Hello,
Thank you for keeping in touch with us.
The fact you still have to flush the sitemap cache by changing the “Links Per Sitemap” option indicates that your sitemap is still cached from other software or plugin. Please ensure that your sitemap is excluded from any caching software by following this guide: https://rankmath.com/kb/exclude-sitemaps-from-caching/
Let us know how it goes. We are looking forward to helping you.
Hello,
Since we did not hear back from you for 15 days, we are assuming that you found the solution. We are closing this support ticket.
If you still need assistance or any other help, please feel free to open a new support ticket, and we will be more than happy to assist.
Thank you.