The greatest truths are the simplest; you won't know until you see it, and once you do, you'll be astonished! It turns out that Taoism, calligraphy, and martial arts are all interconnected! ... Lin Yu suddenly remembered that among the large box of martial arts manuals he had obtained from Zhu Changling's house, besides the Ying Gu Notes, Iron Palm Divine Skill, and One-Finger Divine Skill, there was also a set of Zhu family's inherited martial arts—"One-Finger Divine Skill: Judge's Brush Technique." A thought struck him: Why not try calligraphy? This Zhu family Judge's Brush technique was a direct disciple of Master Yideng, and Zhu Ziliu, the Zhu family ancestor, evolved it from One-Finger Divine Skill. It incorporates acupoint striking techniques into the Judge's Brush technique, requiring no excessive effort in cultivating finger strength; the essence of One-Finger Divine Skill can be executed solely with the Judge's Brush. Later, it was combined with calligraphy, hence the name "One-Finger Divine Skill: Judge's Brush Technique," which is quite unique. Following the strokes, each Chinese character, even each stroke, can be transformed into an exquisite move. Lin Yu had seen it before, and although it was eye-opening, he had no time to practice it due to his numerous other martial arts techniques. Looking back now, practicing calligraphy has proven to be a calming and peaceful activity when I'm feeling troubled, making it quite suitable for my current situation. Moreover, the discussion in the "One Yang Script Finger Judge's Calligraphy" about the connection between calligraphy and martial arts has also piqued my interest. The book states: "Calligraphy and martial arts seem unrelated, but in reality, they share a common principle. When calligraphy is practiced to a high level, even a soft brush can penetrate the paper and penetrate deeply into the wood. Many people consider this empty talk, but this is because they do not understand its profound mystery. Martial arts emphasizes that power originates from the ground, concentrating the body's strength into a single point for explosive release. When releasing power, both feet must push off the ground, using the rebound force to transmit through the legs to the waist, back, shoulders, arms, and wrists, ultimately exploding at the fingertips. Among these, the waist is particularly crucial; as the boxing manual says, 'Its root is in the feet, it originates in the legs, it is controlled by the waist, and it manifests in the fingers.' Calligraphy is the opposite. Beginners often feel fatigue in their hands and arms, only achieving some success when their waist feels fatigued; if they can practice until even their toes feel tired, they have considerable skill. Then, from fatigue to no fatigue, one can begin to appreciate the wonder of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, where the power penetrates the paper and penetrates deeply into the wood." Lin Yu pondered this statement and found it quite interesting, recalling an anecdote. In *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, it is recorded that on Zhang Sanfeng's 90th birthday, he was troubled because his third disciple, Yu Daiyan, had been crippled by A San, a master from the Ruyang Prince's mansion. He then practiced calligraphy to express his feelings. Zhang Cuishan, peeking through the window, saw his master first write the *Letter of Mourning*, and then add the twenty-four characters: "The supreme martial arts weapon, the Dragon Saber, commands the world, none dare disobey; without the Heaven Sword, who can contend?" The strokes gradually expanded with his emotions, growing larger and larger. Zhang Cuishan even gleaned a powerful martial art from it, wielding the Judge's Pen with immense power. Recalling this story, Lin Yu became even more interested in the combination of calligraphy and martial arts: "I never imagined that these two, one literary and the other martial, one orthodox and the other reversed, seemingly unrelated, would actually have so many similarities in terms of moves and the application of strength. No wonder calligraphers often live long lives; practicing calligraphy is actually equivalent to practicing boxing! It's truly incredible." So every day, he practiced calligraphy with great enthusiasm. However, he didn't use a brush and ink, but only his hands, using his fingers instead of a brush, writing in the air. This action gradually became a unique sight on Bright Peak. Every morning, the people on Bright Peak could see their leader, Lin Yu, standing in the martial arts training ground. Although it was said to be practicing boxing, it was not like ordinary boxing routines; he only gestured in the air with his