Chapter 25

"Hah! Of course, as befits my Xiao Shen—'stability' is my motto!"

"Clearly a veteran of stability, but is the clay really inside the cave? Don’t tell me it’s another false alarm."

"Do you doubt my Great God’s dog nose?"

"You upstairs think you’re clever? Got the guts to take two fists from my Great God?"

"Theoretically, a certain amount of clay can exist inside the cave. The real reason clay is so scarce across the Arctic landmass is the extreme cold, which keeps most soil below freezing for most of the year, robbing it of its stickiness and rendering it unusable."

"Correct. The cave’s temperature is relatively higher, even in winter, providing sufficient insulation to prevent the soil inside from freezing. Moreover, the cave’s dark, damp conditions match the ideal environment for clay formation."

"Turns out the chatroom really does teach me something. I told my mom I watch livestreams to learn, and she didn’t believe me—I feel wronged."

"Every time I see a wilderness cave, I automatically think of movies like 'Anaconda.' Could there be a giant snake in here?"

"Yeah, yeah, I’m terrified something monstrous might suddenly pop out."

"You guys scared me so bad I can’t even keep watching. Turns out the Great God was right—better safe than sorry."

Xiao Yi: "……Thanks a lot, your whole family!"

……

……

Thus, the fire burned for a full hour, filling the entire sky above the cave with thick black smoke.

If not for Li Yong’s audio note, who saw Xiao Yi’s actions and immediately explained to Canada’s forestry department while showing the livestream footage, Canada’s fire helicopters would’ve already arrived by now.

Sure enough, Room Six is still Room Six—never letting him rest for a second.

Li Yong, a top-tier Audio Note gold leader and lead organizer of the Wilderness Challenge show.

Now he’s reduced to cleaning up after a contestant all day—how hard is that?

This time, Xiao Yi’s luck held: no giant predators or terrifying toxins burst out of the cave.

When the smoke finally cleared, the cave entrance had transformed completely, its surroundings entirely blackened by soot.

Xiao Yi, of course, paid no attention to that—he gripped the torch he’d prepared in advance and cautiously stepped into the cave.

Even after an hour of smoke, Xiao Yi still felt uneasy—human instinctive fear of the unknown and darkness.

Fortunately, the drone, to record properly, automatically activated its lighting, subtly giving Xiao Yi more confidence in his steps.

But this cave was indeed deep—its interior stretched at least ten meters, with three interconnected entrances; roughly speaking, it resembled a three-room, one-living-room space of over a hundred square meters.

If not for the poor lighting, inadequate air circulation, and distance from water, Xiao Yi would’ve already decided to make this his new home.

Afterwards, Xiao Yi grabbed his axe and smashed the cave floor repeatedly until the soil softened.

Then he scooped up a handful of soil, sniffed it lightly, and immediately broke into a happy smile.

"Yes! This is it!"

At that moment, Xiao Yi was almost moved to tears—had it been easy for him to find this clay?

He’d braved storms and rain, faced black bears twice.

This clay-hunting journey could be turned into a condensed inspirational movie.

"Friends, yes—the soil in my hand is the clay I’ve been longing for. I know you’re wondering: how can I be so sure this is clay? Today, I’ll teach you a trick."

"Watch closely: identifying clay is simple. Roll the soil together—if it holds shape, it’s at least sticky. We’ve all done this as kids playing with mud."

"Second, high-quality clay can be rolled into a thin strand like this—0.5mm thick. Only clay with exceptional stickiness can form such a strand."

"The soil in my hand is sticky and performs excellently—perfect for building a kang. Friends, I think we’ve succeeded."

"Congratulations, Xiao Shen! Xiao Shen is legendary! This is definitely the masterpiece of your sense of smell!"

"Xiao Shen is legendary! Now you can @ those guys—I want to watch the show, I’ll be there live to support!"

"Xiao Shen is legendary! Looking forward to your kang-walled cabin!"

"Xiao Shen is legendary! Finally, the Great God can breathe easy."

"Yeyu Tingfeng gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item 'Phoenix Dance Through Nine Heavens.' Heaven never betrays the diligent—you’ve done it, brother, keep going!"

"99999 gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item 'Tiger Roar Across Heaven.' No words—brother, legendary! Looking forward to your next move, Xiao Shen."

"Wozixiaoyao gifted Xiao Yi ten 'Dark Castle' items. When Xiao Shen’s kang cabin is built, I’ll rush to Level 60 in his livestream."

"Xiaoyao boss is legendary! Waiting for you to top the charts."

"Yefeng Tingyu gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item 'Phoenix Dance Through Nine Heavens' again. Xiaoyao, little brother—you’ve got guts! When you top the charts, I’ll make you #1 for a whole day."

"Jinye Ruming gifted Xiao Yi ten 'Dark Castle' items. I was also hoping to ride Xiao Shen’s wave and grab #1—but since Brother Xiaoyao’s competing, I’ll wait until Xiao Shen returns from the wilderness to make my move."

……

……

After Xiao Yi’s explanation, his livestream was flooded with the words “Xiao Shen is legendary.”

His livestream viewership officially surpassed six million concurrent viewers.

Soon, many lurking big names surfaced—some, like Yeyu Tingfeng and 99999, gifted out of sentiment.

Others, including former traffic kings and e-commerce tycoons, also appeared in Xiao Yi’s livestream.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yi had already begun packing up, preparing to head back.

The clay had been found; now came the task of transporting it back to his residence.

But before that, he first needed to weave baskets to carry the clay—otherwise, he couldn’t haul it back.

……

……

"Ah!"

"Happy Luo Hu strikes the joy of the year"

"Beautiful dance brings daily revelry"

……

……

"Ah!"

"Today is a good day!"

"Everything you wish for comes true!"

……

……

On the way back, Xiao Yi couldn’t contain his excitement—he sang loudly.

The song, of course, was his all-time favorite from his past life playlist.

In his past life, whether it was graduation exams, job interviews, or even raffles at the neighborhood gate, he always played this song.

He might forget the lyrics of other songs, but never this one—and with his six-point singing skill, he could deliver an eight-point performance.

For Xiao Yi, today was truly a good day.

Thank you, Yang Xinyue, for appearing in the livestream—Yang Xinyue is forever the goddess.

……

……

"Huh? This song’s interesting—has anyone heard it before? Xinyue, what show are you watching?"

In the celebrity makeup room, the middle-aged woman glanced around curiously.

"Yang Xinyue, why did you gift again? What did I tell you?"

Soon after, another woman’s angry shout echoed through the makeup room.

The girl had been out of her sight for barely an hour and had already forgotten every instruction.

"Oh come on! Aunt Huang, I just had a hand tremor—I swear, it was just a tremor!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Huang, her agent, rolled her eyes—she’d be a fool to believe that excuse.