26 Chapter 26
Wang Zhicai and Zhang Daoquan rushed to the nearest Moon Viewing Tower. The brothel must have been prepared. The waiter guarding the door took the initiative to speak when he saw their appearance:
"Gentlemen, are you here to reserve seats for the movie? We have public theaters and private theaters. Which one would you like to book?"
"Which ones can I vote for? Doesn't it mean that after buying a ticket, I can vote for the contestants?" Wang Zhicai asked impatiently, holding a large bag of spirit stones. "I'll buy all of yours! Vote for Miss Shangguan!"
"Ah, this..." The waiter hadn't expected someone to be so wealthy right off the bat. He wiped his sweat and politely declined, "I'm very sorry. It's not that we don't want to sell it to you. It's simply that the young master of the Hehuan Sect has ordered that only one ticket be purchased per person. He said they're trying to prevent... scalpers..."
He looked at the frozen young master in front of him and suggested cautiously, "Why don't you book the largest private room? There are eight seats in total. It would be nice to watch it with friends then..."
"Move aside! If you're not buying anything, make room!" Zhang Daoquan pushed past the devastated Wang Zhicai and pulled out a storage bag. "How much spirit stones are in your public hall? I'll reserve one. My friends are heading this way and will be here soon!"
"Get out of the way!" Wang Zhicai, finally accepting reality, pushed Zhang Daoquan aside and tossed the spirit stone in his hand to the waiter. "Then we'll have a private room, the biggest one!"
"Alright!" The waiter took the spirit stones from the two of them, a bright smile on his face. "The show will begin at the hour of Xu in seven days. Please enter with your tickets!"
Time passed quickly as the monks were eagerly waiting, and in the blink of an eye it was the evening of the show's premiere.
Wang Zhicai and his group of young men were usually casual, but this time they arrived at the Moon Viewing Tower a full quarter of an hour early. The stage and tables and chairs in the lobby on the first floor had all been removed, and many guests who arrived early were strolling around in the spacious lobby.
The counter was even more crowded with people. Many men and women with beautiful faces and sweet voices were smiling at the customers outside, and one could tell at a glance what they used to do.
But it's a pity that the guests who come here are so focused on the contestants that no matter how hard they try, they are just flirting with a blind man.
Wang Zhicai was equally disinclined to respond to those affectionate and suggestive glances. He rushed over to the counter and inquired, "Where's our private room? Can we come in now?"
Seeing that she couldn't hook up with this unromantic young man, the waitress with bright makeup looked regretful: "Box A is on the fourth floor, turn left, and you can enter now."
Seeing this wealthy young man turn around and leave without a second thought, the woman bit her lip unwillingly and pointed at the various cakes on the glass counter and began to sell: "Would you like something to eat or drink? We have peanuts, melon seeds, fried food, cakes, and everything in between. The A-level private rooms offer discounts with your ticket."
“Who wants those…” Wang Zhicai was halfway through refusing impatiently when he saw the woman take out a stack of paper bags and tubes used to carry things from under her body. The portraits of the popular contestants were printed on them, and they were holding the same kind of food in their hands with a playful smile on their faces.
"Buy a package now and get a free postcard for the contestant. First come, first served, while supplies last!"
Since I can't catch you, don't blame me for using you to make a commission! The woman's smile became brighter, and she whispered like a devil: "The set meal is almost sold out, you really don't want to have one?"
Wang Zhicai: …
He staggered upstairs holding a bucket of paper tubes with Shangguan Huaijin's image printed on them. All the tables in the hall on the second floor had been turned into rows of soft cloth chairs, which looked comfortable but not too crowded. Standing at the front was a female cultivator who, judging by her attire, must be a disciple of the Hehuan Sect. She cast a spell to condense a golden thread from her palm and stuck it to the wall, and then the entire wall began to play the program trailer.
This must be the Public Hall, right? The screen is quite large, perfect for playing Miss Shangguan playing the piano! Wang Zhicai glanced at it casually, turned around and headed straight for the private room upstairs.
He found his own box and pushed the door open. Several other friends who had agreed to watch the game together had already sat down on the soft chairs. They were all holding a paper tube with Shangguan Huaijin's picture printed on it. They looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
"Wow! This screen looks almost as big as the public hall down below! The box money was definitely worth it!" Wang Zhicai relaxed and slumped down on an empty seat, casually patting the two round bumps beside him. "What is this?"
"I just asked the waiter, and he said it was a voting machine. They didn't know the details, but they knew it would be used in a show later." A companion shrugged helplessly.
Wang Zhicai was about to ask more when the screen that had been playing the trailer on a loop suddenly went dark. When it lit up again, it was on a stage that was even more dazzling and luxurious than the audition stage. The smooth floor was paved with translucent colored glass. Colorful light strips and spots of light were swaying around the stage. Silver fireworks rose around the stage, followed by a rhythmic and dynamic music.
Compared with the full version in yesterday's MV, the prelude of the theme song with a brighter and more cheerful rhythm sounded, and the zither, which was used to play sad and happy music, played a cheerful melody. Shangguan Huaijin slowly rose from the bottom of the stage while playing the zither, and began to sing with a smile.
"Stride forward and break free from shackles and discipline,
The ridicule and mockery are all in the past..."
Her singing voice was clear and powerful. Sitting there in a white gauze dress, she looked like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world. The close-up of the camera fell on her smiling face, and her eyes were full of ripples as if containing a clear spring.
