Chapter 9

"Friends, our main goal on this trip is clay. As everyone knows, clay is a soil with low sand content, has good plasticity, and water doesn't easily pass through it."

"This is also the optimal soil for building heated beds."

"Ordinary clay forms from silicate minerals weathering at the Earth's surface."

"Unfortunately, we don’t have scientific testing equipment to help us find it, and of course I didn’t bring my Second Uncle—he doesn’t need equipment—but right now we can only rely on this."

Saying this, Xiao Yi pointed to his nose and mouth, speaking aloud.

"What’s he mean? Is he going to identify it by smell and taste?"

"Is he seriously acting like a drug-sniffing dog or Xie Tianquan?"

"Is this guy just trying to shock people for attention?"

"It’s better not to be so cynical. Do you really think someone in a million-viewer livestream needs to pull stunts like this to get attention?"

"Damn, if he finds clay by smell and taste, I’ll call him Dad right now!"

"Don’t say that. The world is full of wonders—some people naturally have extraordinary sensitivity in smell and taste."

"Yes, I’ve met someone like that. I remember my Third Great-Uncle—he’s exactly like that. Our area produces black truffles, and he finds several times more than others, just by tasting the soil—he knows whether truffles are underground."

I have to say, the contestant in live room #6 has given us too many surprises.

As soon as Xiao Yi finished speaking, his million-plus viewer livestream was instantly flooded with comments.

More people rushed over to the main livestream to confirm this with Bei Ye.

Though many things defy science, some things truly can’t be explained by it.

"Bei Ye, what do you think?"

The comment section of the main livestream was also overrun. Yang Qingning stared blankly at Bei Ye.

After all, when it comes to broad experience, this man who’s traveled the world is the real authority.

Upon hearing this, Bei Ye fell into brief thought before speaking.

"There really are people who can’t be understood by ordinary logic."

"Let me tell you—twelve years ago, I ventured deep into the deserts of North Africa. I encountered a desert storm that occurs once in a century. To survive and wait for rescue, I’d need at least three days."

"But without water, I couldn’t last three days. My guide, an old man with wrinkled, sun-darkened skin, saved all our lives with a special ability."

"He found an oasis deep in the desert by tasting the sand."

"After we escaped the desert, the locals all blessed me, saying I was lucky to have a holy man lead me through the desert—anyone else would’ve died there."

"Even now, thinking back, I still feel chills. That was the closest I’ve ever come to death."

Crocodile Tail "…"

Giant Centipede "…"

African Lion "…"

…

…

"You think you’re funny, but I feel you’re disrespecting me!"

"After we escaped the desert, I asked the old man how he could taste sand to find an oasis."

"He told me, sand near water sources has different moisture levels than sand far from them—he could detect differences in sand within a ten-mile radius of an oasis."

"When I heard that, I was stunned. Later, I specifically consulted a biologist about this phenomenon."

"The biologist told me that due to development in certain areas of the human brain, it’s possible to achieve this."

"I’d heard of such extraordinary people before, but I never thought it was real?"

"What’s so surprising? In our Great Hua Nation’s five-thousand-year history, there have been countless such marvels."

"True, there are plenty abroad too—like Ice Man Fidel, Electromagnetic Man Bao Duofu, and others!"

"But that guy in the livestream doesn’t even look like one of these marvels!"

"Damn, bro, are you new here? If he’s not a marvel, then what even counts as one?"

"True—have you ever seen someone punch a fifty-kilogram beast into unconsciousness underwater? Have you ever seen a man lift a thousand-jin log by himself?"

"Now that you mention it, I suddenly don’t find his taste and smell abilities strange at all—he’s never been a normal person to begin with."

"Heh, there’s nothing strange about it—any fan who’s watched for two days knows this!"

"So what? He’s just a bit stronger? That counts as a marvel?"

"Yeah, just a billion times stronger. Fine, if you don’t think so, then don’t."

…

…

Following Bei Ye’s explanation, the discussion reached its peak, and Xiao Yi’s livestream viewership surged directly to two million.

This was all because Xiao Yi hadn’t yet used his sense of smell to find the clay—if he had found it, viewership would’ve skyrocketed even further.

As for Xiao Yi himself, he was now communicating with the system.

Open personal panel!

Name: Xiao Yi

Age: Twenty-two

Height: 181cm

Weight: 70kg

Intelligence: 6.9 (IQ test range 110–120, approximately 117)

Endurance: 6 (Normal healthy state!)

Strength: 10 (Barrister Strength)

Speed: 7 (Second-class athlete level)

Vision: 6 (Average human level)

Hearing: 5 (Minimum normal human level)

Smell: 6 (Average normal human level)

Skills:

Wilderness Knowledge:

Basic Zoology Lv3 (Result of intensive study these past two months)

Basic Botany Lv4 (Better than just knowing staple crops—also from intensive study)

Basic Life Skills:

Cooking Lv6 (Above home-cooking level)

Driving Lv5 (Holds a C1 license, but dares not drive on roads)

Swimming Lv7 (Professional athlete level)

Hunting Lv3 (Once hit a domestic chicken with a stone, once hit a sparrow with a slingshot)

Fishing Lv7 (Professional level)

Diving Lv1 (Can hold breath for only one minute)

Combat Lv3 (Fought three times in life, two of which ended with black eyes and swollen face)

…

…

Available free attribute points: 0

One hundred thousand fan points can be exchanged for one free attribute point!

Current available fan points: 876,324. Exchange?

Just now, following the system’s prompt, Xiao Yi had quietly pretended to have a keen sense of smell.

But seeing his own pathetic smell and taste stats, he suddenly felt he’d overplayed it.

The only thing that comforted him was that his endurance had finally, after the system’s upgrade, reached the normal average healthy level—no longer suboptimal.

"Exchange for free attribute point."

Xiao Yi silently spoke to the system.

"Exchange successful. Free attribute points now: 8. Host may allocate freely."

Hearing this, Xiao Yi nodded inwardly, then immediately maxed out his Speed skill.

System "…"

"Congratulations, host’s Speed is now 10. You have become the fastest man in human history—briefly matching a cheetah. Remaining free attribute points: 5."

Xiao Yi "…"

Why did that sound so odd? Fast, but not enduring?

It sounded just like the description of a friend from his past life who wrote xianxia novels.

Whatever. This isn’t the time to overthink.

"System, use the remaining points to max out my Smell skill."

In truth, Xiao Yi had already made up his mind—better to have a nose capable of tracking across heaven and earth than to go sniffing dirt.

Even if they called him a dog, he’d accept it—true men know when to bend and when to stand tall.