ng had learned a little bit about how Xiao Yu knew Luo Jingyang during their drinking session earlier, the specifics were still unclear to him."Just so-so! I just met him today! We started off on a ba...Chapter 557: Judging People Through Calligraphy

Xiao Yu put down the pen in his hand, but those surrounding him hadn't yet reacted. Everyone in the room felt a sense of weightiness settle over their hearts.

"Is this what style is" The old man who had been so indignant just moments ago now wore an expression of shock as he murmured to himself.

Hao Laoye, upon hearing his mutterings, stared unwaveringly at Xiao Yu's calligraphy with both eyes, shaking his head solemnly without uttering a word.

"No! This isn't merely style anymore; it's momentum. I never would have thought! In my lifetime, Wu has actually witnessed someone emerge who can imbue their writing with such momentum!" Upon hearing this person’s words, Wu Laoye sighed deeply and then remained silent.

After Wu Laoye spoke, he looked closely at the character, silently marveling: "This must be the realm of half a step from a master! If Xiao Yu can infuse his emotions into it, when people see his work they'll know exactly what mindset and circumstances he was in. And if centuries later one sees this piece and feels as if they're right there with him, wouldn't that mean reaching the realm of a calligraphy master"

The young boy who had displayed such good breeding up till now was also very stirred by seeing this character.

Although he was only around ten years old, he had seen many pieces of work imbued with momentum. To cultivate his awareness of calligraphy, his father and teachers had shown him numerous works of ancient masters—so much so that he had even seen the genuine writing of Wang Xizhi himself. His house contained quite a few original masterpieces from famous calligraphers, thus allowing him to discern some signs.

Furthermore, when learning calligraphy with his teacher, this teacher often said they dared not hope for attaining the realm of a master but would be content if they could produce work imbued with momentum. The boy's teacher was one of the top masters in contemporary domestic calligraphy circles; such an individual hadn't yet reached that level, while the person before their eyes had. This made him marvel at Xiao Yu’s achievement.

If Xiao Yu knew what this little boy was thinking, he would be astounded. At only ten years old, he could already think in mature terms—truly an extraordinary child indeed!

"Great! What a wonderful character! It was worthwhile coming here, truly worthwhile!" After a while, Old Wu sighed and said with deep感慨.

"Yes, never would have thought that participating in a calligraphy competition could lead to seeing such excellent calligraphy. Wonderful... wonderful..." As soon as Old Wu finished speaking, an elderly gentleman standing nearby, around seventy years old, also spoke with感慨." Wonderful!" he exclaimed repeatedly at the end.

This elder was precisely the one sitting at position number twenty-seven. When he spoke just now, he exuded a sense of豪氣. Although it wasn't apparent when he was writing earlier, currently he displayed an authoritative aura that clearly marked him as no ordinary person.

Hearing the elder's words, Xiao Yu also looked over at him. After seeing the current aura this elder was displaying, he couldn't help but pause for a moment before shaking his head with a smile.

Xiao Yu never would have thought that such an insignificant competition could feature two remarkable individuals: one being the little boy and the other this elder. Although the elder's calligraphy wasn’t exceptional at the moment, there was no sign of fear in him; rather, he exuded the air of a leader.

Hearing these words from the elderly man, Secretary Liu couldn't help but feel delighted. Indeed, it must be that esteemed old gentleman.

The previous day, Secretary Liu went to meet with a friend and this friend casually mentioned that an elder from someone's family was participating in a calligraphy competition at their district; hence his presence here today.

After hearing these conversations, Xiao Yu didn't say anything but looked around and said, "In the realm of calligraphy, talent is one aspect, but having a humble and diligent heart can lead to progress on this path!"

Hearing what Xiao Yu said, everyone nodded thoughtfully. The person who had spoken earlier even showed an apologetic expression towards Xiao Yu, bowed slightly, tidied up his belongings, and left; he no longer felt comfortable staying here.

No one stopped this person from leaving as they all understood that he was embarrassed to stay.

After the man left, Xiao Yu and others resumed their evaluations. They had already roughly observed everyone's writings beforehand, so they all had a general idea of things. What they needed to do now was point out the strengths and weaknesses of each piece of calligraphy.

