The winners' spots for this episode have all been determined, and now it's time for the battle for the King of Singers.
Among them, Dark Night Rabbit is the most vocal contender for the King of Singers title, as he has held it for so many episodes.
On the other hand, Faceless Knight has shown signs of fatigue as the competition progressed. Coupled with the strength displayed by the substitute singer War Horse in this episode, the audience has automatically overlooked his bid for the King of Singers.
"If it weren't for that idiot Li Yuan, I would have had a definite chance to snatch the King of Singers with that song this round," Faceless Knight grumbled.
The episode he deliberately lost, he had used his trump card, allowing everyone to witness his vocal prowess. In singing, the impact of the first performance differs significantly from the second.
This is also why the audience has little reaction now when Dark Night Rabbit uses his dual male and female vocal tones.
With prior preparation, the shock and surprise are much smaller.
However, Faceless Knight is not worried. He has already entered the winners' group, and as long as he maintains his position, the King of Singers title is secondary; the finals are the main focus.
With less attention on him now, it's more advantageous for him to play the underdog.
"The next episode should see the addition of other top-tier singers. This episode is the best opportunity to end Dark Night Rabbit's reign. We absolutely cannot miss it!" War Horse clenched his fist.
Many substitute singers are eyeing Dark Night Rabbit's King of Singers position. If they can dethrone him, they will undoubtedly become internet sensations with the resulting buzz. This is a highly coveted prize, and many wish to claim it.
War Horse, being ahead of those individuals, might only have this one chance because a top singer from Guang Nian Entertainment might join as a substitute in the next episode, making it even harder for him to win the King of Singers title then.
The drawing of lots.
Faceless Knight is the first.
Then War Horse is second.
Interestingly, when Faceless Knight drew the first spot, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The previous episode's performance by Dark Night Rabbit had a tremendous impact on him, and he did not wish to sing after Dark Night Rabbit this time.
War Horse, however, felt a bit disappointed, believing he would be at a disadvantage singing before Dark Night Rabbit.
With their differing thoughts, Su Yu felt indifferent. He believed it made no difference whether he sang early or late, as everyone would have to wait until all performances were finished to go home.
...
As the King of Singers competition reached its midway point, the difficulty of song selection increased. Faceless Knight once again chose a song by Mo Yan.
Since the competition began, he seemed to have exclusively chosen Mo Yan's songs.
This song was a single Mo Yan wrote for a renowned singer a few years prior.
The entire song had a vast vocal range and required exceptional breath control.
However, Faceless Knight's rendition gave the song a new interpretation. Unlike the showy performance of the original singer, he incorporated his own understanding and brought innovation to the key changes.
After his performance, Mo Yan nodded in approval.
"Does that mean Teacher Mo Yan is very satisfied with this song?" Ina asked.
"Of course. He has his own ideas and didn't perform it by rote, which is already excellent. Moreover, his handling of the song is very good; he prepared it with genuine effort." Mo Yan gave a very high evaluation.
After holding a long high note, Faceless Knight concluded his performance perfectly.
Next was War Horse's turn.
His song was, once again, a work by judge Han Qi.
In the Chinese music scene, Teacher Han Qi is widely recognized for her exceptional vocal skills. She can effortlessly perform both folk and popular music. Many say her vocal ability would rank among the top even within the national team.
Her songs also share a common characteristic: they are difficult, very difficult.
Although War Horse transposed the song down for his performance, no one criticized him for it. Male singers typically transpose songs by female singers, and few can truly sing Han Qi's songs without transposition.
Aside from this aspect, his performance was flawless in all other areas.
Especially his breath control, which was incredibly stable during the long sustained notes.
Maintaining breath control during high notes requires immense skill, and War Horse demonstrated his unique techniques in this regard.
Furthermore, during the performance,
War Horse suddenly felt he was in excellent form and made temporary key changes in many parts.
This caused the already high notes to soar even higher, piercing the sky.
The stage lights flickered, and the audience couldn't help but rise to their feet and applaud.
"Is this the strength of a top-tier King of Singers?"
"Holy cow, that gave me goosebumps!"
"What amazing vocal talent! The suspense for this episode's King of Singers just got even greater!"
"I wonder if Dark Night Rabbit anticipated a competitor like War Horse this episode. If he still sings the same types of songs as before, he might actually be dethroned!"
"It's over, it's all over!"
"No, I still want to see Dark Night Rabbit win the God of Singers with an undefeated record..."
"That's a bold statement. Dark Night Rabbit has already done exceptionally well to hold onto the King of Singers title for so many consecutive episodes."
It wasn't just the audience who was shocked by War Horse's prowess.
Even Faceless Knight, who had already finished performing, was somewhat surprised.
"Top-tier King of Singers, truly terrifying!"
Although he felt a sense of unwillingness, he had to admire War Horse's vocal skills. It was like a mother cow riding a motorcycle – incredibly impressive!
However, he had long prepared himself mentally. As long as he secured his spot for the next episode, he wasn't overly disappointed. Instead, a sense of anticipation arose. Would Dark Night Rabbit be able to defeat this War Horse this episode?
Judging by the previous episodes, Dark Night Rabbit's second song was always more impactful than the first. The incredibly long phrase in the previous song, "Balloon," was already outlandish. This second song should be even more so.
Therefore, while marveling at War Horse's vocal talent, he felt even more anticipation for Dark Night Rabbit.
At this moment,
War Horse on stage had finished his performance.
He bowed slightly to the audience and the judges.
"Thank you!"
His voice was filled with excitement.
Even he hadn't expected to be in such good form while singing this song.
Generally, top singers, when in good form, inject more emotion into their songs and perform flashy key changes to give the audience a better show. Such states are rare and precious.
"Even fate is helping me; I'm definitely winning this King of Singers title!"
Returning backstage, he looked at Dark Night Rabbit waiting in the passage, a surge of excitement rising within him.
...
"Next, we invite the final singer from the winners' group, Dark Night Rabbit, to bring us his song performance!"
Host Lin Han drew out his long note, seemingly challenging his own lung capacity.
This move of his was somewhat like taunting those online who criticized Dark Night Rabbit for his breath control.
However, everyone was accustomed to it.
The host's special attention to Dark Night Rabbit, much like his attention to Ting Yu during the city preliminaries, created great program dynamics.
Therefore, everyone was used to it and even joined in the laughter.
At this moment, Dark Night Rabbit, holding the microphone, walked to the center of the stage.
He gazed forward. On stage, there was only a piano, but seated before the piano was a pianist.
Everyone knew Dark Night Rabbit's piano skills were exceptional. The fact that he hadn't performed a piano accompaniment in either of his two performances today was thought-provoking.
For the first song, which required long breath support, singing while seated would undoubtedly be more difficult, which was understandable.
But why didn't he perform a piano accompaniment for the second song as well?
Could it be that it would also be a song of high difficulty?