Nero's mocking sneer undoubtedly angered the nerves of many present. As Ning Quanchen on stage hesitated over whether the wine in the bowl was an enemy's plot, a voice from the other side below stage resounded again.

"Bring it to me! Just right, I'm thirsty after eating these broad beans."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's gaze immediately followed the sound. The one speaking was none other than Pei Yan, clutching a bag of broad beans and reaching out for the wine at the edge of the field. The wine, like before, passed through the crack in the defensive array and landed in his hand.

Pei Yan lifted the wine bowl, took a sip without even smelling it, and drank it all in one go. Initially, it was smooth and sweet, quenching thirst. But once it roamed in his mouth and entered his body, the wine shed its docile appearance, revealing its fierce nature. Like wild fire, it traveled down his throat into his stomach, then spread throughout his body. Just when Pei Yan's whole body was warming up, the wine's effect suddenly took a 180-degree turn. The flames that burned inside were quickly extinguished in a struggle with Primordial Qi, revealing a cool breath that blended and harmonized with the body's Qi. It flowed inside like a spring breeze, making him feel every part of his body was so comfortable, while a beautiful illusion floated in Pei Yan's mind, as if he was going to ascend to heaven.

This illusion flashed in his mind but was crushed instantly under the suppression of the six strands of Primordial Qi and his strong spiritual power. Regaining his clarity in a moment, Pei Yan glanced at Di Xin on stage and Nero at a distance, who was looking at him with a half-smile. He sneered, shattered the wine bowl in his hand, spat contemptuously, and said, "Pah! This wine is as hard to swallow as some people's poor provocations, yet you have the nerve to claim it before the world. It's not even as good as the homemade liquor sold downstairs from my house, what a waste of my fine broad beans."

"Is it truly that bad? I don't believe it, let me taste it!" The second to speak was Gu Shenghui.

"I'll try it too!" Next, Ye Ruozai responded.

There were only three bowls in total floating towards the investigation hall, clearly targeted at the three contestants this time. The other two wouldn't be stopped by the opponent. After each drank a bowl of wine and experienced the same reaction, overcoming it, one threw the bowl back to the arena silently shaking his head, while Gu Shenghui, like Pei Yan, shattered his bowl, laughed lightly, and agreed: "You're right, this wine is worse than the grain alcohol from small workshops, extremely unpleasant with a stench."

"I'll have a bowl too!" Next in line was Lin Daozi of the Daoist Realm. His entrance was extraordinary as he stood by the stage. After downing a bowl of wine, without pausing to digest, he immediately requested another. Downing three more bowls in succession, he wiped his mouth, cupped his hands towards Pei Yan's side, and smiled, "This wine is not as unbearable as Brother Pei says, yet it's far from being good wine, quite crude. After this competition, if Brother Pei and the gentlemen of the investigation hall have time, you are welcome to my Immortal Palace, where I, Lin Daozi, will entertain you with our celestial brew."

"Certainly, certainly." Pei Yan cupped his hands as a response.

With advice from his senior brother, Ning Quanchen realized that the wine had issues but wasn't too problematic, so he no longer hesitated and drank it down. After wiping the wine stain from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, he tossed the wine bowl aside and remarked disdainfully, "What a laughingstock to flaunt petty tricks like this."

After the investigation hall and the Daoist Realm had their fill, Saraf from the Spirit Monster Plane, pushing a wheelchair and forcing himself to stay alert, also requested a bowl to taste. Clearly, with his heavily wounded body, drinking the wine was a bit strenuous. After drinking, he sat in the wheelchair for a while, threw the bowl aside, slandered it, and was wheeled back to the audience seat.

The one drinking for the Hell Demon Race was Xila, who, imitating Lin Daozi, drank three bowls in a row without a word before returning to his place. However, when it came to the Magic Realm, a problem arose. Due to the previous competition, no Child of Origin was present this time, and with other planes stepping up to the challenge, not showing up would be a loss of face.

Thus, a young, daring mage stepped to the edge of the stage without his teacher's permission, mimicking the others to request a cup of wine. But as the wine entered his stomach, he realized the drink wasn't as effortless as the others had made it seem. Without the harmonization from six strands of Primordial Qi and insufficient innate Qi to suppress it, the wine rampaged through his body, causing his energy to flow backward. Before he could utter a word, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he collapsed on the ground unconscious.

Only then did the onlookers realize the wine's potency. After having the unconscious young mage carried away, Heim Samuel Fok, in charge of this team from the Mage Tower, stepped forward, and with his formidable strength, drank two more bowls, finally reclaiming some dignity for the Magic Realm.

"The wine's all gone, your farce should be over now, right?" Ning Quanchen, seeing that all planes had finished the wine with no one stepping out again, turned to ask Di Xin.

Di Xin shrugged regretfully and said, "I wanted to have everyone taste the wine before the battle, in case there's no chance later. After all, gathering a wine barrel takes a lot of effort, but who would expect that each and every one of you are ignorant fools. No matter, since you all disdain it, there's no point in keeping it."

Having said this, Di Xin's lazy gaze turned sharp in an instant. With a flick of his finger on the wine barrel, releasing it smoothly, it hit the ground with a shattering sound. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The shattering seemed not to break the wine barrel but to smash open the sea eyes that blocked the ocean, as waves of enormous magnitude surged out like a tide from the cracked barrel, sweeping through the venue in an instant.

"Wine Pool!" Di Xin maneuvered on the crest of the waves. The raging waves lifted him yet didn't leave a drop on him. Watching the stage about to be submerged, he slowly uttered two words.

"It's wine!" Smelling the aroma passing through the defensive wall of the stage, Pei Yan exclaimed immediately. Just as he said this, a voice behind him remarked about the pleasant smell, followed by the sound of a heavy thud.

Turning his head, Pei Yan saw Jiang Feiyang, who had sniffed the aroma curiously and upon saying how pleasant it smelled, collapsed onto the chair with an oddly blissful expression.

At the same time, Zhao Yuanhu, Wang Wenze, Liang Qian, and other investigation hall agents who were not Children of Origin, experienced varying degrees of dizziness based on their strength.

"This wine is even more potent than what we drank before!" Gu Shenghui remarked, discerning the difference in the aroma after a few sniffs, and cautioned, "Use your Qi to suppress the effects of the wine inside you, don't breathe in this aroma."

On the other side, Pei Yan had already acted, bringing out one breathing tube and oxygen mask after another from his body, putting them on the ordinary agents' faces. After inhaling the fresh oxygen, these people breathed a long sigh of relief, and their condition improved. Meanwhile, Ye Ruozai squatted down and began checking Jiang Feiyang's physical state.