The First

The Grand Ceremony has begun.

Although it was only the Outer Melody that was played at first, so much so that it couldn't be heard in the dormitory, He Wei Ni Ya could still feel the solemnity and dignity from the atmosphere.

And that unsettling atmosphere that permeated the air.

According to Bai Wei, this is the power of the Lord of Holy Sound gradually awakening.

"You already have too many parts that belong to me," Bai Wei said. "Therefore, your perception of the Lord of Holy Sound is more acute than that of others. When the Outer Melody is about to end, the power of the Lord of Holy Sound will be even more concentrated, and you will perceive it even more clearly."

He Wei Ni Ya nodded slightly, without saying a word.

"So, are you sure you want to proceed with that plan?" Bai Wei asked.

"Yes," He Wei Ni Ya said, "That was the best time."

"To be honest, I don't think so; I just think it's insane," Bai Wei said. "I can certainly help you bear part of the cost, but can you really handle the rest?"

"Yes," He Wei Ni Ya replied briefly.

"...If you insist on doing so," Bai Wei tapped his finger, "Then I will cooperate with you."

"Thank you."

"Hehe, anyway, this is all for my sake."

After that, Bai Wei fell silent.

Meanwhile, He Wei Ni Ya leaned over her desk, continuing to write a letter.

To her left was a dozing owl, and to her right were stacks of unread books.

Time is running out.

Auger sat in front of a small house, staring blankly at the snow falling outside.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" A gruff voice came from behind. "Have you forgotten what day it is today? Get back to work!"

Auger snapped out of his daze and hurried toward the man with the gruff voice.

"Still waiting for a reply here every day?" The man was very dissatisfied with Auger's behavior. "Don't forget that your current job was given to you by the Hai Luo Family, by the young lady. Otherwise, you would still be Breeding Male in the Seed Zone. Don't be ungrateful. Working hard to be worthy of the young lady is what you should be doing!"

Auger didn't dare to talk back.

The man was unaware that the person who had been writing letters to Auger was their "young lady."

They always thought he was Auger's lover at the academy, which is why they were so dissatisfied with him—everything you have is given to you by the young lady, and not only are you not grateful, but you also reply to your lover's letters every day while doing the work the young lady gives you.

You're really giving me too much credit.

Of course, they only complained and grumbled, because Auger was very hardworking in every way. Plus, with the "young lady" connection, no matter how deep that connection was, they didn't dare to bully Auger too much.

Today is indeed an important day.

The Grand Ceremony is about to begin.

Although, from a distance perspective, they, living far away in the Seed Zone, could hardly have much connection with the Grand Ceremony held on the Holy Mountain.

But the reason why the Grand Ceremony is said to be the most important ceremony of the Holy Sound is because it actually transcends distance.

During the Grand Ceremony, the melodies offered to the Lord of Holy Sound will be carried into the Divine Kingdom by the Lord's power, and then sprinkled across the entire Holy Sound Land by the Lord of Holy Sound.

Just like the endless snowfall of the Holy Sound.

The melody will be hidden among the falling snowflakes, so even in the most remote areas, one can hear those melodies dedicated to the Holy Sound.

Those musical notes are seen as a "blessing" from the Lord of Holy Sound to mortals, and those who receive this "blessing" will have their fate changed.

Therefore, during the Grand Ceremony, most people will stop what they are doing, even the lowest-ranking Breeding Male and Breeding Female in the Seed Zone.

The same was true for the Hai Luo Family's Seed Zone, where Auger lived. With He Wei Ni Ya's help, he successfully avoided the fate of Breeding Male and became one of the managers of the Hai Luo Family's Seed Zone.

"The Grand Ceremony has begun!" the burly man who had spoken to him earlier roared. "Begin to listen to the Holy Sound!"

At his call, people put down their work, came out of their houses, knelt down in the direction of the Holy Mountain, clasped their hands together, and began to listen devoutly to the Holy Sound.

At this moment, it seemed as if everyone was equal.

In reality, the managers of the Seed Zone were all wearing thick cotton-padded coats, with a blazing bonfire beside them and countless pieces of food placed around the fire.

The lower- Breeding Male Breeding Female either wore only a single layer of clothing or were completely naked.

They too knelt in the snow, motionless.

Auger witnessed all of this.