fingers. Although it was said to be writing, it was accompanied by footwork, darting and turning, with the rhythm of profound martial arts flowing from his fingertips. The followers were secretly amazed that their leader's skills had reached such a level; even a casual gesture was a peerless martial art. Thus, watching Lin Yu practice calligraphy remotely every morning became a grand event at Bright Peak. Not only did his disciples eagerly watch, but the members of the Ming Cult also gathered around to observe. Except for the blind Xie Xun, all the high-ranking members of the Ming Cult were present, including Zhao Min and the four civil officials left behind at the main altar—Li Shanchang, Liu Ji, Zhu Sheng, and Song Lian—who often stopped to watch. These four scholars, in particular, though ignorant of martial arts, were all refined calligraphers, watching with rapt attention, occasionally whispering among themselves, discussing brushstrokes and their meaning, all with excited expressions. With each day's practice, Lin Yu gradually improved, his finger movements becoming increasingly exquisite, and his understanding of the One-Yang Finger Calligraphy deepening. He secretly praised its power: "The world has so many Chinese characters; by practicing like this, every stroke, every character can be transformed into a martial art. The intricacies are truly unfathomable, and the potential is limitless!" Perhaps it was only because the Zhu family had not produced a top master that this martial art remained unknown, almost buried in obscurity. Fortunately, he had unearthed it by chance. That morning, he was in particularly high spirits, first writing the five thousand words of the *Tao Te Ching*, then the *Huang Ting Jing*. His fingers danced across the paper, gradually entering a state of absorption, writing from the first light of dawn until nearly midday. More and more onlookers gathered, all captivated by the sight. Lin Yu's fingertips hovered, his mind focused on the air. He began by writing left and right "dots," then his fingertips suddenly plunged downwards, the force concentrated like a falling stone, echoing left and right, much like the "Zan" technique in the One-Finger Divine Skill, where power bursts forth from the fingertips, specifically targeting the opponent's acupoints such as Tanzhong, Juque, and Qimen. Then, his body swayed, his fingertips leaving a trail of afterimages as he wrote two horizontal strokes, the short horizontals like a light sword grazing the throat, his wrist turning with a gust of wind—the "sweeping" motion of the Judge's Pen. The long horizontal stroke requires a relaxed shoulder and dropped elbow, with power originating from the waist and abdomen, flowing upwards to the fingertips. The movement is stable yet contains immense force, like a whip striking, ending with a slight upward flick, seemingly able to deflect the incoming force. Finally, the middle vertical stroke, like a pillar supporting the sky, plunges straight down at the fingertips, subtly echoing the "chopping" force of Iron Palm Kung Fu, exerting power from top to bottom. If the opponent raises their arm to block, the "suspended needle" ending of this vertical stroke can be used to change tactics, striking the wrist pulse point. Thus, the regular script character "" (half) leaps into the air. He was immersed in the correspondence between the strokes and martial arts moves, completely forgetting himself. He gradually discovered that indeed, the beginning, development, transition, and conclusion of each Chinese character subtly corresponded to the circulation of internal energy and the exertion of limbs. For example, the left-falling stroke of the character "" (knife) is like a strike, the horizontal hook like a horizontal slash; the dot of the character "" (sword) is like a straight thrust, the vertical hook like a chopping… Suddenly, he switched to cursive script, his fingertips moving like dragons: the long stroke of the character "" required twisting his waist and shoulders, the fingertips sweeping out diagonally, like a soft sword coiling around the finger, capable of entangled and disarming the opponent's weapon; while the downward stroke required exerting force against the flow, like a heavy hammer pounding earth, the force suddenly increasing as the finger landed. This "three twists and turns" movement was precisely the triple change of dissipating force, accumulating force, and releasing force, capable of breaking through fierce fist techniques. Finally, he finished with the character "" in clerical script. The last stroke, the hook, required sinking the elbow and accumulating power, like a fully drawn bow, until the bend reached its limit, the fingertips suddenly shooting