"Yes, hopefully we can gain something." Han Li said, looking into the distance.

Chief Xi Yan quickly brought nearly a thousand books and some jade slips, mostly books, with the jade slips being rather rare.

It seemed that few in the Gray Lizard Tribe liked to read, and these books were not well preserved, with many covered in dust and even damaged in places.

Chief Xi Yan was quite ashamed and apologized repeatedly. Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong naturally didn't care about such trivial matters and quickly dismissed him.

These books covered a wide range of topics, and the two wanted to learn about the Gray Realm from all aspects.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, the Gray Lizard Tribe set off again, but the direction of travel was slightly adjusted.

Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong stayed in the chief's tent the entire time, never leaving, maintaining the distance of high-ranking nobles, while carefully studying the books.

The two were like sponges, frantically absorbing all the information about the Gray Realm.

Time flew by, and more than three years passed in the blink of an eye.

After a long journey, the Gray Lizard Tribe finally reached their destination, Boling Lake.

Boling Lake is located in the central region of the June Grassland, covering a vast area of tens of thousands of miles. It is named after Boling Stones, a special crystal produced in the lake.

"This is Boling Lake!" Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong stood in the tent, looking at the huge lake in front of them.

The water in Boling Lake was extremely clear, and a few scattered white birds swam slowly on the water. A gentle breeze blew across the lake, causing ripples on the surface.

Han Li took a deep breath. Apart from its somewhat monotonous color, Boling Lake gave people a sense of openness, much like some of the vast lakes in the Immortal World.

A moist aura swept over, invigorating the mind.

On a huge open space south of the lake, tens of thousands of people gathered. Although there was still some time before the Tarmuda Convention, most of the tribes had already arrived.

A white cloud suddenly flew over and stopped in front of the Gray Lizard Tribe.

Standing on the white cloud were several figures wearing white robes. These people all had human bodies and bird heads, with bright eyes shining with crystalline light.

The white robes they wore were made of extraordinary materials and embroidered with various patterns, glittering and shining, more than ten times better than the Gray Lizard Tribe's attire.

The leading tall youth had a powerful aura, having already reached the True Immortal Realm.

This person's face had no feathers, and his cheeks were smooth. His facial features were already quite similar to human form, but his nose was still a bit long, and his eyes were somewhat sunken, giving a cold and arrogant feeling.

"Are you the Gray Lizard Tribe?" the tall youth asked, sweeping his gaze over the Gray Lizard Tribe with a condescending tone.

"I am Xi Yan of the Gray Lizard Tribe, greetings, Envoy Miao." Xi Yan hurriedly flew out and bowed to the tall youth, clearly recognizing him.

"Xi Feng, who is this person?" Han Li called over a Gray Lizard Tribe member from outside the tent and asked.

This person was a Combination Realm elder of the Gray Lizard Tribe, sent by Chief Xi Yan to serve and explain the various matters of the convention to Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong.

"Reporting to the two Immortals, his name is Miao Kui, and he is an Enforcement Envoy under Lord San Miao." Elder Xi Feng said respectfully.

"So he's from Lord San Miao, no wonder he's putting on such a show." Han Li smiled faintly, unconcerned.

...

"The Tarmuda Convention is only two months away, you Gray Lizard Tribe really came early. The good spots at the venue have mostly been taken by other tribes." The tall youth glanced at Xi Yan and said indifferently.

"What, only two months? But according to past practice, the convention should start in at least a year?" Chief Xi Yan's expression changed, and he exclaimed.

In order not to affect the order of the Tarmuda Convention, the tribes' encampment areas and locations in the trading area were all predetermined and corresponded one-to-one.

The encampment area didn't matter much, but the position of the trading area greatly affected sales.

"Lord San Miao has ordered that this convention be held early. What, does Lord San Miao's order need your opinion?" the tall youth sneered.

"Dare not, dare not, I misspoke, please don't blame me, Envoy Miao. This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it and arrange a better spot for our Gray Lizard Tribe." Chief Xi Yan hurriedly apologized.

As he spoke, he stepped forward and took out a small black bag, stuffing it into the tall youth's hand.

The tall youth scanned the bag with his divine sense, and his expression eased slightly.

"The good places have already been taken. How about this, Area Twenty-Two is still unused, let's give it to your Gray Lizard Tribe." The tall youth took out a white jade token and threw it to Xi Yan.

"Thank you, Envoy," Xi Yan said, his expression easing slightly, as he accepted the jade token and cupped his hands in thanks.

The tall youth waved his hand, and the white cloud团光芒闪动, with a whoosh.

Xi Yan watched them leave, sighed softly, waved his hand, and led the Gray Lizard Tribe towards a certain direction, soon arriving at the designated encampment area.

This place was not too far back, but it certainly wasn't a good spot. One tribe after another was lined up in front, and the Gray Lizard Tribe's position was very inconspicuous.

Inside the tent, Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong looked at the surrounding tribes.

The various forms of these tribes opened their eyes.

There were already twenty or thirty tribes that had arrived.

Moreover, the scale of these nearby tribes was quite large. Whether in terms of numbers or the number of experts in the tribe, they were all above the Gray Lizard Tribe. Most tribes had True Immortal Realm experts.

