Shi Jin quickly focused on the competition since Fu Heyan did not require immediate medical attention.
The elimination round was a live telecast as well and was split into two parts.
Yao Jiahong did not pay attention to the competition and even uninstalled the application on his phone since he could not be bothered watching Shi Jin.
However, now that things had changed and he had promised to work with Shi Jin, he had to learn more about her if they were to collaborate.
Yao Jiahong had to sit among the audience and watch her perform. He wore a mask and sat in an inconspicuous corner to avoid getting recognized.
All the contestants were standing on stage wearing masks.
Those that came in ranking 1 to 22 were in the safe zone while the last eight were placed in the elimination zone.
Yao Jiahong spotted Shi Jin in the crowd right away. She was tall, slim and always looked well poised, so she stood out from the crowd. It was no wonder Fu Xiuyuan was head over heels in love with her.
The host announced the rules, "The contestants in the elimination zone can pick anyone from the safe zone to battle. You can pick any song ever performed by any contestant on the program. That makes a total of 120 songs to choose from. Feel free to pick any song that suits you."
Yu Guannan and Chu Ling sat beneath the stage as they watched.
The last eight contestants were not lousy singer-songwriters.
The instructors had already advised their teams which opponents to pick based on their strengths.
It was going to be the battle of the best and an exciting night!
A contestant said softly while the camera was pointing elsewhere, "I am so envious of Little Rose. She keeps coming in first, so no one will pick her!"
"Uh huh. In reality, the top ten contestants are pretty safe. People like me who came in 20th are at greater risk," said Ye Ke, also known as Little Leaf.
In order to improve their odds, the contestants in the elimination zone would usually pick contestants that ranked 15th to 22nd to battle. If they picked someone strong, they might end up eliminated.
The instructors took this into consideration when they came up with their game plans.
Gu Qinghua was now the fifth, but she remained anxious. After all, everyone knew she was unable to perform consistently.
She was mentally prepared to get challenged and had even prepared a speech for her loss.
She looked at Shi Jin and hoped that Shi Jin would go far on the program.
All the viewers felt the same way as the contestants. Since it was unlikely that the best contestants would get challenged, they showed little interest in their performance.
"I don't think we will even get to see Little Stone perform, let alone even better contestants like Little Rose and Little Flag."
"Sigh. Now that a day has passed without scolding Little Stone, I am starting to feel bored."
"That's right. Things can get so boring when she isn't making trouble."
The first contestant from the elimination zone had already stepped up on stage as the viewers commented.
Her name was Zhu Xuan, also known as Little Pig. She had come in 30th this time.
After walking up on stage, the host handed her the microphone and she said, "I want to challenge Little Stone!"
The crowd buzzed with commotion.
Chu Ling felt shocked as well.
Zhu Xuan was on his team and he had suggested for her to battle Ye Ke based on her strengths and weaknesses.