Chapter 107: Battle? Then Battle! (First Subscription Requested)

The pre-performance interaction concluded, and He Hao posed the final question: “Please tell the audience loudly, what is the name of the song you will perform in the first round tonight?”

Fang Xing, together with his teammates, announced the song’s title: “The song is ‘The Lonely Brave’.”

“The Lonely Brave” is a song written by Tang Tian, composed by Qian Lei, and sung by Eason Chan. It serves as the Chinese theme song for the animated series “Arcane,” a spin-off of the game “League of Legends.”

In the music video for “The Lonely Brave,” combat scenes from “Arcane” are woven into the visuals, creating a striking and powerful impact. The MV tells the story of characters like Vi and Jinx, living under darkness, battling fate with relentless courage, fighting to the end, and seeking life and freedom amidst chaos.

Both professional and amateur singers have covered this song in droves. Even Phoenix Legend and Tengger have tried their hand at it. In particular, Zu Yana Xi’s female version is closer to the characters’ perspectives in the story. Eason Chan’s rendition reaches an extraordinary level, but as the story centers on female characters, his version feels more like a third-person narration. In contrast, Zu Yana Xi’s version is an impassioned cry from within the character herself. The merging of low and high octave choruses at the end is reminiscent of Vi and Jinx roaring at fate in the dark.

Beyond these, the song has been covered in numerous music variety shows. In “Shining Band,” for example, Rainie Yang, Yang Kun, and Zhu Xingjie have all performed it. Countless video creators have used it to edit clips, among which one video edited with the film “Joker” fits the story of “The Lonely Brave” perfectly.

...

On stage.

The lights dimmed, and the production crew wheeled out six torches, arranging them around the stage.

With a sudden burst, flames ignited, illuminating the stage with a harsh, yellow light that carried a sense of impending battle.

The dark, bleak prelude of “The Lonely Brave” began, instantly pulling the audience into a battlefield of chaos.

After five bars of introduction, Shao Yu stepped from darkness into the firelit stage, singing the opening line with a deep, resonant voice:

“All are brave.
“The wound upon your brow, your difference, your mistakes.
“All need not be hidden.
“Your battered doll, your mask, your self...”

Then Guo Keda, Li Wenbin, and others alternated singing the verses.

As the chorus arrived, the melody grew stirring. Just as the audience thought the chorus had reached its emotional peak, the voices soared again in the middle of the chorus.

Fang Xing led the team in a dual-part harmony, unleashing a furious cry for this battle between factions:

“To go? Are you worthy! This tattered cloak.
“To fight? Fight! With the humblest of dreams.
“To those sobs and roars in the dark.
“Who says only those standing in the light are heroes...”

That roar echoed.

The audience was instantly swept up in emotion.

Fight? Fight!

Tonight’s theme was set by the opponents; wasn’t this exactly what they wanted?

If you wish to fight, then fight!

This was Fang Xing’s answer.

As the song entered its instrumental break, the live broadcast’s comment stream exploded, filled with all sorts of quirky remarks:

[Burning! Absolutely explosive!]
[Fight? Fight!]
[Are you worthy? Not worthy! (No dog-head emoji)]
[Disappointed, not a single mishap.]
[Disappointed +1]
[It’s the final episode, and still no classic stage disasters—disappointing.]
[They’re singing so well, what more do you want? He’s just a singer, not a driver—why must he crash?]
[Please, be reasonable.]
The broadcast continued.

After the interlude, the second verse began. The lyrics of the two verses are not the same; they build upon each other.

This time, Fang Xing took the lead, singing the second verse with deep, magnetic resonance:

“They said, you must curb your wildness, as if wiping away filth.
“They said, you must ascend the steps, at the cost of bowing your head...”

It was as if recounting his own story.

Two months ago.

Fang Xing faced the prospect of elimination if he refused to sign a contract.

The show at that time was like a staircase leading upward.

To keep climbing, one had to bow to TideSound Media.

Fang Xing chose to withdraw rather than submit.

TideSound Media deemed Fang Xing too arrogant, wielded capital, gathered the “TideSound Five,” brought in a Korean production team, aiming to topple Fang Xing on stage.

