43 Chapter 43
"Suddenly I heard the sound of golden drums and painted horns,
It arouses my lofty ambition to break through the sky.
I recall the peach blossoms that were so majestic back then.
The enemy's blood splatters on my skirt!"
A female general wearing armor and holding a sword appeared, singing a loud military song. Her golden armor was damaged in several places due to the long battle. Her thick brows were furrowed with a bit of determination on her tough and handsome face. The red cloak behind her fluttered in the wind. She just stood there like a flag that would never fall.
Tieying's brown skin and somewhat sharp eyebrows did not look out of place in this costume. Instead, her battle-damaged makeup and cold expression gave her a unique charm. Coupled with her highly infectious high notes and thin yet powerful waist, many female cultivators blushed unconsciously as soon as she appeared on the stage.
"It's so beautiful! This is so beautiful!"
"Why didn't I realize Tieying was so pretty before?"
"Handsome, this should be called handsome!"
"Neither bulging with muscles like those physical cultivators, nor frail like those alchemy cultivators, this figure with a bit of muscle in the shoulders and a defined waist is simply perfect!"
"Ahhhhhh! Why is she a woman?"
"What's wrong with being a woman? I can be a woman too! From now on I will be a loyal fan of Tieying!"
"This version of Huoli Fairy is so amazing!"
"That's right, a female cultivator who fights against millions of demons should look this resolute and powerful!"
It's no wonder they were so excited. Tieying's general's attire concealed her inherent gender characteristics very well, presenting a rare neutral beauty. Even in the flourishing Hehuan Sect, there was only one such handsome sister. The novel beauty of the androgynous woman could easily make people unable to stop.
Then the Goddess of War joined up with the Fairy Lanyue. Compared to the other groups' charming or elegant performances, Tieying and Ye Baobao raised their swords and spears and gave everyone a passionate stage performance with real swords and guns.
The compact and powerful drum beats foreshadowed the coming of a great battle. Amidst the ruins, the neighing of war horses was getting closer and closer. The general and her best friend stood back to back, brandishing their spears with great vigor.
Behind him, the fairy Lan Yue danced with her blue sleeves, and her fluttering clothes added a touch of softness to this life-and-death struggle. At this time, Tie Ying's signature high note sounded, and the flower spear like a blazing fire pushed the stage atmosphere to its climax.
"Those demon army clowns are nothing to be afraid of,
I can stop a million soldiers with just one shot!"
The audience seemed to be able to see the frontier battlefield where soldiers died on the battlefield, and two figures, one in red and one in blue, bravely fighting among thousands of enemy troops. Suddenly, a hot flame lit up on the stage. Tieying casually wiped off the blood splattered from the corner of his mouth. The long red mark was more gorgeous than the rouge on the girl's face.
In the sky, bright blood-red fire glass flowers fluttered down. The spear in the female general's hand reflected the cold light. She looked straight at the audience outside the screen, and tried her best to fire the last shot among the falling petals.
Who says flowers can only be fragile? Who says women can only be delicate and charming?
A woman with fair skin dancing gracefully on the stage is beautiful, and a woman with strength fighting hard on the battlefield is also beautiful.
The audience's applause was prolonged, glow sticks of various colors gathered together like a galaxy, and the deafening screams almost blew the roof off. Tieying and Ye Baobao stood on the stage, listening to the cheers from the audience with mixed feelings in their hearts.
Baby Ye blinked at Tieying: "See? Am I right? Tieying is actually very good. Look, everyone likes you."
Tieying's vision was blurred. She had suffered too much doubt and contempt along the way. Even the physical cultivators who voted for her were despised and rejected by other cultivators. Only now could she finally repay her fans' support with practical actions.
"Sister Tieying! Your spear dance is so beautiful!"
"See? I told you this girl is capable, right? Those magic practitioners don't know her stuff!"
"Hahaha! We can finally hold our heads high! Tieying is truly amazing!"
The physical trainees including Hong Bao relied on their strong bodies to stand up and waved their light sticks desperately at the stage. These days, they had held on with all their might to get Tieying to the finals. Now she was really shining, and every one of these physical trainees was proud of it.
Our Tieying has finally made it! You blind guys have finally figured it out, right? — This is probably the mentality of an old father.
“Women are like flowers, so colorful.
"Freedom to blossom, each with its own merits." Ning Shu finally stepped onto the stage after all the contestants finished their competitions. Behind her were the other contestants, and women with different temperaments and styles lined up behind her. Ning Shu spoke with a look of satisfaction:
"This is the true meaning of the topic I set for the finals. Shangguan Huaijin is the lotus flower that emerges from the mud without being stained, Liu Pianpian is the gorgeous but thorny rose, and Tieying is the fire glass flower that burns with flames and fighting spirit...
Each contestant has delivered an excellent performance. Let us give them our warmest applause and congratulations! "
Applause rang out again, and only then did Ning Shu begin the next part: "Although every contestant's performance is excellent, a competition is a competition, and we still have to decide the winner. Next comes the most important and exciting part of our finals - the live voting!"
