After a month, Merin steps out of retreat, his aura steadier, his body firmer, his lifespan extended by a hundred years. The five elemental spiritual stones in his acupoint space now shine with greater brilliance, harmonising his foundation.
A female servant bows as she approaches.
"Lord, during your retreat, many people asked for you."
Merin nods calmly.
"Who are they?"
The servant presents a list with both hands.
"They are written here."
Merin scans the names. Most are of no interest to him—elders, young geniuses, nobles trying to forge ties. His eyes skim indifferently, until one name stills him. Xiao Yun. He has already decided to skip. But then his gaze freezes.
Mu Jingyi.
It has been five years since he last saw her. Five years since she left the empire. At the time, she had asked him to follow, but he had refused.
"Inform her that I wish to meet her," Merin says.
Moments later, inside a private meeting room of the Array Association, the door closes behind them.
Without hesitation, Merin pulls Mu Jingyi into his arms, lips pressing against hers. She responds, kissing back with equal fire—until she places her palm on his chest and pushes him away.
Breathing hard, she steadies herself.
"I have an important matter to discuss."
Merin, perched lazily on the table, tugs her between his legs. His lips brush against the nape of her neck.
"What important matter could it be?"
Mu Jingyi's voice trembles, yet carries weight.
"Our daughter."
Merin lifts his head sharply, leaning back to search her face.
"…I have a daughter?"
She nods.
"The last time we were together… we didn't use the double cultivation method. I conceived."
Merin's mind ticks through the years. That would make her his seventh child.
"What happened to her?"
Mu Jingyi's expression hardens.
"She was sent to the Sanji Fire Sect."
Merin frowns. His knowledge of the Central Continent is limited.
"Is there something wrong with the Three Fire Sect?"
Mu Jingyi shakes her head, eyes clouded with worry.
"She has been chosen to become a fire priestess. And when she reaches adulthood… she will be sacrificed to the Sanji Spiritual Fire."
Merin's aura shifts, silent and cold.
He moves her gently aside, strides to the door, and pushes it open. The female servant still waits in the hallway.
Merin signals her with a flick of his hand.
"Come in."
The servant enters, head lowered. Merin speaks of the matter, his tone calm yet edged with steel. She listens, then bows deeply.
"Lord, the great elder of Sanji Fire Sect is a cultivator of Saint Rank. Sanji Fire Sect would never dare to sacrifice your daughter. We only need to inform them of her parentage. They will handle the rest."
Merin's eyes narrow.
"Then inform them."
The next day, a dignified figure descends upon the Array Association—the great elder of Sanji Fire Sect himself. By his side stands a young girl with bright eyes and fiery aura, her features mirroring both Merin and Mu Jingyi.
Merin studies her carefully. His daughter. The pulse of her qi reveals a natural fire constitution, one perfectly in tune with the sect's heritage.
The elder clasps his hands.
"We hope Lin Xue remains within our sect. She is a peerless fit for the fire path. We will name her the Holy Child."
Merin's gaze shifts to Mu Jingyi. If she objects, he will say no. But Mu Jingyi meets his eyes, then nods softly.
He relents, knowing he lacks the time now to guide Lin Xue personally.
After gentle words are exchanged with his daughter, Merin turns to the great elder.
"Then I ask one thing in return. A wisp of the Sanji Spiritual Fire."
The elder hesitates, then smiles faintly.
"You are qualified."
From deep within his body, he draws forth a flame—transparent, yet radiant with boundless heat. With great care, he places it into Merin's palm.
When they depart, Mu Jingyi and Lin Xue follow the elder back to the Sanji Fire Sect.
Silence settles over the room once more.
Merin turns, his mind shifting to the next matter.
It is time to meet Xiao Yun, and Merin soon learns the man seeks his aid in obtaining a spiritual fire—the Dream Spiritual Fire.
Merin agrees without hesitation, for the flame relates to the profound Law of Dream; he is curious about the combination of the Law of Dream and the Law of Fire.
"I would need a wisp from the spiritual fire," he states firmly.
Xiao Yun inclines his head.
"Agreed. Two days later, at dawn, meet me in front of the space passage."
With that, Xiao Yun departs, leaving Merin to his own thoughts.
Merin then inquires about obtaining the best spiritual stone and discovers that only by becoming a certified Saint-rank Array Master can one qualify.
