Chapter 64

This ain't a song for the broken-hearted

No silent prayer for the faith-departed

I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd

You're gonna hear my voice

When I shout it out loud

It's my life

It's now or never

I ain't gonna live forever

I just want to live while I'm alive

(It's my life)

My heart is like an open highway

Like Frankie said

I did it my way

I just wanna live while I'm alive

It's my life

If Bon Jovi's interpretation of this song is filled with passion and faith for life, and a love and light for a wonderful life, then Li Pu's performance at this moment is like a storm.

Like a young man standing in the storm, facing adversity with ease, his emotions, lyrics, notes, and rhythm blend together, merging into a powerful and explosive sound that sweeps away all the gloom in his heart!

This is the music of a man! Not delicate, not refined, but generous and grand, like an invisible hurricane, shaking the soul irresistibly.

True self-expression in rock doesn't require too much technical finesse, but rather more passion and impact! At first, the audience wasn't too engaged, but as the explosive voice of the young man on stage penetrated their eardrums, carrying the climax of "It's my life" straight to their hearts, the entire venue, which could hold a thousand people, was completely "hyped up."

The first round of "It's my life!" made many audience members open their eyes wide and sit up straight in their seats.

The second round of "It's my life!!" had many young people humming along with the melody.

The third round—four-fifths of the audience were waving their hands to the rhythm, and even three out of the four mentors started to harmonize.

Perhaps the young man hadn't been formally trained for long, but this song was very much in line with his true nature and temperament, and it was extremely suitable for him, who was slightly lacking in technical details but had an incredibly powerful presence.

Because his strength, combined with this song, had transformed his emotions into a weapon, blasting away all the minor details!

This is the unique charm of such rock music, infecting others with its passionate energy and dominating the entire venue.

When Li Pu finished the last note, the thunderous applause from the audience lasted for several seconds before it finally subsided.

"Cool, your breath control is very stable, and your emotional interpretation is quite good, but what stands out even more is the power of your voice... truly unprecedented. This rock song really suits you!"

This time, it was Zhou Jielun who gave the first evaluation. Her thin lips parted slightly, and she exhaled softly, not being as stingy with her praise as before, "This is the best rock performance I've heard since becoming a mentor! Bon Jovi might be better in some technical aspects, but the impact of your performance has a feeling that makes people want to soar into the sky. I was truly moved... amazing!"

She pressed the √ button without hesitation, giving him a vote.

"Look at how the audience is hyped up," Wang Yu pointed his thumb at the audience behind him and then pressed the √ button forcefully, "Not giving it would be unjust!"

"There are still some technical flaws, but they don't detract from the overall performance," Liu Buhan also smiled, "Your foundation is very good, your breath control is steady, and your power and penetration are excellent. Better yet, you've put the emotion into your singing. Moreover, you have a strong presence on stage, which is quite rare. I give you this vote."

Tang Mei also commented fairly, "What has been said by the previous three is very accurate, so I won't repeat it. I just want to mention that Li Pu's spirit and demeanor are also very outstanding."

Li Pu was not surprised by this: if he had cultivated the transformation of energy, and still couldn't cultivate a certain level of spirit and demeanor, it would be a waste of his master-level cultivation, which is rare in the world of six to seven billion people.

Like Chen Xin, who, after raising a teenage daughter, still looks more delicate and charming than a young woman in her twenties, with her skin as smooth as jade and flawless, all due to the cultivation of the Daoist secrets, refining her body to a transcendent state. Although Li Pu was still far from this level of reversing the innate, his foundation was already strong, and now that he had initially reached the transformation of energy in martial arts, his inner light was restrained, and his physique and demeanor could be described as extraordinary. Compared to other young people who only had youthful appearances, he naturally had a clear advantage.

In the end, like Qin Xia'er, Li Pu also passed with four full votes and advanced to the elimination round.

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Shanghai City happened to be the last stop of the Chinese-speaking region, and the first round of the elimination round would begin in Shanghai the following weekend.

Unlike the live broadcast of the elimination round, the audition round was edited and produced a day later before being broadcast on television, divided into two episodes, each over sixty minutes long.

To ensure high ratings, many "not very interesting" or "lacking in appeal" segments were cut. Fortunately, Li Pu and Qin Xia'er were considered highlights of this audition and were fully retained.

The audition segment of the Sichuan-accented young man who sang "Thank You for Your Love" was also retained in the final episode. After it was broadcast on television, the song "Explosive Liu Jifen" became a hit on the internet, and some netizens criticized the four mentors for being blind and eliminating such an entertaining contestant, saying the show was superficial and far inferior to "Star Avenue," where a contestant with a strong regional accent like Abao could become a sensation.

However, this minor backlash was drowned out by the overwhelming praise.

It can be said that this time, the global idol audition in Shanghai City unearthed more outstanding contestants than any other city, and the response and popularity after the broadcast were even higher.

In the days following the broadcast, viewers on Chinese social media argued fiercely over which contestant was the best.

However, regardless of the arguments, the four contestants most widely recognized as the most promising and popular were:

Li Pu and Qin Xia'er, as well as two others: a 16-year-old girl named Yuezheng Ling, and a 15-year-old girl named Luo Tianyi.

For example, Qin Xia'er, with her sweet and beautiful face and her nearly flawless performance of "A Sister's Drum," which was almost as good as the original, saw her popularity skyrocket immediately after the broadcast.

However, discussions about her online often included comments about her being the best-looking among the female contestants. Words like "white and beautiful," "childish face with a large bust," and "I want to push her over" flooded the internet.

While Qin Xia'er was somewhat embarrassed by this, it inadvertently attracted a large number of perverted fans. Unfortunately, it also made her a target of jealousy for some female viewers.

