(Still short by over three hundred votes to make the list! Cough, seeing this, Wan Yu truly feels the future looks bleak! If even the list can't be secured, it will simply be impossible to continue taking leave to write specially for everyone at home—she'll have to return to full-time work and resume updating at two thousand characters per chapter daily. Therefore, fellow readers who haven't voted yet or who don't particularly care about which book gets chosen—please vote for this one! With over six thousand bookmarks, having only this many votes simply doesn't make sense! Since not making the list, the book was originally scheduled to update one chapter—but considering the voting situation for other titles, a slightly shorter chapter has been posted instead, to gently encourage those who haven't voted yet to do so. Should the book still fail to make the list by tomorrow morning, Wan Yu will have no choice but to go back to work—after all, she still needs to support her family. With prices so high, money truly becomes a matter of survival!) Han Li walked a few steps and then heard someone calling him from afar. "Over here, Brother Han!" Upon hearing this, Han Li turned toward the source of the call and saw Wan Xiaoshan standing beside an elderly man in a green robe, continuously waving his hands to indicate. Han Li smiled slightly and hurried over. When he reached beside the elderly man, Wan Xiaoshan introduced him: "This is Qingyan, the True Person of Tai Nan Valley, who has been a close friend of my father. This small gathering of Tai Nan is being jointly hosted by him and several other senior figures." Upon hearing the young man's words, Han Li glanced carefully at Qingyan. The elder was tall and slender with broad shoulders and long arms, dressed in a refined green scholar's robe, exuding a distinctly serene, celestial aura. Yet his face, marked with numerous patches of gray and pale spots, was truly striking. Then, the young man turned to the elder and said: "Brother Han, I only recently met you outside the valley. Though you are a free practitioner, we have found our conversations particularly pleasant. I hope you will treat me with special care." At this moment, the elder gazed at Han Li carefully, then narrowed his eyes, saying to him, "Han Younger Brother, your wood-based cultivation technique is quite excellent! At your young age, you've already reached the eighth stage—such a level is rare even within established immortal families!" Upon hearing Qingyan's praise, Han Li felt a wave of quiet embarrassment. Without the constant intake of precious elixirs and medicinal herbs, how could he possibly have reached the eighth stage? He likely still hovered between the third and fourth levels! Nevertheless, he remained humble and modest, bowing slightly, "Your praise is truly generous, Master Qingyan. I'm merely fortunate." Qingyan nodded gently, saying nothing further, but turned instead to Wan Xiaoshan and said, "Young fellow, your other relatives have already arrived. They're all deeply concerned about you, and I've been asked to bring you to them immediately. Let's go now!" Upon hearing this, Wan Xiaoshan's face fell. "Are my seventh sister and ninth brother also here?" I simply dread their constant chatter—can't we just go without it?" Wan Xiaoshan looked at Qingyan Zhenshen with hopeful eyes. Qingyan Zhenshen frowned and said, "What do you think?" "Of course not!" Wan Xiaoshan sighed,低头 answering himself. "Hmph! You must have quite the nerve to sneak out on your family without telling them. If you happen upon any unscrupulous cultivators along the way, you'll likely lose several of your lives here!" Qingyan Zhenshen said this while casting a slight glance at Han Li. "This old man isn't very honest—his words clearly imply that he himself is such an unscrupulous cultivator, deliberately drawing near to this young Wan." Han Li, observing quietly from the side, naturally picked up the subtle hint in Qingyan Zhenshen's remarks. "Well, it's rare to meet such a candid young lord. I suppose we'll have to part ways for now! Otherwise, if Qingyan Zhenshen just throws a few little obstacles in my path, I'll end up with nothing but a bruised ego!" Han Li thought, feeling helpless. "Since Wan Brother is off to see his family, I'll just take this opportunity to wander around by myself. Perhaps later, when we have the chance, we can meet again and enjoy a drink together." Han Li bowed slightly to Wan Xiaoshan and Qingyan True Person. "Oh! Don't hurry off just yet—I still want to introduce you to..." "Han Younger Brother has his own matters to attend to," Wan Xiaoshan hurried to speak as Han Li was about to leave, only to be gently pulled aside by Qingyan True Person, who swiftly cut him off. Seeing this, Han Li smiled warmly at Wan Xiaoshan and then turned to continue walking toward the plaza. The young man, however, looked as though he were being escorted to the gallows, his face troubled, slowly following Qingyan True Person toward the pavilion. Han Li was quite at ease with being treated this way by Qingyan True Person! After all, any elder would naturally cast a skeptical eye upon a friend who suddenly appears in the life of their nephew or niece—especially within a prestigious immortal cultivation family like the Wan family. Yet, Han Li himself harbored no ill will toward Wan Xiaoshan; he simply wished to learn more about the immortal cultivation world from him. Unforeseen, however, was the firm resistance from Qingyan Zhenshen, forcing him to seek out other opportunities to make his way! As Han Li thought this, he gradually approached the square where the small stalls were set up. The stalls of the cultivators formed a loose, winding path resembling the character "Hui" (a "return" shape), stretching across a spacious area. Meanwhile, those browsing and selecting goods moved steadily between the open spaces flanked by stalls, their back-and-forth movements evoking a distinctly worldly atmosphere of commerce and trade. At this point, the sky had grown somewhat dim, yet the square was brightly lit. Most of the stalls now featured towering lanterns made of bronze, uniformly styled and exuding a classic, ancient charm, standing nearly a meter high. However, instead of containing wicks or oil, each lantern held a block of white stone, about the size of a clenched fist, radiating a soft, gentle glow. This light was far brighter than that of ordinary oil lamps—enough to illuminate the stalls beneath like daylight, and even making the nearby roads clearly visible. It was indeed a remarkable sight. Han Li, witnessing this, could not help but silently marvel, murmuring in admiration. Though it was already late, the number of people on the square had increased significantly. Not only had several new stalls been set up, but the crowd of shoppers had swelled considerably, with a large number of cultivators arriving at this moment, turning the area into a bustling, lively scene. Han Li approached the plaza slowly, yet did not immediately enter. Instead, he stayed nearby, observing the coming and going of the cultivators. Being so close, the appearances and attire of these cultivators truly opened Han Li's eyes. Some wore simple garments, covering only a few vital areas, while the rest of their bodies were bare. Others, on the other hand, were fully encased, their entire bodies concealed, with not a single patch of skin exposed—exactly the opposite of the former. Even more surprising, Han Li spotted a cultivator who, though clearly male in appearance, wore clothing and accessories typical of women, which made him feel momentarily nauseated. Fortunately, such unusual beings were not common. While most of the cultivators' attire was somewhat strange, Han Li found it generally acceptable. After observing them for a while, Han Li's expression suddenly changed, and a flash of light gleamed in his eyes! He noticed that both the vendors and the leisurely cultivators strolling around the square were all young people in their teens or twenties, and he had not yet seen a single person in their thirties. At this moment, the statement Wan Xiaoshan had made about the "Southern Minor Gathering," a biennial event specifically for the younger generation, came to mind. It seemed clear that the more senior cultivators, with greater experience, would not be present here, and that Qingyan True Person might only appear due to her official status as an organizer. Upon reflecting on this, Han Li felt a sense of relief. After all, the older cultivators were notoriously difficult to deal with, and if they decided to take action against him, it would surely be no less troublesome than dealing with a single ant. Nevertheless, even among these so-called younger cultivators, each one demonstrated considerable strength. In the crowd, cultivators like Han Li himself were only average, while those of exceptional skill—such as the blue-robed cultivator he had previously encountered—were far from rare. In a short while, Han Li had encountered five or six such masters, which left him deeply humbled.