From American Internet Celebrity to God Among Men

18: Chapter 18 begins with audiovisual elements, marking a breakthrough to ten thousand points.The phone conversation with the copyright agency ”Harmony Bridge” was scheduled for a Tuesday afternoon. Alex specifically chose the quietest moment in his apartment to ensure a clear connection.

The person on the other end of the line was a woman with a gentle voice but precise wording, named Allison. She didn’t engage in small talk and went straight to the point: ”Mr. Su, first we need to clarify that this conversation does not constitute any promise. We appreciate your visual language, especially your keenness in handling the ’emotional synchronization’ between music and visuals. In our view, this is more valuable than mere technical showing off.”

Alex remained focused and humble: ”Thank you for your recognition, Allison. I also believe that music should be the soul guide of the visuals, not just decoration.”

”Exactly,” Allison’s tone revealed a hint of approval, ”Some of our artists are seeking visual expressions that transcend traditional MVs or live recordings. They hope their works can be placed in a more contemporary, more open-to-interpretation narrative context. Your channel provides such a possibility.”

She further explained that they currently have a preliminary ”visual experimentation” project, aiming to match several stylistically distinct musicians with visual creators for small-scale, non-commercial conceptual short film creation. The budget is not high, but it gives creators great freedom, with the goal of exploring new boundaries of music visualization. If the results are ideal, it might serve as a reference for more formal collaborations in the future.

”Taylor Swift’s team has expressed some interest in this project,” Allison’s tone was steady, with no extra meaning detectable, ”Of course, whether to participate in the end, and which artist to participate with, depends on multiple rounds of communication and assessments of mutual fit. We are currently just building a preliminary ’candidate creator pool’.”

Alex’s heartbeat was steady, but his thoughts were clear. This was a ”reserve” opportunity with a very high threshold and hidden competition, but once entered, it meant stepping into a top-tier circle. He showed appropriate interest and caution: ”I understand completely. This sounds like a challenging but highly attractive direction. I would be very willing to learn more about the detailed framework of the project and the general expectations of the artists.”

”Very good,” Allison seemed satisfied with his reaction, ”I will send you a more detailed letter of intent and a non-disclosure agreement. Please do not rush to reply, read it carefully. We look forward to talking with creators who truly understand the essence of artistic collaboration.”

The call ended. Alex put down his phone and walked to the window. The sunset dyed the sea of Santa Monica a golden red. This call didn’t bring any concrete promises, but it clearly marked a path, and his current position on this path—a potential talent who has been seen and included in the scope of consideration. This feeling made him feel a heavy sense of excitement, more so than receiving a direct but ordinary commercial collaboration.

He turned his attention back to the new series he was incubating, ”city sound and vision”. He decided that the first short film would revolve around an independent electronic track with a slow rhythm and a faint sense of urban melancholy. He wanted to use his lens to capture those neglected corners of Los Angeles full of the texture of time: the peeling wall paint of an old cinema, the dust on the rotating pole of a barbershop, a cup of coffee slowly cooling in an empty diner in the afternoon... letting the rhythm of the music guide the lens to flow between these still lifes, weaving an emotion about memory and alienation.

This required extremely delicate lens scheduling and color control, forming a sharp contrast with his previous videos full of dynamic power. He used a portion of the newly arrived brand collaboration fees to rent a set of more professional cinema lenses and lighting equipment.

The shooting process became a quiet meditation. He spent a lot of time waiting for the light and adjusting the most subtle compositions. The Creative Source Guardian ability allowed him to immerse himself in this slow-paced creation, undisturbed by the impetuosity of the outside world, keenly capturing every detail that touched his heart.

When editing, he deliberately discarded complex techniques, letting the visuals themselves and the music breathe and converse. The finished film was only three and a half minutes long, titled ”Faded Afternoon”. It was quiet, even a bit lonely, but contained a delicate power.

When releasing ”Faded Afternoon”, Alex wrote in the description: ”The first installment of the ’city sound and vision’ series. Attempting to let visuals become the footnote to music.”

The response was unexpectedly good. Many viewers were moved by this quiet aesthetic:

”Used to the explosive Parkour and AR, I didn’t expect the blogger to be so scary when he calmed down... This atmosphere is amazing.”

”Like a visual poem. The music and visuals are so fitting that it makes people want to cry.”

