increasingly disheartened.At this point, if he still didn't realize that Zhang Dahan had a significant backing, he wouldn’t have reached the position of Secretary of Justice in this super city. Theref...Chapter 555 Basic Skills

When Xiao Yu moved his hand, the two men in their thirties next to the child trembled all over. Their muscles tensed abruptly, and a cold light flashed across their eyes as they looked at Xiao Yu. Moreover, both of them stopped writing with their pens, and one of their free hands slightly raised as if to grab Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu also sensed these two men's unusual reactions. It seemed that this child was no ordinary person, accompanied by bodyguards. And judging from the look of it, these two bodyguards should be elite troops! Xiao Yu thought secretly after seeing the actions of these two men in their thirties.

Earlier on, Xiao Yu had already noticed them. Their postures were very straight, and there was a thick layer of callus on their hands that held pens. However, the cursive script they wrote could still be read passably. Therefore, he hadn't thought much about it at first, merely assuming they were former soldiers. But with this move just now, Xiao Yu knew these two men must be bodyguards for the child.

Although so, Xiao Yu's actions did not stop but instead sped up. Before either of them could react, he lightly lifted the brush in the child’s hand with a slight use of strength. However, this lift by Xiao Yu had no effect; the child still firmly held onto the brush, and his expression remained calm without any signs of panic or change, continuing to write steadily on the paper.

Seeing this situation, Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile and nodded slightly.

The two men in their thirties gazed at Xiao Yu with a mixture of shock. Xiao Yu's movements were incredibly swift, so fast that they hadn't had time to react when his hand was already back at his side as if nothing had happened.

Seeing the child unharmed, both men withdrew their hands but stopped writing. They watched Xiao Yu with wary eyes.

The two were now extremely frightened. If Xiao Yu had wanted to harm this child just then, he probably would have succeeded! Since Xiao Yu hadn't harmed the child that moment, it was unlikely he'd attempt such a thing again in the future. Still, they dared not take any chances and kept their eyes fixed on him.

Xiao Yu ignored them both and watched the little boy write. Seeing Xiao Yu not leave, the two men couldn't afford to let up but also could not chase him away as he was a judge. Moreover, when they came here, the boss had told them not to cause disturbances that would disrupt the competition.

Thus, these two continued staring at Xiao Yu while Xiao Yu simply pretended they didn’t exist and looked down at the boy writing.

The previous move by Xiao Yu hadn't required much strength; if it were most people, their brush would have been pulled away. However, this child's brush remained perfectly still despite Xiao Yu’s attempt to lift it. That was what amazed Xiao Yu.

Note that this child is barely in his teens and doesn't have much strength. However, the force with which he holds the pen shows how solid and well-grounded his basic skills are. It's no wonder such a young kid can write such excellent running script.

Moreover, he noticed the child's four treasures of the study. These items aren't ordinary; they have some history to them and are considered top-tier in their category.

The brush is made from weasel hair, specifically wild weasel hair. Despite its craftsmanship, Xiao Yu could sense a faint hint of wildness within it.

The inkstone is a Duan Inkstone, with intricate patterns that exude an air of ancient simplicity, clearly not just any ordinary object.

The paperweight is carved from a large piece of white jade. This paperweight has been frequently handled over time, developing a smooth and oily texture. From this alone, Xiao Yu can deduce that the jadeware paperweight is at least hundreds of years old. Furthermore, with dragons and phoenixes engraved upon it, it's evident that this paperweight was once imperial.

The Xuan paper he uses is also top-quality handmade Hui paper. All these indicate that this child isn't ordinary; just his four treasures alone would easily be worth over a million. If they have a well-documented provenance and were used by ancient masters, their value could skyrocket several times.

Could someone with such items belong to an average household Especially when accompanied by two elite bodyguards.

Xiao Yu didn't pay much heed to these matters. After glancing at the four treasures of the study, he shifted his gaze onto this child. It was only after the final stroke that Xiao Yu's face showed a trace of a smile.

"Hello, judge uncle!" The boy put down the brush and turned to look at Xiao Yu, nodding slightly as he spoke.

