Chapter 108: "A Man Must Strive"—Righteous Spirit Like a Song (Seeking First Subscription)

After the results of the first round of voting were announced, a wail of despair went up from the Ice Glacier team's fans in the audience.

He Hao continued to elaborate on the rules of the faction battle: "Tonight's finals between the Ice and Fire factions will be determined by the sum of votes from two rounds."

"So, although the Flame faction is temporarily in the lead after the first round, you can't afford to relax. Keep pushing forward."

"Ice Glacier boys, don't lose heart. You're only slightly behind, and the gap isn't large. As long as you win the second round, you still have a chance at ultimate victory."

...

Meanwhile.

In the preparation room.

Fang Xing was a little surprised when he saw the first round vote tally.

Guo Keda couldn't immediately figure out which side had won. The votes had been neck-and-neck, with both sides overtaking each other fiercely, leaving him confused.

"Who won?"

"Seriously? Of course it was us, but not by much—just thirty thousand votes. It was close. When we were overtaken the last time, I thought we'd lost," Shao Yu said, patting his chest, still a little shaken.

Guo Keda was more expressive, pounding his fist and cursing, "That bunch from Chao Yin Culture must've poured money in for votes. Suddenly, their count shot up by hundreds of thousands. Who are they fooling?"

Shao Yu nodded, "Chao Yin Culture probably dumped six hundred thousand votes in the last moment. The spike was obvious."

Lu Ming let out a breath, relaxing. "Luckily, we won. I really thought we were going to lose back there."

Shao Yu reminded them, "Don't celebrate too soon. This was just the first half; there’s still the second. A lead of thirty thousand votes is negligible—the decisive moment will be the second round."

Guo Keda frowned, "But the competition’s changed now. If it’s just about spending money, singing well doesn't matter."

Shao Yu agreed, "Exactly. If the outcome is determined by money, then it’s got nothing to do with the songs themselves."

"Actually, our votes tonight weren't low."

"In the first round, we got 25.18 million votes, which is more than any single round during the group formation night two weeks ago."

"So, our count is normal, about what you'd expect for a single round."

"The obvious issue is with Chao Yin Culture—they must’ve spent money or used other means to inflate their numbers."

At that moment.

Qiao Yinghong entered the preparation room, sat next to Fang Xing, waved the other team members over, and spoke:

"Director Liang asked me to tell you: the first round is only the first half. The vote count isn't important; focus on performing well in the second round."

Guo Keda was still resentful: "Our first round performance was way better than theirs. Did Chao Yin Culture buy those votes?"

"The money didn’t come from Chao Yin Culture itself. The voting funds were squeezed out of their fans..."

Qiao Yinghong lowered her voice:

"The company just received word—Chao Yin Culture is running a fan crowdfunding campaign, and this time the pressure on fans is much harsher, with very aggressive tactics."

"According to the operations department, the GLA fan crowdfunding for voting is about twenty million."

"More than half their votes were bought by fan crowdfunding."

"Since the contest has reached this point, don’t worry about the votes. Just focus on singing your second song."

"Leave the rest to the company."

Fang Xing was already used to these rules of the entertainment industry. Once the contest reaches the phase where money decides the ranking, the nature of the competition changes.

Moreover, Fang Xing was no longer fighting the Ice Glacier trainees, but the capital behind them.

His teammates were all indignant, but Fang Xing remained relaxed, laughing heartily, "Don't worry. I'm curious to see if He Hongtu dares to spend enough to win the second song."

...

The live broadcast continued.

After the big screen displayed the vote counts for both factions, the host moved on.

"The exciting moment has arrived. The first round is over, and now comes the second round..."

He Hao announced the rules for the order of performances: "The order for the second round will be chosen by the faction with the higher votes in the first round."

"In other words, the Flame faction decides the order for the second round."

"So, Captain Fang Xing, it's up to you. Will you perform first or last?"

Fang Xing glanced calmly at the Ice Glacier side. "Let them sing first," he replied.

