Chapter 63

Immersed in the moment, the young girl tilted her head slightly, a smile playing on the corners of her lips, and then, unhurriedly, she opened her mouth. Her melodious and clear voice, like a heavenly sound, resonated through the microphone, reaching the entire audience. The song "Sister Drum" was exceptional in terms of vocal quality, technique, breath control, and the rich emotion, especially the mysterious segments of "Om Mani Padme Hum" chanted with great skill. The distant and vast spiritual aura, conveyed by the clear and surpassing voice of the young girl, was on par with the already highly acclaimed original singer.

The breathing technique taught to her by the martial arts master Zhang Xie, which incorporated some simplified elements of the six sounds of Tibetan Buddhism, gave her a significant advantage in this aspect.

When the brief three minutes passed, the audience first fell silent, then erupted into thunderous applause! Even the four mentors clapped with smiles on their faces, though Tang Mei was not the first to lead the applause.

Qin Xia'er's eyes widened, her face flushed, and her breathing paused slightly. She could only bow repeatedly in gratitude.

It was now the judges' turn to speak. Liu Buhan, with a broad smile, said, "Oh, there are many young girls who participate, some with good voices, some with cute appearances. Your voice and appearance are both very good, but what impresses me most is the spiritual quality in your singing! Moreover, 'Sister Drum' is quite a challenging song, and you chose it bravely. I definitely have to give you this vote."

Liu Buhan pressed the button in front of him, and a blue checkmark decisively lit up in the √× symbol.

Wang Yuzhi, sitting casually in his chair, with a handsome and sunny smile, said, "Do you know there's an idol group in Japan called Morning Musume, made up of girls your age?"

"Uh-huh," Qin Xia'er nodded.

"In terms of appearance, you would stand out even in that group. But when it comes to singing..." Wang Yuzhi paused for effect, "None of them can match you! I definitely have to give you this vote!"

The idol from Taiwan, Zhou Jielun, sitting next to him, didn't waste words. She simply pointed at the girl on stage and said coolly, "I really like you." Then she pressed the √ button.

Tang Mei, who was certain to give Qin Xia'er a vote, seeing that the situation was already decided, smiled and said, "Your voice reminds me of a word: heavenly! I definitely have to let you pass!"

At least three votes were needed to advance to the elimination round. With four votes, Qin Xia'er felt an indescribable sense of achievement. She bowed deeply and then left the stage, accompanied by the appreciative gazes of the audience and the mentors.

She wanted to find someone to celebrate with, but her parents, due to their status, were not suitable to appear in such a place, and her classmates were in class and couldn't come. The only one waiting for her was a young boy.

"Li Pu..." Qin Xia'er, like a playful deer, almost ran into the young boy's arms, barely controlling her excitement, "I passed! Wow~~ four votes!"

The other contestants waiting nearby, hearing that Qin Xia'er had received four votes, looked at her with surprise and envy. After all, out of dozens of participants, it was rare for even one to get three votes. Most were kicked out without a single vote.

But in their eyes, Qin Xia'er probably got a lot of points for her outstanding appearance and figure. After all, this was an idol competition, not just a singing contest. A few contestants with excellent singing skills but poor appearances had received two consolation votes and were advised by the mentors to participate in pure singing competitions—otherwise, even if they barely made it, they wouldn't have much value for packaging.

Seeing how happy Class President Xia'er was, Li Pu was naturally happy for her. But soon, it was Li Pu's turn to prepare—after all, he and Qin Xia'er had registered around the same time.

In the waiting room, the contestant in front of Li Pu was a down-to-earth young man with a Sichuan accent.

"Bro, what are you going to perform?" He seemed quite relaxed and struck up a conversation with Li Pu.

"Uh, rock, I guess?" Li Pu replied casually. He hadn't initially planned to use the alien song he had prepared.

"Rock?" The Sichuan-accented young man sniffed, "I'm singing Andy Lau's 'Thank You for Your Love.' It's really nice, and I've practiced it a lot, but I don't know if I'll get four votes to pass."

"Good luck," was all Li Pu could say.

After the Sichuan-accented young man went on stage, Li Pu, waiting backstage, heard him passionately perform Andy Lau's "Thank You for Your Love."

"Don't ask me~~ how many people I've loved in my life~ You don't understand how deep my wounds are (falsetto: how deep my wounds are~~~), to open the wound is always so cruel~~ Don't be that silly person~~~ Be heartless~~~ for a while!!"

