After entering, Li Changlin realized that the audition venue was a large hall of over a hundred square meters, with three judges sitting at the top, some staff members holding cameras on both sides, and in the middle, a simple stage constructed for the occasion.
The stage was clearly built temporarily, with the background being promotional slogans of Xuanyuan’s The Voice, and staff members gestured for Li Changlin to ascend the stage.
Once he was up, the judge sitting right in the middle spoke, "First, introduce yourself, please. What song are you going to sing, and do you need accompaniment?"
This judge who had spoken was from Feiyu Entertainment Media Group, a man in his forties with a bit of a paunch.
He had already received a tip-off from Luo Xuehai, and he had also made a signal to the two judges beside him.
Tampering in the audition round carried no risk at all, so the three judges had nothing to worry about.
Of this, Li Changlin was completely unaware. Hearing the judge speak, he picked up the microphone from the tripod in front of him and said, "Good day to all three judges, my name is Li Changlin, from Jincheng. Today, I brought a song titled "A Brave Heart," which I composed myself. I plan to sing a cappella."
Singing a cappella means singing without musical accompaniment.
"Li Changlin!" All three judges turned their heads to look at each other, knowing that this was their target. They immediately exchanged a subtle look.
"Alright, go ahead and sing," the one in the middle said. After all, Li Changlin had already been sentenced to death by them; no matter how he sang, the final result was that he wouldn’t pass the auditions.
"Okay, then I will sing." Li Changlin, being completely in the dark, had no clue about the judges’ intentions, so he lifted the microphone and began to sing.
I am not a stone, nor am I a tear.
I am just a little bird, searching for the direction of home.
I am not a grain of sand in the eye, nor am I a faint sigh.
I am just a child, searching for the embrace of love.
This song was rather interesting and indeed had a certain connection with Li Changlin’s mood.
Since he had unlocked the song categories, learning songs no longer required using points. Under these circumstances, Li Changlin learned many motivational songs.
And "A Brave Heart" was undoubtedly among the best of these inspirational songs.
Just as the song conveyed, one should be brave in life and have a brave heart.
Li Changlin sang with unquestionable talent, and the artistic conception of this song was beyond doubt—an uplifting melody filled with positivity.
After the song ended, the three judges felt somewhat shaky.
After all, they were all involved in music and were somewhat professional.
Li Changlin’s song was genuinely flawless, especially the artistic conception of "A Brave Heart," which was quite moving.
But now, the situation was such that they had to eliminate Li Changlin—it was an order from Luo Xuehai that the judge from Feiyu Entertainment Media Group couldn’t refuse.
As for the other two judges, they had made promises already and obviously could not go back on their word.
Even if Li Changlin sang well, the problem was that there were people above who wanted to bring him down!
The three exchanged glances, as the current situation was slightly unexpected, so they had to find a good excuse.
"Uh, judges," Li Changlin, seeing that the judges had not yet given an answer, stood on the stage, very puzzled.
After all, he was completely unaware of the judges’ underhanded intentions and even thought that his singing had conquered them.
"He’s a live-streamer!" Startled by Li Changlin’s voice, the middle judge immediately thought of something and quickly wrote a few words on paper.
"Got it!" Upon seeing those words, the other two judges’ eyes lit up.
At that moment, the judge in the middle cleared his throat and spoke lightly, "You sang this song very well, and it’s pretty good, but I’m going to pass."
With that, the man actually hit the buzzer and lit the red light for Li Changlin right away.
Seeing this, Li Changlin wasn’t surprised.
After all, this song was originally performed by a supposedly awesome deity from Earth, and Li Changlin believed that if the song was popular on Earth, it should be more or less the same on his planet.
Indeed, his song immediately received recognition; after all, they were professionals!
Li Changlin was very pleased internally.
But at that moment, the other two judges also made their decisions with a bang, and when Li Changlin looked up, he was stunned.
How was that possible?
Li Changlin couldn’t believe his eyes. What did this mean? Were these two judges pseudo-music experts, unable to even distinguish a good song?
Li Changlin felt hurt and very unwilling to accept this fact.
"Your song is actually very good, but your stage presence seems a bit frivolous," finally, spoke the judge to the far left, a woman in her thirties. She gently touched the hair by her earlobe and then said softly, "Xuanyuan’s The Voice is a serious platform, and while I do like the song you sang, the style of this stage might not suit you. If I let you pass now, it would be irresponsible of me. So, Mr. Li, I hope you can understand, and if you can improve your style, I believe you can definitely become an excellent musician."
"Yes, I agree with what Teacher Qin Xiu said," the judge on the far right—a man in his fifties, and an old musician who had written quite a few songs, with two even being picked up by top-line singers, making him well-known in both fame and fortune.
Of course, speaking of fame, this was only flattery within the Nanfu Province circle.
He might have been somewhat famous, but he wasn’t a real big shot, so he too had to bow to the pressure from Luo Xuehai and choose to compromise.
Hearing the two judges say this, Li Changlin was rather helpless.
They set the rules, and while he had the golden finger and the Divine Tycoon Development System from Earth, he hadn’t truly risen to prominence yet.
So in the end, in the eyes of others, Li Changlin was nobody.
Even if Li Changlin had written a decent song, so what?
If they didn’t acknowledge him or offer him opportunities, he would never see the light of day.