Another female contestant, Yuezheng Ling, wore a red and white skirt, with a red headband that looked like a headset, and her long black hair tied into a long braid. She had a long, clear voice and bright, energetic eyes. While her singing skills were slightly inferior to Qin Xia'er, in the audition performance, she played a custom-made red electric guitar, demonstrating skills that could rival a lead guitarist in a top rock band.

After the broadcast, she quickly earned the nickname "Red Ling Storm." Her coolness attracted a large number of male fans who liked her style, rock enthusiasts who appreciated her top-notch guitar skills, and a large number of female fans, making her even more popular than Qin Xia'er.

As for Li Pu, his calm yet sincere statement before the performance, "I just want to perform for my childhood friend who I've lost contact with; that's the only reason I'm here," combined with his explosive performance of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life," which seemed to lift the entire venue, also saw his popularity soar among the audience.

Of course, there were also those who posted to smear him, such as "He just shouts to cover up his lack of technical skill," "His attitude is too arrogant; if he only wants to sing for his childhood friend, why take up the limited resources of this stage and ruin the chances of others like XX," "Why sing English rock when he can't sing Chinese songs?" and so on.

The day after the broadcast, there was a small incident. A netizen with the ID "Invincible Scholar" posted an exposé online, revealing that Li Pu was the one who bravely rescued two female classmates from armed criminals last year, earning commendations from the government and the school. Many curious netizens checked and found that everything matched—indeed, it was him.

The case last year was well-known, but few had seen Li Pu's photo, as the spotlight was mainly on the police who had killed several criminals (the original news, due to the protection of minors or other reasons, did not mention that Li Pu had personally killed an armed criminal). This added another layer of glory, and his popularity surged again, with supporters overwhelming detractors.

However, the most popular and super-popular contestant among the four was the 15-year-old girl named Luo Tianyi.

After returning home, Li Pu and Qin Xia'er also watched Luo Tianyi's performance. When Qin Xia'er saw the girl step onto the stage, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, so cute!"

This was the first thought of all the viewers who saw Luo Tianyi's appearance.

On stage, Luo Tianyi wore a unique and well-fitting light blue casual dress, with a delicate Chinese knot tied around her waist. Her hair was styled into a small, ancient-style bun, with fine strands of hair hanging down to her slender waist, making her look like a flawless elf, small and graceful, exuding a sense of purity and warmth.

When the judge, Tang Mei, asked her why she wanted to participate in the competition, the girl tilted her head slightly and answered in a sweet, clear voice, "Because I want to sing for everyone. Can I sing here?"

Then, Luo Tianyi played a valuable-looking pipa and performed an original song filled with tender, ancient charm. The melody was gentle and soothing, evoking a strong emotional response from the judges and the audience. When the last note faded, the resonance lingered for a long time.

Not only did she appeal to both men and women, but her elegant and refined appearance, embodying all the virtues of a Chinese girl, also won the hearts of many older viewers. Her innocent and pure 15-year-old charm also attracted a large number of lolicon fans. As a result, her popularity on the internet surpassed that of Qin Xia'er, Yuezheng Ling, and Li Pu.

In the online discussions, it was widely acknowledged that the level of the Shanghai City "Global Idol" audition was higher than any previous year. Luo Tianyi, Yuezheng Ling, and Qin Xia'er each had their unique characteristics and strengths—while Li Pu, the male contestant, was often sidelined in these discussions.

The lively broadcast of the Shanghai City audition also led to comparisons with the popular contestants from previous audition cities by their respective fans.

The chief commentator of Decibel Network, "Farewell to Debussy," wrote, "The contestants from Shanghai City are good, but they still fall short compared to Wei Linghua from the Youzhou audition. Her performance of 'Moonlight on the Lake' is so captivating that you can't help but be immersed in its tender emotions when you close your eyes..."

Another contestant from the Youzhou region, a young man named Jin Chengxiu, who excelled in dancing and performing Japanese and Korean pop songs and dressed in a Korean style, was affectionately called "Beautiful Prince" by a large number of female fans. His fans claimed that the prince would easily outshine the rock youth Li Pu and was a sure bet for the Asian championship, aiming for the world title.

Among all the male contestants, Jin Chengxiu was undoubtedly the most popular, but the second most popular was not Li Pu. It was another young man named Yuezheng Longya.

Yuezheng Longya, who emerged from the Youzhou region, was likely related to Yuezheng Ling, as his name suggested. A quick search revealed that he was indeed her older brother and the heir to the Yuezheng Group, which had an annual profit of hundreds of millions. This revelation made many female, middle-aged, and even gay fans start calling him "husband."

Another highly popular male contestant was Lin Ye, known for his ethereal and emotional style, with a face as beautiful as a painting and a constant hint of melancholy in his eyes. In Li Pu's words, he seemed to be constantly troubled by issues like "the cruelty of humans for eating a piece of fatty pork from an innocent life, and the guilt of being human and being handsome, which adds to the sin..."

As for the Tianlai Network in Shuzhou, they mainly praised the cuteness of the Sichuan girl Li Hansha from their region—though her singing skills were a bit weak, being an idol was primarily about being cute! Besides, there was a Tibetan girl named Dawa who could hit incredibly high notes. The Jiangnan girl Qin Xia'er could mimic Tibetan singing, but in front of a real Tibetan singer, it was like Dongshi imitating Xi Shi. Could she hit such high notes?

In addition to these contestants, there were also popular and talented contestants from the Xingcheng region, such as Zhou Bishang, Shang Wenjie, and Zhang Qianying. Their supporters argued fiercely online. All the contestants were ready, waiting for the elimination round, which would be broadcast live across the Chinese-speaking region in a week.