"drop!"

"Calligraphy level, peak of level two!"

Soon, the Cosmic Trading System provided specific levels.

"As expected, he has already reached the peak of level two!"

Lin Yun took a deep breath.

The difference between the peak of the second level and the mastery of the second level may seem small, but there is a huge difference between them.

Nothing in the world is perfect, and the same is true of realms of understanding... It is very difficult to reach the peak of a realm.

Lin Yun had learned hundreds of martial arts techniques and knew this best.

Through his own practice, sometimes the difficulty of advancing a martial art from mastery to peak is several times greater than advancing it from beginner to mastery.

In practical terms, a level two peak calligraphy artist can already create works that possess a level two spiritual quality.

This is a huge difference.

"I wonder if Mr. Li has seen my work?" Just then, Lin Yun looked up at Li Ji, smiled slightly, and said.

At that moment, an idea came to him.

"Huh?" Li Ji was taken aback. The other person's work? Could it be that the other person also practices calligraphy?

Lin Yun looked at Wu Bo.

“Mr. Li, I forgot to tell you earlier, Mr. Lin brought you a gift when he came. This is…” Wu Bo also realized what was going on. He quickly turned around, picked up a scroll from the table next to him, and said.

He originally intended to show the scroll to Li Ji, but Li Ji's reaction was so strong that he didn't have time to do so.

"Let me see..." Li Jilian nodded.

Although his calligraphy skills were quite advanced, he was still very curious about the calligraphy of his peers, especially since this peer was the famous boss of Qingyun Company.

"Have you not seen the Yellow River's waters come from the sky, rushing to the sea never to return..."

Soon, a magnificent scroll appeared before Li Ji and the steward. The moment they opened it, they even felt as if a mighty river was rushing towards them from afar.

"Hiss—"

Upon seeing this calligraphy, Li Ji quickly gasped.

He was a master calligrapher, and he quickly judged that the quality of this piece of calligraphy surpassed even his own.

"Wait, something's not right..."

But soon, he sensed something and frowned slightly.

"Something's not right?" Lin Yun asked curiously, a thought striking him upon seeing this.

The other party is a master calligrapher and should be very sensitive to calligraphy. Perhaps the other party's discovery is the reason why his works rarely possess spirituality.

"The artistic conception is not right. The quality of this calligraphy is very high, but the artistic conception is not perfect. This is Li Bai's 'Bring in the Wine,' but the author did not fully grasp the artistic conception..." Li Ji thought for a moment and said.

"Could this calligraphy have been written by Mr. Lin?" Then, as if realizing something, Li Ji looked up at Lin Yuan with a solemn expression.

He never expected that Lin Yun's calligraphy was at such a high level, making him feel inferior. In fact, Lin Yun's calligraphy style made him see some of his own shortcomings, which was exactly the level he wanted to reach.

He had a feeling that if he studied this piece of calligraphy for a period of time, his calligraphy skills would definitely reach a higher level.

In short, this is a great gift.

This gift alone is enough to exchange for many of his works, including his most recent masterpiece.

However, he couldn't help but blush slightly when he thought of this.

With such a high level of calligraphy skill, why would I covet his work?

It's ridiculous that he previously wanted to use his own work to help the other party improve his mental strength; he was being rather narcissistic.

So, besides his works, what else does he have to offer?

money?

The other party is the boss of Qingyun Company. Qingyun Company's products and games are world-renowned. With such strong capabilities, how could Qingyun Company be short of money?

Thinking this, Li Ji felt even more ashamed.

He lost in calligraphy, which he was most proud of, and in other areas he was far inferior. This defeat made him completely convinced of his mistake.

"Artistic conception?" Lin Yun seemed to be thinking.

Indeed, the reason he wrote Li Bai's "Bring in the Wine" was mainly because Lin Yuanshan had written "Bring in the Wine" at the time. When he saw this calligraphy, although he felt a lot of emotional ups and downs, he did not really appreciate the artistic conception behind the poem.

"Could it be that the most important thing for a work of art to be imbued with spirit is its artistic conception?" Lin Yun asked, looking at Li Ji.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have been misunderstanding all along. The paintings he made on Venus, when he was at the peak of the first level of painting, his works were born with first-level spirituality, and when he was at the peak of the second level of painting, his works were born with second-level spirituality.

He believed that by using the peak of the first level of painting, his work could be imbued with a first level of spirituality.

Using the peak of the second level of painting, a work can be imbued with a second level of spirituality.

Perhaps, that's not the case?

Rather, it's because he has a deep understanding of the starry sky and he has captured the essence of that scene.

“Mr. Lin has a high level of comprehension. That’s right. This is the key to whether a work of art can be imbued with spirituality. The importance of artistic conception even surpasses that of technique. If the artistic conception is achieved, spirituality can be easily born. Mr. Lin must have seen those abstract paintings from abroad?” Li Ji said with a smile.

"Abstract art from abroad?" Lin Yun asked in surprise.

“Yes, those abstract paintings… I do disagree with the content of many of them, but some of them have a very high artistic conception, so they can also give rise to spirituality,” Li Ji nodded.

Lin Yun seemed to be deep in thought.

No wonder.

He couldn't understand this before either. Some abstract paintings were ugly, but they could fetch astronomical prices. Now it seems that those abstract paintings are also works with a spirit.

It seems that this is indeed the case?

Some time ago, he acquired some spiritual items from various countries, including some abstract paintings. One of them even reached the second level of spirituality.

So it seems that the artistic conception is indeed very important.

