Chapter 6: This Man Insults My Intelligence

Home is a haven of warmth, but if your walls are bare and wind whistles through, it’s truly a nightmare.

Xiao Yi had clearly underestimated the Arctic wind; though he’d aimed for perfection when building.

Unfortunately, materials were limited.

Wind still blew in through the door and gaps; even with two quilts stacked, he still felt the chill.

Clearly, the earthen bed plan was urgent—tomorrow, he at least needed to make himself a door, or who could endure this?

There’s one thing I must mention: after Grandpa Yuan fed everyone to fullness, many grew terribly bored—it was 1 a.m., the moon bright, stars sparse.

Even Xiao Yi, an outdoor veteran, had already drifted into dreams, yet his livestream still had 100,000 viewers lingering.

No words passed through the night; Xiao Yi slept well his first night outdoors and rose at six to begin work.

Of course, not everyone enjoyed his luck—last night, Zhong Yicheng’s camp welcomed an unwelcome guest.

A full-grown wolverine circled his camp for three hours, terrifying Zhong Yicheng into holding his axe all night without sleep.

Yet during the night, Zhong Yicheng’s livestream did see a surge in viewership.

Of course, none of this concerned Xiao Yi; early the next morning, he first checked his personal panel.

When he saw his fan value had reached 370,000, he couldn’t help but grin.

That meant three free attribute points—and his survival capability had grown again.

Of course, he believed this also reflected his personal charm: on his first livestream, he’d already drawn over 300,000 wilderness fans.

Yang Qinglin: “... Yeah, isn’t that me? I’m a wilderness fan.”

Another beautiful day—let’s start with chopping trees.

Hmm! I... uh, wrong channel!

As soon as Xiao Yi started moving, his livestream viewership jumped from 50,000 straight to 270,000—not even during a holiday period.

True, even though his livestream had no content overnight, over 50,000 bored souls still lingered there.

“Friends, today our main task is simple: first, weave a door for this damn drafty shack; second, find clay for building.”

“Holy shit, this guy really plans to build his own house?”

“This guy’s insane! By the time he finishes building, winter will be here—wasting his strength for nothing.”

“This is definitely not a good choice.”

“Right, this is the Arctic Circle—mostly permafrost. Where’s he going to find clay to build with? Build with frozen soil?”

“Better spend that time finding food. If you take down a moose or wild boar, wouldn’t counting money be sweeter? Isn’t it just colder?”

“I’m actually curious—if he really pulls off the house, his chances of survival might actually increase. Remember, resisting extreme cold drains more fat and energy.”

“True. A warm environment drastically reduces fat and energy loss. This is probably a ‘suffer first, reap later’ strategy.”

After Xiao Yi mentioned finding clay, many in his livestream began voicing opinions.

Most believed Xiao Yi’s choice was wrong—building your own house consumed too much energy.

Tools were scarce here, and above all, building a house was never a task one person could handle alone.

Many thought he was delusional, though some held the opposite view.

“What do you think, Beiye?”

At that moment, Beiye’s trio had arrived on the main livestream; Yang Qinglin asked with a smile.

Though it was too early—far earlier than their usual work hours—what could you do? The bonus was too good.

“Logic tells me, building a log cabin alone, Xiao’s chances of success are extremely low. And as most believe, it’ll waste his stamina, food, and lower his survival odds.”

Beiye paused, then explained: if he were in Xiao Yi’s position, he’d never waste energy building a cabin.

“I also believe that if Xiao from Stream #6 invests his energy in building a cabin, he’ll be the first eliminated.”

Beside him, Cai Luo Han secretly rejoiced—Beiye had finally said something he was glad to hear.

“...”

Seeing both of them say this, Yang Qinglin was momentarily stunned.

Wasn’t Beiye always one of Xiao Yi’s supporters? Why, just when she decided to back him, did Beiye say something so discouraging?

Let me be clear: her decision to support Xiao Yi had nothing to do with his six-pack abs.

“Qinglin, you don’t actually think he can successfully build a cabin alone in the Arctic Circle, do you?”

Cai Luo Han said in disbelief, secretly cursing: “Women are truly visual creatures.”

Hmph! So he’s got a little abs—so what?

After hesitation, Yang Qinglin finally spoke honestly: “I think Xiao Yi’s contestant might succeed.”

“Achoo!”

Far away in Canada, Xiao Yi suddenly sneezed.

He wondered inwardly who was talking about him—then remembered his livestream had hundreds of thousands watching, and relaxed.

“Friends, our food supply is still ample—we don’t need to worry about food for now. Let’s get moving!”

But we need a slogan!

Build a wooden door, find clay, build an earthen bed, survive the winter.

Xiao Yi muttered toward the drone.

Being alone was too lonely; since he knew tens of thousands were watching, he might as well talk to himself—it gave him a sense of company.

“This streamer’s got it right—that’s what livestreaming should feel like. If he just kept grinding silently like before, I’d be curious about his cabin, but I wouldn’t stick around.”

“Holy shit, is that the point? Didn’t you hear him? He’s building a heated earthen bed—if he succeeds, surviving winter in the Arctic becomes easy.”

“This is getting more interesting—I’m getting more curious about his earthen bed and cabin.”

Xiao Yi’s large axe was already eager; he slung it over his shoulder and headed toward the forest near his shelter.

In the Arctic Circle, the most common trees are diverse coniferous forests, followed by cold-resistant deciduous hardwoods like poplar and willow.

Xiao Yi’s target today: poplar trees with high density and moderate hardness.

“Friends, today we’ll just take a few poplars—use their branches for a door, and save the trunks for future cabin construction.”

“Poplar is an angiosperm tree; mature ones reach 15–30 meters—but that’s not our goal today. We just need the younger ones, five to eight meters tall.”

“Like this one here. Chopping trees is simple—I’ll show you: see the wide part behind the axe? Strike the same spot three times with full force, shattering the internal fibers.”

“Crack!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yi swung—and heard a sharp crack.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The entire livestream fell into stunned silence. Was this guy serious?

A poplar tree, fifty centimeters in diameter, had been split open by a single blow.

Xiao Yi: “...”

He himself was stunned and embarrassed—he hadn’t expected his system-enhanced strength to be this extreme.

“Ahem, sorry everyone, minor accident—I used a bit too much force. This isn’t a proper demonstration.”

“We should strike three times to break the fibers, then use the sharp edge of the axe to chop up and down a few times—then the tree’s done.”

Without bothering with the already-split tree, Xiao Yi walked to another poplar of similar size and demonstrated again, controlling his strength precisely.

“...”

“...”

“Fuck, he’s not just making me feel like a waste—he’s insulting my intelligence.”

“I thought the first tree was rotten from insects—until the second one fell. This guy’s a monster. With this strength, he could wrestle a polar bear barehanded.”

“So the apex predator of the Arctic Circle is right here. Rest in peace, Arctic animals.”

“This isn’t fair! With this strength, he’s a glitch—Yinfu, come shut him down!”

Li Yong, Yinfu’s manager: “...”

He was speechless—why hadn’t he noticed this monster during past physical tests?