Chapter 303: 1 Force Defeats 10 Skills

After the afternoon nap,

Liszt rang the handbell to have the servants bring a cup of milk tea.

He sat in front of the upright piano. His emotions were now calm, and those explosive inspirations had dissipated, leaving only tranquility.

The score was placed on the stand.

Preparing to play a piece to experience the new piano's sound quality and to indulge his emotions for a moment, his fingers touched the keys, and the familiar rhythm immediately came alive, as if a force was driving his body. His hands began to play on their own, and notes bloomed.

A simple yet beautiful melody reverberated in the study. The thick walls provided excellent soundproofing, letting him immerse himself in his own world and indulge without restraint.

As the piece ended, a look of rapture still hung on his face.

After a brief moment, coming out of the trance and beginning to savor the previous experience: "The grand piano at Longtaro Castle has much worse sound quality, and it's equally impossible to compare with the grand piano at Tulip Castle. However, the upright piano has its own advantages, as it reduces the sound quality while also masking many technical flaws."

A grand piano can strike about 14 keys per second, but an upright piano can only strike about 7 keys per second.

It felt less fluid than the grand piano, and the sound lacked the richness, with a less pronounced distinction between fortissimo and pianissimo.

Of course, a non-expert probably wouldn't notice the difference between an upright piano and a grand piano.

Liszt was somewhat of a semi-professional and seemed to possess a natural talent as a pianist, allowing him to keenly perceive the difference.

It was quite a pity that the Earl hadn't given him a grand piano.

"It's being greedy, but even the cheapest grand piano costs hundreds of gold coins. With that money, one could buy many potions. The Earl, though he has a large family and extensive estates, is not one to spend money recklessly." Liszt soon let go of his disappointment, realizing that having his own piano already filled him with joy.

He took a sip of the 'milk' tea and changed the sheet of music.

It was a composition he created on the ship. This score, like the previous one, was very simple. With the performance skills inherited from his past life and nurtured in a good pianist environment, he could easily achieve the amateur grade 10 standard, which is more than enough to handle simple pieces.

"With my reputation as the piano king Liszt, playing an amateur grade 4 or 5 piece is effortless!"

Ding!

His fingertips pressed down hard on the keys, and the melody, carrying a hint of melancholy, began to drift.

In an instant, Liszt felt as though he had returned to that sea voyage, reliving the moment when inspiration bloomed while admiring the blue sky and white clouds. The hauntingly beautiful tune also contained elements of hope, endeavor, yearning, and unyielding spirit.

Knowing that what lay ahead would be a tragedy, yet still charging forward without hesitation.

Ding ding ding ding.

As the last key was pressed, Liszt felt on the verge of tears from the beautiful performance. Music could move hearts, and as the king of instruments, the piano was especially captivating. At this moment, he finally believed that he had the talent of a pianist within him, and that the king of pianos resided within him.

Ding!

He played it repeatedly.

Only when the performance was flawless did he cease. After being cleansed by the music, his once dusty heart felt pure again.

He looked out the window.

The setting sun was unusually bright.

"Time to take my 'drug'."

A thick parchment was spread out on the desk, with a quill pen stuck in the inkwell. Liszt took out two Thorn Magic Potions and one Flame Magic Potion from his gem space.

The crystal hourglass on the desk was turned upside down.

As the sand began to flow, he immediately consumed the first Thorn Magic Potion. The warm chaotic magic power brewed and spread inside him, giving him a feeling of expansion. With his eyes open, he maintained the transformation of magic power into combat skills, causing it to circulate through his meridians, while quietly observing the hourglass.

When the hourglass had finished draining the sand, marking five minutes, he abruptly opened a Flame Magic Potion and drank it in one gulp.

The surging fire attribute magic power instantly erupted, and under the envelopment of chaotic magic power, it seemed to undergo a chemical reaction, generating a larger and more surging magic power, striking every cell of his body. His face turned red, sweat appeared on his forehead, and there was a faint sensation of tearing.

The pain persisted for a full ten minutes before subsiding. He glanced at the hourglass's measure and silently opened the second Thorn Magic Potion, drinking it all.

The chaotic magic power surged again, healing the damage from the Flame Magic Potion, and solidifying the effects produced by the previous potions.

When his body returned to its optimal state, the hourglass had also marked the passage of half an hour.

The setting sun was about to dip below the horizon.

"Phew, that feels good." Feeling the daily increase in his total combat skills, a smile spread across Liszt's lips as he began to dip his pen in ink, recording his experience with the potions and data.

"The timing needs some adjustments, and the dosage of the Flame Magic Potion needs to be adjusted, reducing the amount per dose, to achieve minimal loss and maximum gain."

After completing the record, he took out another thick parchment and plotted all the data on a coordinate system with X and Y axes, drawing a curve to accurately calculate the direction of subsequent adjustments.

It was quite mentally taxing.

There were as many as eleven coordinate systems plotted, but with these eleven variables referenced, the final result's accuracy was very high. He was now close to figuring out the optimal regimen for taking potions his body could withstand.

From the time he had just reached the elite Earth Knight, his total combat skills had increased by one and a half times. He felt he could defeat two elite Earth Knights who relied on combat skills, a testament to the power of a potion-taking elite Earth Knight.

The combat skill approach relied entirely on honing techniques.

The potion-taking approach only needed constant investment.

No matter how much you practiced your skills for ten days, it wouldn't match the gains from one of my potion sessions: "This is probably what they call 'one force overcomes ten techniques,' where a person with great strength can defeat ten skilled warriors. A potion-taking elite Earth Knight can defeat ten elite Earth Knights who specialize in combat skills."

Moreover, Liszt was not just about using potions; he was still honing his combat skills.

He had fully mastered and perfected even the ultimate technique that Marcus had been unable to master, the Multiple Phantom Arrows.

Talent in cultivation, wealth from his potions, diligence, and perseverance, he lacked none.

He stood up, put away the thick parchment, and stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at the distant fiery clouds: "How far am I from becoming a Sky Knight?"

He didn't know.

He only knew that continuing to take potions was the way to go!

Leaving the study, he saw the maid Little Lily cleaning the corridor, her plump hips raised as if inviting more to be plucked.

Hearing the door open, Little Lily quickly stood up, bowing to Liszt: "Master."

The young girl appeared increasingly graceful.

Liszt, in a good mood, wore a gentle smile: "Thank you for your hard work."

"Ah, Master, I'm happy working in the castle, it's not hard at all," she said hurriedly, with a sincere smile on her face.

Life in the castle, at this time last year, was beyond her imagination.

Wealthy, warm, dignified, it was a dreamlike fairy tale life.