The Lin Clan quieted as night settled over Cloudcrest City. Hallways emptied. Lamps dimmed. Servants whispered about Bai Xueya's decision while sweeping corridors and closing doors. The conversation had spread faster than fire through dry grass.
But behind all of it, Lin Tian lay awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark.
He hadn't changed out of his robes. He hadn't moved since he lay down. He just kept replaying the courtyard conversation again and again.
Her voice stayed with him—the calm way she said she didn't break promises without understanding them. The way she stepped closer when he tried to distance himself. The quiet firmness in her eyes. The small warmth in her expression when she said she wanted to know him, not from rumors.
He placed a hand over his chest.
A strange, steady warmth that he didn't know how to explain.
'Why did she speak like that? Why refuse to dissolve it? Why stand in front of her sect elder and argue for a bond everyone else thinks is worthless?'
He rolled to his side, frustrated.
He wasn't proud of being useless. He wasn't proud of being a burden. If breaking the engagement helped her, he would've done it without hesitation. He would still do it now, if she asked again.
But she didn't.
She stood by the promise like it meant something sacred.
And that simple decision—made by a woman who owed him nothing—kept twisting something inside him.
He covered his face with both hands and groaned. "I can't sleep like this."
He sat up slowly, letting his legs hang off the bed. The quiet felt louder than the courtyard had earlier. His room felt smaller. His heart felt unstable.
He pressed his palm against his chest again, expecting the warmth to fade.
Instead—
It's beating again.
A firm, heavy throb that forced him to suck in a breath.
"…What…?"
Another beat—sharper, stronger.
The warmth tightened, like something pushing outward from deep inside his core.
Lin Tian straightened, his entire body tensing. He grabbed his shirt, fingers gripping the fabric hard as the pressure surged again.
A low hum filled his ears—soft at first, almost like wind through a narrow corridor. Then it grew louder, as if something was powering up inside his mind.
"What is happening…?" he whispered.
Then everything snapped into clarity.
A clear digital chime rang directly inside his skull—bright, mechanical, impossible to mistake for imagination.
"—!"
A glowing screen burst open across his vision.
[ Harem Link Cultivation System Activated ]
Lin Tian froze.
The glow reflected in his eyes.
Words continued appearing on the interface with cold precision:
[ Status ]
Host: Lin Tian
Realm: None
Physique: None
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Technique: None
Cultivation Arts: None
Talent: Mortal Grade
Spirit Roots: Mortal Grade
Linked Partners: 0
Harem Points: 0
His breath shook.
"What… what is this…?"
The screen didn't fade. It remained bright and centered, like it was waiting for him to speak again.
A new message appeared the moment confusion crossed his mind:
[ System Explanation]
This system elevates the Host through partner-linked cultivation.
Link → Share → Sex → Grow.
Lin Tian stared in disbelief. "…Partner-linked… what?"
The system continued as if he were a student being lectured:
[ A woman becomes a Linked Partner if she accepts a bond, marries the Host, or has sex with the Host, and compatibility triggers automatically, and the system authorizes the bond ]
He blinked several times.
"No… no, that can't be right. This is insane."
But the message didn't disappear.
[ Linked Partner Effects ]
Host receives 100% of the partner's cultivation progress
Host copies breakthroughs
Host copies comprehension
Host copies talent
Host copies physique
Host copies bloodline
Host copies spirit roots
Host copies cultivation arts progress
She grows → Host grows.
Lin Tian's mouth fell slightly open.
"That… that's impossible. That isn't how cultivation works. That isn't how anything works."
But the system didn't care about his understanding. It simply kept going.
[ Shared cultivation is stored. Stored gains require the Host to cultivate to apply them. Instant realm jumps are not possible. ]
He rubbed his temple with shaking fingers.
"So I can't just jump realms out of nowhere," he muttered, trying to ground himself. "I still need to cultivate. I still need…"
He stopped.
He couldn't cultivate.
He literally couldn't.
The system interrupted his spiraling thoughts:
[ The Host cannot cultivate normally. ]
[ Therefore, the system provides the only viable path to strength. ]
The words hit him harder than anything else.
He lowered his head slowly, eyes locked on the glowing screen.
"So… if I don't link with someone… if no partnership happens…"
He swallowed.
"I'll stay like this forever."
The system didn't soften the blow.
[ Linked Partners: 0 ]
[ No partners meet link conditions. ]
Lin Tian let out a shaky breath and slowly sat back on the bed. His hands rested uselessly against his thighs.
His mind went straight to Bai Xueya.
The quiet strength in her voice.
Her refusal to break the engagement.
Her steady eyes.
The way she stood beside him in the courtyard.
How close she had walked on the garden path.
Her faint scent when the breeze shifted.
Her voice when she said she wanted to understand him before choosing her future.
He clenched his jaw.
"So the system… needs a partner. A real partner. Not distance. Not pity. A bond."
The screen remained neutral.
Just cold, mechanical truth.
Lin Tian leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands pressed against his forehead.
"This is insane… this is impossible… how am I supposed to deal with this…?"
He let the questions spill into the darkness, but the room stayed silent.
Only the system remained awake with him.
Just before the interface dimmed, one final line appeared:
[ Awaiting first Linked Partner ]
The glow vanished.
The room returned to stillness.
Lin Tian lay back slowly, eyes open, heart pounding. Sleep was impossible now. His mind spun with fear, confusion, and something deep in his chest he didn't want to name.
He pressed his hand over his heart again.
He exhaled shakily into the quiet room.
"Bai Xueya… what are you supposed to be in my life now…?"
The night gave him no answer.
End of Chapter 5