[Post it. Post it now. This is your best content yet. Trust me!]
"Lú Tǐ, shut up—"
Mei looked up. "Who's Lú Tǐ?"
SHIT...SHIT...
"Uh... That's... it's complicated."
[Tell her the truth! She's already invested in your cultivation path. She'll understand!]
Lin Wei took a breath. "Can I trust you with something secret?"
Mei nodded, eyes serious behind those glasses.
"The cultivation techniques I'm using... they actually come from a system. A Lust Qi cultivation system that bonded to me few days ago. It talks to me, gives me missions. That's how I'm healing my meridians faster."
He waited for her to laugh, to call him crazy.
Instead, Mei leaned forward, eyes wide with curiosity. "A system? Like the ones from ancient legends?"
"I... guess? It's called Lú Tǐ, It's insane and invasive and makes me do embarrassing things, but it works."
"Lú Tǐ, " Mei repeated slowly. Then: "That's why your content is so... focused on attention and attraction."
"The system converts attention into Lust Qi. The more people watch, the more power I gain. It's bizarre but effective."
Mei went completely quiet for a sec.
Then she said: "Can it help me too?"
[OH HELL YES.]
"Lú Tǐ says yes," Lin Wei said. "But I don't know exactly how it fully works yet, I've only had it for a while.."
"But the system wants me to post it," Lin Wei said reluctantly.
Mei peeked out from behind her hands. "What does the system say about it?"
"That the chemistry is 'undeniable' and subscribers will eat it up."
She smiled a little. "We do need the engagement for your cultivation to progress, and the data is genuinely valuable for my research and it's also not like we actually did anything inappropriate, we just stood close and synchronized Qi patterns..."
"So we post it?"
"We post it." Mei dropped her hands. "But I want to review all comments. If people are gross, we delete it immediately."
"Deal."
Lin Wei uploaded the video to his @TrashPhoenix account with shaking hands.
[UPLOADING...]
[VIDEO POSTED: "Modified Qi Circulation - Dual Demonstration ft. @MorningDewDisciple"]
[Duration: 6:47]
[Tags: #DualCultivation #QiResonance #AlternativeMethods #Research]**
[Current Views: 0]
As the waited, Mei started asking him questions about the system.... A lot.
[DING! First view!]
[DING! DING! DING!]
"Thank god." He thought.
The views started climbing, faster than any of Lin Wei's previous content.
[VIEWERS: 47]
[VIEWERS: 134]
[VIEWERS: 289]
The comments started rolling in:
[@OuterSectGossip: "WAIT. Is that LIBRARY MEI? The shy girl???"]
[@RandomFan: "Her Qi is HUGE. How has no one noticed she has this much power?"]
[@ThirstyDisciple: "The TENSION. Holy shit the tension."]
[@SeriousCultivator: "Setting aside everything else, this is legitimately fascinating research. The resonance visualization is remarkable."]
[@InnerSectJade: "Did they just accidentally demonstrate why dual cultivation is so powerful? Because that's what this looks like."]
[@DefenderOfJustice: "Everyone is focused on the chemistry but can we talk about how her Qi capacity is MASSIVE? She's been hiding this?"]
[@ConfusedDisciple: "Why do I feel like I'm interrupting something private?"]
[VIEWERS: 512]
"Five hundred people are watching this?" Mei whispered, face pale. "Right now, five hundred people just saw me... saw us..."
[@MeiSimp: "I've been in classes with her for two years and had NO IDEA she had this much talent."]
[@HuoLiang: "Trash Wei is corrupting another disciple now. Pathetic."]
[@DefenderOfJustice: "@HuoLiang She looks pretty willing to me. Also her cultivation just looks BETTER here than in any class demonstration. Maybe the problem isn't her."]
[VIEWERS: 634]
[CONGRATULATIONS! First collaboration success!]
[OPTIONAL MISSION COMPLETE: First Collaboration]
[REWARDS:]
- [Dual Cultivation Core (Dormant) - Close]
- [Partner Synchronization +1 (Mei Ling)]
- [+0.5 Attraction Rating (both of you)]
- [Subscriber boost incoming!]
- [Mei Ling's confidence +1 from positive feedback]
[NEW MECHANIC UNLOCKED: Partner Bonds]
[Mei Ling Bond Status:]
- Trust: 45% → 58% (successful collaboration)
- Attraction: 71% → 78% (physical resonance experienced)
- Emotional Connection: 62% → 70% (shared vulnerability)
- Synchronization: 15% (first resonance achieved)
"Look at the comments," Lin Wei said, scrolling through. "Most of them are impressed by your talent."
Mei read over his shoulder, her breath catching.
[@LibraryRegular: "MEI HAS FIRE QI?! I thought she was talentless!"]
[@ResearchDisciple: "This explains so much. She's not talentless—she has performance anxiety. Her Qi is incredibly pure."]
[@OuterSectGossip: "Someone get this girl actual training, she's wasting her potential in the library."]
"They think I have talent," Mei said softly. "They're not calling me talentless."
"Because you're not talentless, you're brilliant and now they can see it."
Mei's eyes were wet behind her glasses. "I've spent years being called worthless, being dismissed and one video with you changes that?"
"The video just showed what was always there, you did this."
She wiped her eyes quickly. "This is overwhelming."
[@MorningDewDisciple: "Thank you all for the kind comments. This research is important to me. -Mei"]
Her comment immediately got dozens of responses:
[@SeriousCultivator: "Please post more research content. This is valuable."]