The participants now had no doubts about Xiao Yu's comments. Although most of them knew that Xiao Yu wrote exceptionally well, giving people a comforting feeling upon reading his work, they were unable to pinpoint exactly what made it so good. Only the other two judges and a few others highly praised Xiao Yu’s handwriting, which is why they dared not question Xiao Yu's evaluation.

Soon after, Xiao Yu and company selected ten individuals from the initial twenty participants for the finals. However, since it was already close to noon, they decided to hold the final round in the afternoon.

The activity center provided lunch for those participating in the finals at Secretary Liu's request. He had ulterior motives; he wanted to create a better impression before this elder and pretend not to know him. Hence, since his arrival, he hadn't spoken much, maintaining a low profile while also showing support for the competition and the district's emphasis on it.

The final round started at 2 PM in the afternoon. At that time, anyone who had been eliminated earlier could come to watch. Hu Lao and company were now slightly worried about the elder’s chances of winning with number twenty-seven.

From a morning's observation, they found that while the elder’s calligraphy wasn't the best among amateurs, it still possessed an air of grandeur, which was indeed its highlight.

The elder seemed to have learned calligraphy for only a short time. Yet his talent and broad-mindedness were reflected in his work, giving his pieces a sense of grandeur. This is what 'reading the character from one’s writing' means.

During lunchtime, Secretary Liu also understood the value of Xiao Yu's handwriting, hence he looked at Xiao Yu with surprise. However, as officials, they had little to do with how well you wrote, so after their initial shock, they calmed down.

The final round started promptly at 2 PM in the afternoon. The competition hall was now empty except for ten tables placed centrally. These were surrounded by people who hoped to witness the championship being born. They had all been eliminated in the morning but still wanted to see it through to the end.

"The final round is unlimited in time; write your best work, and we'll select the top three based on that!"

Old Hu stood among the crowd and announced once more.

Not only was he a judge but also an organizer of this competition. Furthermore, most of the participants were his acquaintances, giving him a certain level of authority here; thus, it made sense for Old Hu to make such announcements. Moreover, both Xiao Yu and Old Wu were invited by him.

The moment Hu Lao finished speaking, the originally noisy hall suddenly fell silent. They were all enthusiasts of calligraphy and naturally knew that when writing, one should avoid any distractions; noise was the easiest to cause a restless mind. Thus, as soon as Hu Lao's voice faded away, everyone in the hall instantly became quiet, leaving only the sound of breathing.

Among these ten finalists remaining, the youngest was the teenage boy, while the rest were middle-aged and elderly men over fifty years old. Despite their different ages, they all shared a common trait at this moment—they all took a deep breath to focus intently.

Soon after, everyone started writing; most of them wrote several pieces but were unsatisfied and rewrote again.

However, the boy and the elderly man with number 27 did not rush into action. Instead, they stood there, closing their eyes slightly to focus their minds.

Around when others had written about three drafts each, both of them opened their eyes simultaneously, as if no one else was around. They picked up pens and started writing on the papers in front of them with fluid motions, uninterrupted, even ignoring the praises from surrounding people. To them at this moment, everything seemed nonexistent except for the pen in their hands and the paper on the desk.

After about ten minutes, both finished their last strokes almost simultaneously. They put down their pens beside them, bent over to look at what they had written, and revealed a satisfied smile.

Influenced by Xiao Yu's calligraphy style, today’s creations of these two were arguably the best in their current stage. Thus, after some contemplation, both took out seals from their bags and stamped them on top of their works.

"Referees, I have finished..........." After stamping, they almost simultaneously addressed Xiao Yu and others.

Upon hearing their words, Xiao Yu and the others merely nodded without speaking, waiting for the rest.

The remaining time saw them either dissatisfied with their just-written pieces or lacking in confidence. In summary, more than an hour later, everyone finally finished writing.

Seeing the last person finish, Xiao Yu and company approached to comment on each piece of calligraphy one by one. The three seemed purposefully—or perhaps unintentionally—skipped over the teenage boy’s and elderly man's works, discussing the rest instead.wn again."Junior Brother, what exactly is this Yin Nine Veins Cut-off Meridian Syndrome" When there were many people around just now, Old Master Dai couldn't ask Xiao Yu directly, so when only a few o...