”This is the high-level ’emotional consumption’, the blogger is awesome.”

The subscriber count was steadily moving towards 500,000 under the stable output of high-quality content. More importantly, this kind of video showcasing diverse creative abilities further consolidated his public image as a ”visual artist” rather than just a ”cool video creator”.

Within the system, popularity, with the spread of new videos and the future expectations brought by the potential collaboration with ”Harmony Bridge”, finally accumulated to that critical point.

【 Detected that host popularity has exceeded 10,000 points. 】

【 System core permissions partially unlocked. 】

【 Redemption system upgraded. 】

【 New dimension added: ’Origin Trait Strengthening’. 】

Previous skill redemptions were mostly ”ability installations” for specific fields. But the newly unlocked ”Origin Trait Strengthening” was more like a targeted evolution of his own fundamental attributes. The options on the list became extremely concise, and also extremely expensive:

【 Mental Pillar 】 - 3000 points

(Greatly enhances willpower, focus, and emotional stability, resists high pressure, temptation, and long-term loneliness, keeping the self-core unshaken.)

【 Physical Sublimation 】 - 3000 points

(Transcends conventional exercise limits, comprehensively improves basic physical fitness: recovery, endurance, immunity, cell vitality, etc., laying the foundation for carrying higher-intensity activities and possible future changes.)

【 Perception Sharpening 】 - 2500 points

(Comprehensively improves the sensitivity of the five senses and intuition, raising the perception of the environment, others’ emotions, potential opportunities, and dangers to a new level.)

No flashy descriptions, but every option pointed straight to the core. Alex realized that this was where the true power of the system lay—not in granting a wide variety of skills, but in forging a ”container” capable of mastering these skills, and even mastering the infinite possibilities of the future.

He examined his current situation: his career was in a rapid upward period, and the pressure and temptations he faced were increasing day by day; although his body had been strengthened, long-term high-intensity creation and shooting consumed a huge amount of energy; the future path was full of unknowns, and sharper perception might help him avoid risks and seize opportunities.

He made his choice.

”Redeem 【 Mental Pillar 】 and 【 Physical Sublimation 】.”

【 Consumed 6000 points. Redemption successful. 】

【 Remaining popularity: 300 points. 】

There was no violent feeling. It was as if a deep, gentle force surged from the depths of his bone marrow, slowly and firmly penetrating every corner of his limbs and spiritual world. He felt an unprecedented sense of stability, as if there was an unshakable foundation under his feet, and his heart became clear and resilient. At the same time, subtle sounds like the revival of all things came from his body, the long-accumulated fatigue was swept away, replaced by endless energy and renewed vitality.

He walked to the mirror. His appearance hadn’t changed significantly, but his eyes were deeper and calmer, his skin had a healthy glow, and his whole state seemed to have undergone the most thorough rest and quenching, revealing a restrained, full power.

Just then, the phone rang. It was the academic advisor, Sophia Chen.

”Alex, am I disturbing you? There are two things. First, the advanced seminar on ’Digital Media Practice’ next semester, the department wants to invite you as a special student guest to share some experiences of independent creation, which is good for your credits and resume. Second...” She paused, ”A member of the school board, who is also a well-known local art patron, has heard of your channel and recent works and is very interested in your attempts to integrate technology and art. His assistant contacted me, hoping for an opportunity to invite you to an informal lunch, purely for exchange. I think this might be an opportunity worth pursuing. What do you think?”

Alex held the phone, feeling the newly born power and calm in his body.

”Thank you, Sophia Chen. I would be happy to attend the seminar. As for the lunch invitation,” his tone was steady and clear, ”Please convey my thanks on my behalf and confirm a suitable time. I look forward to communicating with a senior.”

Hanging up the phone, night had fallen outside the window, and the galaxy was vaguely visible.

The ten-thousand-point breakthrough brought not only a new level of the system but also a leap in his own foundation. The olive branches from academia and potential high-level connections also signaled that a new stage was unfolding.

The ending of ”Faded Afternoon” seemed to still have a faint lingering charm in the air, while new challenges and opportunities were already surging like a tide.

What he possessed was no longer just forward-looking creativity and redeemed skills, but a heart that was becoming increasingly solid, and a body capable of supporting his ambition.

Alex turned off the studio lights and walked into the bedroom. Sleep would come as promised, and tomorrow would be a brand new starting point.