Since then, TideSound Media unleashed all manner of underhanded tactics.

Now, Fang Xing stood on stage, responding with this song, with these lyrics: I will not bow, yet I will ascend!

His deep, magnetic voice sang of desperation and resilience.

The audience was moved, all immersed in a furious emotion.

Oppression in the world is abundant; those forced to bow are not limited to Fang Xing.

Workers must bow to bosses.

Honest folk must bow to bullies.

That line struck a chord with countless listeners: “To ascend the steps, at the cost of bowing your head.”

Every ordinary person wishes for the courage not to bow, but reality often leaves them breathless.

Fang Xing’s defiant cry sang the wish in their hearts, the thing they longed for but dared not do.

The live audience and those watching the broadcast felt their thoughts surge, some even wanting to roar along with the song.

Gradually.

The song reached its final chorus.

The key suddenly soared an octave higher, with Lu Ming joining in the high-pitched harmony, creating a three-part chorus that soared to the heavens:

“Love you, wild and untamed, never borrowing another’s light.
“You shall build your city upon the ruins.
“To go? Go! With the humblest of dreams.
“To fight? Fight! With the loneliest of dreams.
“To those sobs and roars in the dark.
“Who says only those standing in the light are heroes!”

The final accent hit, and the whole team jumped together, stomping the stage with both feet, sending a quake through the floor and sealing the song with a weighty fermata.

As the outro finished, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.

The fervent applause lingered, showing the audience’s emotions had been swept into the song, unable to escape for a long time.

Not only the live audience.

Those watching the livestream were equally moved by the song.

The comment stream erupted:

[Who said Fang Xing doesn’t have explosive battle songs? I’m absolutely stunned!]
[It’s over, Wu Junchen has lost again, his fans will cry again.]
[Why wasn’t there a disaster? Where’s the promised mishap?]

...

[You’re just a singer, Fang Xing, stop writing such amazing songs—it doesn’t fit your persona.]
[I’ll give you all my votes for that line, ‘Love you, never kneeling.’]
[Wu Junchen is truly unfortunate; he was the king of popularity, ready to debut in a landslide, but then encountered a monster.]
[Truly unfortunate +1]
[I already sense a fan meltdown coming.]
[In the first public performance, Wu Junchen and Fang Xing were on the same team. If Wu Junchen had clung to Fang Xing’s leg then, it would be a different story.]
[Would the king of popularity have cared for an F-class nobody? Not back then, and even now, some fans still belittle Fang Xing.]
While the comments poured in.

On Penguin Video’s “Star of Tomorrow” page, the Flame Faction’s votes began to surge, multiplying exponentially.

Within minutes of the song’s conclusion, their votes broke ten million.

The speed caught TideSound Media off guard.

The reason was simple: Fang Xing’s base was ordinary viewers and casual fans.

Ordinary viewers differ from die-hard fans.

Fans vote regardless of performance; from the start, they’ve been voting non-stop.

So Wu Junchen’s Glacier Faction saw their votes soar before the stage even began, leading the Flame Faction by tenfold at one point.

Ordinary viewers, however, need to be moved by the stage and the song before voting.

Thus, after “The Lonely Brave” ended, touched viewers began to vote.

This caused the Flame Faction’s votes to rocket upward at an astonishing pace after the song’s performance.

In a short time, they surpassed “GLA,” taking the lead.

The Flame Faction’s votes didn’t just pass the Glacier Faction; they soared, soon breaking twenty million and leaving Glacier far behind.

When Glacier’s votes were overtaken, TideSound Media immediately became alert, called an emergency meeting, and began aggressive vote operations.

Headquarters, TideSound Media.

Recently, He Hongtu’s temper had worsened; after three consecutive disastrous performances, it was hard not to be irritable.

He angrily berated the Operations Department staff: “Why are Wu Junchen’s votes so low this time?”

The Operations Director braced himself and replied, “We’ve done our best, running fan operations since noon.”

He Hongtu pointed at the Glacier Faction’s fifteen million votes, snorting, “Last time, the debut night, we had about twenty million votes per round; tonight only fifteen million. You call this doing your best?”