Wu Junchen and his team weren't disappointed by this answer.

During the previous group formation night, they chose to go last, hoping to be the grand finale.

But after Fang Xing's group finished performing "Ashes of Fireworks," it was all over—their own group hadn't even had a chance to perform before losing.

Chao Yin Culture's analysis now concluded that the team performing first could mobilize fans to vote early, and when the last team performed, they could create a sense of rivalry to push fans harder.

Last time, choosing to go last ended in defeat. This time, the strategy had to change.

Wu Junchen stood up and said, "I hope we can go first and deliver an exciting stage to the audience and fans."

He Hao continued, "In that case, Captain Junchen, please lead the Ice Glacier boys onto the stage. Tell the audience loudly: what's your second round song tonight?"

Wu Junchen, leading his ten teammates, struck a pose and shouted in unison, "Our second song tonight is called 'Never Yield!'"

The stage lights dimmed.

Eleven members of the Ice Glacier team stood in a triangle formation.

Wu Junchen was at the front, his right hand pressed to his left chest.

Twenty-two spotlights shone down from different angles onto the eleven performers.

At the same time, the prelude to "Never Yield" began, with a powerful rhythm—the thumping drums pounded the audience's hearts.

Wu Junchen followed the beat, pressing his hand to his chest, his torso vibrating along with the music.

The intro included the sound of a heartbeat, as if it were Wu Junchen's own.

Thump! Thump! Thump...

With Wu Junchen's tight-fitting costume, fans' blood surged, screaming to the point of breathlessness.

As the intro ended, all eleven sang the first line together: "Unyielding! Unyielding! Unyielding... We will never yield!"

The first line soared, then the melody accelerated, launching directly into the rap segment.

Wu Junchen rapped to the close-up camera:

"I'm not a hero. I can't guarantee victory in every battle, but I have the heart to persist to the end.

"No matter how much resistance, how much ridicule, how many falls, even if I sink into the mire, I still dream of soaring higher than the sky someday, roaring to the heavens, fighting until broken, not for glory, but refusing to smooth my edges..."

The wave of sound swept through the studio.

Fans waved glow sticks, swaying with their idols.

As soon as voting for the second song began, the Ice Glacier team's votes soared.

And the votes were cumulative from the first round.

In a short time, the Ice Glacier faction's total votes broke forty million.

Because they were ahead, major online platforms were filled with Ice Glacier fans gloating and mocking both the public and other viewers.

Anyone paying attention to the voting was disgusted by the fans' comments.

But watching the Ice Glacier team’s votes surge to forty million, while Fang Xing's Flame faction had just reached thirty million...

The gap kept widening, and if things kept going, the faction battle would collapse.

Ordinary viewers could do nothing but cast their own votes, helplessly watching the gap grow.

When Wu Junchen and the Ice Glacier boys finished performing, fans screamed themselves hoarse.

He Hao came onstage, excited: "Just now, the Ice Glacier faction's total votes broke forty million, showing the audience truly appreciates their second-round stage."

"I want to remind everyone here and watching online: the Ice Glacier boys have finished their second-round performance, but you can still vote for them."

"Voting for the second round is open until ten o'clock tonight. If you're watching and want to support your favorite Ice Glacier boy, keep voting!"

He Hao then bridged to the next segment, introducing the Flame faction: "Next up, Fang Xing and his Flame faction will perform their second-round stage. Let's welcome the team to the stage."

Fang Xing led his team onstage, standing by the host.

---

He Hao began interacting before the performance: "Fang Xing, as captain of the Flame faction, are you nervous? You led by only a small margin in the first round. Does that make you feel a bit nervous?"

Fang Xing replied calmly, "Not really."

He Hao looked skeptical and pressed, "Really not nervous? What if you lose to the Ice Glacier faction in the second round?"

Fang Xing smiled, "You said 'what if.'"