[@RandomFan: "You and TrashPhoenix have amazing Qi resonance. Collaborate more!"]
[@ThirstyDisciple: "Okay but are you two DATING or...?"]
Mei made a strangled sound. "They think we're dating."
"We're research partners," Lin Wei said quickly. "That's all."
"Right... research partners." Mei stood up abruptly. "I should go, I have library duties and I need to... process this. All of this."
"Mei, wait—"
She was already gathering her materials. "This was good productive. The data is excellent, we should do this again. For research."
"For research," Lin Wei echoed.
She stopped at the door, not looking at him. "The resonance was real, right? I didn't imagine it?"
"It was real, I felt it too."
"Good, that's... that's good data." She finally looked back at him, her expression complicated. Tomorrow?"
"You want to collaborate again?"
"The research requires multiple data points and your duel is in thirteen days. We need to optimize your cultivation as much as possible." She paused. "Plus, I liked it. The resonance It felt... safe."
Before Lin Wei could respond, she slipped out the door and disappeared into the morning crowd.
[SHE LIKED IT. She wants to do it again tomorrow, do you understand what this means?]
"What does it mean?"
[It means she's INVESTED. Emotionally and intellectually, she's your first real partner candidate, and she's choosing to pursue this despite her anxiety. This is HUGE character development for her!]
Lin Wei sat back down, processing everything that had just happened.
His communication jade was going insane with notifications.
[+287 new subscribers during video]
[Current total: 904 subscribers]
[Mei Ling gained 143 new followers on her personal account]
[Your Dual Cultivation Core is now active (dormant state)]
[Meridian Integrity: 33% → 35% (resonance healing effect)]
[You can now sense Mei's location within 100 meters (partner bond effect)]
[Achievement: "First Partner Bond Established"]
[Achievement: "Made Someone's Hidden Talent Visible"]
[Achievement: "Accidental Dating Rumors"]
Nine hundred and four subscribers.
A partner bond forming with Mei.
Dual cultivation core unlocked.
And thirteen days until he had to fight Huo Liang.
[Great progress, Host! Your cultivation speed just doubled thanks to the partner bond. Now you need to convince her to do MORE resonance training. Preferably daily. The more you synchronize, the stronger you both get!]
"She's coming back tomorrow."
[I know! I can sense the partner bond too! She's 47 meters away right now, walking toward the library. Her heart rate is still elevated. She's thinking about you. This is EXCELLENT development!]
"Stop monitoring her heart rate, that's invasive."
[It's not invasive if she's bonded to you! That's how partner bonds work! You'll be able to sense each other's general state once the synchronization increases. It's a feature, not a bug!]
Lin Wei pulled up the video again, watching the moment when they'd resonated, the golden threads of energy connecting them. The look on both their faces—surprise, wonder, something that looked a lot like desire.
The comments were right, they did look like they were about to kiss.
And honestly? He'd wanted to.
[OH YOU FINALLY ADMIT IT! You're attracted to her! This is progress!]
"Shut up."
[No! This is great! You SHOULD be attracted to her! She's smart, kind, shares your goals, and has incredible Qi resonance with you! The system matchmaking was PERFECT!]
"You didn't matchmake, we met by accident."
[I guided you to check your messages. I encouraged the library meeting. I optimized the camera angles for maximum chemistry. I absolutely matchmade. You're welcome!]
Lin Wei couldn't even argue. The system was right.
He pulled up Mei's profile in the partner bond interface:
[PARTNER BOND: MEI LING]
Status: Research Partner (Evolving toward romantic interest)
Synchronization: 15%
Trust: 58%
Attraction: 78% (mutual, but both too nervous to act)
Benefits:
- +25% cultivation speed when training together
- Passive meridian healing through resonance
- Emotional support (reduces anxiety penalties)
- Can sense partner's general location and emotional state
Next Milestone: 30% synchronization (unlocks basic dual cultivation techniques)
Recommended Actions:
- Daily resonance training
- Build emotional intimacy through shared vulnerability
- Physical contact increases synchronization speed
- DO NOT rush into sexual intimacy (she needs trust first)
"Thirty percent for dual cultivation?" Lin Wei said aloud.
[Basic dual cultivation. The entry-level stuff. Full dual cultivation requires 60% synchronization minimum. You're at 15% now, with daily training you could hit 30% in about a week maybe less if you're brave enough to actually touch each other without panicking.]
"This feels manipulative, using cultivation mechanics to develop a relationship."
[HOST. Listen to me carefully. You are not USING herbecause you're both genuinely attracted to each other. The cultivation bond just helps you recognize and develop that attraction naturally. This is how Lust path cultivation WORKS—it builds on real connection, real desire. You can't fake this. The resonance proved that, your energies wouldn't synchronize if there wasn't genuine compatibility.]**
Lin Wei wanted to argue, but even he couldn't. The resonance had felt real and natural.
And Mei had said she liked it. That it felt safe.
[Exactly! Now stop overthinking and start planning tomorrow's training session. You have thirteen days to get strong enough to survive Huo Liang and the fastest way to do that is through partner cultivation with Mei. So get comfortable with the idea of working closely with a girl you're attracted to, because that's your life now!]
Lin Wei checked the video one more time, and the view count was still climbing.
[VIEWERS: 1,247]
[COMMENTS: 534]
His first collaboration with Mei had gone viral.
And tomorrow, they'd do it again.
He just had to survive the awkwardness and the growing realization that "research partners" was becoming a flimsy excuse for something much more complicated.