Chapter 126: Fleeing Without a Fight

Amidst the expectant gaze of the masses, Liao Yuan bowed slightly to the audience before taking his seat on the piano bench.

He looked at the grand piano before him; its polished, lustrous surface mirrored his mask, which appeared somewhat cold and unfamiliar.

Then, Liao Yuan lifted his hands gently, his movements soft and deliberate, slowly resting them upon the keys.

The entire hall held its breath.

The next moment, a rapid, rushing scale erupted, swift as a lightning strike, instantly stirring the boiling point within everyone's hearts.

Ten seconds later, the first modulation arrived!

In that instant, Uncle A’s left hand suddenly launched into a series of relentless, leaping arpeggios, sending shivers down people’s spines and making their scalps tingle. The sudden, overwhelming force of the music felt as if someone were striking heavy, rhythmic blows against the depths of their souls.

"Such intensity..."

"Incredible! As expected of Uncle A, he’s dazzled us right from the start!"

"This scene! It reminds me of the time Mr. Spielberg hammered the piano with both hands!"

"Exactly! The movements seem so chaotic, yet the scales he hammers out are more beautiful than the last..."

"This modulation is masterful!"

"Even with all the technique involved, this is still a pop song!"

"Brother, it's just music, why won't you stop shaking your leg..."

"Holy cow! A trill with the fourth and fifth fingers! To play that with such ease amidst the continuous, leaping chords of the left hand..."

"Absolutely terrifying!"

"It's divine! Simply divine!"

The audience members stood up in excitement, peering at Uncle A as he performed on stage.

"Those hands... they feel like they possess some kind of magic... it's damn terrifying!"

Contestant No. 6, Masked Superman, wore a complex expression as he muttered to himself, "Is there even any point in me going up there?"

By now, Liao Yuan’s playing grew increasingly intense.

The piano notes, like pearls of varying sizes falling onto a jade plate, echoed throughout the hall. Yet, there was not a hint of disorder. Notes that sounded like singing and weeping circled the venue, and as the speed of the scales increased, the beginning and the end collided with a sudden, thunderous crash—

In that moment, it was as if lightning and thunder converged!

Everyone widened their eyes involuntarily.

Enveloped by the music, people felt as though they could see electricity leaping from Uncle A’s fingertips.

*Crackle—*

Arcs of electricity seemed to dance around the stage.

Yang Jiegeng watched, dumbfounded, goosebumps rising and falling across her skin. What sounded like a piece that shouldn't be too difficult to play had been transformed by Uncle A into a score that only a concert-level pianist could compose!

"Railgun... I understand why it's called 'Railgun' now..."

The tingling, sour sensation rising in Fu Xiaoci’s heart, like an electric shock, brought her a sudden, thrilling realization.

Lin Weiyin’s gaze was filled with appreciation.

This was a piece with classic pop elements, yet in Liao Yuan's hands, the difficulty coefficient kept climbing. The constant, leaping arpeggios were one thing, but the way he modulated at critical junctures was what truly surprised her.

It was like a modified AE86 drifting through the hairpin turns of Mount Akina...

It provided the highest level of enjoyment, both visually and aurally. Even the resident pianists of the world’s top five concert halls would be moved to offer their praise if they were here.

Who could have imagined...

That a seemingly ordinary apprentice mage could chant a forbidden ultimate spell, delivering a fatal blow to the most powerful archmage?

This was no longer just "punching above one's weight class"...

It was a miracle that shouldn't have been possible!

"He really is Mr. Liao!" Zhang Chao said excitedly in the audience. "I’ve heard his *Unravel*, and the style of this *Railgun* is so similar to when Mr. Liao played *Unravel*!"

Gao Feiliu, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle and an English-style suit, crossed his arms and said smugly, "I told you so, why didn't you believe me? The video of *War Rhapsody* is spreading like wildfire in the industry. I bet the entire domestic piano world knows of a figure named Liao Yuan by now. Brother Yuan has stumbled into fame in the circle, one way or another! You have to realize, the classical piano world has always looked down on these grassroots competitions."