The director looked grim, but kept explaining:

“After Wu Junchen failed to top the popularity chart last time, and Fang Xing didn’t join the limited group, Glacier’s popularity data dropped significantly.
“If it continues, we’ll need more advanced fan operation tactics.
“But if we do that, once exposed, it could cause some fans to resist.”

He Hongtu cared little for such concerns.

His company had one defining trait: boldness.

What others dared not do, he would.

He tapped the table with his fingers. “I don’t care how you do it; just make sure our group regains the lead in popularity.”

The Operations Director sighed inwardly. “If that’s the case, we’ll have to keep stirring up the fans.”

With the boss’s order, the Operations Department began assigning tasks to fan group leaders.

The leaders started privately messaging the most fervent fans, even using manipulative language:

[It’s a popularity contest now; if you let Junchen lose, do you deserve to be his fan?]
[Last time, the professional judges voted—losing was fine. Now there are no judges—where are your votes?]
[Didn’t you say Junchen’s popularity was unbeatable without professional judges? Did you vote?]
[If you can’t spare a hundred bucks for votes, what right do you have to be Junchen and Yichen’s fan?]

This injection of adrenaline sent the fans into a frenzy.

Glacier Faction’s votes began to soar, fans pouring in money for the leaderboard.

Glacier’s votes gradually caught up to the Flame Faction.

The two factions’ vote counts rose alternately, both breaking twenty million, with ever-increasing competition.

...

While fans crowdfunded the leaderboard, the livestream continued.

He Hao returned to the stage, his tone excited: “Fight? Fight! I can feel the raging flames of the Flame Faction.
“While Fang Xing, Shao Yu, and the others were singing, I saw Teacher Yu Song stand up and wave along.
“Director Chen also seemed eager to speak, so let’s have Teacher Huiying go first.”

“Cough, cough!” Liang Yu Song wanted to speak first, but after He Hao named everyone, it fell to Zhang Huiying, leaving him nearly speechless.

Zhang Huiying applauded three times before speaking: “I love this song, absolutely love it, and your performance was excellent.
“Before the broadcast, I was discussing with Director Chen whether Fang Xing could deliver a rousing battle song tonight.
“Director Chen said it would be difficult, that you might not suit this genre.
“But I disagree—I think you’re especially suited for this kind of song.
“Your voice fits perfectly—it needs to burn, to explode.
“Even in the mire, you must sing with abandon—that’s the feeling.
“And I’ve discovered something terrifying.
“Fang Xing, I’ve found that in these three months in the training camp, your singing has improved, and improved rapidly.
“This is astonishing; your vocal foundation was already impressive, stronger than many established singers.
“Usually, at this level, it’s very hard to improve further.
“But in these three months, your singing has progressed visibly, which is remarkable.”

Fang Xing’s singing truly progressed at a visible pace.

This was simply because, at the start, Fang Xing had theoretical vocal knowledge, but lacked fully trained muscles in his vocal cords, chest, and diaphragm.

Hence, he couldn’t use certain advanced singing techniques at first.

After three months, Fang Xing became increasingly adept at using his vocal cords and resonating chambers, now able to employ techniques he previously couldn’t.

Thus, despite already being excellent, his improvement over three months felt dramatic.

Fang Xing had no need to explain to the audience; instead, he bowed in gratitude: “Thank you, Teacher Huiying.”

After Zhang Huiying spoke, it was finally Liang Yu Song’s turn.

He was in high spirits. Deciding to sign Fang Xing had been one of the wisest choices of his life.

But as Fang Xing was now a contracted producer with Songstone Records, and Liang Yu Song was a shareholder, it was inappropriate to lavish praise, so he kept it brief:

“What Teacher Huiying said is true—Fang Xing’s singing is improving, and at a high level, which is rare.
“I won’t say much about Fang Xing. What I want to highlight is Lu Ming.
“Because not only Fang Xing, but Lu Ming has progressed greatly.
“Lu Ming, I don’t know if you’ve made up your mind, but in these three months, your progress in the fifth vocal register is visible.
“This may be due to Fang Xing assigning you high harmony parts each time.
“Your fifth register tone is beautiful—bright, powerful, rich.
“Crucially, few male singers compete in the fifth register, and it’s your strength.
“I suggest you focus on it; if you wish, I could help you get songs, even release a single.”

