Yet, everyone present found the reasoning quite sound. Such a spirit, towering above the mundane and sought after across the land, could hardly be brewed easily! This initial batch, then, was only reasonable.

"Since this is a one-time offering, what is the total quantity for this batch?" The person who posed this question surprised everyone, for it was Princess Lingmeng, who was known for rarely indulging in alcohol and hadn't even tasted it moments before.

Tang Yuan shot her a look of surprise but answered nonetheless: "For this auction, there are a total of three thousand jars of Heavenly Grade fine wine! Regardless of the final price achieved, this Heavenly Grade wine will be but a fleeting vision in this assembly—every sip taken means one less jar left. Once it's gone, it is gone forever!"

"Three thousand jars!" Many seasoned drinkers among the crowd gasped. Three thousand jars seemed like a substantial number, perhaps even quite large. But one must not forget that a hundred people were participating in this auction; distributed among a hundred individuals, each could receive at most thirty jars.

Yet, the purchase limit for each person was set at fifty jars. Furthermore, the Royal Family and the great noble houses would certainly move first, absolutely unwilling to leave empty-handed. It was highly probable that only after these established powers concluded their bidding would it be the turn of the others, and there were at least a dozen such major factions, likely consuming over eight hundred jars between them!

This meant that the remaining eighty-plus attendees could, at best, compete for the remaining two thousand two hundred jars! This clearly signaled that many people would fail to secure even a single jar of this Heavenly Grade wine this time around! And if they missed out now, they might lose the chance to taste this marvelous wine for the rest of their lives!

The ensuing competition among the merchants would inevitably be fierce beyond precedent! Many clenched their fists secretly, eagerly awaiting the moment to shout their bids.

"The auction now officially begins. The first lot up for auction is fifty jars of fine wine! The winner claims all." Tang Yuan’s flesh jiggled with obvious delight; he felt that the most glorious moment of his life was here, raising the gavel.

"I bid one million taels of silver for these fifty jars!" a voice boomed out, immediately doubling the price on the very first bid! This caused silent distress among those further back: Good heavens, this is only the first round, don't play like this! If you bid like this, won't the price skyrocket by the time it’s our turn?

From the third row, the speaker slowly stood up, clad in a blue robe that seemed to undulate like the vast, restless ocean. As he rose, the crowd felt as if a boundless azure sea had suddenly materialized before them.

The man smiled leisurely, "I am Hai Chenfeng, the leader of the Jinyang Gang in Tianxiang City. I have always been a hopeless drunkard; such Heavenly Grade fine wine is a must-have for me, no matter the cost. One million taels of silver is hardly a significant sum for anyone present. I ask everyone to grant the Hai family some face; the Hai family thanks you in advance."

Hai Chenfeng was, of course, a pawn arranged by Jun Moxie as a contingency. Now was the time for him to step forward and bear the initial barrage.

Naturally, he stepped forward for another reason as well: to publicly declare that the leadership of the Jinyang Gang, Tianben City’s foremost martial organization, had changed hands, and that this esteemed Gang Leader Hai had officially entered the ranks of the upper echelon figures of the Tianxiang Empire due to this gathering.

As Hai Chenfeng rose, he instantly drew the attention of many, clinging to him like iron filings to a magnet. Hai Chenfeng stood unmoving as a mountain, yet his complexion was a shade too pale, bordering on unhealthy. This made Jun Moxie, observing from the upper floor, slightly puzzled: Could this Tianxuan master have suffered another severe injury in just these last couple of days? That seemed far too frequent! He thought he’d need to incentivize him later, raising his strength by at least one or two levels, or he simply wouldn't feel secure enough!

Only a supreme master like Jun Mo would dare to utter such words—casually increasing the strength of a Tianxuan realm expert by one or two levels! Who would ever believe such a claim?!

The three princes and the leaders of the great noble families all turned their focus. They were already aware that the leadership of the Jinyang Gang in Tianxiang City had changed, but none had expected the new leader to be such an unfathomably profound Tianxuan expert!

After all, Shenxuan masters inherently held themselves in extremely high regard and rarely involved themselves in worldly affairs. Below them came the Tianxuan realm, the backbone of the continent's visible power structure. Take the Tang family, for example, one of the largest families in the Tianxiang Empire; even their strongest member was only at the peak of the Dixuan realm. For a Tianxuan expert to take charge of a martial organization—even if it was supposedly the number one underground faction in Tianxiang—seemed terribly beneath their status. Everyone found it utterly baffling!

However, given his status as a Tianxuan expert, it seemed justifiable for others to concede this initial lot of fifty jars of wine. For a time, indeed, no one dared to enter the bidding.

Just as the matter seemed settled, unexpectedly, a young gentleman in plain green stepped up from the second row. Although his face was covered by a veil, his bearing was calm and elegant; every movement was pleasing to the eye, conveying a sense of supreme grace, as if all the world’s elegance could be found embodied in him—a textbook example of refinement.

This young man in green was none other than Li Youran, the eldest son of the Li family! This was the first time in many years that Li Youran had appeared in such a formal public setting!

