Many people’s expressions turned somewhat unpleasant, and some even cursed, "Does the Celestial Sound Divine Emperor not want to give out the inheritance?"

"Learning ten new Great Dao Rules in thirty days is simply impossible!"

"Exactly, isn’t this just making things difficult for us?"

Lots of people were complaining, but more of them couldn’t afford to waste any time grumbling. They directly stood on the steps and began to listen to the Melody Rules contained within, trying to seize every moment to find a pattern.

However, the more anxious they were, the harder it was to calm their minds.

They only felt the notes continuously jumping by their ears, like mischievous little elves appearing and disappearing, with no pattern to be found. Forget about comprehending the rules, let alone playing them.

Xia Feng carefully observed the expressions of these people, feeling somewhat worried in his heart.

But then again, he could still use the Dream Realm Pearl on the Celestial Sound Ladder. With the acceleration of time, he wasn’t worried about any assessments at all.

Thinking of this, he held Qi Wan’Er’s hand and stood on the first tier of the Celestial Sound Ladder.

Earlier, due to the Celestial Sound Saintess’s attention, many people were secretly observing Xia Feng, seemingly wanting to see what was so special about this guy that attracted the Celestial Sound Saintess’s favor.

Now, seeing him stand on the Celestial Sound Ladder, these people were all waiting to see Xia Feng make a fool of himself.

They believed wholeheartedly that Xia Feng obtaining the Ancient Divine Artifact was either sheer luck or he had paid some unknown price.

Otherwise, how could an ordinary mortal from the Lower Realm so smoothly wield an Ancient Divine Artifact, something even the Divine Kings found difficult to achieve?

Now the test on the Celestial Sound Ladder was about a person’s talent and comprehension ability. They unanimously thought that with Xia Feng’s qualifications, even after thirty days, he would still be stuck on the first step without a clue.

But Xia Feng was not about to let them have their way. Almost the instant he stood on the Celestial Sound Ladder, he pulled Qi Wan’Er into the Dream Realm Pearl.

The entire Dream Realm Pearl was extremely quiet, with only the Celestial Sound Elves jumping around them, producing a string of meaningless music sounds.

Xia Feng was taken aback, closed his eyes, and began to manipulate the Dream Realm Pearl. About a day passed in the Dream Realm Pearl, and Xia Feng’s body suddenly trembled.

Then the sky within the Dream Realm Pearl seemed to crack open with an invisible slit, and the Melody Rules from the Celestial Sound Ladder outside began to jump within the Dream Realm Pearl.

Although compared to the outside world, the Melody Rules coming into the Dream Realm Pearl seemed to be veiled by a thin layer, making comprehension a bit more troublesome.

However, the time flow in the Dream Realm Pearl was millions of times faster than in the outside world, giving Xia Feng ample time to comprehend the details.

Xia Feng looked at the surrounding Melody Rules, his expression becoming a little dazed.

He recalled back when he was in Xingyu City, listening to Sect Leader of the Bull Subduing Sect, Niu Zhan, explain the Cultivation Technique; it seemed quite similar to now.

Only at that time, it was the Dream Realm Pearl leading, and he blurried gained insight. After so many years, he could now actively control the Dream Realm Pearl to achieve some of his intended purposes.

Qi Wan’Er accompanied Xia Feng as they comprehended the Melody Rules on the Celestial Sound Ladder together in the Dream Realm Pearl.

Though it was slightly complicated, their talent in the Great Dao of Music was exceptionally strong. Even if the Celestial Sound Divine Emperor were alive, he would struggle to match their current speed of comprehension.

After spending roughly half a day in the Dream Realm Pearl, the two of them fully understood the Melody Rules contained within the first tier.

Two days passed in the Dream Realm Pearl, but in the outside world, it was just the blink of an eye.

After coming out of the Dream Realm Pearl, many people around were still watching Xia Feng and Qi Wan’Er, seemingly wanting to see them overwhelmed and breaking down under the challenge of the Celestial Sound Ladder.

At this moment, seeing them just close their eyes for a moment before opening them again, someone from the Blowing Sound Sect couldn’t help but mock them.

"Why did you give up so quickly? Do you find the surrounding Melody Rules so difficult that you can’t find any clues?"

"But it’s understandable, isn’t it? People like you who rely on external forces for cultivation are most afraid of this kind of assessment, right?"

"Hmph, just reaching the first test was already a stroke of luck for you. The subsequent tests will all be real talent tests, and cunning people like you who try to take shortcuts are bound to fail at the first chance."

His expression was still somewhat indignant: "Once your real nature is exposed, the Celestial Sound Saintess will certainly be disappointed in you and will never regard you with special attention again."

Xia Feng initially thought this person was purely jealous, but as he listened further, he caught onto a subtle meaning.

Was this person jealous of not his ability but the Celestial Sound Saintess’s attention toward him?

He raised an eyebrow and looked over, and the person seemed to remember the death of Gao You, shrinking his neck slightly, but soon straightened his body again.

"What are you looking at? The Celestial Sound Ladder prohibits mutual killing; no matter what means you have, you can’t kill me to vent your anger."

That person’s eyes shifted, and his voice suddenly lowered, softening the tone: "Hey, kid... how about we discuss a deal?"

Xia Feng remained silent as the person continued speaking as if to himself, "Anyway, with your talent, you don’t have what it takes to enter the assessments further along, so why not hand over the Ancient Divine Artifact to me?"

"If I can receive the inheritance in the subsequent assessments, I might be so generous as to share a bit of what you can use."

His face was almost openly greedy and calculating as he moved closer to Xia Feng and spoke ridiculous words complacently.

Xia Feng pressed his tongue against his molars, almost laughing out of anger.

This person was relying on the inability to make a move on the Celestial Sound Ladder, so he brazenly sidled up to Xia Feng, saying something ludicrous.

Xia Feng reached out to push him away, coldly saying, "Have you finished your jokes? If so, don’t block my way."

The person was stunned, seemingly not understanding why Xia Feng didn’t agree when he had offered such great terms.

His expression became a bit anxious as he spoke, "The Melody Rules on the first tier are already extremely difficult. Almost all the geniuses around are stuck here. If you don’t think of a way early, you might not even get this small benefit."

Seeing that Xia Feng remained unmoved, the person became even more anxious: "Don’t ignore me; we can discuss whatever you want."

Xia Feng directly summoned the God-Burying Bell in his hand, scaring the person so much that he retreated several steps: "W-What are you doing? It’s not allowed to fight on the Celestial Sound Ladder; do you want to break the rules and get expelled?"

Xia Feng completely ignored him, slightly closing his eyes, recalling the Melody Rules he comprehended in the Dream Realm Pearl, then lightly struck the God-Burying Bell, producing a series of pleasant sounds.

Everyone around, whether comprehending the Melody Rules or blaming heaven and earth, froze for a moment, looking in Xia Feng’s direction.