The cold in his arm was a living thing. It coiled around his bones, a slow, insistent ache that pulsed with every heartbeat. Lin Tian sat on the thin meditation mat, eyes closed, breathing in the stale air of his room. He focused on the rhythm, on the faint warmth of the bronze token in his pocket. Just hold. A few more hours.
A chime sounded in his mind, soft but impossible to ignore.
[System Alert.]
[High-Compatibility Partner Detected within Proximity.]
Lin Tian's eyes snapped open. His heart gave a hard, painful thump against his ribs. Not now.
A translucent screen flickered into view at the edge of his vision.
[Candidate Profile: Su Lan.]
[Affiliation: Azure Snow Sword Sect, Medical Hall. Direct Disciple of Elder Mei.]
[Cultivation: 8th Level, Elementary Spirit Realm.]
[Physique: Flowing Ember Body (Earth Grade).]
[Note: Opposing elemental alignment to Primary Linked Partner. Potential for synergistic balance detected.]
The System wasn't done.
