Primordial

The three academies of the Holy Sound are located in different places. The Second Academy is situated on an isolated island in a large lake, accessible only by boat.

As soon as Finnis stepped off the ship, he saw a dark-skinned young man who was already waiting on the shore.

"Good afternoon, TuPake," Finnis greeted with a smile.

TuPake grinned, revealing a set of teeth that appeared even whiter against his skin. "I thought you would have arrived sooner, Finnis."

When the two stood together, they instantly attracted the attention of countless people at the dock.

The reason is simple: they are both true masters of the Golden Sound, and they make no attempt to hide this identity.

Especially TuPake.

Even in the Eternal Winter Kingdom of Holy Sound, he wore only a very thin garment, with the sleeves rolled up high, revealing large patches of dark skin on his arms and the golden patterns on his skin, as if afraid that others would not see it.

"I was delayed a bit because of some things," Finnis said with a faint smile. "You know, some people have been wanting to know what kind of music we'll be playing at this Grand Ceremony, especially after I convinced Miss He Wei Ni Ya from the Third House."

"Well... to be honest, I actually wish you could be more explicit," TuPake said. "Are the people you're talking about the Primordial Two Great Families?"

"Who else could it be?" Finnis said with a smile. "Once we have confirmed that we have the golden Seventh Sound, even the two great families of the Primordial Era can feel our overwhelming momentum. If things go smoothly on your side as well, then we will have more than a 70% chance of winning this Grand Ceremony."

After saying that, Finnis saw TuPake suddenly start scratching his head and understood what was going on.

"It doesn't look like things are going too well?"

TuPake sighed softly, then stepped aside. "Let's talk on the way."

Finnis nodded slightly and followed TuPake.

After all, this is his home turf.

"You know, after you went to the Third Hospital to find that girl, I already contacted Evan," TuPake said as he led the way. "Actually, I was pretty confident. Although that guy is also Golden Sound, his family isn't very well-off, and he's always been asking our family for favors. So, I thought it was a sure thing, but well..."

He shrugged.

"The Primordial Two Great Families have intervened."

Finnis frowned slightly.

In the initial plan, he went to the Third Hospital to find He Wei Ni Ya, while TuPake went to contact another Golden Sound.

Logically speaking, TuPake's side should be more reliable, because according to TuPake, the family of the Golden Sound Evan has always been a vassal of the TuPake family, so if TuPake makes the contact, the other party has no reason to refuse.

In that case, their orchestra would have four Golden Sound, and they might even have time to look for a fifth one.

But Finnis never expected that TuPake, the most reliable of them all, would fail.

This slightly annoyed him.

It wasn't that he was annoyed by the interference of the Primordial Two Great Families, because they were bound to get involved anyway, but Finnis wasn't particularly worried about it before.

Because the conditions offered by the Primordial One are always fixed, as long as TuPake can offer more favorable conditions than the Primordial One, there is no reason for the other party to side with the Primordial One, just like the conditions that Finnis offered to He Wei Ni Ya when they were in the Third Academy.

But now, He Wei Ni Ya has succeeded, while TuPake has failed.

Finnis didn't need to think too much to guess that there must be something wrong with the conditions set by TuPake.

Is it because you feel that the other party is just a vassal of your own, and you don't need to be too sincere, so you can just give it to them and they won't dare to refuse?

What arrogance!

Why not just grab the Grand Ceremony's rewards and have everything? Why be so greedy for those other little things?

Arrogant and foolish!

If there were any other options, Finnis really wouldn't want to cooperate with such a short-sighted minor noble family as TuPake. Although in many people's eyes, TuPake's family was already among the top ten families in the Holy Sound, in Finnis's eyes, they were no different from the minor nobles in small towns.

He's willing to lower himself to deal with TuPake, so why can't this guy show even a little sincerity to his vassals?

A lot of resentment welled up in Finnis's heart, but he didn't show it. Instead, he calmly said, "Is that so? Then why don't I go and talk to him? Anyway, he's in the Second Academy. Let's go find him now."

TuPake waved his hand. "It's too late. I had a huge argument with him before you came. Now this guy is already at the First Academy, making preparations with the two major families of Taichu."

