Lin Tian’s attention turned toward the Pill Refinement Hall building.

There, his eyes could see the qi auras of Luo Mei and Wu Yue.

The two were very close because Luo Mei wanted to absorb as much alchemy knowledge as possible from Wu Yue.

He asked An Xiao to take An Yue back to her dormitory to rest. An Yue said that she was fine, and her body would recover if she cultivated right away. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

An Xiao confirmed what her younger sister said.

She and An Yue would remain in the backyard and cultivate, especially to restore An Yue’s condition after Lin Tian had peeked into her memories earlier.

Lin Tian gave a short nod and did not force them.

He walked away from the backyard area and entered the Pill Refinement Hall.

He could enter easily without difficulty, even though the place was still bound by the formation Lin Tian had activated.

When he arrived inside the hall, Luo Mei immediately turned around and smiled faintly.

The woman stood upright, cupped her hands, and lowered her head.

"Greetings, Master Lin."

Lin Tian nodded in response to Luo Mei. He continued walking forward until Wu Yue stood up.

The closer Lin Tian came to her, the more Wu Yue, who was frightened, immediately stepped backward to distance herself.

I have a task to stop her from being afraid.

It seems I can’t keep intimidating her.

"W-What do you want?" Wu Yue asked, her voice stuttering.

The man raised his hand and summoned a wooden table, complete with a pot of green tea and two cups on top of it.

A faint smile spread across Lin Tian’s face.

"I didn’t come here to scare you. I need your help," Lin Tian replied.

"Can you leave for a moment, Mei’er?"

Luo Mei listened to Lin Tian. The woman nodded obediently and began walking out of the Pill Refinement Hall, leaving Lin Tian alone with Wu Yue.

Noticing that Wu Yue was still afraid of him, Lin Tian took the initiative and sat down in front of the table.

With spiritual qi manipulation, he lifted the teapot and poured green tea into two cups, one for Wu Yue and one for Lin Tian.

"What are you actually planning?" Wu Yue asked.

"Since you’ve been helping Luo Mei learn about herbal ingredients, I won’t hurt you," Lin Tian replied.

"Consider my kindness a reward for you," the man continued.

Wu Yue was still standing with sharp eyes. Her heart pounded quickly, while fear and unease still haunted her mind.

Her fear reached its peak when she saw Lin Tian come to the Pill Refinement Hall, a man who had already reached Mid Nascent Soul, a power Wu Yue could not oppose for now.

"Junior Luo Mei is interested in alchemy. I’m bored from being trapped here all the time, so her presence is quite entertaining for me," Wu Yue said.

"Sit down. You don’t need to be afraid of me," Lin Tian asked.

Wu Yue agreed, though she sat down with extreme caution.

She accepted her ceramic cup and drank the warm green tea inside.

There were no signs that Lin Tian would act aggressively toward her. Wu Yue thought that perhaps what Lin Tian said was true.

Lin Tian had not come to hurt her.

"What help do you need from me?" Wu Yue asked.

"There was a sect that pulled out the Natural Spiritual Veins of the Lingxian Sect while I was still in closed-door cultivation. I don’t know the name of their sect. I only remember the color of their robes."

"The first sect had full red sect robes. Meanwhile, the second sect had white and sky-blue sect robes," Lin Tian replied.

"So, the reason you came to the Pill Refinement Hall was to help me identify those sects?"

The man did not respond with words, only clearing his throat and giving a brief nod. Wu Yue sighed. The fear and worry she had felt earlier had been unfounded.

"There are many sects that choose red as the color of their robes, but only a few sects have white and sky-blue sect robes."

"However, to be able to pull out the Natural Spiritual Veins of a sect, I can assure you they are not small sects," Wu Yue revealed.

"Are they equal to the Hongtian Sect?" Lin Tian asked.

"Yes. Those two sects must be Mid-Grade sects, just like Hongtian."

"It’s possible that the culprit was the Hongtian Sect. Their robes are red," Wu Yue said.

Lin Tian shook his head. He had already destroyed the Hongtian Sect and was very familiar with their sect robes.

They were not the sect from An Yue’s memories.

"Give me a blank token," Wu Yue said.

The man looked confused. He tapped his bag of holding and summoned a blank token forward.

Wu Yue activated her spiritual qi light and carved characters into the air, which Lin Tian could read.

Every time she finished carving those characters, she threw them into the blank token before her.

In total, there were 12 sect names that she carved in the air.

Those 12 sect names entered the blank token, which was now filled with information.

"As far as I remember, those are the only sects with red robes. As for the sect with white and sky-blue robes, there are only two choices: Yuntian or Cangyun."

Lin Tian extended his hand and accepted the token. He also remembered the names of the two sects.

For the easier step, he would visit Yuntian or Cangyun first to confirm which one was the main culprit behind the theft of the Lingxian Sect’s Natural Spiritual Veins.

The man nodded and stored the token inside his bag of holding. He stood and cupped his hands, and Wu Yue did the same.

However, before Lin Tian left, Wu Yue called out to him.

"Master Lin Tian?" Wu Yue called.

Lin Tian stopped walking, then glanced back and carefully looked into Wu Yue’s eyes.

"What?"

"I’ve been trapped inside the Pill Refinement Hall for more than a year. I’ve seen your disciples, and I’ve even interacted with Luo Mei."

"I don’t hold any grudge against them. My grudge is only against you."

"If you are willing, I want you to release me from this formation prison," Wu Yue requested.

Lin Tian fell silent for a moment, staring sharply at Wu Yue.

The man did not know what Wu Yue was planning, but freeing her while she still held a grudge was a dangerous move.

She could threaten Lin Tian by using his disciples as hostages. Releasing Wu Yue was too risky.

However, Lin Tian felt conflicted. If he did not do something kind for Wu Yue, the woman would continue being trapped in fear and hatred.

"I will release you as long as you agree to my simple condition," Lin Tian said.

"What is it? I’ll do it as long as I can be free from here," Wu Yue replied.

"A restriction... seal!"