"Ah! It's Miss Shangguan singing! She's the first one to appear!" Wang Zhicai, who was off-screen, stood up excitedly. "I just knew voting was useful! This must be a privilege only granted to the first place winner!"
"Ms. Shangguan is indeed as beautiful as a flower. Why would that rubbish fiancé be willing to bully her like this..."
The fact was indeed as Wang Zhicai expected. Shangguan Huaijin, who won the first place in the popularity vote, played and sang for an entire section on the stage. It was not until the chorus that other contestants came on stage to sing with her. Those with high popularity stood in the middle of the stage with her, while those with low popularity stood on the side.
"Where I bloom is the most dazzling stage!"
As the last line of the lyrics fell, colorful petals and pieces of paper fluttered in the sky. Ning Shu waved and rushed to the center of the stage to say hello:
"Good evening, everyone! Welcome to our Hehuan Sect's Immortal Cultivation Dream Factory program! After a month of separation, the contestants have now successfully entered the Qi Training Stage! Let us, as immortal cultivators, say hello to everyone in front of the screen once again!"
The long-legged beauties standing in a row smiled and made "V" signs to the camera, wearing sect costumes of the same style but different colors, which looked extremely pleasing to the eye.
"Next are our familiar judges, Sister Zixiao and Sister Baixuan..." After briefly introducing the judges and livening up the atmosphere, Ning Shu changed the subject and finally got down to business:
"But the path to becoming an immortal is always filled with opportunities and challenges! I'm sure both the disciples who have successfully joined the immortal sect and the audience in front of the screen are already eagerly anticipating the next competition! So, without further ado, please look here—"
She pointed to the side with her right hand, and the camera moved over. Beside the stage were seven rows of audience seats that rose in increasing height. Each row had six seats. The higher up the seats went, the more gorgeous they looked. The top tier of seats was even inlaid with round and plump oriental pearls and colorful curtains, making it look like a queen's throne.
In comparison, the bottom part is very shabby, without even a cushion, it's like a row of "cold benches".
"Next, please ask the contestants whose names have been called to sit in the top row in order. Shangguan Huaijin, you sit first, followed by Liu Pianpian, Xiao Lihua, and Ye Baobao..."
The contestants whose names were called all sat down on the throne at the top level with some excitement and restraint. The contestants below looked up at them with envy. Some contestants couldn't help but show a little uneasiness on their faces when they thought about their rankings.
The audience outside the screen were also discussing the matter. Wang Zhicai looked at his friends and asked, "Are the seats arranged according to popularity?"
The companion nodded vigorously: "Of course it is! Look, before, on the magazine cover and in the interview, Liu Pianpian was ranked first. Now we voted for Miss Shangguan, and sure enough, she is first in both singing and seating!"
Wang Zhicai hadn't expected a single vote to have such a significant impact on the contestants. He immediately became interested: "This is fun! I didn't expect we could be in the top spot. I'm going to vote for Miss Shangguan in the next vote!"
"Of course we have to! Can we let Zhang Daoquan and his few wandering cultivators overthrow us?" His companion slammed the table.
Meanwhile, in the public hall, Zhang Daoquan was so angry at Liu Pianpian, who had to come in second that he slammed his chair. "Damn it! It's so damned bad! Two votes! Just two votes! So many people's efforts were ultimately defeated by those playboys!"
"It's okay, this seat is only temporary!" The person next to him patted his back and comforted him: "Next time we vote, we must let Miss Pianpian return to first place!"
"Yeah! We must not lose next time!"
Compared to these popular players who are ranked high, there are also many monks who like unpopular players or just watch the game and are discussing the subsequent developments.
"In that case, wouldn't the contestant with the fewest votes be benched?"
"How cruel! How can a female cultivator be treated like this in public?"
"Which sect competition doesn't have rankings? Why are you so excited?"
"Hush, he actually fell in love with that girl Lian'er at first sight..."
"You! How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"
Just as the contestants and the audience were speculating about how the seats would continue to be ranked according to popularity, Ning Shu, who had sent the top six contestants to the throne, suddenly stopped reading out the names. She walked over to the seats, pointed at the contestants who remained on the stage, and announced loudly:
"The six most popular contestants mentioned above, now you need to choose a team for yourselves to compete in the next round!
Next, let's move on to the two-way selection process for captains and players! Starting with Shangguan Huaijin, ranked first, each of you will select a player of your choice. If that player also agrees to join your team, they will sit below you in the second position! Of course, the third, fourth, and so on, until you have selected all six players!
Please note that the selected players have the right to refuse. Once the captain is rejected, she will lose the opportunity to select players in this round!
However, for the players who are selected, the treatment of the second and third positions in the team will also be reduced accordingly. This two-way selection is directly related to the success or failure of the subsequent competition, so please think carefully before choosing your teammates! "
"Eh? Choose it yourself?"
"But I'm not familiar with those captains?"
"Will I offend others if I refuse?"
"Will no one ever choose me? What will happen to me then?"
"So only those who are not chosen will be benched?"
"If I had known earlier, I would have made more friends with them this month..."
The contestants on the stage couldn't help but whisper to each other nervously, and the contestants sitting on the throne were also entangled and confused.
Gazing at their confused and uneasy faces on the stage due to the sudden change, Ning Shu raised the corners of his lips and revealed a sunny smile: "So, starting with Shangguan Huaijin, which contestant do you choose to join your team?"
【Author’s words】
The talent show system is something I made up based on some talent shows and combined with the plot. If there are any unreasonable parts, please ignore them. No one really competes like this anyway, so what does it matter... Guilty.jpg Finger.jpg
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