"Oh no! How did I not guess it was him? I was just drinking with the guy a while ago, and I... damn it..."

"Teacher Zhang, Teacher Zhang, please, we're still recording the show. Mind your manners. Half of what you just said will have to be bleeped out!"

The host hurried out to smooth things over, which naturally led to a wave of laughter in the studio.

Next, Zhao Zhengxian began to give his elimination speech, which was nothing but a bunch of cliched official statements, lacking substance. However, at the end, he paused before continuing:

"Here, I want to apologize to my semifinal partner 'One More Bite Won't Make Me Fat.' Because of my error, I almost caused your elimination."

"I could feel that this must be a young singer, yet the talent is impressive, and all this time, you have been showing me respect and making concessions for me. It hasn't been easy to get this far,"

"and it almost ended because of my mistake. Fortunately, you made it through in the end. For that, I want to say I'm sorry. Once the show is over, I hope to get to know you, to express my apologies personally, and hopefully to make a new friend."

In the waiting room, Xu Qingqiu didn't expect him to say such a thing. She could sense the sincerity in his words, and any slight grudge she previously held disappeared, bringing an involuntary smile to her face.

But hidden under the headpiece, no one saw it.

"Alright, let's give a round of applause for Teacher Zhao."

"Now, it's time for the next Mask Singer, 'Moonlight Shines on My Heart,' to unveil themselves..."

The breakout round consisted of the four singers who failed to advance from the semifinals, plus the four with the highest number of votes for elimination from earlier rounds.

Among those previously eliminated, some had already been successfully unmasked. This time, two singers needed to be unmasked, while the other two would advance to the finals.

This completed the final part of the process for this episode, and with that, today's filming essentially came to an end.

Those who broke through successfully, along with those who were revived, will participate in the final showdown tomorrow.

"Chu Tian, I made it through the breakout round!"

As soon as she got back to the hotel, Xu Qingqiu couldn't wait to message Chu Tian.

"That's great! I've always said you're the 'fattest!'"

"What do you mean? Where am I fat?"

"Typed it wrong, you're the best!"

"Hmph, you're doing it on purpose!"

Maybe because they had both advanced to the finals, they were both in a good mood and chatted on their phones for a long time.

Chu Tian had actually wanted to go pick up Xu Qingqiu, but she declined.

In Xu Qingqiu's words, she wanted to focus on the competition. The truth was she feared that having Chu Tian by her side would distract her and prevent her from fully concentrating on the next day's contest.

Chu Tian was pleased with this, since Wei Liangxiao had been pestering him all day, insisting he stay and help out that night to see if there were any issues.

After all, the next day's competition was the last for this show and also the most prestigious and competitive one—no mistakes were tolerated.

He couldn't manage everything alone, and he also felt uncertain. Having Chu Tian there, as the show planner and the boss, would certainly be hugely beneficial.

With no other options, Chu Tian had to dutifully stay on-site, watching everyone bustling about, occasionally offering advice and making adjustments.

「The next morning, all preparations were in place.」

"Convoys, depart! Pick up the guests along your respective routes."

Following Wei Liangxiao's command, the recording of the show officially began!

"Ma'am, are you nervous about the finals today?"

"Nervous, of course, I'm nervous. You guys have managed to find so many great talents for this show; it's impossible not to be."

As usual, part of the material was recorded in the car en route. Xu Qingqiu was sitting inside the car, wearing a cat-face mask.

After all, it was impossible to wear that big headpiece in the car.

At this point, her words were indeed true. By now, everyone's skill level was quite even, and just a minor mistake could lead to vastly differing outcomes.

"Reporting to the directors, Singer No. 6 is ten minutes away from the studio. Should we have them enter?"

"Wait a moment. Circle around to the north to add another ten minutes. Singer No. 4 is currently entering."

The production team was coordinating all procedures methodically. As time went on, the ten singers gradually arrived.

"Welcome to the world's first large-scale competitive Mask Singer show, 'King of Mask Singer'!"

"I am your old friend, the host Big Dragon. All singers are now ready. Let's first take a look at the online voting situation."

"According to the votes, so far, no singer has had their true identity guessed by more than 50% of the voters."