He Hao paused, then laughed, "You can crack jokes, so you must not be nervous. Let's talk about your second-round stage. I heard you switched songs at the last minute?"

"Not exactly," Fang Xing explained. "We had three songs prepared, just picked two."

"What made you want to switch songs?" He Hao pressed.

These questions were scripted.

Of course, the questions were scripted, but the answers weren't.

They were tricky questions—answered poorly, they could cause trouble.

Tong Fei loved this kind of thing, stirring up topics during the Q&A segment.

Her only goal now was to make this season of "Tomorrow's Star" a phenomenon.

She used every means to create buzz.

Fang Xing thought for a moment and answered, "Originally, the second-round song wasn't so intense, but certain people drove me to switch to something fiercer."

Sitting at the director's position, Tong Fei immediately sensed a potential highlight and signaled the host to dig deeper.

He Hao was a strong host and understood what the director wanted. He continued, "I've watched previous episodes, and many viewers joke that you go too hard. Aren't you worried they'll say it again?"

Fang Xing answered helplessly, "I didn't want to—I was forced."

He Hao pressed, "So how intense is this song?"

Fang Xing thought and replied, "If the previous ones were heavy-handed, this one goes all out."

He Hao raised his eyebrows, "That intense? Aren't you afraid the audience won't like it?"

The show was live.

He Hao's question triggered a flood of comments:

["What do you mean, 'the audience won't like it'? I officially inform you as a representative of the audience: the fiercer, the better!"]

["I declare you can represent me this time."]

["Agreed +1"]

["The fiercer, the better +1"]

["You’d better go hard, or you won't get enough votes and lose. Look at the other side—they've got forty million, you only have thirty."]

["I've got my votes ready. Let's see if you can win them from me."]

["Aren't you curious who drove Fang Xing to go all out?"]

["Curious! Does anyone know the inside story? Tell me!"]

["As the Holmes of Dongyin, it's time to show real observation skills. Here's a clue: When the Flame faction formed teams in episode nine, there were nine people."]

["Whoa! Now there are only eight. Where did the other go?"]

["The missing trainee is Chen Zhiyou. No news online—what happened?"]

["If you know, you won’t say; if you say, you don’t know."]

Amid the flood of comments.

He Hao asked one last question: "Fang Xing, if you could describe your second-round song with a single idiom, what would it be?"

Fang Xing considered and replied, "Upright and unyielding."

"That's bold—now we're getting into the heroic theme. Who's performing for the Flame faction?"

Faction battles didn't require all members to perform every song.

"Just me and Shao Yu singing; the others will dance," Fang Xing replied.

He Hao raised his eyebrows, "Only you two?"

He turned to Guo Keda, Lu Ming, and the others, stirring things up: "Captain Fang Xing isn't taking you with him this time. Any resentment?"

Guo Keda rolled his eyes, "Forget it. Even if Captain wanted to take me, I'd have to be able to sing it. This song—I'm not bragging—only the Captain and Shao Yu can pull it off among all trainees here. I'm just fit to dance."

He Hao looked surprised, "That impressive? What about Lu Ming—can't you sing it?"

Lu Ming nodded firmly, "This song isn't for ordinary singers. You'll see soon—I'd never dare try."

He Hao turned to Shao Yu, "How does it feel to be the only one singing with Fang Xing?"

Shao Yu sighed, "Nervous."

"Why so nervous?" He Hao pressed.

"The song demands a lot from your breath control—it's very tough," Shao Yu answered seriously.

"The more you say, the more I look forward to it. I bet the viewers can't wait either. Please tell us loudly: what's the song you'll perform?"

Fang Xing slowly announced, "'A Man Must Be Strong.'"

"Let's hand the stage to Fang Xing and his teammate," He Hao said, stepping off.

The stage lights dimmed.

Fang Xing and Shao Yu stood at the front.

Guo Keda, Lu Ming, and others wore training outfits embroidered with fire dragons, taking their places.

The prelude to "A Man Must Be Strong" began, the deep drumbeats invigorating the audience, who listened intently.

