The western slope was quiet.
Too quiet.
Frost coated the ground in thin white patterns, and the wooden fence around the spirit chicken enclosure creaked softly under winter wind.
Li Chen stood inside the pen, counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Seven physical chickens.
That was the real number.
Inside the Beast Origin Space, he had:
Five ordinary spirit chickens.
One Iron Feather Chick.
Total in existence: thirteen.
He repeated the count in his mind carefully.
Thirteen.
No more.
No less.
That number was fragile.
---
The Quota
Before noon, Steward Wu Han arrived.
His expression was as cold as the wind.
"How many remain?" he asked.
"Seven," Li Chen answered.
Wu Han stepped inside the pen and lifted one chicken, weighing it in his palm.
"You will deliver four in eight days."
Li Chen's breathing slowed deliberately.
Four.
From seven.
That would leave three physically.
"Yes, Steward."
Wu Han stared at him for several seconds.
"If physical count drops below three after delivery, report immediately. Do not attempt concealment."
That sentence carried weight.
Wu Han was warning him.
If something strange happened again, consequences would be severe.
Wu Han left.
Li Chen remained still.
Four birds in eight days.
Total in existence: thirteen.
After delivery, total would be nine.
Without breeding, nine would become permanent unless he found a way to expand.
He exhaled slowly.
This was the first real test of restraint.
---
The Internal Dilemma
That night, he entered the Beast Origin Space.
Gray mist spread endlessly.
Five ordinary chickens moved quietly across the flat ground.
The Iron Feather Chick stood slightly apart.
He examined them carefully.
Ordinary Bloodline Purity:
11%
12%
10%
13%
14%
Iron Feather:
32%
Breeding panel still displayed:
[Locked – Cultivation Insufficient]
No expansion.
No multiplication.
Only Storage and Extraction.
If he extracted one now for essence—
Total would drop to twelve.
After quota delivery, total would drop to eight.
Eight was dangerously low.
He stood in silence for a long time.
His desire for cultivation progress pressed against him.
He wanted to reach Fifth Layer.
But the price would be population reduction.
He understood something clearly now.
The system was not a gift of infinite resources.
It was leverage.
And leverage required conservation.
He turned away from the weakest chicken.
"No extraction tonight."
---
Strategic Rotation
On the third day, he made a quiet move.
He stored two physical chickens into the Beast Origin Space at night.
Physical count: from 7 → 5
Internal count: from 6 → 8
Total still: 13
He immediately released two ordinary internal chickens back into the pen.
Physical count returned to 7
Internal count returned to 6
No net change.
But he had rotated the individuals.
Why?
Observation.
He wanted to compare growth differences between physical and internal environment.
Over the next three days, he monitored carefully.
Physical chickens:
Slight weight gain due to grain access.
Internal chickens:
Minimal growth, but stable.
The Iron Feather Chick inside showed slightly faster feather hardening.
Interesting.
The Beast Origin Space did not accelerate growth yet—but it provided stability.
---
Delivery Day
Eight days passed.
Wu Han returned.
"Four."
Li Chen selected four average-sized physical chickens.
He chose carefully.
Not weakest.
Not strongest.
Balanced.
Four birds were taken.
Physical count: 7 → 3
Total in existence: 13 → 9
He watched Wu Han leave.
Three physical chickens remained.
That number looked dangerous.
Too small.
Suspicious if observed casually.
That evening, he released four ordinary chickens from the Beast Origin Space.
Physical count: 3 → 7
Internal count: 6 → 2 (1 ordinary + 1 Iron Feather)
Total in existence still: 9
He stood in the gray space afterward.
Internal population now:
One ordinary.
One Iron Feather.
Two.
Thin.
Extremely thin.
He felt the weight of that number.
If he extracted now, the system would collapse to one creature.
Unacceptable.
He had chosen stability over power.
And that choice was correct.
---
Zhao Ming's Suspicion
Two days later, Zhao Ming appeared again.
He leaned lazily against the fence.
"Heard you delivered four."
Li Chen remained silent.
Zhao Ming glanced inside.
"Still seven."
"Yes."
Zhao Ming stepped closer.
"You didn't lose too many."
"Managed properly."
Zhao Ming's eyes narrowed.
"Since when are you good at managing anything?"
Silence.
Zhao Ming kicked one chicken lightly.
"Stay in your place."
He left.
Li Chen watched calmly.
Fourth Layer.
Stable.
He could feel Fifth Layer barrier clearly now.
But breaking through would require at least four or five essences for safe compression.
And extracting one of the remaining two internal chickens was impossible.
He had reached a temporary bottleneck.
---
The Iron Feather Observation
That night, he entered the Beast Origin Space again.
Only two creatures remained inside.
One ordinary.
One Iron Feather.
The space felt emptier than before.
More fragile.
He crouched near the Iron Feather Chick.
Bloodline Purity: 33%.
A slight increase from natural maturation.
It pecked at the ground calmly.
Its posture was steadier than ordinary chickens outside.
He observed something subtle.
Even without breeding, even without fragments—
The Iron Feather Chick's bone density was slowly strengthening.
The environment inside the system—though basic—was pure.
No competition.
No external stress.
Perhaps that alone nurtured stability.
He did not extract.
He did not use the last ordinary.
He sat cross-legged inside the gray world.
Meditating.
He realized something critical.
The system rewarded patience.
It did not encourage reckless consumption.
It required accumulation.
---
Internal Calculation
Total existence now: 9
Physical: 7
Internal: 2
Next quota in ten days would require four again.
If he delivered four again without breeding unlocked:
Total would become 5.
Unsustainable.
Therefore:
He must unlock breeding before next quota cycle.
And breeding required—
Fifth Layer.
The system panel was clear.
[Habitat Formation – Cultivation Insufficient]
The message was indirect but obvious.
He had reached the point where restraint must end.
Not from greed.
But necessity.
---
The Decision
He opened his eyes inside the gray world.
The Iron Feather Chick looked up at him.
If he waited longer—
The system would stagnate.
If he broke through—
Breeding would unlock.
Population would recover.
Short-term risk.
Long-term survival.
He exited the Beast Origin Space and returned to his hut.
Snow drifted quietly outside.
He closed his eyes.
Gathered the remaining Spirit Chicken Essences from earlier harvest.
Counted carefully.
Seven essences remained unused from Chapter 2.
He had been conserving.
Now—
He would invest.
But not recklessly.
He would begin tomorrow night.
After confirming no surveillance.
After confirming no suspicion.
He lay down on the wooden floor.
Sleep came slowly.
For the first time since obtaining the system—
He felt the true weight of numbers.
Not power.
Not ambition.
But survival math.
Seven physical.
Two internal.
Total nine.
Nine lives.
Nine foundations.
And from those nine—
An empire would someday rise.
But only—
If he survived this bottleneck.
The wind howled faintly across the western slope.
Inside the gray Beast Origin Space—
Two chickens stood quietly beneath a pale mist sky.
Waiting.
And Li Chen—
Waited with them.