Dugu Wudi sat down, clearly agitated. He snatched a cup, tilted his head back, and with a loud gulp, downed the contents. His tiger eyes suddenly widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine! Truly fine wine! Something I've never heard of, never seen before!"

"This is the perfectly blended exquisite liquor," Jun Moxie smiled like a little fox. "May I ask the Great General, is one jar not worth ten thousand taels of silver?"

Smacking his lips, Dugu Wudi blurted out, "Worth it! Too..."

He immediately glared, "....Too... not worth it! Ten thousand taels for a jar of wine? Why don't you just rob someone!"

"Ten thousand taels is ten thousand taels, take it or leave it! If the Great General closes his eyes and speaks falsehoods against his conscience, there is nothing I can do." Jun Moxie rolled his eyes. He casually pushed the cup he had just drunk from forward. "This is the jiutou [the liquor head/strongest first pour]. Does General Dugu wish to sample a jiutou that costs ten thousand taels a cup?! This cup, I offer as a gesture of respect from your junior to his elder, free of charge!"

Dugu Wudi snorted twice, desperately wanting to refuse, but ultimately, he could not resist such the ultimate elixir. He grinned widely, "It is indeed excellent, but no matter how one savors it, it absolutely cannot be worth ten thousand taels a cup." He pursed his lips, grabbed the cup, and swiftly downed the rest.

"Awoooo..." A stream of icy coolness slid down his throat, followed by a sound like "Boom!" as a soaring volcano erupted in his heart. Dugu Wudi felt the very blood in his veins ignite. One cup down, and he was already feeling slightly hazy, struggling to maintain control, his eyes already blazing red.

"Good wine! Worthy of being called jiutou!" Dugu Wudi raised his neck, swirled the cup in his mouth, and then slapped it onto the table. "Another cup!"

"Ten thousand taels of silver, one cup, no second price," Jun Moxie scoffed. "General Dugu, you just swallowed ten thousand taels of silver in one gulp! And you want another? You still claim this exquisite dessert liquor is worth more than a sky-high price! The previous cup was a gift; I'm afraid your nephew can no longer afford to give away any more!"

"The wine is certainly good wine, but no matter what, it can't possibly be worth ten thousand taels a cup!?" Dugu Wudi stared greedily at the wine jars in the room, harboring a sudden urge to seize them by force, yet outwardly refusing to admit the cost. A joke! This is a matter of principle! If I concede that this is worth ten thousand taels a cup, the Dugu family will be bankrupt on the spot....

"According to the Great General Dugu's intention, does he plan to renege on this debt?" Jun Moxie sneered. "Or are you saying that the Dugu family members barged into my Jun family residence, smashed things up, insulted me, and then forcibly took the world's only Celestial-grade exquisite liquor, and all of that can just be dismissed with a few words? Can we just let it go? Does my Jun family have no dignity at all? Are we to allow the Dugu family to bully us like this?"

"That's what you said, I never said that!" Dugu Wudi jumped up. This accusation was too grave; even the Great General Dugu could not bear it!

"Since you didn't say that, does that imply that Great General Dugu believes the Dugu lineage needs to compensate my Jun family for this incident?" Jun Moxie coaxed him gently.

"Of course, compensation must be made! Although our Dugu lineage..."

"That's excellent. That will be twenty-five million taels of silver," Jun Moxie interrupted him, smiling broadly.

"Damn it! Bastard!" Dugu Wudi stood there dumbfounded, spun around three times, scratching his head incessantly. After a long silence, he managed to spit out, "You never even sold this wine before. How do you know for sure it's worth ten thousand taels of silver? Isn't this clearly taking advantage of my family? Can you just name an exorbitant price for your wine and expect me to agree? There's no such rule!"

"According to the Great General Dugu's meaning, you require me to sell one jar of this wine for a definite price before you will settle the account?" Jun Moxie inquired.

"Exactly! No! I mean, I'm saying, if you can blend the jiutou from the same jar into exquisite liquor, sell it for a verifiable price that everyone agrees upon, then the Dugu family will acknowledge this debt!" Dugu Wudi laughed triumphantly, finally finding a way to handle this brat. Your wine is indeed top-tier, but a jar can fetch a hundred or eighty taels at most. While that’s not a small sum, it certainly doesn't add up to twenty-five million taels of silver!

"Fine! It's a deal! But before that, your Dugu family must stop bothering me!" Jun Moxie immediately sealed the agreement.

"Good! But it must be within three months! During this time, if you dare provoke my daughter, old man will still find you for a beating!" Dugu Wudi snorted twice, looking at the overly polished, delicate-looking young man before him, feeling a sense of successful deception. "If you fail to sell the wine for twenty-five million taels, from now on, you must supply the Dugu family's fine wines free of charge! How about it? Do you dare accept this wager?"

After circling around for half a day, the Great General Dugu finally revealed his true intentions.

"I have absolute confidence in my wine. It is settled! But you must also keep a close watch on your daughter. If she comes looking for me, I won't be responsible for what happens!" Jun Moxie inwardly sneered. Just wait until your Dugu family drowns in this mountain of debt! You think you’re so tough? Forget one jar for ten thousand taels, I’ll charge even more! Just wait until you’re crying!