This song, lyrics and music by Wong Jim, was adapted from the ancient tune "General's Order."

It was the theme song for the film "Once Upon a Time in China."

There are versions in Mandarin and Cantonese, both sung by George Lam.

Lam's voice is powerful, every line striking like a war drum.

Wong Jim, the lyricist and composer, was a true talent and a representative of his era.

Many singers have covered the song, but none surpassed the original.

Only the version from "Shining Band," adapted by Li Yugang, Rainie Yang, and Jin Runji, offered something new.

Li Yugang's singing style brings a different feel—but nothing matches the masculine energy of Lam's version.

Fang Xing hadn't planned to bring such a "nuclear" song to a talent show.

But Chao Yin Culture's tricks were too much, so he decided to go all out and drop this bomb.

He hadn't chosen the song originally because it was so difficult, demanding breath control and vocal strength.

In the Flame faction, only Fang Xing and Shao Yu, trained at Dongyin, could barely handle it.

As soon as the prelude began, a surge of heroic energy swept over the stage.

Guo Keda, Lu Ming, and others performed martial arts dance in their training uniforms.

Then two teams of dancers entered from the sides, doing twelve aerial flips across the stage.

The prelude ended, and the main verse began.

Fang Xing sang with a powerful, deep voice:

"Face the waves with pride, hot blood like the sun's light.

"Heart as strong as iron, bones as pure steel.

"Chest stretches thousands of feet, vision spans ten thousand miles.

"I strive to be strong, to be a true man!"

At this point, Fang Xing shouted, his voice connecting with the drumbeat, majestic and overwhelming, like thunder rolling above the stage, stunning the audience.

Only the first verse had been sung, and the live comments exploded:

["Whoa! That energy!"]

["Did I wander into the wrong show—hearing such a masculine song on a talent stage?"]

["This vocal power shakes the soul!"]

---

["Okay, you can take my votes."]

Shao Yu took over, singing:

"Be a true man, every day strive for strength.

"Hot-blooded men shine brighter than the sun."

After this line.

Fang Xing and Shao Yu moved from both sides to the center, stepping onto the lift platform.

The platform rose, carrying them into the air.

The song entered the chorus, the melody soaring.

Facing each other, Fang Xing and Shao Yu belted out with rich harmonies:

"Let the sea and sky gather energy for me.

"Break open new worlds.

"Fight for my dreams.

"See the mighty waves.

"And the vast sky, with heroic spirit rising.

"A man must be strong!"

A barrage of true voice high notes, instantly creating a shockwave throughout the venue.

Heroic spirit surged, echoing above the stage.

At the judges' table, Chen Chaonan, Liang Yusong, and the other mentors all stood up, fists clenched, swaying to the beat.

After this section, Liang Yusong looked much more relaxed.

Chao Yin Culture's fan voting campaign had pressured Songstone Records greatly.

Just ten minutes earlier, he was coordinating with the company’s operations department, preparing to match Chao Yin Culture in an off-stage battle.

But hearing this section, Liang Yusong realized outside operations might not be needed.

The song's overwhelming heroic spirit could crush the competition directly on stage.

Just as he expected, at this point.

The Flame faction's votes started soaring, keeping pace with the Ice Glacier fans’ spending.

On the high platform.

Fang Xing and Shao Yu, in perfect harmony, sang the final section:

"Stride forward, chest out, let everyone be a pillar—be a true man.

"With my hundred points of passion, shine a thousand points of light.

"Be a true man, passionate and warm, brighter than the sun.

"Be a true man, passionate and warm, brighter than the sun!"

The powerful, heroic ending faded.

Live comments exploded:

["This is real passion—I’ve got goosebumps all over."]

["Wow! Professional assessment: true voice and strong mixed voice, continuous A4, B4 high notes—Fang Xing really is just a vocal student?"]

["This song is so masculine, totally different from the others."]

