Chapter 272: I Was Planning to Call the Rescue Team, but Temple Master Ning is Considering Fishing?

"This mountain is an extinct volcano?"

The viewers felt today's stream was exceptionally thrilling. They had just survived an avalanche and cliff-jumping on skis, and now they were entering the heart of an extinct volcano.

"The known Ashikule volcanic landscape in the Kunlun Mountains contains eleven main volcanoes and over thirty sub-volcanoes."

"The most recent eruption dates back to May of 1951."

"These facts are all historically recorded."

Ning Fei explained to his audience.

His voice sounded incredibly calm, echoing quietly through the cavern.

"Of course, you can all rest easy. This is a dormant volcano now. The magma is buried who knows how deep underground. We can just feel that the temperature in here is a bit warmer than outside."

Ning Fei walked forward. He figured the avalanche would take a while to settle down, so he could use this time to see what was inside the cave.

"This cave is covered by a layer of ice, and there's very little plant life inside the mountain, so no animals will be living in here."

Ning Fei continued forward with the drone following behind him.

It was worth noting that the signal technology in this parallel world was remarkably strong; even flying underground, the drone could still connect to the outside network.

He took a few more steps.

He soon realized that the cave's terrain was surprisingly complex!

After passing through a long corridor, several branching paths appeared ahead of him.

"What a fascinating landscape."

"This kind of terrain should be the result of a past volcanic eruption. As the geology shifted over time, the ground slowly elevated, creating this layout."

"Geology is a magical and complex discipline. By studying the rocks, we can clearly understand the various shifts of the world's crust."

Every time Ning Fei passed an intersection, he used a stone to carve a white mark on the ground.

"My sense of direction is excellent."

"Even though we're inside a cave, I know I've been heading straight in."

"These tunnels extend in all directions. Some lead to dead ends, while others loop back around. Without a clear sense of direction, it would be incredibly easy to get lost in here."

The viewers watched the stream with rapt attention.

It felt as though Ning Fei was leading them on an exploration through an unknown world.

The drone's spotlight was bright enough to illuminate the entire cavern around him.

After passing through a low, narrow tunnel, Ning Fei finally reached the end of the path.

It was a massive stone chamber.

The ceiling was formed by irregular rock structures, and in the center of the room lay a small pool. The water inside looked almost purely white.

"What is that? A hot spring?"

The viewers noticed the pool as well and voiced their surprise in the chat.

"There's actually a hot spring inside this mountain."

"That's normal. After all, the surface is a snowfield. Water seeps through the mountain, meets the underground heat, and forms a spring."

"Nature really is amazing. There's a volcano beneath the snow, and a hot spring inside the volcano."

"Many extinct volcanoes are covered in snow year-round these days. It's actually quite common to find numerous hot springs around them, so it's not too rare."

"Doesn't that mean Temple Master Ning gets to soak in a hot spring again?"

Ning Fei had spotted the hot spring too. He scanned the stone chamber, confirmed there was nothing else around, and turned to leave.

"Why is Temple Master Ning leaving?" someone asked in confusion.

"Isn't he going to try out such a nice hot spring?"

Ning Fei chimed in to explain:

"That was likely a volcanic hot spring."

"Wild volcanic hot springs are often home to many types of heat-resistant microorganisms."

"Experts have even discovered bacteria living near volcanoes that can survive temperatures up to 400 degrees."

"Who knows how many viruses are sealed beneath the glaciers, and a hot spring like this has a very high chance of harboring microorganisms."

"Since I don't have any water testing equipment with me, I'm definitely not going to jump in recklessly."

"When I soaked in the hot spring with Little Qun before, it was because that wasn't a volcanic spring. It was formed by flowing groundwater. Just like river water or well water, that groundwater is very clean, so it was perfectly safe."

Hearing Ning Fei's explanation, the viewers suddenly understood.

"So that's why."

"Good thing Temple Master Ning is so knowledgeable. If a normal person saw a hot spring like that and just jumped in, they might die without even knowing how."