He Hao joked: “Teacher Yu Song is headhunting on the show again; soon, Boss Tong will be furious.”

Liang Yu Song laughed, waving his hand: “Alright, I’m done. The rest is up to Director Chen.”

Chen Chaonan took over: “Not only Yu Song wants to recruit; I’d like to bring students to our school. Though I don’t teach falsetto tenor, I’m a baritone.
“But our school teaches falsetto tenor. You can apply to Eastern Music, your vocal potential is immense.
“Apply together with Fang Xing, you’ll be classmates. Wouldn’t that be great? Come on, don’t hesitate.”

He Hao covered his forehead, looking helpless, joking: “As expected, Director Chen is recruiting again. But since it’s the last episode, I won’t interfere—recruit as you wish.”

The audience laughed heartily at this segment.

After the mentors’ comments, He Hao continued:

“Both factions have completed their first-round stages, both splendid. But which stage moves the audience more? That depends on the votes.
“Next, the big screen will display real-time votes from Penguin Video’s ‘Star of Tomorrow’ page.
“At the same time, the big screen and the ‘Star of Tomorrow’ page will show the vote lock countdown.
“Since the livestream may have delays, the lock time will follow the ‘Star of Tomorrow’ page’s time.”

...

“Director, show the real-time faction vote counts.”

Boom!

The director played a heavy drumbeat, and stage effects appeared.

Blue ice flames and red fire blazed again, spreading to the big screen.

He Hao gestured at the screen: “Let’s look at the big screen.”

Two burning bar charts appeared, showing the votes for each faction’s first round.

The bars raced upward from zero.

Initially, the blue ice flame bar climbed rapidly, leaving the fire bar far behind.

Moments later, the fire bar surged, quickly catching and surpassing the ice flame bar.

As both bars broke twenty million, they advanced alternately, refusing to yield.

In the final leaderboard countdown, Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen’s votes grew frighteningly fast.

Wealthy fans poured in money, sending Glacier’s votes skyrocketing.

Whatever votes the Flame Faction gained, Glacier’s fans instantly outspent them, unwilling to concede.

Within seconds, both factions’ votes reached twenty-two million.

He Hao excitedly heightened the atmosphere: “The competition is fierce—both factions have surpassed twenty-two million votes.
“Votes continue to rise. Who will win, gaining the advantage in the first round?”

Nationwide viewers watched the faction vote counts on the “Star of Tomorrow” page.

Whenever the Flame Faction overtook Glacier,

Glacier would instantly surge ahead moments later.

Anyone familiar with leaderboard rules could see this was massive cash injection—big sums, all at once.

He Hao continued: “Both factions’ votes are neck and neck, racing each other, unwilling to yield. Who will prevail? Let’s wait and see.
“The time is now 8:57 p.m.; the vote lock time is 9:00 p.m. That means three minutes remain.
“Live and broadcast viewers, now exercise your sacred right—the fate of both factions is in your hands.”

During the final vote push,

Offstage, Qiao Yinghong and Liang Yu Song whispered.

“Mr. Liang, TideSound Media is spending big; at least half their votes are fan-driven crowdfunding. Should we follow? Otherwise, the outcome is uncertain,” said Qiao Yinghong, Fang Xing’s agent, closely watching vote growth.

Liang Yu Song, after listening to “The Lonely Brave,” considered briefly: “No need to spend big. But at the last moment, we can release our vote reserve.”

Songstone Records’ fan operations were less ruthless than TideSound Media’s, but as an entertainment company, they had some strategies.

They held a modest vote reserve—about a hundred thousand votes.

With three minutes left.

Fang Xing’s Flame Faction broke 24 million votes, leading Glacier’s 23.5 million.

But in the next second, Glacier’s votes suddenly surged by 800,000, reaching 24.3 million, overtaking Flame.

Wu Junchen, Liu Yichen, and others, seeing their stage votes surpassing, shouted excitedly.