Soon, the Sichuan-accented young man returned, looking dejected. He glanced at Li Pu, "They said I should try stand-up comedy. Damn... Only Tang Mei, who said she's also from Sichuan, found it amusing and gave me a consolation vote."

Li Pu lightly patted his shoulder, suppressing a laugh, "It was really unique! I quite liked it."

After seeing the young man off, it was Li Pu's turn to go on stage.

The four mentors were still chuckling from the Sichuan-accented young man's humorous performance. As Li Pu stepped onto the stage, they gradually quieted down.

Before them stood a young man in navy camouflage pants and a plain white shirt, a unique and fitting combination. His short, black hair was simple and unadorned, giving him a very fresh and clean look.

Unlike some of the more flamboyant male contestants, the young man made a good first impression. But there had been others like him in the competition.

However, upon closer inspection, the young man on stage was somewhat different.

At least, no other contestant had the indescribable spirit and aura that he possessed, something that shouldn't belong to an ordinary young man.

Liu Buhan, Wang Yuzhi, and the other mentors, as well as many in the audience, glanced at the screen. The young man on the screen stood calmly, his eyes bright and clear, like stars in the sky, radiating a spiritual light.

Those with a literary background exuded a refined and scholarly air, those from the military had a sharp and disciplined aura, and those who practiced martial arts, if only at the beginner level, might have a fierce and brave aura. But Li Pu had reached the stage of tendon and bone transformation, with his essence and energy refined, and the cellular-level optimization of the "God Warrior Equipment" had made his tendons and bones even more condensed. His appearance might not seem particularly strong, but each muscle fiber was tens of times more resilient and elastic than an ordinary person's. The Zonghe Cat Fist had refined his aura to be graceful and free, with a sharp and lively edge.

Li Pu no longer deliberately concealed his essence and energy. Though he didn't have a domineering presence, ordinary people could sense that he was different from other young people in terms of spirit and energy. Standing there, he exuded a natural and harmonious aura, subtly commanding the attention of the audience.

"… You look like a student, right? Please introduce yourself," Liu Buhan said after a moment of thought, asking the usual question.

The young man replied, "Li Pu. A student at the city's No. 1 High School."

"Why did you come to participate in the competition?" Wang Yuzhi asked this time.

The standard answer would be something like, "I love singing! I'm chasing my dreams!" But for Li Pu, there was only one answer, one undeniable answer.

"For a person, my childhood friend," the young man said calmly and matter-of-factly. "I just want to sing for her. That's the only reason I'm here."

His answer surprised the mentors and the audience. The idol from Taiwan, Zhou Jielun, raised an eyebrow, "Wow, that's cool."

"Childhood friend?" Wang Yuzhi asked, understandingly. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Li Pu was taken aback and shook his head, "She is my adoptive mother's daughter, my sister, and my best friend."

"A sister with no blood relation," Wang Yuzhi whistled, understanding.

"Is she here today?" Zhou Jielun asked, following the standard script.

"No, she went abroad a long time ago. Due to certain reasons, we lost contact. I don't even know if she's watching this show."

The young man in front of the camera suddenly smiled brightly, his tone as firm as a rock, "Even if this doesn't work, I'll find another way... no matter how many, until she sees it."

The young man's wish was simple and pure—no matter how far apart they were, separated by thousands of miles, as long as she saw it and smiled with the same默契 (understanding) and heartfelt smile as before, all this effort would not be in vain.

"I hope your childhood friend can see your performance, but if your next performance isn't outstanding, this part might be cut. So, you must try your best," Zhou Jielun said clearly. "You can start now."

Facing over a thousand spectators and four mentors, Li Pu felt no tension or pressure at all.

This scene was too small for him.

Although he was still three months away from turning eighteen, the young man's past experiences were far more tumultuous than many people's entire lives.

Childhood adventures with Chen Xian, surviving the disaster of a starship's crash, obtaining the alien equipment "God Warrior Equipment," being taught martial arts by his adoptive mother, encountering the "Changuo Snake," living independently, enjoying alien cultural products, dismantling the city's criminal gangs, killing armed kidnappers with his bare hands, meeting the powerful little martial arts master, serializing alien bestsellers... and today.

Compared to those days, the audience in front of him, who were just there to watch a performance, were nothing.

Li Pu tossed the microphone in his hand, took a deep breath, and his thoughts transformed into a classic Bon Jovi rock song. With a burst of passionate and wild energy, he pierced through the eardrums of everyone in the audience!

"It's My Life!! (This is my life!!)"