Upon hearing this, Finnis's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

They actually managed to make the other person leave in anger?!

Then there's no chance of making amends.

Because in the One Academy, the Primordial Two Great Families have the greatest influence; otherwise, Finnis wouldn't have come to the Second Academy to prepare for the Grand Ceremony.

Why did it have to come to this?!

Doesn't he know that the other party has already joined the Primordial Family, and that making an enemy of the other party will not do him any good?

Finnis's anger intensified.

Arrogance! Foolishness! Shortsightedness!

TuPake wasn't some clueless fool. He noticed the change in Finnis's expression and guessed that the young master of the Lawrence Family wasn't in a good mood. He chuckled awkwardly, "It's alright, isn't it? Although I failed here, didn't you succeed? As long as we get that girl from the Third Academy on our side, our chances of winning are still pretty high. After all, the Golden Seventh Sound is much rarer than the others."

When TuPake mentioned He Wei Ni Ya, Finnis immediately stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" TuPake looked at him with some confusion.

"I'm going to the Third Hospital," Finnis said curtly, then turned and left.

After a brief moment of surprise, TuPake caught up with him immediately. "Hey, hey, hey, why are we suddenly going to the Third Hospital? Aren't we supposed to be discussing the repertoire?"

"I need to make sure He Wei Ni Ya doesn't fall into the hands of the Primordial Two Great Families." Although Finnis didn't want to talk to TuPake, now was not the time to break off relations, so he patiently explained, "The Primordial Two Great Families clearly knew that Evan was your man, but they still extended an olive branch to him, so they will definitely try to contact He Wei Ni Ya in the same way."

"But didn't you say that country bumpkin had already agreed to be with you?"

"Indeed." Finnis stepped onto the ship he had just left on and said to the surprised boatman, "To the Third Hospital, now."

Then he turned back to look at TuPake and said.

"Now that Evan is gone, we must get He Wei Ni Ya. So I have to go there to make sure nothing goes wrong. At least when the Primordial Two Great Families find her, I won't just be stuck here waiting for news and hoping she won't betray us."

Finnis's second half of his statement was a blatant sarcasm directed at TuPake.

Because of Evan's betrayal, He Wei Ni Ya's importance has been greatly elevated. The Primordial Two Great Families are likely to expend considerable resources to recruit He Wei Ni Ya, making the previous conditions less secure. Therefore, Finnis must be present to ensure that He Wei Ni Ya remains firmly in his grasp and is not allowed to slip away.

TuPake didn't catch the sarcasm from Finnis. He just found Finnis's hurried manner amusing, so as the boat was about to leave the shore, he suddenly took a big step and jumped on as well.

Finnis looked at TuPake in surprise.

"Then I'll go with you," TuPake said with a grin. "I also want to see what that country bumpkin Golden Sound looks like."

"The problem now is that I need to go to the Second Academy to prepare after the Grand Ceremony starts," He Wei Ni Ya said to Bai Wei in her mind. "But the Second Academy is a completely unfamiliar environment for me. Even with your eyes on me, it will be difficult to maintain the same level of disguise as here. I need to come up with a contingency plan in advance."

At this moment, He Wei Ni Ya was walking alone by the lake, looking rather detached from the world.

But in reality, she was discussing countermeasures with Bai Wei in her mind.

As mentioned earlier, He Wei Ni Ya chose the more difficult method from the two ways of seizing the Golden Sound.

Therefore, she had more to consider, so at this moment, He Wei Ni Ya told Bai Wei about all her concerns.

It was a rare treat; it felt like a heart-to-heart talk.

"You've thought this through quite thoroughly," Bai Wei said with a smile. "I'm not as good as you in this respect; I'm terrible at scheming against others."

He Wei Ni Ya pursed her lips and said softly, "If I had your power, I wouldn't even think about scheming against people... Scheming is ultimately just the only means that an incompetent person can come up with."

"Is that so?" Bai Wei said. "I think this is the most powerful weapon of the wise. From this point of view, you are also very powerful, He Wei Ni Ya."

He Wei Ni Ya remained noncommittal.