out. This "hook" force was like a hidden arrow suddenly shot, specifically targeting the opponent's joint gaps, similar in effect to the "returning spear" of the "Yang Family Spear Technique". Between the rise and fall of his fingertips, it seemed as if invisible techniques flowed in the air, perfectly integrated with his overall aura. When Lin Yu calmly finished his movements, he realized that the martial arts arena was already surrounded by people, yet completely silent. Among the crowd, a minor Ming Cult leader, whose martial arts were slightly inferior, couldn't fully grasp the intricacies of the movements, but he found the leader's "fist technique" fluid and captivating. Seeing Lin Yu finish his stance, he thought, "The leader has stopped. Although I don't quite understand it myself, seeing how engrossed Vice Leader Yin and the others are, the leader's demonstration must be a top-tier, unparalleled martial art. I should at least show my support!" So he wanted to applaud and cheer. But before he could speak, his quick-witted companion covered his mouth and pulled him aside. His companion made a "shh" gesture, indicating he should look around. He turned his head and saw that everyone around him was either frowning in thought or looking enlightened, all immersed in their recent insights and not yet recovered. Startled, he quickly covered his mouth, barely daring to breathe, and secretly glanced at everyone's expressions. Zhao Min, Vice Leader Yin Tianzheng, the two envoys Yang Xiao and Fan Yao, and Zhou Yunhe and his wife, all had their eyes slightly closed, still savoring the martial arts principles in the leader's gestures and brushstrokes. Zhang Wuji also stood there, his eyes shining, clearly having gained a lot. Only a few young female disciples seemed to understand, but were infected by the atmosphere around them, holding their breath and looking around intently, not daring to make a sound. Yin Tianzheng was the first to recover, suddenly opening his eyes, a sharp glint in them. He raised his right hand, using his palm as a brush, and wrote the character "" (power) in the air. With a slight drop in his shoulders and elbows, he infused the powerful force of Eagle Claw Kung Fu into the stroke. At the end, a twist of his waist and abdomen released a sudden gust of wind from his palm, startling the followers around him who quietly took a half-step back. He stroked his beard and laughed, "Wonderful! Wonderful! The way of calligraphy and martial arts, Master, can actually be integrated with my Eagle Claw Kung Fu! From now on, the martial arts of my Ming Cult will have another path to advancement!" Yang Xiao and Fan Yao also awoke one after the other, exchanging a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes. Yang Xiao had previously been studying the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, but always felt a stagnation in the flow of energy. Now, recalling Lin Yu's twisting waist and turning shoulders when writing the cursive character "," he suddenly realized: "So, energy doesn't have to be forced out blindly. Like the 'three twists and turns' of a downward stroke, releasing force before accumulating it, can actually break through all the force!" Fan Yao recalled the dynamic and expressive strokes of Lin Yu writing the character "sword" earlier, especially the final vertical hook, which was full of profound mystery. He murmured, "I've practiced the moves of the Judge's Pen before, but I never thought it could be combined with calligraphy strokes. This move combines the skill of acupoint striking with the power of a weapon—it's simply amazing!" Then Zhang Wuji excitedly ran over, "Master, just now when you wrote 'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao' from the Tao Te Ching, the brushstrokes of that character 'Tao' made me feel the rhythm of internal energy flow, and I grasped the essence of using pure Yang internal energy to propel the Seven Injury Fist. Some of the stumbling blocks I encountered when practicing the fist before suddenly became clear." "... As for Lin Yu himself, he naturally benefited the most. Although he was originally a master of martial arts, he was not skilled in calligraphy. Unexpectedly, after practicing calligraphy for only a few days, he had grasped the key to the connection between calligraphy and martial arts. Not only did his martial arts improve greatly, but his calligraphy also became extraordinary, making him a master calligrapher overnight. Even more amazing were the four civil officials, including Li Shanchang. They were so engrossed that they unconsciously imitated Lin Yu's finger gestures, drawing lines in the air. Previously, Lin Yu had taught them the basic mental techniques of the