### Chapter 338: The Dragon Zither Cup Preliminary Round Begins!
“Wow, that’s so cool!”
Watching the grand opening ceremony, Lin Tian couldn’t help but feel the weight of being at a “national competition.”
Not only was the atmosphere top-notch, but the budget seemed to have exploded as well.
Even the orchestra responsible for the accompaniment was at the top-tier level.
In short,
It seemed that the surge in young audience members, the excitement of the competition, and the influx of sponsors played a crucial role.
That’s why the funding was burning so brightly.
Thinking about it, maybe the revamp of the music competition actually had its perks.
While Lin Tian was lost in thought,
He suddenly noticed that Gan Yan Yu seemed to be frozen in place.
Turning around, he saw her huddled in a corner, scribbling furiously on her thigh — it looked like she was about to create sparks!
“Relax, it’s just the preliminary round.”
Lin Tian hurried over and lifted her up under her armpits.
The girl turned her head, her big, tearful eyes locked onto Lin Tian, looking like she was about to burst into tears any second.
“Don’t cry! It’s not that scary!”
“It’s not that…”
Gan Yan Yu hastily wiped her tears and replied,
“I’m just really excited.”
She glanced at the big screen, then at Lin Tian, murmuring,
“This is really the Dragon Zither Cup! I’m not dreaming!”
“Idiot.”
Lin Tian patted her on the head, both amused and exasperated.
“Come on, we’re representing Qingjiang here! Can’t you have a little bit of ambition? Show some spirit of being the top cellist of Qingjiang!”
“I-I still can’t. I’m just lucky.”
“Are you out of your mind, Gan Yan Yu?”
Lin Tian gave her another gentle pat.
This time, it seemed he went a bit overboard, and she covered her head, looking all sad.
“By now, even if you’re lacking confidence, you have to work up some self-hypnotic confidence!” Lin Tian said.
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely her fault.
In the Dragon Zither Cup, where the average age was around 26 to 30,
18-year-old Gan Yan Yu felt like a newbie, so her excitement was totally understandable.
Maybe the gap between 18 and 30 wasn’t so noticeable.
It’s like if you put an 18-year-old against a 6-year-old; the 6-year-old would probably be crying upon entering.
So, in that light, it kind of makes sense.
“Remember, Little Gan Classmate, this is just the preliminary round.”
Lin Tian reminded her once more,
“We’re just going to take it easy, perform steadily, and smoothly make it through without any accidents.”
This time around, the Dragon Zither Cup had a total of 101 contestants from 34 provincial-level administrative regions.
The first preliminary round would directly eliminate over half of the competitors, with only 48 advancing.
The second round, the semifinals, would allow only 11 to move forward.
Ultimately, 11 would compete in the finals to crown the champion of the year.
As for the champion of the Dragon Zither Cup, Lin Tian figured he’d call it the “Dragon King” for now!
It just felt a bit similar to the show “Produce 101,” didn’t it?
The biggest difference was that the 100 participants in talent shows were trainees from various agencies, essentially learners yet to make the cut.
Meanwhile, all 101 competitors in the Dragon Zither Cup were top cellists from across the country.
Apart from a few special invites, most of them had fought their way up from the ranks, just like Gan Yan Yu.
Not a single person was to be underestimated.
Although they were all provincial champions,
Champions exist across different levels of prowess.
For instance, Qingjiang and three other provinces were habitually referred to as the “Four Music-Heavy Provinces of Tianchao” within the industry.
And the competition intensity there was far from what other provinces could compete with.
Just like if Bai Xi were placed anywhere else,
She’d likely be a force to reckon with and dominate.
So, this preliminary round wasn’t Lin Tian being overly confident or dismissive.
It was just logical that they wouldn’t be eliminated.
With 101 people and 48 advancing, as long as Gan Yan Yu didn’t mistake her bow for a firewood stick when she walked out, they should be fine.
Thus, the objective of this competition was quite simple.
Held steady, while observing the competitors, getting a basic understanding of the situation, and figuring out the judges’ preferences regarding the pieces played.
While it was clear that pop music would reign supreme at this competition, understanding how different song choices could lead to varying scores at the same performance level was crucial.
Similarly,
The other top contestants in this competition thought along the same lines.
The preliminary round was merely a formality.
Gaining insight into the competition was the main focus.
“Welcome all music lovers to the highest hall of cello competitions, the biennial Dragon Zither Cup! — I’m your commentator, Zhu Ye.”
“I’m your commentator, Feng Ye.”
Hearing that voice made Lin Tian freeze for a moment.
Then he glanced at the screen.
At that point, the lower right corner of the screen presented a secondary screen.
On it were two commentators in suits, sporting headsets.
There’s commentary?
Lin Tian was stunned.
Is this how competitions connect with the international stage? They even have commentators!
Although in the recent Star Cup, there would be a host doing a brief wrap-up after each performance,
Seeing such direct commentary happening live on a music competition was a first for Lin Tian.
He always figured that such serious places as music competitions wouldn’t have such banter, even to cater to the youth.
Then,
Lin Tian looked closer at the scene.
He realized that the commentators’ voices could not be heard by the audience on site, only by viewers in the official live stream.
That was a clever move on the organization’s part.
It maintained the solemnity of the live event while allowing online viewers to enjoy some fun commentary and provide insights for those unfamiliar with the music.
Even if later on the official commentary slipped up and said something they shouldn’t, it could easily be edited out.
“Now, this is nice! This is really nice!”
Lin Tian appreciated such commentary.
Previously attending the Star Cup and Parrot Zither Cup felt like participating in bush-league competitions!
With the advent of commentary, Lin Tian estimated he’d save a ton of effort in researching the contestants.
He opened the streaming room on his phone.
“This year’s Dragon Zither Cup is truly full of hidden talents!” Zhu Ye said, smiling into the camera.
“Yeah, and personally, one of my favorites, the teacher Zang Jingyu, who made it to the finals two years ago, isn’t even participating this year!” Feng Ye lamented.
“Goodness, that’s such a shame! I still remember her performance of ‘Rumigale Fantasy’!”
“And this time, we even get to see the legendary ‘King of Pop Music,’ Teacher Mao Zi, on stage competing!”
“Yes, yes, I noticed too! Honestly, when I heard this news, I thought there might be a mix-up in names!”
The two commentators bantered back and forth, engaging the audience.
The comments section lit up enthusiastically in response.
Lin Tian felt a nostalgic rush, reminiscent of watching eSports competitions.
Not much time passed.
As the camera shifted, it returned to the stage.
The female host smiled and officially announced:
“Now, let’s welcome our first contestant, Christine Nanaly!”
(End of Chapter)
