Chapter 15: The Debate over the Beholders and the Hundred-Armed Giant
Inside the observation room, the professors sprang into activity immediately after Wang Zhi's departure.
Unlike before, they showed no interest in the designs of other graduates; all attention was focused solely on Chu Hao's creations.
At the center of their discussion was a single pressing question: had Chu Hao deliberately designed the creatures within the Endless Abyss?
These once lofty mentors, accustomed to giving guidance from above, now found themselves in the same position as ordinary students when faced with this low-dimensional world unlike any they had seen.
They could not fathom the degree to which Chu Hao's graduation project had evolved once it was left to itself.
Was life in the Endless Abyss evolving toward chaos, or was there a subtle, underlying order unifying all life?
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After witnessing Chu Hao effortlessly clear the first assessment, all the professors acknowledged the combat capabilities of his divine realm.
Forty-plus strong orc warriors could not even breach the first layer of the Endless Abyss.
The sheer strength of Chu Hao's world had already shattered the confidence of most other graduates.
"Ahem, colleagues, I believe…"
A professor cleared his throat, trying to calm the chaotic discussion.
He continued:
"The creatures within Chu Hao's divine realm must have been crafted with exquisite design!"
Swipe!
He projected the image of a creature from the Endless Abyss into the observation room.
Everyone could see it clearly: the Beholder—a creature both deadly and grotesquely twisted.
Each Beholder was a perfect manifestation of the abyss's chaotic use of magic and mana.
At the same time, it was one of the most stable in terms of species and morphology throughout the Endless Abyss.
From the rotting swamps at the abyssal depths, to the toxic mist-covered mid-level mountains, and even the expansive upper plains, these creatures were ubiquitous.
"This creature's body is essentially a living **magic factory**, and a pure one at that!"
"Across its less-than-sixteen-foot spherical body are specialized organs—eyeball-like structures—each supplying a distinct type of magic!"
"Simply put, this creature can cast dozens of different magics, from petrification to slow, from curses to fire!"
"Most importantly, its magical prowess is innate!"
"Every Beholder is born a full-spectrum mage!"
The professor, a known fanatic of creature collection, displayed a thorough understanding of its anatomy and habits.
"If you claim such a creature wasn't deliberately designed, I'd say you're talking nonsense!"
"And by the way, once this graduation project concludes, I'm buying some of these exquisite creatures for myself!"
He reached out, almost caressing the projection of the twisted Beholder with fascination.
---
"Rubbish!"
Before he could finish, another professor sharply interjected.
"You say all lifeforms in the abyss were designed… then tell me how one could design *this*!"
He projected another creature into the room: the Hundred-Armed Giant, a titan-class being.
Unlike typical natural or designed titans in other divine realms, this creature's body was a chaotic amalgamation.
Its countless arms were grotesque and irregular, its internal organs a tangled mess, multiple hearts and kidneys of differing forms, mismatched musculature and skeletal structures…
The Hundred-Armed Giant was effectively a mass of flesh and blood crudely assembled into a monster.
Its only ability? Immense physical strength.
No magic, no martial skills, no battle aura—nothing. It simply used its massive body to crush anything in its path.
"Now tell me!" the second professor snapped, glaring at the first.
"How could you possibly design a creature like this? Its irregular arms, chaotic innards, dozens of different eyes… how could such an ugly monstrosity be designed?"
"To me, it's clearly a natural product of a chaotic environment!"
Other professors nodded in agreement.
Seeing the monstrous titan only reinforced the argument that some lifeforms evolved naturally rather than being meticulously designed.
"You old fool! That's nonsense!" the first professor shot back.
"Even if a few creatures in the Endless Abyss diverged from Chu Hao's design, isn't that to be expected?"
The second professor was equally fiery:
"You call me an old fool? You ignoramus! Can you deny that Chu Hao's world is chaotic and twisted? In such an environment, what meticulous designs could possibly survive?"
As the debate escalated, other professors tried to calm them.
When the room settled, another professor raised a new point.
"Colleagues, I just thought of something…"
Everyone looked at him skeptically.
"Cut the fluff. What now?"
He smiled slyly, clearly thinking far beyond the previous argument.
"The question is…"
"If Chu Hao designed such a complex ecosystem in the Endless Abyss, constantly generating new species…"
"Could it be that Chu Hao never cared about these creatures at all, but instead aimed to create *something entirely new*?"
"And the question becomes…"
"What kind of creature would truly meet Chu Hao's expectations?"
"How strong would it be?"