Nine Yang Divine Skill. Originally, he only did so out of pity for their weak constitution and fear that the cold weather at the headquarters might harm their health, hoping that they could strengthen their bodies and resist the frost. Unexpectedly, these four were already very learned and had a deep foundation in calligraphy. Today, witnessing this amazing scene of "integrating martial arts into calligraphy," they suddenly had a breakthrough and vaguely grasped the common principle between calligraphy and martial arts. Several years later, these four scholars actually studied what they had learned that day day and night." Furthermore, having mastered the basic techniques of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, each of them possessed formidable martial arts skills. Li Shanchang excelled in regular script calligraphy, his fist techniques were steady and powerful, and ordinary early-stage second-rate masters couldn't even get close to him. Liu Ji preferred running script calligraphy, his claw techniques were agile and graceful, and he was skilled at disarming opponents, earning him a reputation in the martial arts world and the nickname "Master of Disarming." Song Lian specialized in clerical script calligraphy, his palm techniques were heavy and powerful, instantly felling those struck. On one occasion, when martial arts villains attacked, Song Lian, with only a brush and his iron palms, subdued three second-rate masters. This became a legendary tale, earning him the title of "Deadly Scholar" among the outlaws. However, the most formidable among them was Zhu Sheng. Because he already possessed the deepest skill in calligraphy and was willing to work hard, practicing calligraphy daily, cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and recalling the essence of Lin Yu's calligraphy, he unknowingly broke through to the peak of the second-rate level. The other three were no match for him, only their reputation in the martial arts world remained unknown. Never underestimate the peak of the second-rate realm. The martial world is vast, seemingly teeming with masters, but in reality, only a handful can truly reach the first-rate level. Even Lin Yu, who transmigrated and used Monkey Wine combined with the "Mysterious Heaven Change" mental technique to cultivate a large number of first-rate and even top-tier masters for the Ming Cult and the Beggars' Sect, making the first-rate realm seem much cheaper, still doesn't amount to more than a hundred first-rate masters in the entire martial world. As for second-rate masters, they are already the backbone of major sects. An ordinary sect with one or two early-stage second-rate masters is enough to dominate a region. As for the peak of the second-rate, they are basically capable of founding their own sect. Zhu Sheng, a mere scholar, reached this level solely through martial arts techniques he gleaned from observing calligraphy, supplemented by the introductory mental technique of the Nine Yang Divine Skill. Such comprehension and opportunity are rare even in the entire history of the martial world. Later, those who knew about it came to Zhu Sheng seeking martial arts instruction. Zhu Sheng just smiled and pointed to the brush and ink on the table: "My skills all come from calligraphy." "If you want to practice, you must first write the characters well, and then understand the principle of 'the force penetrates the paper,' and then you will have entered the door." The visitor was a rough, uncultured man who knew nothing of calligraphy and hated writing. Hearing this, he could only leave dejectedly. Meanwhile, having immersed himself in calligraphy practice for days, his brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, the strength of his fingertips and the flow of his mind gradually becoming one. In Lin Yu's heart, his longing for Ye Bin, like faint ink spreading on rice paper, slowly faded with each stroke. He began to ponder the matter of breaking through to the Yuan Tai realm. This realm required condensing essence, energy, spirit, and spiritual power into a chaotic Yuan Tai, a watershed between mortals and immortals. It concerned whether he could successfully condense his Nascent Soul in the future, and he couldn't afford to be careless. Recalling his own experiences, from his soul transmigrating into the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, to saving the Fire Dragon, capturing Cheng Kun, supporting the Beggars' Sect, taking charge of the Ming Cult, healing Qian Ye, protecting Cui Shan, protecting Yin Li… even throwing himself into the revolution and leading his troops against the Yuan, each and every one of these events was intertwined with countless causes and effects. Like a