He learned painting and calligraphy, but he only learned the techniques. The artistic conception still needs to be understood by himself.

Just like how, even though he has learned many martial arts techniques, and even mastered many of them to the highest level, he still needs to practice them again and again, slowly comprehending and reflecting on the principles behind them.

Wasn't he also trying to grasp the essence of some martial arts techniques?

Reaching the pinnacle of skill is the Dao, which is something mysterious and profound, a state of mind.

In that instant, Lin Yun thought of many things.

“Mr. Lin’s calligraphy is of a very high level, and I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as him. This piece of calligraphy should have a spirit. Mr. Lin has already explored the artistic conception. Even if I don’t say it, Mr. Lin will understand sooner or later. Just now, I will drop the suggestion…” Li Ji paused and said with a look of shame.

"Why do you say that, Mr. Li? As the saying goes, 'A thousand volumes of false teachings can be passed down in a single sentence.' If Mr. Li hadn't pointed this out, I'm afraid it would have taken me a long time to understand..." Lin Yun said with a faint smile upon seeing Li Ji's reaction.

That was a rather polite remark. This time, he planned to visit many people, and even if Li Ji didn't say anything, he would find out from others.

“This calligraphy has deeply moved me. I feel that my calligraphy skills will break through. This is already a great gift. How could Li Ji possibly ask for anything more?” Li Ji shook his head and said, his tone even showing a hint of respect.

He was inspired by Lin Yun's calligraphy, and in a way, Lin Yun was his teacher. It would be excessive for him to ask for anything more.

He is arrogant, but he has principles.

Seeing this, Lin Yun nodded slightly, becoming even more certain of his earlier thoughts.

"I have a suggestion for you, Mr. Li, you might want to take a look," Lin Yun said with a smile.

"What did you say?" Li Ji asked curiously.

"This world is somewhat different from what it used to be. Since Mr. Li has played Future Storm, he must have vaguely sensed this. Mr. Li's calligraphy is of a very high level. I intend to recruit Mr. Li. I wonder what Mr. Li thinks?" Lin Yun thought for a moment and said.

"Recruit me?" Li Ji frowned.

The word Lin Yun used made him feel uneasy, giving him the impression of forming a faction and rebelling.

At this moment, he recalled the rumors of conflict between Qingyun Company and the Chinese government, which further convinced him of the matter.

However, he was born in China and lived a peaceful and even wealthy life, which was a blessing from China, but he did not want to do this.

"I am but a scholar, without courage or strategy, who only likes calligraphy. It seems Mr. Lin has misunderstood my taste." Thinking this, Li Ji shook his head and said.

"Hehe, Mr. Li, what level do you think calligraphy can reach when it reaches a high level?" Lin Yun asked with a smile.

Some calligraphy masters can defend with a single word, attack with a single word, destroy a powerful opponent with a single word, and even change the world with a single word. To some extent, their influence even surpasses that of martial arts masters.

He made everyone on Earth learn martial arts, and he promoted the game "Future Storm" around the world in order to select some talents. Now that he has encountered such talents, how could he turn a blind eye to them?

"To what extent? Does it mean the spiritual essence of a work can be sold for money?" Li Ji frowned.

"Mr. Li, you can take a look at this video," Lin Yun said, shaking his head.

call--

As he spoke, Lin Yun waved his hand, and a projection immediately appeared next to them.

No matter how much you say, it's better to let the other person see it.

Within this projection, the humans are depicted as if they were from Earth, against a backdrop resembling ancient Earth. In a desolate wilderness, a scholar dressed in a blue robe stands alone, facing a vast army.

The scholar looked at the rapidly approaching army, one hand behind his back, the other holding a pen, with a calm and composed expression.

"Buzz—"

Suddenly, the scholar gently wrote a character in the air, and a special fluctuation emanated from the air. The character emitted a golden light and flew towards the thousands of troops.

"Whoosh—whoosh—roar—"

The next moment, a gust of wind suddenly appeared not far from the scholar, quickly sweeping towards the thousands of troops opposite. The troops were immediately thrown into chaos, with sand and stones flying everywhere, and men and horses falling over.

Just then, the scholar wrote another character in the air.

"Boom—"

A thunderclap exploded amidst the thousands of soldiers and horses, and the already disorganized army suffered heavy losses once again. Limbs flew up, and the enemy was filled with cries of agony.

Then, the scholar wrote some more words in the air, and each word he wrote caused heavy damage to the opponent.

A moment later, the scholar stopped, the wind died down, and all was still. There was no one left standing opposite him; all the threat had vanished.

Throughout the entire story, the scholar kept one hand behind his back, appearing completely nonchalant.

After doing all this, the scholar put both hands behind his back, turned around and left, looking very dashing.

Upon seeing Lin Yun project the image, Li Ji was only slightly startled, but then paid no further attention.

Projection technology has existed for a long time, and given Qingyun's advanced technology, it's quite normal for them to possess such powerful projection technology.

But what is Lin Yun showing this movie to himself?

Li Ji was somewhat puzzled.

To be honest, watching this video of the scholar calmly and effortlessly defeating thousands with his words, I was also filled with excitement.

Every man dreams of being a hero.

Although he is over forty years old, he still has...

In particular, the fact that this scholar used calligraphy to defend himself resonated with him even more, as he himself practiced calligraphy.

If only he could be like that.

He couldn't help but think that to himself.

But this is, after all, a movie.

He didn't believe it was true because it was too exaggerated.

"Mr. Li thinks this is fake?" Lin Yun asked with a smile when he saw Li Ji's expression.