The Birth of the Recorder

Although Arnold was deeply discouraged when he compared his cultivation progress with Linley's, he had inherited the memories of a young man from Earth, so his mind was not that fragile. He merely made a silent resolution to work even harder.

By June, Linley had left Ernst Academy and begun his journey to the Warcraft Mountain Range.

Once again, at his usual training spot on the back mountain, Arnold pondered a problem.

Linley had gone out to gain experience as soon as he became a Fifth-level Mage. With that spirit behind him, unless he encountered some truly unexpected accident, Linley's life was certainly not in danger.

That being the case, Linley's combat awareness would definitely increase greatly. There was even a chance that he might break through while in the Warcraft Mountain Range.

The gap between Arnold and Linley would only grow wider. In the field of magic, only one major rank separated Arnold from Linley right now. If he did not find another path to improve his strength, the difference between them would keep growing. In the end, he and Linley might not even be able to remain friends.

Yale and the other two were different. Arnold was merely a friend outside their dorm whom they got along with fairly well. The somewhat unfamiliar friendship between Arnold and Linley would also gradually fade as the gap in their strength grew wider.

No matter how he looked at it, improving his strength was his first goal. It would still take him over half a year to become a Fifth-level Mage, and when that time came, he would also have to go out and gain experience to sharpen his combat awareness!

Arnold made a schedule for refining his magical power and meditating to increase his spiritual essence, allocating them to each day.

Arnold began another round of training. He had already mastered all first- through fourth-level earth-style spells skillfully. He participated in the annual grade competitions every year, and Arnold's name had gradually gained some fame among the students of Ernst Academy, though he still could not compare to Linley or Dixie.

His spiritual essence was far greater than Linley's, yet his cultivation progress was slower. No matter how Arnold thought about it, he felt a little frustrated.

So far, the only method his instructor had taught for increasing spiritual essence was meditation. Since meditation left one utterly exhausted afterward, Arnold had specifically asked his earth-style instructor whether there was a better method for increasing spiritual essence. The result was obvious: there was none. Refusing to give up, Arnold even took time to browse the books in the library. Nearly all magical notes mentioned that aside from meditation, the only way to increase spiritual essence was enlightenment.

Enlightenment could be an opportunity for a mage. When something one had studied suddenly sparked an insight and gave one a profound understanding of magic, there was a certain chance of entering enlightenment. However, it was basically the stuff of legends. Yet through the memories of the young man from Earth in his mind, Arnold knew there was another way to increase spiritual essence: attuning oneself to nature.

So Arnold spent the entire day on the back mountain considering how to attune himself to nature. In the end, he really did find a method—music.

The instruments of Earth naturally differed from those of the Yulan continent. Thus, the next day, Arnold asked Yale to find a carpenter and had him create a recorder according to Arnold's design.

After getting the recorder, Yale and Arnold returned to the dormitory. George and Renault immediately gathered around them.

"Arnold, instead of training, you went and made something like this?" Renault took the recorder from Arnold's hand and turned it over in his hands, but after a long while, he still had no idea what it was for.

"What is this thing for? Arnold, tell us the truth!" Renault slapped Arnold's shoulder and demanded fiercely.

"This thing is very useful. You could call it the ultimate tool for picking up girls!" Arnold teased Renault.

"This thing is the ultimate tool for picking up girls?" Holding the recorder, Renault thought, Can a few holes like this really make girls like you? Suddenly, he noticed that one end of the recorder looked as though it could be blown into. Renault hurriedly raised the recorder to his mouth. At that moment, Arnold swiftly covered that end of the recorder, preventing Renault from blowing into it. "Let me demonstrate it for you first!" Arnold explained. Renault immediately let go and waited for Arnold to act.

Arnold took the recorder, held it with both hands, and placed all ten fingers around its middle, covering the six holes with his thumbs. The other three focused on Arnold's hands. His thumbs moved from time to time, and before long, a beautiful melody emerged, drawing Yale and the other two in once more. After Arnold spent two minutes playing "Hero's Flute," Yale, George, and Renault all stared at him in stunned silence.

"Let me try!" Renault snatched the recorder from Arnold's hands, intending to imitate him and produce a beautiful melody. Instead, a harsh screech burst forth, so unbearable that even Renault could not stand it.

"I'll give it a try too." Yale was also interested. He took the recorder from Renault and blew into it, but only produced the same piercing noise. George had been eager to try as well, but after hearing how awful they sounded, he decided not to humiliate himself.

"This recorder needs fixed fingerings to produce beautiful sounds, right? Am I right, Arnold?" George asked.

"That's right. A recorder needs practice before it can produce pleasant music!" Arnold nodded.

"How did you know about something so amazing, Arnold?" Yale asked curiously.

"Actually, when I was little, I rummaged through things at home and found a blueprint. It recorded the method for making a recorder. I was curious at the time, so I found some bamboo and made one myself. Of course, I was like Yale and Renault back then, just blowing randomly. But as time passed, I eventually learned to play decent music." Arnold explained it to the three on the surface, but inwardly he apologized, because he could not tell them the recorder's true place of origin—Earth.

"Arnold, you absolutely have to teach us how to use the recorder! There are tender, beautiful ladies waiting for you at Clear Water Hall!" Renault once again tried to tempt Arnold with beauties.

Ignoring Renault, Arnold spoke directly to Yale and George. "Yale, George, I'll definitely teach you two. But Renault... I'll have to think carefully about that."

"Arnold, you dare not teach me?" Renault panicked.

"Renault, do you still dare threaten me now?" Arnold deliberately teased.

"Arnold, my dear brother, I'm scared of you now. I'll never dare threaten you again. Please teach me!" Renault began clinging to Arnold's leg and fawning over him. He even winked at Arnold, reminding him of a gay man from his memories and making Arnold recoil in disgust. "Fine, I'm afraid of you. I'll teach all of you together later."

"Yale, this recorder can actually be turned into a business too!" Arnold reminded him. As soon as he said that, Renault, George, and Yale all stared at Arnold.