As she walked to the lake, she gazed at the calm surface of the lake and then said quite seriously, "Mr. Visas, before we make any formal plans, there is something I would like to know, and I hope you can tell me."

Seeing He Wei Ni Ya ask the question so formally, Bai Wei also straightened up quite formally.

"Go ahead and tell me."

"I want to know..." He Wei Ni Ya stared at the erect middle finger, "Just how far are you capable of right now?"

"Oh? Which aspect do you want to ask about?"

"I want to know if I can maintain the Hunter's stance throughout this hunt," He Wei Ni Ya said. "Or do I need to be aware of certain people... or objects? I need to know this to better plan my response."

Although He Wei Ni Ya asked the question in a very tactful way, on the surface she was just asking when she was the mantis and when she was the cicada in this mantis-and-cicada hunt, or whether she could always maintain the identity of the mantis and ensure that she could "eat" every Golden Sound she encountered.

But Bai Wei knew that what He Wei Ni Ya actually wanted to ask had another layer of meaning.

That is, "In this place Holy Sound, is there anyone that Bai Wei is wary of?"

In other words, even now, are they still thinking about the possibility of retaliating against themselves?

What a restless fellow!

Bai Wei replied with great interest, "Of course there are."

He Wei Ni Ya remained outwardly calm. "So, who is he?"

"Lord of Holy Sound," Bai Wei said with a smile, "If you were to take me directly to the Lord of Holy Sound right now, I probably wouldn't survive. After all, a god in his prime is far too powerful."

... So, apart from the Lord of Holy Sound, there is no other being in Holy Sound that can threaten Bai Wei?

Although she had expected it, He Wei Ni Ya still fell into a brief silence when she heard Bai Wei say it himself, before nodding gently. "I understand."

"However, on the other hand, no one can defeat me, but that doesn't mean no one can defeat you." Bai Wei continued slowly, "Even if your body is indeed better than my two previous partners, you can't withstand my power indefinitely. If you continue to be as reckless as you were in the last battle, you probably won't last until the Grand Ceremony."

Hearing Bai Wei say this, He Wei Ni Ya nodded again, indicating that she understood.

Now, He Wei Ni Ya is no longer as clueless about Bai Wei's power as she was at the beginning.

Now, she has not only used Bai Wei's body, but also let Bai Wei use her body. Obviously, the latter is the most powerful, because Bai Wei understands her body better than she does, but the price is also greater. Therefore, unless she is forced to the extreme, she still cannot let Bai Wei descend upon her, otherwise her body will break down before the final step.

Therefore, it is safer to use Bai Wei's power yourself, just like when dealing with Ha Duo Ke, like a true hunter.

But just as He Wei Ni Ya had feared, once they left the Three Academies and went to a completely unknown environment, many things would be out of control.

If there were any way to get all those Golden Sound to come to the Three Academies, she could just kill them one by one.

Just as He Wei Ni Ya was thinking this, she suddenly heard a rustling sound.

This is the sound of the wind blowing through withered leaves.

He Wei Ni Ya then noticed that she had unknowingly walked to the edge of the Forbidden Forest again.

She immediately recalled the experience of being stared at by a certain gaze around the Forbidden Forest before the Seven Sound Festival, which made her subconsciously stop in her tracks.

A familiar sense of danger welled up in my heart again.

She stared intently at the forbidden forest, where something dangerous seemed to be approaching from the swaying withered branches and leaves, causing He Wei Ni Ya to slow her breathing considerably.

"Mr. Visas ..."

He Wei Ni Ya was about to speak.

Suddenly, a male voice rang out from behind.

"I think you must be Miss He Wei Ni Ya, right?"

He Wei Ni Ya was slightly taken aback, then immediately turned her head.

She noticed a young man standing behind her, smiling at her.

When did you get behind me?!

He Wei Ni Ya was horrified.

She subconsciously wanted to activate [Gaze].

But something even more shocking happened.

[Gazing] has not been activated.

Visas rejected her.

In shock, the man in front of her reached out his hand.

"Hello," he said with a smile. "My name is Daniel, Daniel Ether."

...ether?

He Wei Ni Ya's pupils narrowed slightly.

One of the Primordial Two Great Families... Ether.