The crowd here is so large that when they started the investigation, the queue at the market entrance naturally became very long, causing dissatisfaction among many cultivators.

Fortunately, the Lingshu Pill Sect hasn’t become tyrannical to the point of searching everyone. Instead, those entering and exiting need to undergo an array detection. Stand on it for the time of three breaths, and if no issues are found, you can leave.

Though when they discovered Elder Yan’s death, the market’s array was immediately fully activated, and the entrances and exits were sealed at once.

But there was ultimately a time delay between the "death" and the "sealing," and currently, the Pill Sect is unsure whether the traitor has already escaped the market or is still trapped inside.

All in all, from yesterday till now, the Pill Sect has dispatched three waves of pursuers one after another, but no news has come yet, so the market’s side cannot afford to be careless.

Upon realizing there was a demonic cultivator in the team, Gu Haitang, considering Chu Xuan’s sake, didn’t report Qingqing for the time being.

She also asked the stationed elder of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion how exactly the Pill Sect conducted their inspections.

According to the elder, though the traitor stabbed Elder Yan to death, he was injured by the "Green Cauldron Pill Fire" in return. Once this unique fire enters the body, it’s hard to eradicate, and the Pill Sect has set up the array to target this aspect.

Chu Xuan, upon hearing this, breathed a sigh of relief. Qingqing, though she hadn’t disclosed her sect or background, mentioned that ordinary arrays couldn’t detect the Demonic Qi within her.

This specific array was designed for the "Green Cauldron Pill Fire," so passing through shouldn’t be an issue. Gu Haitang doesn’t need to specially arrange for her a way around, which would raise more suspicion otherwise.

When they were leaving, the three lined up as usual: Gu Haitang at the front, followed by Qingqing, and then Chu Xuan at the end.

Shortly after, a woman dressed in a light blue dress hurried over, standing in line behind Chu Xuan.

As the queue slowly moved forward, the woman softly asked, "Fellow Daoist, your face seems familiar to me. Have we met somewhere before?"

Chu Xuan turned around in confusion. She was an ordinary-looking woman, and he had no impression of her, so he simply shook his head.

...

Soon, they were at the front. At the entrance of the market was a circular array emitting a green glow, heavily guarded by the Pill Sect’s cultivators.

The leading one was a Nascent Soul cultivator of the fourth realm; beside him lay a blue-colored unique beast resembling a qilin, with a single horn on its head, looking both fierce and dignified.

Chu Xuan was a bit surprised by that beast; its appearance resembled the legendary [Xiezhi].

It’s said that this divine beast can distinguish right from wrong, and if it finds a treacherous person, it would go forward to butt or devour them, making it a symbol of judicial justice since ancient times.

Even such a rare thing has been brought out; to be honest, the scale is quite grand. Chu Xuan was initially worried about Qingqing, but suddenly he started worrying about himself...

When it was Gu Haitang’s turn, she passed easily.

Next was Qingqing. After she stepped onto the array, there was no reaction from it, but suddenly!

The blue Xiezhi stood up, looking somewhat confusedly at Qingqing.

The surrounding Pill Sect cultivators immediately became tense, hinting at closing in, while the middle-aged Nascent Soul elder fixed a sharp gaze on Qingqing.

Not good, Chu Xuan gestured to the already exiting Haitang, preparing to come forward and diffuse the situation.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Qingqing glared at the Xiezhi, "What are you looking at?"

The Xiezhi hesitated, glanced at her chest area, and eventually retreated to lie down again.

The Pill Sect elder communicated with it secretly for a few moments, but the Xiezhi merely shook its head.

This delay caused the cultivators in line to grow clamorous, each grumbling and one even sarcastically said, "I think this Dongxian Market should be renamed Lingshu Market."

Thus, the Pill Sect elder had no choice but to wave his hand helplessly and say, "Let them pass."

Only then did Qingqing strut out of the market, showing no signs of tension at all, which made Chu Xuan admire her psychological resilience.

Next was Chu Xuan himself, and his results were very smooth, secretly letting out a breath of relief. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

After clearing this obstacle, the three were about to leave when suddenly another commotion arose from behind.

They turned back to see that it was quite similar to Qingqing’s situation. The woman in the blue dress stood on the array, which had no reaction, but the Xiezhi suddenly approached, showing hostility in its eyes.

The woman appeared somewhat innocent, and after exchanging glances with the Xiezhi for a moment, it suddenly retreated, baffling everyone around.

The Pill Sect elder had to communicate with the borrowed precious spirit beast again, and once more the Xiezhi shook its head repeatedly.

Seeing the waiting crowd growing more impatient, he had no choice but to wave them through again.

"Stop looking, let’s go." Qingqing urged.

Chu Xuan nodded, and the three immediately sword-controlled away, leaving the problem of the traitor for the Pill Sect to worry about.

...

After flying a distance away from the market, they landed once more.

Chu Xuan intended to walk the last stretch of the journey masquerading as a fortune teller, to experience the ways of the world.

The journey so far had brought him much peace of mind, allowing him to reflect calmly on past painful and tangled memories, which was very beneficial for Core Formation. Chu Xuan intended to form his core before participating in the Hundred Flowers Banquet, with no more delays.

As for Qin Mengyao taking three years to descend the mountain for training before forming her core, it didn’t mean she lacked talent but rather that her ambitions were high, and she formed her core only after completing the stage of "Inquiring the Dao Heart."

For a typical cultivator, consideration of this step only arises when breaking from the third to the fourth realm.