Cold wind cut across the mountain path like a blade.
Li Chen knelt in the snow.
Not in meditation.
Not in cultivation.
But punishment.
Behind him, the towering gates of Azure Wind Sect stood firm and indifferent, their ancient stone pillars covered in frost. Above the gates, three characters shimmered faintly with spiritual light.
Azure. Wind. Sect.
A place of opportunity.
A place of power.
A place where the weak were crushed without mercy.
"Useless."
The word echoed again in his mind.
Earlier that morning, during the outer sect assessment, he had failed for the third consecutive year.
Third.
At eighteen years old, most disciples were already at the Fourth or Fifth Layer of Body Tempering. Some geniuses had even stepped into Foundation Establishment.
Li Chen?
Third Layer.
Three years.
Three miserable years.
The examiner had not even hidden his disgust.
"Three years and still unable to condense stable qi circulation. Your meridians are thin, your absorption rate pitiful. Even spirit grain would be wasted on you."
The surrounding disciples had laughed.
Some openly.
Some quietly.
But they all looked at him the same way.
Like livestock waiting to be slaughtered.
The sect rules were clear. Fail the assessment three times, and you were stripped of monthly resources.
He would not be expelled.
No.
That would be too kind.
He would remain as a labor disciple.
A servant.
A cleaner of stables.
A carrier of dung.
A cultivator in name only.
Snow settled on his hair.
He did not move.
He had no family backing him.
No hidden bloodline.
No mysterious master.
He had walked for six days from his mortal village to reach Azure Wind Sect three years ago. Back then, his eyes had burned with ambition.
He had believed in effort.
Believed that if he endured, if he worked harder than others, he would rise.
But cultivation did not care about belief.
It cared about talent.
And talent had never favored him.
The punishment ended at dusk.
He stood slowly, knees numb from the cold.
As he turned, a group of disciples walked past him, their laughter cutting sharper than the wind.
"Still kneeling?"
"Three years and still at Third Layer."
"One more year and even pigs will surpass him."
The tallest among them, Zhao Ming, paused deliberately in front of Li Chen.
Zhao Ming was Fifth Layer Body Tempering.
Strong.
Confident.
Backed by a small clan.
He leaned closer.
"You know, the spirit chicken pens need cleaning. Since you're good at kneeling, maybe that suits you."
Laughter erupted.
Li Chen said nothing.
His silence only fueled their amusement.
Zhao Ming smirked, then pushed him lightly on the shoulder.
It was not meant to knock him down.
But Li Chen stumbled anyway.
Snow swallowed him.
The laughter faded as they walked away.
He remained there for a moment longer.
Not because he could not stand.
But because something inside him had gone quiet.
Not anger.
Not humiliation.
Something deeper.
A crack.
He rose without another word and walked toward the outer sect quarters.
---
The spirit chicken pens were located at the lower slope of the mountain.
Hundreds of low-tier spirit chickens clucked noisily inside wooden enclosures. These creatures were not combat beasts. They were bred for meat and basic spiritual nourishment.
Their feathers carried faint spiritual threads.
Their flesh strengthened qi slightly.
To true cultivators, they were food.
To labor disciples, they were work.
Li Chen picked up a wooden shovel and began clearing frozen waste.
The smell was thick.
The work was repetitive.
Cold wind seeped into his worn robes.
He had done this before.
For three years he had taken the dirtiest tasks, hoping elders would notice his diligence.
They never did.
A senior labor disciple approached.
"New orders," the man said flatly. "You'll take over the abandoned western pen. Most chickens there are weak stock. If they die, dispose of them."
Li Chen nodded.
Abandoned western pen.
That meant no one cared.
Which meant no one would check.
He finished his current task and walked toward the western side of the slope.
The area was quieter.
Older enclosures.
Broken fences.
Low-tier spirit chickens scratching weakly at frozen ground.
Some looked sick.
Some were thin.
Some were nearly lifeless.
Li Chen stepped inside the largest enclosure.
Silence surrounded him except for weak clucking.
He looked around.
These creatures were deemed unworthy.
Just like him.
He exhaled slowly.
"Even you have better spiritual veins than I do."
The words slipped out before he realized it.
He leaned against the wooden fence, exhaustion pressing into his bones.
For the first time since arriving at the sect, he allowed his thoughts to wander freely.
What if he left?
Returned to his village?
But what then?
Farm fields?
Mortal life?
Watching others ascend while he aged and died?
His fists tightened.
"No."
Even if he remained trash.
He would remain trash within the sect.
At least here, there was a sliver of possibility.
Wind howled suddenly.
The sky darkened unnaturally fast.
A low rumble rolled across the mountains.
Thunder.
But not ordinary thunder.
This vibration sank deep into his chest.
The spirit chickens grew restless.
Some collapsed.
Some screeched sharply.
Li Chen stepped outside the enclosure, looking upward.
The clouds were spiraling.
Centered directly above the western slope.
Above him.
Lightning flashed.
White.
Blinding.
And then—
It struck.
Not the main mountain.
Not the sect hall.
But the abandoned western pen.
The world went silent.
For a moment, Li Chen heard nothing.
Saw nothing.
Felt nothing.
Then pain.
His body was thrown backward, crashing into the wooden fence which shattered instantly.
Snow and debris rained down.
Darkness swallowed him.
---
When consciousness returned, it did so slowly.
There was no pain.
Which confused him.
He opened his eyes.