"Who would have thought!" Zhang Chao sighed. "I once suggested Mr. Liao go and challenge the major theaters, but the matter fizzled out! I’ve often regretted that, and now it turns out Mr. Liao had already entered the One Emperor, Four Emperors Piano Competition..."

"Stop with your bad ideas; gold will always shine," Gao Feiliu said, puffing out his chest. "Brother Yuan’s playing style is unique in the world of music. Haven't you seen the news? The experts at the Golden Hall have nothing but praise for *War Rhapsody*. In short, as long as there are no mishaps, my Brother Yuan will surely become a world-class pianist in the future!"

"You're right," Zhang Chao said, pinching his chubby chin. "What Mr. Liao lacks most right now isn't playing ability, but high-quality capital that can package him, manage him, and provide him with resources..."

***

At this moment, the intense performance, broadcast live, was creating a massive stir on the domestic internet.

On the official streaming platform, the number of online viewers from around the world had reached 60 million. Especially after Uncle A took the stage, the number of viewers surged by more than 7 million, attracting significant attention. This effect left the official staff of the platform grinning from ear to ear.

Following three years of development, the One Emperor, Four Emperors competition had seen its viewership double, from an initial 30 million online viewers to a peak of 60 million. If offline international broadcasts were included, this number would more than double again.

The grand finals had yet to arrive, and the climax was still building.

In just the last few days, the organizers had received sponsorships from many world-renowned brands. Among them, the world-class piano brand "Steinway & Sons" had been exposed by the media; reports stated that Steinway had recently contacted the organizers, seeking to secure a spot for their pianos to be played in the major regional finals and the world grand finals.

There was no hope for an endorsement deal, as those had been traded away when the competition was first being funded. So, Steinway simply wanted their pianos placed on the final stage for the contestants to perform on. But they were not alone; many other instrument brands were also negotiating with the organizers.

At the same time, yesterday, the organizers announced a top-tier endorsement contract—a global Steinway piano brand ambassadorship. The winner of the 3rd International One Emperor, Four Emperors Piano Competition would not only receive a prize worth tens of millions, but also a Steinway endorsement contract of equal value.

In other words, the final rewards for this year's competition would be more than double those of previous years! This news pushed the event further into the public eye.

On the official contestant power rankings, Uncle A had become the favorite to win the China finals and even the world grand finals!

At this moment, the entire nation, and indeed the world, was watching the final results of the Chinese top-ten competition.

On stage, Liao Yuan felt the joy at his fingertips. He was fully immersed in this intense performance.

*Railgun*, also known as *Only My Railgun*, was the theme song of an anime spin-off from his previous life, beloved by millions of fans. The naming on Bilibili in his past life was inseparable from the nickname of the anime’s protagonist, Misaka Mikoto. Thus, the piece was also known as the "Station Anthem."

Like many excellent anime theme songs, *Railgun* was stirring; especially when it played during the emotional peaks of the plot, it was easy to become completely addicted. But this was a piano competition, and if Liao Yuan had presented a purely pop arrangement, he might not have achieved the desired effect.

So, while performing, Liao Yuan added more high-difficulty techniques, making the entire piece more complex and difficult to replicate. The original piece, which was around an eighth or ninth-grade level, had been elevated by Liao Yuan by at least two levels. It wasn't just professional-grade; it had reached concert-level!

And because of his extraordinary performance, it had almost reached the level of a hall-of-famer!

Pianists capable of hall-of-fame performances were all targets to be recruited by the world's five major concert halls. An annual salary of millions or tens of millions of dollars was just the starting point; the greater gain was the prestige. Concerts by hall-of-fame pianists were often impossible to get tickets for anywhere in the world.

This was why, after *War Rhapsody* appeared, it became a massive hit both at home and abroad. In the video, Uncle A’s performance was already at a quasi-concert level. Though there was still a distance to the absolute peak of the hall-of-fame, seeing such a master, capable of holding solo concerts, appear in a pop piano competition was truly shocking.

To put it bluntly, it was like a big fish in a small pond.

However, those who studied Uncle A’s videos closely discovered that, in the beginning, his fingering technique was only at a professional level. For instance, when he played *Unravel*, while the emotion was full and the technique constant, he was still far from the concert level that could carry a world-class performance.