He pursed his lips, but still did not kneel down with everyone. Instead, he took off his clothes and walked to the few children who were only a few years old closest to him, draping his clothes over their kneeling, thin bodies.

"Auger!" The burly man saw this and said with great displeasure, "What are you doing?! Come here right now!"

"Oh, here it comes, it's coming right now."

Auger immediately jogged back.

At that moment, the snowflakes in front of him rapidly enlarged, eventually transforming into a pure white "elf".

Auger's eyes lit up.

That was an owl.

The owl flew onto his arm and made a familiar "coo-coo-coo" sound, attracting everyone's attention.

"Oh, sorry, I'll go reply to the message and be right back." Auger noticed that the burly man's expression had become even more unpleasant, so he quickly backed away. "I'll be right there."

Then he brought the owl into the house.

"What a lunatic!" the burly man shouted. "The Grand Ceremony is about to begin, and instead of listening to the Holy Sound, you're still here... Ah, I heard it, I heard it!"

His expression brightened, and he shouted, "I heard you!" before immediately kneeling down.

Following his example, everyone in the Seed Zone eagerly bowed their bodies toward the Holy Mountain.

Only Auger, with his back to the Holy Mountain, untied the letter from the owl's claws.

But there was little joy on his face; instead, there was more worry.

He had lost count of how many letters He Wei Ni Ya had sent him.

At first, He Wei Ni Ya would only send mail every few days, but now it's once a day, or even once every half day.

It's as if you're eager to get something done.

"Miss He Wei Ni Ya ..." Auger looked worriedly at the Holy Mountain that everyone looked up to, and murmured, "Please, please don't let anything happen to you."

"It's getting closer and closer."

The Dean stood in front of the Hall of Eternal Note, watching the firelight gradually approaching at the foot of the mountain.

After each orchestra finishes playing, a Magic Power torch is lit.

Therefore, as the Grand Ceremony progresses day by day, the Magic Power torches will gradually move from the foot of the mountain to the summit.

Like an invisible giant, taking one step forward every day.

Each step is surrounded by melody and rhythm, becoming increasingly passionate and resounding.

And when it crosses the Eternal Note behind La Wu Er, the melody and rhythm will reach a new peak.

It will awaken the greatest Lord of Holy Sound on this peak.

And it was La Wu Er who guarded the Eternal Note.

"Our time is running out, Dean."

Several elderly Golden Sound musicians spoke to the Dean.

"We cannot disrupt the Grand Ceremony."

This is also a rule.

When the last Outer Melody ends and the first Inner Melody begins, it signifies that the Lord of Holy Sound has awakened, and beyond the Eternal Note lies the stage.

Only performers are allowed on stage.

In the Lord's eyes, a faded performer is no longer a performer.

"That Xi Ze is still silent," said the aged Golden Sound musician. "Is he trying to stall until the Inner Melody begins?"

The Dean narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had already decided in his heart that He Wei Ni Ya was Xi Ze.

After killing Roland, He Wei Ni Ya did not make a move, seemingly intending to wait until the Inner Melody began and the Lord of Holy Sound's "gaze" fell upon her.

Theoretically speaking, at this stage, the player cannot do anything other than play.

Including murder.

But this is only theoretical, so the Dean doesn't dare to gamble on He Wei Ni Ya will abide by this rule.

After all, He Wei Ni Ya had already gone this far, and the Dean really didn't think she would stop there.

However, he will end it all before that.

Behind him, the Four-Sound Tuning Master from the boys' dormitory sat there quietly, like a corpse.

The Dean gently pressed his chest.

His notes were beating in unison with his heartbeat, and their surging Magic Power was rapidly increasing.

"Don't worry, I'll end it all before the very last moment."

"But what if you fail to wake me up?"

"I said I would wake him up," he said calmly, "And I will definitely wake him up."

"The Eternal Note is not merely a decoration; it is also a powerful vessel of energy. This is why it is necessary to cross it to awaken the Lord." Anita said calmly, looking at He Wei Ni Ya who was engrossed in writing. "The Dean's idea is simple: he will awaken the Tuning Master the moment before the Outer Melody crosses the Eternal Note, when its power is at its peak. After obtaining definitive evidence, he can use all the remaining Golden Sound players to deal with that... Xi Ze, on the night before the Lord 'awakens.' In fact, under such surging Magic Power, if he so desires, the entire academy is under his watchful eye. Hiding it is not an option."

