I've already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and you're saying I didn't time travel?

Chapter 14: Desert Survival?

"I'm coming!"

"It's finally open!"

"Are you really not concerned about the lives of office workers? You're livestreaming every morning at nine o'clock!"

"Don't be afraid, the boss is watching too!"

"Hilarious! I just got a notification that the morning meeting is postponed by an hour."

"Forget it, the streamer can't get an erection in the morning, and it goes down in half an hour."

"Live streaming so late every day, do you not want our Western market anymore?"

"What the hell is the point of having a tipping button if it doesn't even have one?"

"It is recommended that Congress issue an order prohibiting the use of SkyShutter for live broadcasts within the country."

"If you're so capable, don't look at me. Nobody's begging you to look at me. Dongfeng-81 is the best in the world."

……

As time went by, Qi Xuan's familiar face soon appeared in the live stream. He was as energetic and in excellent condition as ever, with even his pupils being clear and bright, showing no signs of the frustration and dejection one might expect from being trapped in the wild.

"It's a new day, good morning everyone."

"When we ended our live stream last night, those of you who were watching my stream should have seen that giant octopus monster."

"To be honest, after I finished my broadcast, I was indeed planning to go over and check out the situation, to weigh that octopus monster in terms of strength. But when I got close to the swamp, I suddenly realized that I can't swim. It would be too much of a disadvantage to go up and fight it. What if it throws me into the water? I won't be able to breathe at all."

If you're so capable, let it fight me on land. I guarantee I'll beat it into takoyaki. Each viewer in the live stream will get one pound, and those who bet on me to win will get two pounds each. I'll eat the rest myself.

So, it's not that I don't want to give you a spectacular battle, it's just that I have no choice but to let it survive a little longer.

Upon hearing Qi Xuan's righteous and eloquent declaration, netizens all burst into laughter:
"He really thinks he can win [Donnie Yen points at someone]."

"With your win rate, I really can't side with you."

"Upon hearing this, Squidward immediately started a swimming class to teach the streamer how to breathe."

"Hilarious! He even thought about sharing with the audience and keeping the rest for himself. Even if our King Octopus were ten times bigger, it still wouldn't be enough to share."

……

"Alright, that's enough of this rambling."

Qi Xuan clapped his hands and said seriously:
"As everyone has seen, the western side is guarded by that octopus monster, so we can't continue exploring for the time being."

Even without the octopus monster, I wouldn't recommend going to that swamp. Who knows what even more terrifying things might be lurking beneath? Since you can't summon cruise missiles, I suggest everyone stay as far away as possible.

"So let's change direction today and explore to the east."

"The road to the west is blocked, we can't have this thing blocking the east side too, can we?"

As he spoke, he picked up a wooden stick and walked towards the east.

To the east, perhaps deeper into the forest, lies an endless expanse of twin trees, their black and white hues intertwined, seemingly the only colors in the world. Even the wild grass on the ground is sparse and a stark white expanse.

Qi Xuan walked around in the empty woodland for a while but still found nothing. He couldn't find any insects or small animals, or even any edible plant tubers. Compared to the west, this place was far too desolate.

However, he could understand the desolation. The Twin Trees were always very domineering, and the toxins they secreted seeped into the surrounding soil, making it difficult for other plants to grow. Therefore, it was rare to see other plants in the territory of the Twin Trees.

Fortunately, the woodland wasn't as vast as I had imagined.

After walking for more than forty minutes, we were almost out.

However, the situation was still very bad after they came out.

There were indeed no twin trees nearby, but it was just a bare, gravelly area.

Plants were even scarcer than in the woodland of twin trees, with only a small clump occasionally appearing. As far as the eye could see, it was a desolate, grayish-yellow landscape.

Seeing this, Qi Xuan remained calm, but netizens couldn't hold back any longer.

"Damn, what kind of terrain change?"

"From forest survival to desert survival in a second."

"I thought the west was dangerous enough, but the east is absolutely uninhabitable."

"There's no food, no water. If we keep going, won't we just die of thirst?"

"Although this place is not a desert, the environment is similar to that of a desert. The key point is that no one knows how large the area it covers. Once you go too far, you may get lost in it, and then it will be difficult to leave."

“The anchor should go back quickly. Every year, many people go missing in the no-man's-land because they get lost. It’s impossible to make signs in this place.”

"Even if you're fighting a fierce battle with a giant octopus, it's better than starving to death in the sand."

……

But no matter how much netizens advised him, Qi Xuan couldn't see it.

Even if they see it, they won't listen.

If this is one step towards getting out of this predicament, then at least we should give it a try.

Perhaps this gravelly land is not as vast as imagined, and perhaps the other side of the gravelly land is an indigenous community.

However, he was not without support. As a cultivator, his vitality was far stronger than that of ordinary people, especially after he awakened the ability of [Refining Essence]. Even if he lived on sand, he could still last for ten days to half a month.

The situation was not as bad as imagined.

not to mention……

Qi Xuan strolled into the sand and suddenly stopped.

He squatted down and rummaged through the slightly brownish rocks, eventually pulling out several grayish-brown "potatoes" from the sand pit.

"But this is not a potato, it is a kind of mushroom called bubble mushroom. The round part you see is its cap, and there is a short stem that is almost hidden underneath. So don't get it wrong, this is a real mushroom."

Qi Xuan brushed the sand and dust off the surface of the bubble mushroom, then took out a tissue and carefully wiped it clean, swallowing hard as he said:
"I've heard that this bubble mushroom is very rare and has an extremely delicious flavor, so much so that it's worth its weight in gold. Today I'm going to try it and see just how delicious it really is."

As he spoke, he took a bite out of half of the mushroom cap and began to chew slowly. Visibly, the expression on his face became one of utter enjoyment, every hair on his body seemed to speak of his delight and satisfaction.

"awesome!"

“It’s really great!”

After swallowing the bubble mushroom, Qi Xuan said with a touch of emotion:
"This deliciousness far surpasses anything I have ever eaten in my life."

"I've eaten a lot of good things in my life: abalone, truffles, caviar, Wagyu beef, bird's nest, king crab, and so on. When it comes to freshness, none can compare. They are truly priceless."

"You might not be able to understand how I feel right now. How should I describe it to you? Well, here it is!"

Qi Xuan suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up:
"In my hometown of Jiangcheng, there is a steamed bun shop on Huayang Road with a red sign called Huhu Steamed Bun Shop. Their mushroom and rapeseed buns are about 80% as delicious as those made with bubble mushrooms. I used to go there with my classmates when I was in school. If you want to try it, you can go and give it a go."

I remember it had a red signboard. Next door was a steamed bun shop with a green signboard. Their big meat buns were made with pork scraps, which was disgusting. The first time I ate one, I found lymph nodes in it.

The shop owner was even more mean-spirited. When I went to his shop to demand an explanation, he almost beat me out with a rolling pin. Anyway, I never bought his steamed buns again.

Qi Xuan glanced at his watch and continued:
"It's almost time for the morning live stream. Let me rest for a bit, and we'll continue this afternoon."

As he spoke, he casually closed the live stream.

Completely unaware of the impact their earlier remarks had on Earth.

(End of this chapter)