And that was the truly terrifying part.

In just over two months, Uncle A’s performance ability had reached a level of unrestrained mastery. His proficiency was like a butcher carving an ox—everything was handled with ease throughout the performance. This rate of progress was one of the reasons the classical world was paying so much attention to Liao Yuan.

Beyond that, there were the original works Uncle A kept releasing. On J-Station, under the username "Asdfghj," his follower count had reached over 4.4 million in just over two months. One of his signature pieces, *Unravel*, had garnered over 17 million views. Across his nine videos, the total view count had reached 77 million!

He was only one step away from 100 million total views! He would likely reach that goal within a month. Among all content creators in the music section, Uncle A had reached fifth place in views and third in total followers. Compared to those with hundreds of videos, achieving this in the shortest time with only nine videos was unprecedented and absolutely terrifying!

Of course, this was mainly due to Uncle A participating in the One Emperor, Four Emperors competition.

Because of the massive exposure, a deluge of fans had poured in. Therefore, at the competition, the thing everyone—both inside and outside the venue—was most looking forward to was the exclusive performance by Uncle A.

And the arrival of *Railgun*, while perhaps not as earth-shattering as *War Rhapsody*, still sent the audience into a frenzy.

Those nimble fingers jumped madly across the eighty-eight black and white keys! The wanton electricity that seemed to wrap around his hands! The tinkling sound like flowing water, the roaring sound like a warhorse galloping! The bell-like resonance! The screeching of lightning and thunder!

It all converged into a super-electromagnetic cannon. As the piano piece ended, it felt as if it had shattered the heavens and vanished into the distance.

When the piece concluded, Liao Yuan stood up and bowed to the audience. At this moment, the entire venue erupted into thunderous applause and wild cheers.

Yet, in the face of such a scene, his opponent, Masked Superman, had disappeared. When the host, Zhang Hai, hurried onto the stage, he faced the confused looks of the crowd and said with a bitter smile, "Masked Superman has announced his withdrawal!"

The audience was in an uproar!

"You're kidding, right?"

"Damn! I despise people like this. He actually surrendered without a fight!"

"Exactly, that’s so unmanly!"

"I really don't understand why he would withdraw? Even if he lost, he could still get some votes! Even if he didn't make the top ten, he could still compete for the top fifteen!"

"Top fifteen? Brother, you're dreaming! With Uncle A’s terrifying performance, are you sure Masked Superman had any chance at the top fifteen?"

"The two aren't even on the same level, so there was definitely no chance! Otherwise, Masked Superman wouldn't have withdrawn!"

"Don't mock him; if it were you, would you dare go up there?"

"This is a contestant comparable to 'Hammer' Spielberg! A definite championship seed!"

"Uncle A is invincible!!"

"The electricity leaping from your fingertips is the faith that will never die in my life. The railgun is the only one, existing forever with the world... Huh? Is this sentence great? Am I this talented?"

"Uncle A! Uncle A!"

Masked Superman’s departure was unexpected, but the audience clearly didn't care. Throughout the music hall, everyone was chanting the name "Uncle A."

Rules are rules; despite the withdrawal, the voting session still proceeded. After the votes were tallied, Uncle A, with an indisputable 1,812 votes, became the contestant with the highest vote count in the entire competition to date!

Masked Superman, despite his withdrawal, still received 113 votes—the lowest in the hall. Another 31 people abstained.

"Damn, traitors, they're all traitors!"

"Who voted for those 113 votes?"

"They’re shouting 'Uncle A' out loud, but playing these little tricks behind his back?"

"Shameless, despicable, two-faced..."

At this moment, the audience continued to celebrate, as if Uncle A’s success were their own.

"I'm crying, I'm crying! A championship is in sight!"

"I really hope Uncle A can represent our China division and compete in the world finals!"

"My God A can definitely do it!"

"He will slay whoever stands in his way!"

"Sigh, the One Emperor, Four Emperors competition is hosted by the Chinese, but the first and second championships went to outsiders. It’s heartbreaking!"

"Tragic! Regrettable!"

"If only Uncle A could represent the China division and win us our first world championship!"

"Uncle A can do it! Go, Uncle A!"