The basics of the Music Path listed a series of celestial music that could be directly applied in combat.
There were many in the categories of attack, defense, control, and illusion. A note indicated that the wind instrument department had collected quite a few, and the rest could be bought on the market.
Furthermore, the Music Path was not just about individual combat.
If there was a small band, they could form a music formation, performing a piece together to achieve effect stacking and a multiplicative increase in power. It could even produce different effects simultaneously by using different instruments.
And if a large, well-coordinated orchestra was formed, the power of the music formation grew exponentially.
A complete set of sections and combinations of dozens of instruments could make the orchestra both offensive and defensive, possessing various forms of divine abilities, no less than a small army.
Moreover, the more members an orchestra had, the stronger it became, with power that could theoretically be stacked without limit.
As for its power, Mu Yanxi had just experienced it firsthand. Just that noise-soft sound, which caused mana to run wild, could have driven her to qi deviation at any moment.
Mu Yanxi couldn’t imagine fighting an entire orchestra while her internal mana was out of control like that.
Originally, joining the wind instrument department was just because she liked that there were no mandatory activity requirements.
But now, it seemed the Music Path wasn’t something she couldn’t cultivate? Learning more cultivation methods was never wrong.
“With this wind instrument department jade token, you two can enter and exit the side hall of Yuehua Palace. That’s where instruments are stored and celestial music is practiced, and it’s also where the wind instrument department usually holds its activities.”
At this point, the senior sister also gave a cold smile—what activities did the wind instrument department even have now?
“Also, with this token, you can borrow instruments from the wind instrument department to practice.”
“However, each rental is for a maximum of one month, and you must return to the department to register for renewal upon expiry. And if damaged, compensation must be paid according to the market price,” the senior sister added.
“The identity jade token also allows you to borrow books related to the Music Path from the Sect Library. Many classic celestial music scores are collected there. However, some are books unavailable outside, involving copyright issues. If you wish to advance in the Music Path, you can go borrow them.”
“If you gain some understanding of the Music Path and get a basic grasp, you can try joining the bands formed by senior sisters. Being taught by a senior sister will help you progress faster.”
“But if you’re just playing around, you can also form a casual band with fellow disciples of your year. You can recruit bandmates in the wind instrument department as well.”
Seeing her explain so thoroughly, Mu Yanxi’s mind stirred. She tentatively asked, “Senior sister, you actually hope the wind instrument department can regain its former glory, don’t you?”
The senior sister showed a mocking smile, but it wasn’t directed at Mu Yanxi and Ruo Xuan.
“Anything is better than the current state, right? I’m just reminding everyone who joins the department, so the sect’s precious collection isn’t wasted. It’s also an asset for you. If you sincerely want to cultivate the Music Path, I’d suggest you go to the Light Music department.”
“Thank you for your concern, senior sister.” Both Mu Yanxi and Ruo Xuan bowed slightly in thanks before leaving.
Behind them, the senior sister continued patiently explaining the token’s permissions to the new disciples joining.
However, the next few disciples clearly knew nothing about the Music Path and had no interest at all. They took their tokens and left even faster than Mu Yanxi and the others.
“Um, Yanxi, should we form our own band or join a senior sister’s band? Joining a senior sister’s band seems better, since two people can’t form a band anyway; we’d need to find others.” Ruo Xuan asked softly.
“Huh? I don’t have any plans to form a band for now. After all, I haven’t even started cultivating the basics of the Music Path. Xuan’er, do you really want to form a band?” Mu Yanxi asked. She had thought Ruo Xuan, like herself, just wanted to find a club to pass the time.
“No! I don’t have that idea. I meant, if you want to form a band, Yanxi, then I’d want to go buy a guitar and a Chip first. I can’t be unprepared and hold you back.” Ruo Xuan’s face flushed, and she quickly explained.
“No need to rush out and buy a guitar, right? And didn’t the senior sister say we can borrow instruments directly from the wind instrument department?” Mu Yanxi asked, puzzled. She had another question she didn’t voice directly—what was the Chip for?
“You’re right, I’m being too hasty, haha. As for renting divine artifacts, the ones the sect provides are all seventh or eighth-grade.”
“Even if there were good quality ones, the senior sisters would have borrowed them all long ago. The ones left aren’t great. If you really want to cultivate the Music Path, it’s best to use an instrument you buy yourself.” Ruo Xuan hurriedly took over the topic.
Mu Yanxi could see what Ruo Xuan was thinking and could only say, “I’m not in such a hurry to form a band. I haven’t even decided if I’ll seriously cultivate the Music Path. I want to finish reading the basics first before deciding.”
“Okay. But if you do want to form a band, Yanxi, please definitely consider me first. I’ll practice hard and not hold you back. And it doesn’t have to be a guitar; I can practice any instrument.” Ruo Xuan said seriously.
It seemed she really wanted to form a band with me. Mu Yanxi could only nod in agreement. For some reason, she felt an inexplicably heavy sense of expectation, somewhat like those junior sisters in her past life who liked clinging to her.
“Then I won’t disturb you anymore.” Ruo Xuan, having received Mu Yanxi’s promise, beamed with joy and skipped away. Mu Yanxi even heard her whisper to her Terminal Ring, “Search for guitar models suitable for beginners.”
“So eager?” Mu Yanxi shook her head helplessly. Now that the club matter was settled and she had no other clubs she wanted to join, theoretically, she could return to her dorm and wait for classes tomorrow.
So, Mu Yanxi walked out of Yuehua Palace, took out her gliding board, stood on it, set it to an automatic flight mode, and continued studying the basics of the Music Path while holding the jade token.
This time, she looked at the differences between orchestras, bands, and individual musicians. Halfway through, she understood why the previous debate over direction had been so intense—these three were completely different concepts.
Cultivators practicing the Music Path, especially dedicated music cultivators, typically only mastered two or three instruments. Some even specialized in just one, because a music cultivator’s cultivation method was bound to their instrument.
Therefore, an instrument’s versatility and strength directly determined a music cultivator’s power. Some instruments couldn’t even independently perform a piece of celestial music.
Large orchestras had an extremely wide variety of instruments. The more instruments and the more detailed the classification, the stronger the orchestra as a whole.
This meant some disciples had to sacrifice themselves to cultivate extremely specialized and singular instruments.
Take the percussion sound section as an example. A band usually only needed one drum kit to handle all percussion parts.
But an orchestra would break it down: snare drum, tenor drum, bass drum, tambourine, timpani, gong, cymbals… Each small instrument required a dedicated person to handle it.
But these disciples would be highly dependent on the orchestra’s existence.
Fighting alone, they couldn’t independently perform most celestial music, and their combat divine abilities were extremely monotonous, far inferior to a music cultivator who cultivated a drum kit.