Don't call me a singing god, I just want to go back to doing scientific research.

He emphasized the word "disruptive" with particular force.

"Last time, we played 'Individual Choice' and 'Destiny's Mandate. But this time, we're not playing individual battles." Yu Hongchang's smile grew even brighter. "Next time, we'll be playing—team battles!"

Team battle?!

These words caused an uproar not only among the creators on stage, but also among the audience and singers in the audience.

"Team battle? What's that all about?" Gu Yang's heart, which had just settled, jumped again. "Why is this show like a hodgepodge, throwing in everything?"

"Then how do we group them?" Nan Ye'an stroked his chin, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with a mischievous glint. "By drawing lots? That's so boring."

"Teacher Nan is right." You Hongchang snapped his fingers. "Drawing lots is too boring. So, we'll use the most classic and exciting method—the team captain chooses the players!"

All eyes were instantly drawn to them.

"And the two captains are a foregone conclusion." You Hongchang pointed to both ends of the stage.

"The champion of this round is Teacher Ling Luo!"

"And, of course, the runner-up of this competition, Mr. Qin Hanwen!"

The camera zooms in on the two of them.

Ling Luo remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by the outcome.

Qin Hanwen smiled gently and gestured "please" towards Ling Luo, as if he were welcoming a teammate rather than an opponent.

"The rules are simple," Yu Hongchang continued. "The two captains will take turns choosing their teammates from the remaining four creators to form two three-person teams."

"As the champion of this competition, Teacher Ling Luo will have the first choice."

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In an instant, Nan Ye'an, Zhou Yuan, Qi Hongyu, and Shan Feiyu became the focus of the entire event.

Their expressions varied, a mix of tension, anticipation, and trepidation.

Nobody wants to be the last one left behind.

Gu Yang, sitting in the audience, was as nervous as a primary school student about to be reassigned to a different class.

He muttered to himself, "Choose Zhou Yuan, choose Zhou Yuan, Zhou Yuan is reliable, a folk music master, our styles complement each other... Don't choose that madman Nan Ye'an, two madmen together, they'll tear the house down..."

However, on the stage, Ling Luo's gaze swept past everyone and landed directly on that cynical figure.

Nan Ye'an felt his gaze, but instead of looking away, she grinned and mouthed two words towards Ling Luo's direction:

Come on.

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Are these two teaming up?!

Is a killer duo about to be born? The production team really knows what we want to see!

[Gu Yang (inner monologue): No! No! No! Ling Luo: It's him.]

[They're snatching bamboo shoots upstairs! But it's such a vivid image, hahaha!]

"Teacher Lingluo, please make your choice." You Hongchang's voice was full of inflammatory rhetoric.

Ling Luo picked up the microphone; her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire venue.

"I choose Teacher Nan Ye'an."

"It's over." Gu Yang's vision went black, and he covered his face in despair.

Ling Luo, who doesn't play by the rules, and Nan Ye'an, who thrives on chaos.

He could already foresee what a "corpse-strewn" scene the next competition would be.

A huge cheer erupted from the audience.

The two strongest people have actually teamed up!

Qin Hanwen's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze became more focused. He looked at the remaining people and, almost without hesitation, made his choice: "I choose Teacher Zhou Yuan."

A sound choice. Zhou Yuan's folk music has its own unique style and a solid fan base, making him an absolutely reliable teammate.

Now, the choice is back in Ling Luo's hands.

The remaining ones are Qi Hongyu and Shan Feiyu.

Qi Hongyu's expression was somewhat complicated. He had had some unpleasantness with Ling Luo, and now that it was on the table, he felt a little awkward.

Ling Luo's gaze lingered between him and Shan Feiyu for a moment before she spoke, "I choose Teacher Shan Feiyu."

The decision not to choose Qi Hongyu was unexpected, yet also reasonable.

Ultimately, Qi Hongyu automatically joined Qin Hanwen's team.

The grouping is now complete.

Lingluo Team: Lingluo, Nanye'an, Shanfeiyu.

Qin Hanwen's team: Qin Hanwen, Zhou Yuan, Qi Hongyu.

"Alright! The two dream teams are assembled!" You Hongchang walked between the two teams. "Now, it's time for the most crucial part: theme selection!"

"This time, we won't provide a theme library, nor will we use random selection." You Hongchang's smile became enigmatic. "We will grant the two captains the right to create their own themes!"

He then looked backstage: "Please look at the big screen!"

On the screen, ten words radiating a halo appeared.

Freedom, destiny, ordinariness, greatness, burning, protection, homeland, distant place, brokenness, eternity.

"The two captains will be having a 'Theme BP' session here," You Hongchang explained. "You will take turns going up and 'ban' one of these ten keywords that you don't want. Each captain has four chances, for a total of eight keywords to ban."

"The two remaining words will become the themes for your two teams' performances!"

This rule is much harsher than simply specifying it.

You not only need to consider what your team is good at, but also to guess what your opponents want and nip it in the bud.

"The first round of bans will begin with Professor Qin Hanwen."

Qin Hanwen stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the ten words. His team included himself and Zhou Yuan, both leaning towards an emotional and narrative style. Ling Luo and Nan Ye'an, on the other hand, were more adept at grand, conceptual works.

"I'm disabling [Far Away]," Qin Hanwen said.

This word is too suitable for someone like Ling Luo who doesn't play by the rules; it shouldn't be left to Ling Luo.

It was Ling Luo's turn. He glanced at Nan Ye'an beside him, who raised an eyebrow at him with an expression that said, "Do whatever you want."

"I've disabled [Hometown]."

They were locked in a fierce confrontation. Qin Hanwen banned the distant lands, and Ling Luo banned her hometown. Zhou Yuan's folk songs most often featured his hometown.

Back and forth they went, the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder without the smoke of battle.

Soon, eight words were disabled, leaving only the last two on the screen.

The Ordinary and the Mythical.

One who is down-to-earth and grounded in the everyday life of ordinary people.

A boundless imagination, soaring beyond the nine heavens.

These two themes seem tailor-made for the two teams.

The combination of Qin Hanwen and Zhou Yuan can bring out the most moving poetic beauty in the ordinary.

The alliance between Ling Luo and Nan Ye'an is practically synonymous with "myth".

"Now, the most crucial moment has arrived." You Hongchang's voice brought everyone back to their senses. "The final two themes have been chosen. As the captain of this championship team, Teacher Ling Luo, you have the first choice."

"You can choose either [Ordinary] or [Mythical] for your team."