["As expected, Fang Xing's song doesn't fit this show. Singing this in a boy band talent show—how can other trainees compete?"]

["Definitely all-out."]

["All-out +1"]

["Alright, time for the beloved prophecy segment. Let me go first—Wu Junchen lost again."]

["The host hasn't even announced the results—already starting? Teacher He, hurry up and announce that the Ice Glacier team is done."]

["Don’t rush—I thought I’d won last round too, but it was so close."]

["If spending money wins, does good singing matter?"]

["I can't do anything for others, but I’ve given all my votes. If the count is still lower, I’ll... I’ll just hold it in!"]

["Hold it in? VIP annual card, ten more please."]

["Ten votes, all in—for the improvement of national music appreciation."]

The broadcast continued.

"A Man Must Be Strong" finished.

Chen Chaonan, Liang Yusong, and the other four mentors all stood and applauded.

Audience and media judges followed, thunderous applause filling the venue.

Chen Chaonan picked up the microphone, not waiting for the host, and declared: "This song finally showcases your most powerful voices. This is what vocal music should strive for—excellent!"

"'Shura Martial God'"

"Perfect lyrics, composition, and singing—using professional standards, this is the highest scoring song of the season."

"If I had to nitpick, singing true voice up to B4 is straining the vocal cords. Unless you're incredibly gifted, it's tough on the voice."

"But since it's the finals tonight, you can sing like this for once."

"Besides, this song is worth risking your voice for. If I were young, I'd make the same choice. Keep it up!"

After Chen Chaonan finished, He Hao quickly took over: "Director Chen didn't even give me a chance to transition. But the Flame faction's 'A Man Must Be Strong' truly embodies upright spirit—impressive."

"Looks like Teacher Yusong has something to say. Next, let's hear from Teacher Yusong. After listening to 'A Man Must Be Strong,' what are your thoughts?"

Liang Yusong stood, his voice emotional: "Fang Xing, the music world needs musicians like you. Lyrics, composition, and singing are nearly perfect—nothing to criticize."

"From the first episode to now, ten songs in total, each with the potential to become a classic."

"I can say, no talent show before has produced ten songs of this quality."

"I just want to say, you deserve a championship."

"Let’s do this. I won’t shy from favoritism—I’ll help the Flame faction get votes."

"Actually, when I heard the demo, there was another Cantonese version of 'A Man Must Be Strong.'"

"If viewers want to hear it, vote now."

"If the Flame faction wins the championship, the Cantonese version of 'A Man Must Be Strong' will be released for free on all music platforms."

Live comments began flooding in:

["There's a Cantonese version? I can't not vote now."]

["Cantonese version? Is the quality good?"]

["Anyone doubting Fang Xing's Cantonese singing? Go listen to 'The Difficult Sutra' first."]

["Thinking back, Fang Xing is terrifying in this show. From 'Nocturne' to 'A Man Must Be Strong,' every song is insanely strong."]

["'Nocturne,' 'World of Lovers,' 'A Man Must Be Strong'—any one would be a champion on another show. This show's amazing: Fang Xing drops bomb after bomb all season, and the opponents keep up, thanks to powerful fans."]

["When young, I didn't know the value of fans, mistaking the audience for treasures."]

["'A Man Must Be Strong' must win. You vote first, I'll cover the gap—here's a symbolic hundred thousand votes."]

Penguin Video's "Tomorrow's Star" channel flashed with a hundred thousand vote banner for the Flame faction.

Immediately, the Ice Glacier team followed suit, posting a matching hundred thousand vote banner.

Liang Yusong's appeal worked—the Flame faction's votes skyrocketed.

Within three minutes of the song finishing, the Flame faction's total votes surged past forty million, catching up to the Ice Glacier faction.

Seeing the Flame votes surge, Ice Glacier fans panicked, rushing around to rally more votes.

Fan crowdfunding money was poured in desperately, trying to maintain the lead.

Both factions’ votes broke forty-two million, the competition intense beyond measure.