He Wei Ni Ya gave a soft "hmm" but didn't even look up, continuing to write the letter furiously.

"You don't seem to be in a hurry at all," Anita asked.

"Why should I be in a hurry?" He Wei Ni Ya said with a smile. "I'm not Xi Ze. Besides, didn't you say that even so, the chance of waking up that Tuning Master is less than 30%?"

"Theoretically, that's true," Anita said calmly. "But in reality... once he closes the door to the Hall of Eternal Note, whether or not it's awakened is entirely up to him."

"I see..." He Wei Ni Ya paused for a moment, then finally looked up and smiled at Anita, saying, "It really does sound like something a Dean would do."

Anita stared quietly at He Wei Ni Ya's face.

Unable to read any other emotion from He Wei Ni Ya's face, she nodded slightly. "Yes, he will definitely do that. Because if he fails, all his efforts over the years will be in vain. Just like the headmaster said, he has always been a very good person, just not a good player."

After saying that, Anita stood up.

There were only a few people left in the dormitory now. Anita watched He Wei Ni Ya, who was still writing a letter, said "Good luck" and then turned and left.

He Wei Ni Ya was still writing letters.

Books and letters.

Outside the window, the snow was still falling.

The sun rises and sets.

The cold wind howled, but was suppressed by the gradually approaching melody.

Amidst the raging wind and snow, there mingled with the unique rhythm of Holy Sound.

The powerful deity, who appears only once every twenty years, seemed to be murmuring as if he were about to awaken amidst the devout prayers emanating from the entire Holy Sound.

He Wei Ni Ya could clearly feel every note on her body vibrating uncontrollably.

But she remained unmoved, continuing to write letters alone under that small window, one after another.

It was as if the world about to undergo a cataclysmic change had nothing to do with her.

He Wei Ni Ya stopped writing when the sun was about to be swallowed by darkness once again, and when the uplifting music roared in her ears like a wild beast.

She carefully put the letters away and tied them to the claws of the three owls in front of her, but instead of releasing them immediately, she took out some feed from her pocket and fed them to them in her palm.

Only after the last grain of feed had been pecked away did she open the window and let the three owls out.

The three small figures were like snowflakes, seemingly about to be crushed by the gale at any moment.

But they are not snow after all, and they will not fall with the snow. Instead, they flutter their seemingly powerless shoulders and disappear into the wind.

They also disappeared from He Wei Ni Ya's sight.

After doing all this, He Wei Ni Ya slowly closed the window.

"Mr. Visas, I am ready."

She said this.

The familiar voice didn't ring in her mind, but the slightly trembling fingers still gave her a response.

Then He Wei Ni Ya straightened her slightly wrinkled clothes and picked up her staff, which was now somewhat cold.

He turned and went out.

Huffing and puffing.

There was only one boy and one girl in the small classroom.

The man chewed his food while looking at the woman in front of him.

The woman felt a chill run down her spine from that extremely invasive gaze, yet she dared not move.

Because she knew that if she resisted, the consequences would be even worse.

Ka Lun Chu Ke's personality has become even more violent since losing her finger.

However, after losing several Golden Sound in succession, both the Finnis family and the Chu Ke Family valued this Golden Sound, whom they had previously looked down upon, even more, which only emboldened him to become even more ruthless.

After finishing the food in her mouth, Ka Lun's mouth was full of oil.

He looked at the woman in front of him, his eyes filled with undisguised desire.

This was a woman he had specially sought out; she bore a slight resemblance to that annoying guy.

So he grinned.

The woman closed her eyes in despair.

Then she heard a woman's voice.

"Kneel down."

Before her brain could even process what was happening, her body moved involuntarily, and she fell to her knees.

... Wait, what's going on?

Another deafening roar followed, and the classroom walls suddenly cracked open, letting in a torrent of howling, icy wind.

Because she was kneeling, she couldn't see anything, but she heard Ka Lun beside her roar, and at the same time, surging Magic Power erupted from Ka Lun's side.

But it only lasted for less than a second.

A crisp snap of fingers.

Ka Lun fell silent.

In the howling, cold wind, the woman seemed to hear the sound of scythes being swung.

Then, the woman saw a round object land in front of her.

It's Ka Lun's head.

She was stunned for a moment, then fainted.

He Wei Ni Ya stepped over the woman and looked at Ka Lun, whose head was now separated from her body, and said softly.

"The first one."