as well.

"Mm, it looks pretty thriving."

Standing beside the flowerpot, Lin Tuo's gaze swept across the several separated areas one by one.

The herbivorous and carnivorous mutant beasts were either gathered around the blade of grass and the breadcrumbs, gnawing away, drinking from the water's surface, or lying beneath the shade of the tree to rest.

A few energetic ones had even paired off to fight.

Overall, it was still quite peaceful.

"This proves that as long as food is plentiful, even these simple-minded animals are not that savage."

Lin Tuo could not help sighing, then turned his gaze toward the human area.

Compared with the mutant beasts, the humans had already formed clustered settlements led by the Three Major Powers. They had even begun using the tools they brought with them to set up tents and establish order.

When Lin Tuo fed them, he openly "pretended" to be a deity once again, warning and reassuring the humans.

The general meaning was that they were to live here for the time being and not stir up trouble.

He also permitted them to chop down and use that "ornamental tree" to make fires for warmth and construct houses.

"Anyway, it's such a huge tree. Any random piece of bark will be enough for you to squander for ages."

After confirming that the Transit Hub was functioning normally—

Lin Tuo slowly exhaled and turned his gaze toward Sandbox No.1.

When he went out, he had activated Time Acceleration. Several hours had passed, and the entire Wasteland was still a vast ocean. Yet the murky waters had already become clear and azure.

The gloomy sky had also fully recovered.

Operation Log:

...World operation, year seven hundred million... The flood destroyed the world, and Sentient Beings were transferred away... The entire world returned to tranquility.

After a very, very long time, the annihilation radiation completely vanished. Through the combined workings of nature and the long years, Corruption disappeared, and the world returned to its original state. The entire continent was submerged, and this place became a paradise for ocean life.

"Ocean life?"

Lin Tuo searched through the Operation Log and was not particularly surprised.

The land creatures had either been moved by him into the Transit Hub or drowned by the flood. Since the water he had introduced was fresh water, quite a few mutant marine fish had probably died as well.

But in the end, some lifeforms had still survived.

Parting the clouds above, Lin Tuo lowered his head to overlook the Sandbox and brought himself closer to the sea's surface.

Inside Sandbox No.1.

This was an endless ocean.

The entire world was filled with a primordial atmosphere.

As far as the eye could see, only a very small number of high mountains still remained exposed above the waterline, but they ultimately could not evolve much life.

Yet upon closer inspection, one would discover that atop those mountains—or perhaps they should be called "islands"—in the places where the sunlight was strongest, lay a vast mass of strange fish.

They looked quite lazy, as though sunbathing.

Every so often, they would even roll over.

Suddenly, at that very moment, the sky stirred. An invisible, enormous face slowly descended from the heavens, covering the entire sea.

It also noticed the Strange Fish sprawled across the islands.

"Eh? What the hell are these things?" The invisible, enormous face raised its brows and could not help exclaiming in surprise.