The contestants stood in a row with their backs to the screen according to their previous popularity rankings. The round gems on the chair handles of both the audience at the scene and the audience watching the live broadcast through the screen began to shine. Ning Shu held an identical gem in his hand and explained while demonstrating the operation:
"Please input your spiritual energy into this gem. Then, numbers from one to ten will appear before your eyes. Press the number of the contestant you think should debut. Please note that each person can only select five people. Multiple selections will be invalid. Now, the voting begins!"
A pattern of burning incense, representing the countdown, began to appear in the upper right corner of the large screen used to count the votes. The contestants' nervous pale faces became particularly clear in the close-up of the camera. The heart-pounding and rapid drumbeats kept pounding, and the audience in the audience couldn't help but discuss the issue in a dilemma.
"Which contestant do you choose to debut?"
"Liu Pianpian and Shangguan Huaijin must be chosen. I think Lu Wu's performance was excellent. Xiao Lihua even performed the stunning dance this time. Tieying's performance was so shocking that I think she must debut. Ye Baobao is also very good, and..."
"There are already six people, and they asked us to choose five!"
"Why can I only choose five? Can I get more votes if I buy a few more magazines?"
"Of course not. After all, this is the finals. Maybe the Hehuan Sect wants a genuine popularity ranking."
After all, magazines previously had the possibility of spending money to get votes, but this kind of on-site voting can only rely on the number of people.
The bar chart on the big screen began to rise steadily. The votes for Shangguan Huaijin and Liu Pianpian were as different as before, while Tieying's votes were also soaring this time, and it seemed that he was almost the same as Xiao Lihua, who was in third place.
The top four contestants could be roughly determined a few minutes after the voting began, but the fifth place to debut had a fierce battle. The votes for Lu Wu, who teamed up with Liu Pianpian, and Ye Baobao, who cooperated well with Tieying, were very close, and the audience's attention began to shift to this side.
"Of course I voted for Baby Ye. How could such a cute and kind girl be eliminated?"
"That's right! She was obviously ranked higher, but she was willing to give up the center stage to Tieying! If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be able to see such a wonderful performance!"
"The harder you work, the luckier you will be! Go! We can't destroy the baby's innocent dream!"
"She can't be separated from Tieying! I want them to perform on the same stage forever!"
"Yes! I'd love to see the two of them, even if it's just them strolling around in the behind-the-scenes footage!"
Ye Baobao's fans were shouting and canvassing for votes desperately, and even those physical cultivators who had always only liked Tieying were persuaded to start voting for her.
Luwu’s fans are equally unwilling to be outdone.
"If it weren't for Lv Wu's pipa, how could Liu Pian Pian's Western Region dance be so stunning?"
"That's right! Although Lu Wu doesn't fight or compete, how could she be eliminated like this?"
"Besides, Lu Wu and Liu Pian Pian are such a great pair. It's such a shame for them to break up like this!"
"Can't take it apart! Can't take it apart, woooooo, woooooo, I can't explain it, but I really love watching them dance together..."
Some of Liu Pianpian's fans would also vote for Lu Wu. The two sides competed for the vote in the audience, and it looked like a fight was about to break out. Until the last incense stick on the screen slowly burned out, the votes finally froze. Under the anxious gazes of the contestants, Ning Shu looked at the big screen and slowly spoke:
"The results of the competition are out. The five contestants who will become the head disciple and debut as a group are:
Shangguan Huaijin, Liu Pianpian, Tieying, Xiaolihua, and...Ye Baobao."
The contestants slowly looked back. After all, Ye Baobao had been ranked fourth in popularity for so long, and his foundation was still there. He won the fifth place with a narrow number of votes.
Lu Wu's eyes instantly turned red, the venue became quiet, and everyone's eyes were focused on the eliminated contestants.
Liu Pianpian didn't even have time to care about her own grades. She looked at Lu Wu, who couldn't help crying, with a worried look on her face.
Having come this far, and missing out on the best result by just a few votes, I'm sure no one can remain calm.
"The road to becoming an immortal is always so cruel. Do the eliminated contestants have anything to say in the end? Lu Wu, let's start with you!" Ning Shu walked to Lu Wu and handed her the microphone.
Lu Wu was choking with sobs and couldn't speak for several times. Her eyes were red and her mouth opened and closed several times. Finally, she turned around and wiped her tears. Liu Pianpian walked over and hugged her in her arms. The two sisters couldn't help but hug each other and cry on the stage.
After several minutes, Lu Wu finally calmed down, holding Liu Pianpian's hand and speaking with a sob:
"Sister Pianpian, don't be sad. In fact, if it weren't for you, I would have been eliminated long ago. I am already very satisfied to have made it this far and become the elder's personal disciple. Really! Although I am a little sad that I can't continue to perform with you in the future..." She choked up again when she said this, raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and forced a bright smile through her tears:
"Sister Pianpian, being able to partner with you is the happiest thing in my life. I am willing to be your supporting role forever! You must rise higher and higher in the future. I will always keep my eyes on you!"
【Author’s words】
* Lyrics adaptation of "Mu Guiying Takes Command"
There may be some hype about the couple later on, but that's just entertainment industry practice. We just have a pure sisterhood that can't be any purer! [Let me see]
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