After talking with Yun Yun, Lin Tian headed back to the back courtyard.

There, he could see that the soul bonding process with the flame was nearly complete. The form of the Severing Azure Flame had transformed into a stream of qi circling around Luo Mei.

When he arrived, Cao Ying and the others turned and greeted him. "Everything is going smoothly."

"Has Mei’er experienced any qi surges?" Lin Tian asked, his tone flat.

"None so far," Cao Ying replied.

Lin Tian nodded. That was good news. But the soul bonding process with a flame wasn’t as simple as it looked, especially when the flame in question was a High-Grade Earth Flame.

Dissolving the flame’s form into spiritual qi had gone well, but there was one moment ahead that was enough to make him uneasy.

"The hardest part is coming," Lin Tian said, narrowing his eyes.

Shortly after, a wave of blue qi appeared and surged stronger than before. Not only did the qi burst, but the expression on Luo Mei’s face changed as well.

She winced in pain while holding her cross-legged meditation pose. Lin Tian looked ahead as the spiritual qi from the High-Grade Earth Flame began to slowly absorb into Luo Mei’s body.

At this moment, the synchronization between Luo Mei’s body and the powerful energy of the flame was taking place. If it succeeded, Luo Mei would be able to control the Severing Azure Flame.

If it failed, Luo Mei would suffer qi deviation and would need a full recovery.

Lin Tian sharpened his eyes and reached his hand forward, channeling his spiritual qi into the white rune array to suppress the flame’s aggressiveness and make it easier for Luo Mei to absorb it at the best possible rate.

"Is she going to be alright, Lin Tian?" Cao Ying asked.

The man beside her went quiet, then shook his head. That question could only truly be answered by Luo Mei herself.

It was her body that was in control, and it was her body that would determine whether she could absorb the Severing Azure Flame or not. Lin Tian’s role was purely to help make the absorption process safer and easier for her.

COUGH!

Luo Mei was hit by a far worse surge, enough to make her vomit blood. Wu Yue looked visibly anxious, her face lined with worry.

"Mei’er?"

"I can do this!" Luo Mei said firmly. "I can still hold on!"

"Please... don’t stop, Master Lin."

Lin Tian sharpened his eyes and nodded, continuing to pour his spiritual qi into suppressing the surge. Luo Mei had no intention of giving up. She was certain she could absorb the Severing Azure Flame.

Not long after, another intense and relentless qi burst came. Lin Tian’s full attention was on the girl. All of the spiritual qi from the Severing Azure Flame had been completely absorbed into Luo Mei’s body, with none of the warning signs that had appeared before.

"The soul bonding with the flame succeeded," Lin Tian said. "Now it’s time to fully settle the flame inside her body."

Lin Tian formed hand seals and carved a character into the air. He launched it forward, sending it into Luo Mei’s body through her forehead.

A white qi burst fired off, powerful enough to signal that the process of bonding the flame’s soul with Luo Mei’s body had been a success. Lin Tian smiled faintly, feeling relieved that the girl had made it through the dual soul bonding trial perfectly.

He swept his hand to the side and dissolved the white rune array. Luo Mei’s eyes opened and she stood on the ground with a steady footing.

Wu Yue hurried over to Luo Mei and checked on her condition. Luo Mei explained that she was a little tired, but she felt something warm settled inside her heart.

"The Severing Azure Flame has bonded with your soul and body. Simply by using the instinct of your mind, you can summon the flame the same way you would summon spiritual qi," Lin Tian said, walking toward her.

Curious, Luo Mei tried it, and she was genuinely surprised to see a blue flame burning in the palm of her hand. Lin Tian nodded with satisfaction. Wu Yue looked proud as well.

"So can I start refining pills right away?" Luo Mei asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Lin Tian glanced at Wu Yue. The woman held his gaze for a brief moment, then turned to look at Luo Mei.

"Yes. Aside from the flame, all the preparations are already in order. I’ll teach you how it’s done, Mei’er."

"Alright, Master Wu," Luo Mei replied.

Lin Tian turned and gave Cao Ying an important task. He ordered her to go to the Yunlan Sect and deliver his message for them to send the tribute the next day.