"I bid one million five hundred thousand taels," Li Youran’s voice, laced with a smile, flowed like a gentle autumn breeze through the woods, carrying no hint of worldly disturbance. "Such Heavenly Grade wine, and being the first batch auctioned, carries significant meaning. This young master is also deeply captivated by this wine; I hope Gang Leader Hai will forgive my presumption!"

Li Youran’s smiling gaze fell upon Hai Chenfeng, appearing appreciative. Yet, his true inner feelings remained completely hidden.

The night before last, his two senior brothers were dispatched for the first time but returned grievously wounded—the one who inflicted the injuries was precisely this newly appointed leader of the Jinyang Gang! Although it was rumored to have been a mutual injury, how could Li Youran now allow Hai Chenfeng to bid so smoothly and successfully? Furthermore, his Eldest Senior Brother stood right behind him.

Li Youran’s plan was likely to disrupt Hai Chenfeng’s momentum, while simultaneously testing the financial capacity of the Jinyang Gang and several other underground factions. Given that consumption in this district easily ran into millions of taels, if Hai Chenfeng was merely rash and kept bidding recklessly, Li Youran could choose a strategic moment to withdraw, forcing the new Jinyang Gang leader to suffer significant financial losses, serving as a small revenge for his two senior brothers!

"So, Young Master Li is also a connoisseur of fine wine?" Hai Chenfeng chuckled, "That is fine. Survival of the fittest, the highest bidder wins. Since that is the case, I shall add a bit more. Three million taels!"

Hai Chenfeng never cared about silver; moreover, the Jinyang Gang now earned money for Jun Moxie. No matter what price Li Youran named, Hai Chenfeng could match it. However, past a certain point... At the current price, Li Youran's bid was not excessively high, and aside from himself, perhaps no one else would dare compete. But to simply let the lot go to him now wouldn't feel worthwhile; thus, he needed to raise the price a bit more, doubling it seemed appropriate.

Three million taels! Although the attendees were all local magnates, three million taels was not a negligible sum, yet it wasn't necessarily beyond their means. But spending three million taels on fifty jars of wine—sixty thousand taels per jar—was undeniably extravagant. Underground gangs indeed treated wealth like dirt!

"Gang Leader Hai certainly has deep pockets!" Li Youran smiled serenely, his eyes as intoxicating as spring water, "In that case, this young master bids three million taels and one copper coin."

Three million taels and one copper coin! Such a bid was an undisguised insult to anyone!

Hai Chenfeng roared in anger, his body radiating a fierce aura like a rising tide, staring coldly at Li Youran. "Young Master Li is indeed wealthy! Three million taels and one copper coin, hehe! For the sake of my own desire, I spare no expense—five million taels!"

Hai Chenfeng was genuinely enraged this time. That Li family brat was infuriating him! If he had just raised the price normally, that would be one thing, but adding just one copper coin was utterly distasteful, deserving of death! At this moment, he resolved to contend with Li Youran to the very end! This had become a matter of dignity!

"Gang Leader Hai just said 'highest bidder wins,' why are you getting angry? That’s not very appropriate, hehe," Li Youran replied lightly. "Since the host here calls us aristocrats, we should maintain our composure. This young master is merely bidding to purchase; there seems to be no violation of the rules. Besides, there are no stipulated increments for bidding. Our Li family is but a small household and truly cannot afford to add too much silver, so please forgive us. However, since Gang Leader Hai seems displeased, I will add a little more to alleviate your displeasure; it would be my fault otherwise!"

Hai Chenfeng’s face remained ashen, but inwardly, he was ecstatic. If you dare add a little more, I will immediately back down! Let you carry the burden and pay out of pocket.

Li Youran paused, then finally spoke with elegant clarity: "I bid five million... and two copper coins."

Hai Chenfeng exploded in fury! He leaped onto the table with a whoosh and roared, "You brat, you are pushing things too far!" Right at that moment, a voice, as faint as a mosquito's whine, reached his ears: "Yield him the lot!"

Hai Chenfeng started, instinctively looking around. The Xuanxuan Continent lacked any technique for sound transmission directly into the ear, so Hai Chenfeng had no idea where this sudden sound came from, especially since no one else seemed to have heard it. This was too bizarre!

"I said, yield it to him! Stop bidding—this is an order!" Jun Moxie’s voice sounded again in his ear. Though faint, the tone was extremely stern, filled with an unquestionable command! Yes, it was a command!

Li Youran, the Eldest Young Master Li, had been noticed by Jun Moxie the moment he stood up. This was the first time Jun Moxie had seen Li Youran since he transmigrated! From that very first glance, Jun Moxie felt an unusual discomfort. Li Youran’s demeanor and grace, his speech and every action, were too flawless! In every aspect, he was utterly perfect!

But could such a perfectly flawless person truly exist in this world? Young Master Jun never believed it! Heaven and Earth are inherently imperfect; there is no absolute perfection in existence! Therefore, perfection—in any world—is nonexistent! Despite Li Youran’s "perfect" presentation, the young master felt one word at the first sight: Fake! Genuinely fake!