Two days is all he has, but that time proves enough. He enters the Array Master Hall, takes the rigorous test, and passes, officially certified as a Saint-rank Array Master.
With the recognition comes access—he exchanges merit for precious Saint-rank array diagrams and books, carefully storing them within his space ring.
When dawn arrives, he walks to the space passage, finding Xiao Yun waiting with two other men.
"Lin Ye, this is Meng Ji and Shen Shi," Xiao Yun introduces with a calm smile.
The four stepped into the glowing passage, and in an instant, their figures reappeared in Mengyuan Town, set on the edge of the vast Dream Mist Forest.
There, Xiao Yun explains they must wait two more days, for two more will join them.
Merin accepts, and while time passes, he remains in his inn chamber, opening the Saint-rank array diagrams and books, diving into their mysteries.
Two days later, their group gathers again as two women arrive, bearing graceful.
They introduce themselves as descendants of the Dream Butterfly Tribe, a clan that once dwelled within the Dream Mist Forest and worshipped the Dream Spiritual Fire.
But two centuries ago, an evil creature corrupted the sacred flame, twisting the mist into a poisonous shroud that dragged intruders into endless dreams, forcing the tribe to abandon their ancestral land.
Now, the Dream Butterfly Tribe has forged a solution to resist the poison.
One of the women steps forward, her hand opening to reveal delicate necklaces carved with dream patterns.
She gives one to each of them, and with the necklaces hanging at their throats, the group steps into the thick veil of the Dream Mist Forest.
Merin, however, lingers behind, his figure hidden by the fog, and silently removes the necklace.
Immediately, he feels a strange force tugging at his consciousness, but with his comprehension of the Law of Dream, the pull is nothing more than a weak ripple, unable to shake him.
When night falls and they make camp, Merin finally loosens his guard, closing his eyes and allowing the pull to drag him under.
In the next breath, he awakens inside a vast room where veiled women sway in an endless dance, their laughter echoing like chimes.
He instantly knows he is trapped inside another's dream space.
Without hesitation, he spreads out his own dream space, the two overlapping realms colliding, and the clash begins.
Illusions shatter, realities twist, and wills grind against each other until, at last, the battle ends in a stalemate.
The enemy's dream space shatters away into the void, fleeing beyond his grasp, and Merin's consciousness snaps back into his body.
At dawn, they continue their trek through the mist, and after two more days of travel, the fog thins, revealing the broken stones of a ruined town.
From one of the women, Meng Yanyu of the Dream Butterfly Tribe, he learns this ruined place was once the proud residence of the Dream Tribe.
Stepping into the broken streets, the group is ambushed by twisted monsters lurking in the mist. Steel and spiritual light flash as they cut through wave after wave, fighting their way deeper until at last they reach the heart of the town.
There, on a crumbling altar, a violet flame burns.
The fire trembles, shifting, and in a breath, it takes the shape of a woman, releasing an overwhelming aura of Saint-rank that crashes down on them like a mountain.
None of them flinches. Not one among them has truly stepped into Saint-rank, yet every person here is a genius whose strength defies realms. Alone, they cannot stand against a saint, but together, they can.
The battle erupts, their combined power pressing against the flame-spirit. Amidst the clash, Merin swiftly sets an array across the altar, inscribing runes into the ground so the spiritual flame cannot escape.
With a sharp command, he activates the formation. Everyone but Xiao Yun moves to the perimeter, channelling their energy into the array under Merin's guidance. The formation responds, four radiant chains erupting outward.
Each chain arcs with force before plunging into the flame-spirit, its hooked ends embedding deep into its burning form, holding it in place.
At that moment, Xiao Yun steps forward, running his cultivation art. The dream flame trembles as he draws it in, refining its essence into his body.
His cultivation soars—first breaking through from the peak of five-turn Dao-Casting to half-step Saint, then into initial Saint, and finally stabilising at intermediate Saint rank.
When the blaze settles within him, Xiao Yun turns and releases two small wisps of the Dream Spiritual Flame, giving one to Merin and the other to Meng Yanyu.
With their goal achieved, the group leaves the forest, and their paths split.
Merin alone returns to Yulan City. There, he begins his deep comprehension of the Dream Spiritual Fire, while continuing his tasks for the association and studying the saint-rank array diagrams and books he obtained.