"The Yunlan Sect, huh? I’ll go," Cao Ying replied.

She vanished in an instant, a flash of red lightning. Lin Tian’s attention shifted to An Xiao. He asked her to keep watch over An Yue and Ya Fei’s training.

"Of course, Master Lin. I’ll keep an eye on them," An Xiao replied.

They each went their separate ways. Lin Tian himself returned to the main sect hall to cultivate.

That day, his spiritual qi had been drained considerably by two things: helping hold back the surge of lust in Yun Yun’s body and helping complete the soul bonding of the flame with Luo Mei.

There was only one thing Lin Tian could do that day, and that was cultivate and restore his energy. He hadn’t forgotten what he intended to do with Yun Yun at midnight.

After all, he would be using the Lingxian Sect’s secret technique to help suppress the surge of lust in Yun Yun’s body. Lin Tian could only hope the secret technique would be effective.

The day passed quickly and every disciple was kept busy with their activities. The Lingxian Sect had grown far more lively. Not only was everyone cultivating, disciples were also practicing techniques, arrays, and pill refinement.

With all that activity, time seemed to fly by without anyone noticing. The sun that had lit up the sky gave way to the soft glow of the moon at night.

Dinner was prepared and all the disciples enjoyed it. Lin Tian could see them even from inside the main sect hall.

Without expecting it, he sensed a strong qi aura arriving and entering the sect. The red flash stopped at the main sect hall and met with Lin Tian.

"How did it go, Cao Ying?"

"I met with Li Qingxue. They’ll deliver it tomorrow," Cao Ying replied.

"Good. You can head back and rest," Lin Tian said.

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything."

In an instant, Cao Ying flew off and left the main sect hall.

The night grew later. Dinner was over and the disciples had already retired to their dorms. But Lin Tian had not. He was still cultivating alone in the main hall, letting his body absorb spiritual qi.

In the middle of his cultivation, however, he was caught off guard by the presence of someone coming from the back courtyard. The qi aura radiating from them was on par with the Foundation Establishment stage.

There was a knock, and the door opened. Lin Tian opened his eyes and looked ahead. The woman who had come to the main sect hall in the dead of night was Wu Yue.

"What is it, Wu Yue?" Lin Tian asked, his tone flat.

"I want to apologize again for my selfishness the other day. I shouldn’t have refused the Earth Flame you brought, Master Lin," Wu Yue replied.

"I thought we were done with that matter," Lin Tian said.

Wu Yue went quiet for a moment, her head dropping. "For me... we’re not."

"What do you mean?" Lin Tian asked.

"Punishment."

"Give me a punishment so I understand... I can never act that selfishly again," Wu Yue said.

"Or maybe... something else?"

Lin Tian wasn’t sure what Wu Yue was getting at. But his eyes caught the strange movement of her hands clearly.

Her hands pulled open the tie of her robe and let her clothing fall, then removed the cloth covering her chest and lower body as well. Lin Tian’s eyes went wide, completely caught off guard.

"What if... I satisfy you tonight?" Wu Yue said softly.

"You don’t have to do something like that to—"

CREAK!

The door of the main sect hall suddenly swung open without Lin Tian expecting it. Wu Yue panicked and quickly grabbed her clothes. But it was already too late.

Yun Yun had come to the hall and found Wu Yue without her clothes, hands clutching her robe to cover her bare body, her eyes going wide with shock and her face flushing deep red.

"M-Master Wu...? Why are you...?" Yun Yun asked.

"No, Yun Yun. It’s not what you think," Wu Yue replied, panicked.

Lin Tian smiled watching them. It would be far too complicated to handle them one at a time, so a different idea came to him, one that would let Wu Yue stop carrying her guilt and bring down the surge of lust in Yun Yun at the same time.

"Alright, it seems I don’t have much of a choice," Lin Tian said.

"I’d look like a selfish sect leader if I couldn’t sort out both of your problems," Lin Tian added.

Yun Yun and Wu Yue turned and looked at Lin Tian at the same time. "What do you mean?"

Lin Tian raised his hand and summoned white qi, activating the illusion dome over the sect hall once more. "Let’s do this together tonight."