dense net binding him, it tightened his heart. "I have too many karmic ties and am too deeply connected to worldly fortune. Although I have now overcome the tribulation of love, I fear that the path to enlightenment will still be fraught with obstacles." Just as Lin Yu was pondering how to be more cautious, Er Xuan suddenly approached. Lin Yu noticed that although Mu Xuan had broken through to the late stage of the Swordsman realm, his aura was somewhat restless, clearly indicating an unstable foundation. A thought struck him, and he suddenly remembered a place—the White Sun Diagram of Wind Cave Mountain, Flower Rain Cave! … Dear readers: Hello everyone! This is my first novel, and today I'm finally saying goodbye to everyone~ When I first picked up this pen, my initial intention was very simple—I just wanted to fill in the "golden pits" left by Mr. Jin Yong and Mr. Huanzhu Louzhu. As a sailor, the days at sea are long and tedious. Initially, I just wrote for fun because I was bored with what to read, without thinking about publishing or deliberately crafting a story. I wrote a few lines when I felt like it, and then put it aside for a long time when I was busy. Over two or three years, I accumulated more than 300,000 words without realizing it. While rereading, I felt that some of the ideas for filling in the plot holes were quite creative, so I thought of sharing them. Thus, I came to Tomato with some trepidation. After more than three months and over 600,000 words, it's finally come to a satisfying end—well, let's just call it a satisfying end for now! Here, I sincerely thank every friend who has accompanied me this far! Without your support and understanding, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to persevere on this creative journey. I'll always cherish this gratitude in my heart. To be honest, as a newcomer with no publishing experience, I failed to tell the story well and made many irreparable mistakes, resulting in the book's disappointing sales figures. Near the end, I went back to review it, and I discovered a crucial problem after only hearing the first dozen or so chapters: After Lin Yu learned the Nine Yang Manual, everyone was clearly waiting to see him roam the martial world and dominate, but because I had put it off for too long and was only focused on filling in the plot holes, I glossed over this highlight and directly arranged for him to go to Youhuang Valley for plastic surgery! Haha~ Now, thinking about it, it's both laughable and pathetic. No wonder readers left; such an obvious mistake made the failure entirely justified. I really let everyone down! There are many similar regrets in the book, which I won't list one by one. In the past few days, I've been writing the complete story of Lin Yu's debut, adding a significant amount of words. Due to work commitments, I didn't have time to adjust and replace each chapter individually, so I had to integrate the content into chapters 13-18, resulting in these chapters being rather long, which may affect the reading experience. Please bear with me. However, it's gratifying that, as my first novel, even with mediocre traffic, I managed to maintain a consistent update schedule and a clean ending, giving this creative experience a complete conclusion. These past few days, I've also been reflecting on whether I can truly make a living as a writer. Currently, it seems likely that full-time writing would lead to financial ruin, haha. But I genuinely love telling stories, even if there's only one listener. In the future, I'll be an amateur writer, not bound by data, and continue to explore the world of words. I've decided not to revise some of the book's flaws. Let these regrets remain as a record of my growth from a novice author. Although this book didn't bring in any royalties, I gained far more than I imagined: First, I've met all of you dear readers. Every word of encouragement from you is my greatest motivation to keep going. Second, I've grown personally—writing definitely requires a lot of practice. My writing style in the later parts is much smoother and more mature than in the earlier ones. Looking back at my earlier work now, I can immediately spot the problems, which is the most tangible progress. Third, I've become familiar with the platform's rules and identified my weaknesses. I believe my second novel will show significant improvement. I know how big the gap is between me and the masters. I will continue to study the rankings, hone my writing skills, and accumulate experience to live up to everyone's trust and encouragement. Finally, I want to say thank you again to all my friends who have supported me! The journey is long, the story is not over, see you in the next work! [Smirk]