In comparison, the Gray Lizard Tribe was much weaker.

Han Li smiled faintly, not caring, and turned his gaze to another huge open space by the lake.

There were also areas divided there, with stalls in each area, filled with various items, which seemed to be the trading area for the tribes.

Countless figures moved about there, it was very lively.

Han Li's eyes lit up, and Shi Chuan Kong also looked over there.

The Gray Lizard Tribe's team suddenly stopped, and another team suddenly appeared in front, blocking the road.

"Oh, isn't this Chief Xi Yan? It's been over a hundred years, how come your Gray Lizard Tribe still has so few people? It seems like there's been no development at all. The once mighty Gray Lizard Tribe has really fallen into decline, truly... tsk, tsk." A harsh voice sounded, and a middle-aged ugly man with scales on his face walked out from the front team.

The man's cheeks were long and sunken, but his nose was very flat, and his eyes were narrow, making him look extremely ugly.

Although this person was ugly, his cultivation had already reached the True Immortal Realm. Although he was only at the early stage of the True Immortal Realm, he was stronger than everyone in the Gray Lizard Tribe.

"Yun Zhao, what happens to our Gray Lizard Tribe has nothing to do with you, get out of the way!" Xi Yan said coldly, his expression unsightly.

"Hehe, how can you say it has nothing to do with me? You and I were rivals back then. It's really difficult for me to see the Gray Lizard Tribe like this." The middle-aged man said with a mocking expression, not intending to move aside at all.

Xi Yan's face was livid, but he remained silent.

The surrounding tribes saw the situation and looked over, but no one came forward to dissuade them. Instead, most of them had a look of schadenfreude.

"Xi Feng, who is this person?" Inside the tent, Han Li asked slowly.

"Reporting to the Immortal, that person is Yun Zhao, the chief of the E Snake Tribe. The E Snake Tribe and our Gray Lizard Tribe had some disputes over a mine back then, and formed a feud. This person is vindictive and will come to make trouble every Tarmuda Convention." Xi Feng's face was also unusually unsightly, and he said.

"With the strength of your Gray Lizard Tribe, you dare to fight with them?" Han Li asked curiously.

"This... to be honest, Immortal, Chief Xi Yan was originally a True Immortal Realm cultivator, and our Gray Lizard Tribe also had two Mahayana Elders, but hundreds of years ago, our tribe was attacked by an extremely powerful True Immortal Realm gray beast. The two Mahayana Elders fell, and the chief was also seriously injured. Although he was saved, his strength was greatly damaged, and he fell to the Mahayana stage. Otherwise, how could our Gray Lizard Tribe have fallen to its current state." Xi Feng's face flushed red, and he defended himself.

"Oh, I see." Han Li nodded slightly.

While Han Li was talking to Xi Feng, the E Snake Tribe chief was still blocking the way, not moving aside.

"Yun Zhao, I don't feel like arguing with you today. The Tarmuda Convention is hosted by Lord San Miao. You're deliberately blocking here, not letting our tribe enter. Could it be that you don't take Lord San Miao's orders seriously?" Xi Yan took a deep breath and said slowly.

"Chief Xi Yan, why do you say that? How dare I disobey Lord San Miao's order? I just saw an acquaintance and came over to say hello, why does Chief Xi Yan have to reject people so far away? Could it be that you're afraid of little old me?" Yun Zhao's face slightly froze when he heard Lord San Miao's name, then he laughed loudly.

The surrounding tribes that were watching the show also laughed loudly, pointing at the Gray Lizard Tribe.

"You..." Xi Yan's face was filled with shame and anger.

The Gray Lizard Tribe members all had unsightly expressions.

Han Li frowned slightly at this scene.

Inside the tent, Xi Feng's face was livid, and his whole body was trembling with anger. He suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to Han Li: "Immortal, the E Snake Tribe is bullying us too much, can you take action..."

Han Li glanced at Xi Feng and turned to walk inside.

Xi Feng's face suddenly turned pale. If Han Li didn't care about this matter, the Gray Lizard Tribe would really lose face today.

"Xi Yan, quickly arrange everything. I don't have time to waste here with you and some ridiculous fools." Han Li sat down in the tent and said.

Although his voice was not loud, it echoed like rolling thunder, attracting everyone's attention.

When the surrounding people heard this voice, some who were knowledgeable immediately put away their mocking expressions.

Yun Zhao also frowned.

When Xi Yan heard Han Li's reprimanding voice, he was overjoyed. He turned around and bowed in the direction of the tent, saying, "Yes! Immortal, don't worry."

"Yun Zhao, get out of the way, I have things to do and don't have time to argue with you here." Xi Yan turned to look at Yun Zhao and said coldly, his aura and attitude completely different from before.

"Oh, you've become tough as soon as you have someone backing you, truly a qualified lackey. Who exactly have you invited? Why don't you call them out and let us all see just how much they weigh!" Yun Zhao's eyes flickered, and a sneer appeared on his face again as he looked at the tent.

When some clever people nearby heard this, they couldn't help but curse Yun Zhao for being cunning and shameless, actually wanting to drag everyone into the water.

(Wishing all fellow Daoists: Happy New Year! Good luck! Everything goes well! May all your wishes come true ^^)