"To be honest, I don't think a normal person could even find a place like this."

Ning Fei wandered around the cave a bit more and found that it was simply a sprawling network of tunnels with nothing particularly special about it.

He then retraced his steps back to where he first entered the cave.

By now, he noticed that the ground above his head had stopped shaking.

A thick pile of snow had accumulated below the cave entrance.

"Looks like the avalanche has paused for now."

"Avalanches are different from earthquakes. After an earthquake, there might be aftershocks or a secondary quake."

"But once an avalanche stops, it's generally over."

As he spoke, Ning Fei stood on his tiptoes and began clearing the snow from the entrance.

"If any of you ever get caught in an avalanche out in the wild, you must try to mimic a swimming motion. Keep your body from being buried at the very bottom. Otherwise, once you're trapped deep in the snow, you won't be able to move or save yourself."

Hearing this, one viewer immediately chimed in:

"Don't worry, Temple Master Ning. We'll probably never encounter an avalanche in our entire lives."

Although the snow blocking the entrance was incredibly thick, Ning Fei had plenty of room to move freely inside the cave, making it fairly easy to dig his way out.

He used his snowboards to pierce through the snowbank blocking the entrance, then hoisted himself out.

The drone immediately flew out after him.

When the viewers saw the scene outside, no one could hold back their gasps of shock.

"Holy shit!"

At this moment, the outside world was a boundless expanse of white.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but snow. Fierce winds howled wildly, churning up flurries of frost. For a second, the viewers felt as if they had stepped into a white hell.

The accumulated snow was nearly a meter deep. Standing at the cave entrance, the snowline almost reached his crotch.

Visibility outside was extremely low.

Just then, a clear, sharp falcon cry rang out from the sky. A moment later, the little falcon broke through the blinding blizzard and landed directly on Ning Fei's shoulder.

Ever since Ning Fei had been swallowed by the avalanche, the little falcon had been desperately searching for him.

Ning Fei was overjoyed to see his little companion.

The viewers found this reunion incredibly heartwarming.

"The little falcon is so loyal."

"It must have been terrified just now."

"Such a good bird."

The chat naturally flooded with praise for the bird.

The blizzard was still raging. Ning Fei looked up the mountain and saw snow continuing to slide down, but at a very sluggish pace. It seemed the most violent phase of the avalanche had passed.

"The most pressing matter right now is finding food."

"We're quite deep in the wilderness here. No matter which way I go, it will take at least two days to hike out. And with the terrain so heavily altered by the avalanche, my pace will likely be even slower."

"My sleeping bag, tent, and other gear were all swept away."

"The only tools I have left right now are my snowboards and ski poles."

Hearing Ning Fei lay out the facts, the viewers suddenly realized he wasn't out of the woods yet.

Having dodged the immediate disaster, he was now facing an even greater challenge: survival.

Without any supplies, surviving in this freezing wasteland would be harder than ascending to the heavens.

However, Ning Fei didn't seem terribly worried.

Right then, the little falcon chirped softly beside his ear.

Hearing the bird's cries, Ning Fei suddenly broke into a smile.

"You're saying you know where to find fish?"

The little falcon grew excited and let out another sharp chirp.

"That's fantastic."

"The water resources in the Kunlun Mountains are exceptionally abundant. In the summer, many massive rivers flow down from these peaks."

"For example, the Golmud River, and the Sanjiangyuan region that gives rise to the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Lancang River."

"The water here is truly water from a 'Tianchi'—a heavenly pool."

"In other words, the fish here are arguably the finest freshwater fish in all of Huaxia!"

Hearing Ning Fei's excitement, all the viewers' earlier worries about his safety instantly vanished.

Someone laughed in the chat:

"And here I was worrying about what Temple Master Ning would do in this freezing snowscape, wondering if we should call a rescue team."

"Meanwhile, Temple Master Ning is already thinking about where to go fishing."

"Makes sense. It's Temple Master Ning, after all."

"He dodged an avalanche. How could wilderness survival in a snowfield ever stop him?"