"Hello!" Upon hearing the child's words, Xiao Yu nodded in return. When this little boy greeted him earlier, his manner was neither servile nor arrogant, yet it conveyed respect. Just from that alone, one could see how well-mannered and disciplined this child is.

The child knew Xiao Yu was a judge but didn't ask about the quality of his writing. Most children would likely ask Xiao Yu for feedback if they knew he was a judge, yet this boy didn't make any such inquiries at all, clearly very confident in his calligraphy skills and having his own understanding without needing validation from others.

Of course, there's also the possibility that he doesn't think Xiao Yu could teach him better than his master.

When Xiao Yu pulled his brush, he was aware of it as well. However, he had great confidence in himself. Even if Xiao Yu or his calligraphy teacher suddenly attacked him, he would no longer be caught off guard.

This point made his teachers very satisfied with him. His teacher once predicted that given his talent and diligence, he should reach the level of a top master by the age of forty. If he could achieve this at forty, then there would be hope for him to break through to become a sage.

Though he was destined not to specialize in calligraphy throughout his life, he still hoped to excel in it. This was also what his father taught him: if you do something, strive to be the best at it. And this is exactly how he had always been.

When he was five years old, his father respected his choice and allowed him to pick his own interest. At that time, he chose calligraphy. His father then told him, "Since you've chosen it, strive for the best."

Hence, his father found him the best teachers, and over six years, he had worked tirelessly, enduring hardships only known to himself but never complaining. Since this was his choice, he would persevere.

Xiao Yu didn't linger with the boy but walked around to look at others' calligraphy. Soon enough, Xiao Yu had circled the room and found several amateur participants whose work was quite commendable.

"Alright everyone, it's time to leave! Leave your calligraphy behind; we'll notify you outside after our evaluation!" When everyone seemed to be finishing up, Old Hu walked forward and addressed them.

All the participants then packed their stationery and left for the park outside to wait.

Xiao Yu and others walked past each piece of calligraphy. They placed a tag on those they deemed impressive. When Party Secretary Liu and others saw that the selection was underway, they also approached. Upon seeing Old Hu place a tag on desk number twenty-seven, everyone silently nodded in approval.

Soon enough, all twenty participants were selected with little dispute among them. Thus, Old Hu went outside to announce it.

Shortly after, everyone who had participated came back in. Those who weren't selected merely chuckled when they saw no tag on the table before them. For them, calligraphy was just a hobby; knowing that they could practice for fun but struggled during competitions didn't disappoint them too much since they all loved it.

Those who were selected smirked in satisfaction as well. This recognition meant something to them. Most of these people were elderly and started learning calligraphy after retirement, practicing for several years with some even over a decade. Having their efforts acknowledged brought joy to the heart.

The eliminated contestants packed up their belongings and left.

Xiao Yu noticed that the two men in their thirties standing beside the young boy were telling him something while showing a worried expression.

As they spoke to the child, they kept glancing at Xiao Yu with caution. Given Xiao Yu's impressive skills, they didn't dare leave the kid alone here since his identity was too special.

The little boy, however, remained unaffected. Finally, he seemed impatient and pulled out a phone from his pocket, ready to make a call.

Seeing this, the two men were momentarily stunned before sighing in resignation and leaving.

In reality, they knew that staying here wouldn't do much good. If Xiao Yu had intended to harm the child, he would have done so earlier. Since he hadn't acted then, it was unlikely he would later on. Yet even with this realization, they still couldn't bring themselves to leave the boy alone.

Only after the little boy pulled out his phone did they reluctantly step outside.

Once out, they immediately made a call. Although they didn't allow the child to make calls, they needed to report back to their boss.

A while later, after hanging up, they exchanged glances and smiled wryly; it seemed that according to their boss’s instructions, there was no need for undue alarm—let things take their natural course.

"Those remaining all have a solid foundation in calligraphy. The rules of our semi-finals are simple: write one character that best represents your style! We will select ten finalists from among you!"

After the eliminated contestants had left, Hu Lao spoke to the twenty people who remained.

(To be continued...) said.Zhou Ruoying hadn’t set foot in the kitchen for many years. This morning, when she mentioned that she would cook herself, Song Hushan was momentarily stunned before shuddering all over. He remem...