Fans at the scene were in tears, screaming themselves almost senseless.

The livestream’s comment stream erupted in celebration:

[We won! We won!]
[I always said, without professional judges, Junchen can’t lose.]
[Finally suppressed Fang Xing, feels so good.]
[Fang Xing sang one line right: to ascend the stairs, you must bow.]
[Even if he bows, our team won’t accept him.]
Ordinary viewers were bewildered:

[How is this possible?]
[With such a performance, the votes still lose?]
[One second, a million-vote surge—was this cash injection or backend manipulation?]
[Without fans, it’s hopeless.]
[Fang Xing, maybe try fan operations. This audience is hopeless, too lazy to vote.]
Watching the real-time vote count, one second before, Flame led Glacier by 500,000.

The next second, Glacier surged by 800,000, overtaking Flame.

This kind of sudden surge near the lock time was clearly cash injection.

But Penguin Video’s rules allow paid leaderboard votes.

So this is a permitted competitive tactic.

Still, it left ordinary viewers frustrated.

Glacier’s “GLA” merely finished the song; as for singing skills, the audience could tell it was mediocre.

Fang Xing’s “The Lonely Brave” was different—tone, depth, lyrics, melody, and performance all far surpassed their rivals.

Especially the final chorus, with three-part harmony including a high register.

The harmonies blended perfectly, Fang Xing and Shao Yu’s rich tones lifting Lu Ming’s soaring high notes—such perfect auditory enjoyment could be felt even by ordinary listeners.

“Initial Evolution”

Judging by performance alone, ordinary viewers could see “The Lonely Brave” was superior.

Even so, “GLA” managed to overtake thanks to fan funding.

After the surge, fans posted celebratory comments.

Some even mocked ordinary viewers:

[See? With our support, Junchen will surely win. You losers are only fit to listen to Fang Xing’s trash songs. You can’t appreciate Junchen’s works.]
[Slapped in the face? I told you—popularity contests, Junchen is invincible.]
Many ordinary viewers felt insulted, even angered:

[Mocking Fang Xing is one thing, but when the two songs’ quality is so different, if this loses, I’ll be disgusted for a year.]
[In youth, we didn’t know the power of fans—mistaking the audience for the treasure.]
[Anyway, I’ve used up my ten votes, not my problem anymore.]
[National music appreciation needs improvement.]
[Frankly, the two factions’ lyrics, melody, and vocals aren’t even in the same league. I don’t get how the “cool” group overtook.]
[On stage, kings crush bronze; offstage, dumb fans crush the audience—no problem.]
[This audience truly embarrasses.]
[Stop scolding! Stop scolding! I know I was wrong—I planned to vote after the second song, but I’ll vote now, okay?]
[Why argue? The votes aren’t locked yet—vote now, wipe out these fools.]
[If the first-round vote lets the dumb fans win, none of the haters here are innocent.]
[None are innocent +1]

Because of Glacier fans’ comments, ordinary viewers retaliated fiercely.

Many who planned to vote after the second song now voted immediately.

With one minute left, Flame Faction overtook again, opening a fifty-thousand vote gap.

The two factions’ votes were 24.51 million and 25.06 million, the battle ongoing.

...

The time reached its most thrilling moment.

He Hao began the countdown: “The voting channel closes in ten seconds—let’s count down together: ten, nine, eight...

“Three, two, one—lock!”

Just as He Hao finished the countdown, shouting ‘lock,’ TideSound Media released their vote reserve.

Glacier Faction’s votes suddenly surged by 600,000, instantly reaching 25.15 million.

Fans at the scene, seeing their votes overtake again, screamed with tearful excitement.

Yet, in that instant,

The Flame Faction’s votes ticked up from 25.06 million to 25.18 million.

And at that moment, the voting channel locked.

In the end, the ice flame bar stopped at 25.15 million, while the fire bar froze at 25.18 million.

The count was set.

He Hao announced with excitement: “The competition was fierce—ultimately, the Flame Faction wins the first-round stage by a margin of thirty thousand votes. Congratulations to Fang Xing and the Flame Faction students, congratulations on gaining the lead in the first round.”