"This means no identities have been conclusively guessed yet, so the competition will continue as usual—no eliminations for now!"

"Now, let me announce the rules for this episode."

"Firstly, singers will be divided into two groups through a draw, with five singers competing on stage in each group. The results will be calculated based on a combination of votes and scores."

"Please look at the big screen for the scoring formula!"

After the host finished the opening, the first singer began their official performance.

"The first to take the stage is our singer 'Wild Lily's Spring' with the song <i>Guernica</i>."

<i>Guernica</i> was originally an anti-war painting, which later inspired a singer to create an English song with the same name after viewing it.

The song has a fierce rhythm and is filled with intense accusatory emotions. The lyrics are bold and dark, conveying anger.

To perform this song requires immense control, hovering between madness and sanity. It demands extremely high singing skills from the singer.

To start with such a piece, honestly, all the singers instantly felt the pressure.

If 'Wild Lily's Spring' can deliver a complete performance of this song, it will create the most brutal situation for the remaining singers.

That is, they have no choice but to give it their all. Any reservation or mistake will definitely cost them the final victory.

In fact, the difficulty of this song is indeed very high, but 'Wild Lily's Spring,' with their amazing control, performed it in its entirety.

The audience was blown away by the performance. Even the host, upon returning to the stage, found it hard to lighten the mood, still immersed in the atmosphere of the song.

"Next up, we have 'Guitar-Playing Jack' with the song <i>City of War Tragedy</i>."

It seems that everyone realized the critical nature of this competition, as all, without exception, brought their utmost expertise to the table.

Xu Qingqiu sat in the waiting room, watching the performance on stage, her palms sweating.

"Ma'am, it's your turn to go on stage."

"Oh, okay, I'll be right there."

Following the staff quickly to the backstage area, she caught a glimpse of another singer coming off stage from afar.

Before she could take a closer look, she was ushered by the staff to get ready in the wings.

Xu Qingqiu hurriedly focused her mind, mentally rehearsing the piece she was about to perform.

"Next, please welcome 'One More Bite Won't Make Me Fat' to sing the song <i>Absolutely Necessary</i>."

<i>Absolutely Necessary</i> is a classic old song in this world and is also extremely difficult to sing.

It not only demands a high level of singing skills but also requires great control of breath, transition between high and low notes, and shifts between falsetto and full voice.

One lyric line has thirteen vocal runs and two transitions between falsetto and full voice, elevating the difficulty to an extreme.

Although not as outrageous as Teacher Hu's <i>Moonlight</i> with its fifteen vocal runs, the added difficulty of falsetto and full voice transitions is more than formidable.

"When I stand here, amidst the bustling world, no one remembers your smile from days gone by."

"When you disappeared into the crowd, searching desperately, only then did I realize how absolutely necessary it was to hold on to you!"

...

"I can't forget the countless days and nights of agony; it's because I cherished it far, far too little."

"..."

"Nine parts tough, ten parts excruciating,"

"Absolutely necessary!"

As the song ended, Xu Qingqiu closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembled slightly, her chest rose and fell continuously, and the weight inside her heart finally settled.

No matter what, her performance ended perfectly. Success or failure was now in the hands of fate.

The morning's first round of competition ended perfectly, and the results were announced quickly.

"Based on voting and the judging panel's scores, the combined results of the first half of the performances will now be announced..."

"The first singer, 'Wild Lily's Spring,' 4.29 points!"

"The second singer..."

"The fourth singer, 'One More Bite Won't Make Me Fat,' 4.32 points!"

"..."

"The final result: congratulations to 'One More Bite Won't Make Me Fat' for advancing!"

As the host announced, Xu Qingqiu advanced. With just 0.03 points more than the second-place 'Wild Lily's Spring,' it was a narrow escape into the next round.

"Yay!"

In the waiting room, when Xu Qingqiu saw the results, she couldn't hide the joy on her face, tightly clenching her fists beside her.

I made it! she secretly cheered to herself, wishing she could share the news with everyone immediately, if only she were allowed to have her phone.

Little did she know, at this very moment, Chu Tian was standing in the third-floor control room, watching the voting results on stage with a smile on his face.

Not bad, stumbling and bumbling your way to this point. It wasn't in vain that I took such care in guiding you these past days.

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