Jun Moxie arranged for a carriage. Dugu Wudi gave the order, and his guards tossed his seven brothers, limp as dead pigs, onto the cart. The Great General Dugu left, glancing back three times at every step. He truly couldn't bear to part with that Celestial-grade exquisite liquor; this kid was too stingy. Why didn't he ask for one more cup earlier? Jun Moxie watched him leave, smiled, and returned to his room. He didn't give the matter another thought, stroking his chin in contemplation. The current Jun family was still too weak; although he had used medicine to boost Third Uncle's Profound Qi to the Heaven Profound realm, it was only at the early stage. Their current strength was likely still inferior to the Sheng Bao Hall... Perhaps he should also enhance Grandfather's strength? And didn't he happen to possess that Ninth-Rank Profound Pill? It was the perfect opportunity to put something to use. If utilized correctly, it should be able to boost Grandfather's strength directly to the middle stage of the Supreme Divine Profound realm! But he had absolutely no idea how to actually use the thing.

How exactly to resolve this problem gave Jun Moxie a terrible headache for a long time. He had considered countless times releasing the news to attract powerful cultivators from across the continent, but he had never quite made up his mind. In terms of sheer weight, one Ninth-Rank Profound Pill was definitely enough; he believed even experts at the Supreme Divine Profound realm would be tempted, or rather, anyone with sufficient power and standing would be moved.

However, doing so was undeniably playing with fire, and the current Jun family could not afford to play such games. Even with two Heaven Profound experts in the Jun family now, they still couldn't afford it! The reality was that cruel; while Heaven Profound experts were already close to the peak of this world's power structure, they were still so powerless when facing higher-echelon existences!

The Tian Xiang Kingdom’s territory was vast, but in the context of the entire continent, it only accounted for one-eleventh of the total landmass. Even so, it was said to be a place where dragons hid and tigers lurked, rich with powerful figures! Although not many top experts had shown themselves currently, Jun Moxie knew that countless formidable individuals must be hidden in the markets and concealed in the forests! Grandfather and Third Uncle's strength, though not weak, could not be relied upon! He was certain that once circumstances converged, the situation would erupt like wind driving dragons and tigers! And the Ninth-Rank Profound Pill in his hand was the perfect catalyst! No matter whether one was Heaven Profound, Earth Profound, or Supreme Divine Profound, no one would refuse such an item. Once this news was definitively spread, powerful figures would immediately gather, and bloodshed would ensue! At that moment, with one careless move, let alone the Jun family, it wouldn't be impossible for the entire Tian Xiang Kingdom to be razed to the ground overnight!

But if he didn't draw these people out, how could he learn the methods and conditions required to consume this peerless Profound Pill? How could the Jun family's overall strength improve? Was he truly destined to sit on a treasure mountain while returning empty-handed? This truly made things difficult!

Jun Moxie frowned, thinking for a long time, unable to choose. Should he play it safe and preserve his life, or take a desperate gamble?! He suddenly looked up at the sky and remembered his past self, who traveled the world alone, fearlessly dominating all oceans and rivers! Why was he so constrained in this world? Thinking of this, a surge of arrogant energy burst from his heart, and he couldn't help but let out a long laugh, having instantly made a decision in his mind!

As the saying goes, how can one catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair?! Even if today's decision draws forth a host of Divine Profound experts, what is there to fear?! This was not merely about Profound Qi; the true test was in personal cunning! Since when has the cunning of the Evil Monarch feared anyone?! Even if Divine Profound experts gather like clouds, I possess infinite means to cope!

Jun Moxie made up his mind and finally smiled freely, habitually touching his chin with his right hand. If his peers from his past life saw him with that expression and making that gesture, they would probably run as far away as possible immediately. Because this signified that the Evil Monarch had made an extremely bold—no, a truly insane—decision, and this decision, regardless of eventual success or failure, would shock the world!

He looked out the window; the setting sun was slowly dipping down.

Ke'er quietly entered and reported, "Young Master, Old Master asks you to come for dinner."

Jun Moxie replied with an "Oh."

"Why is Grandfather so happy today? Is there some joyous occasion?" Looking at the expression on Elder Jun Zhantian’s face—a mixture of schadenfreude and barely contained delight—Jun Moxie couldn't help but ask.

"It's killing me! That old bastard Li Shang, I don't know where he got some folk remedy saying that the Sea Jade Coral can heal his damaged Dantian, so he bought it for the astronomical price of five million taels for his grandson; then, after preparing for a few days, he couldn't wait to use the Jade Coral to cultivate and recover his energy. Guess what happened?" The Old Master laughed until his eyes narrowed, his body twitching slightly.

"What happened? Did it not work? Did he buy a useless item?" Jun Moxie followed his grandfather's lead.

Yes, Grandfather needs someone to set him up, and Third Uncle clearly didn't catch that.

"Hahahaha..." Old Master Jun slapped the table with one hand and his thigh with the other, laughing so hard tears nearly streamed out. "It wasn't useless, far from it! It was too effective, too good! Hahaha... As a result, as a result, this old man almost couldn't breathe... It was hilarious." The Old Master took a sip of water, coughed for a moment, and then continued, "Apparently, right at the most critical moment, that miraculous healing object, the Jade Coral, exploded on its own! Truly too effective! Hahahaha..."