The sky above was clear.
The storm had vanished as if it had never existed.
Snow covered everything.
Broken wood lay scattered.
Several spirit chickens were dead.
Burned.
Blackened.
But he—
He was unharmed.
Not a single wound.
He sat up slowly.
His mind felt… strange.
Not foggy.
Not sharp.
Different.
Then—
A sound.
Not from outside.
From within.
A clear mechanical tone echoed in his consciousness.
[Monster Breeding System Activated]
He froze.
The voice was calm.
Emotionless.
Not male.
Not female.
Just… present.
His heartbeat accelerated.
He looked around instinctively.
No one was there.
Snow continued to fall quietly.
[Host Identified: Li Chen]
[Physique: Inferior Mortal Constitution]
[Realm: Body Tempering Third Layer]
[Evaluation: Extremely Weak]
His face twitched.
Even mysterious voices were mocking him.
He swallowed.
"Who's there?"
No response externally.
But the voice continued.
[Initializing Beast Origin Space]
[Storage Capacity: Beginner Tier]
[Primary Function: Breeding, Harvesting, Evolution]
His breath grew heavier.
He pressed his palm against his chest.
The voice was not heard by his ears.
It was imprinted directly in his thoughts.
"I'm hallucinating."
That had to be it.
Lightning strike.
Brain damage.
He closed his eyes tightly.
When he opened them again—
The world shifted.
Not physically.
But mentally.
A translucent interface appeared before his vision.
Clear.
Structured.
Not illusion.
Not imagination.
---
Monster Breeding System – Beginner Interface
Storage Space: Locked
Breeding Zone: Locked
Material Extraction: Available
Bloodline Analysis: Available
Starter Reward: Basic Beast Egg ×1
---
He stared.
Then blinked.
The interface did not disappear.
A faint white light formed in his palm.
Small.
Warm.
An egg.
Smooth surface.
About the size of his fist.
No cracks.
No patterns.
Just faint spiritual ripples.
He nearly dropped it.
This was real.
He looked around again, heart racing.
No one.
The western slope was isolated.
His breathing became shallow.
"This… can't be…"
But the egg was warm.
Solid.
Undeniably real.
A faint prompt surfaced again.
[Basic Beast Egg – Mortal Grade]
[Hatchable]
His mind trembled.
This was not cultivation technique.
Not weapon.
Not pill.
But a living thing.
A beast.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the burned spirit chickens scattered around him.
If this was true…
If this was real…
Then his life had just changed.
Or he had gone mad.
He stood slowly, clutching the egg.
Snow crunched beneath his boots.
His thoughts were chaotic, but one instinct was clear.
Hide it.
No one could know.
He re-entered the abandoned pen and pushed broken wood aside, creating a crude shelter against the fence wall.
He crouched and examined the egg carefully.
"How do I hatch you?"
A faint line appeared in his mind.
[Infuse with spiritual energy]
He laughed weakly.
"Spiritual energy… I barely have any."
Still, he placed both hands around the egg.
He closed his eyes.
Slowly, clumsily, he began circulating qi.
His meridians were thin.
His control unstable.
But he guided what little spiritual energy he could muster into the egg.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
The egg pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
A faint crack appeared.
His eyes widened.
He continued channeling.
Sweat formed on his forehead despite the cold.
His qi reserves were nearly empty.
Another crack.
A soft sound.
And then—
The shell split open.
A tiny creature emerged.
Wet feathers.
Golden eyes.
Small beak.
It looked… like a chicken.
But not exactly.
Its feathers were slightly darker.
Its eyes sharper.
It shook itself once and stared at him.
Silence.
The system responded.
[Iron Feather Chick – Mortal Grade]
[Trait: Enhanced Bone Density]
[Status: Bound to Host]
Bound.
The small creature took an unsteady step forward.
Then another.
Then hopped clumsily onto his knee.
It looked up at him.
Not with fear.
Not with aggression.
But recognition.
Li Chen's breathing slowed.
Something unfamiliar warmed his chest.
For the first time in three years, something had chosen him.
Not mocked him.
Not abandoned him.
Chosen.
The chick let out a small chirp.
The interface flickered again.
[New Function Unlocked: Storage]
The world shifted.
For a split second, he saw a gray expanse.
Endless mist.
Flat ground.
Empty.
Then the vision vanished.
He stared at the chick.
"Go."
He willed it.
The chick vanished.
Instantly.
Not moved.
Not hidden.
Gone.
His mind opened again—
The gray space.
The chick stood inside it.
Alive.
Calm.
Waiting.
Li Chen's hands trembled.
This was not hallucination.
Not dream.
Not lightning madness.
This was—
Opportunity.
He exhaled slowly.
Snow fell gently around him.
The broken pen stood silent.
Burned spirit chickens lay scattered.
A faint thought emerged.
If the system could store.
If it could breed.
If it could harvest.
Then perhaps—
Perhaps trash could become something else.
He looked at one of the burned spirit chickens nearby.
The system interface flickered again.
[Detect: Spirit Chicken Corpse]
[Material Extraction Available]
His heart pounded.
The path ahead was still unknown.
Still dangerous.
Still uncertain.
But for the first time—
Li Chen smiled.
Not wide.
Not confident.
But real.
The trash of the outer sect…
Had just gained a secret the heavens did not intend.
Snow continued to fall.
And on the silent western slope of Azure Wind Sect—
A new path quietly began.