The Ace City Competition brought exposure to many Ace Producers.
Each competition zone had one or two producers who wrote hit songs.
As the popularity of these songs grew, these Ace Producers also gained a significant number of fans.
With so many high-quality songs appearing on the market, netizens were thoroughly entertained.
Those goofy online viral hits gradually faded from the top fifty trending songs.
Besides Ting Yu, who was a magnet for attention, Shen Jinghong from the first competition zone was also a major focus of the city competition.
Netizens had never heard of this Shen Jinghong before.
However, his strength was undeniably powerful.
As the reigning champion of the first competition zone, he had created the largest score difference between himself and his opponents across all zones.
He was not only a formidable singer but also a top-notch songwriter.
Furthermore, some speculated that he wasn't using pre-written material but had genuinely written the songs in just two weeks.
Just as Shen Jinghong's popularity remained high.
Another explosive piece of news spread across the internet.
#Shen Jinghong's Alias Exposed!#
#Shen Jinghong is Actually the Personal Disciple of Music God Mo Yan!#
After these two trending topics appeared, they instantly surged into the top ten.
Mo Yan was the most senior and most powerful Music God in Huaguo.
He had written countless classic songs.
Most of the singers he collaborated with had since become King or Queen of Singers, with the lowest being Super A-list singers.
Therefore, Mo Yan held a very high status in the Chinese music scene.
He founded his own studio called Moyin Culture, which also had a high reputation in the industry.
They also had a very simple yet domineering slogan: "Welcome to the Moyin Dynasty."
This meant that anyone who could sing Mo Yan's songs was considered part of the Moyin Dynasty.
Over the years, the dynasty had only a dozen Kings and Queens of Singers.
And in recent years, there had been no one qualified.
When the news of Shen Jinghong being Mo Yan's personal disciple spread across the internet, all media outlets went wild.
"No wonder Shen Jinghong looks only in his twenties but is already so good at songwriting; he's actually Mo Yan's personal disciple!"
"He's not only good at songwriting, but his singing skills are also on par with ordinary Kings of Singers."
"Could it be that the Chinese music scene is about to witness another extraordinarily talented individual?"
"Shen Jinghong is clearly using this competition to make a name for himself."
"Even if he has that intention, he needs the skill to make a name for himself. Can't others show their talent?"
"It seems Ting Yu has a rival this time."
"Don't say that. Ting Yu is still playing with fire. He's not releasing his good ancient-style songs and insists on challenging others' specialties. It's questionable if he can even get past the regional qualifiers."
"You in front, are you blind or deaf? Didn't Ting Yu win his challenge against Li Shaojun in the second round with an inspirational song?"
"I just can't stand Ting Yu's arrogant demeanor. He boasted that he understood all genres. I don't have high hopes for him. What can you do about it?"
"Can't one be arrogant if they have talent? You can only spew nonsense online. If you actually met Ting Yu, you'd probably kneel and call him father, right?"
"They haven't even competed yet, why are Ting Yu's fans being so arrogant?"
"No need to compete, Shen Jinghong has already lost."
"Heh, do you really think Ting Yu is invincible?"
"Excuse me, if we're talking about good looks, Shen Jinghong has lost completely."
"..."
Ting Yu had already gained quite a number of loyal fans.
With his impressive track record, his fans had gained confidence.
Therefore, whenever someone spoke ill of Ting Yu online, a group of hot-headed brothers would immediately retort.
In an instant, those fans and bystanders began to argue with each other.
...
In a studio decorated in an antique style.
Shen Jinghong put down his phone, his brows furrowed. He looked at the middle-aged man wearing a casual long robe beside him.
"Teacher, why did you expose my identity?" Shen Jinghong asked with confusion in his voice.
The account that broke the news was actually a secondary account from Mo Yan's studio.
"Heh, I owed an old friend a favor, and exposing your identity was how I repaid it." Although Mo Yan was nearing sixty, his cultivation and self-discipline gave him an elegant aura.
"Who is it? This is so boring. I can't even play the underdog anymore. I wanted to reveal my identity after winning the championship." Shen Jinghong pouted.
He had long fantasized about revealing his identity as Mo Yan's personal disciple on the championship stage, shocking everyone.
Who knew that after just one competition, his background was already exposed...
"Lin Zhaoyang." Mo Yan said with a faint smile.
"Lin Zhaoyang?" Shen Jinghong was stunned, then rolled his eyes dramatically, "Lin Zhaoyang wants his future son-in-law to step on me to become famous?"
This was not difficult to understand.
First, Shen Jinghong's identity as a Music God's personal disciple would be exposed, generating buzz and attention.
As long as Shen Jinghong lost to Ting Yu.
Ting Yu's reputation in the Chinese music scene would soar even higher.
If he won the championship and became a Music God, it would be even more valuable.
"Are you afraid?" Mo Yan asked with a half-smile.
"Would I be afraid of him?" Shen Jinghong shook his head repeatedly, then continued, "This kid is even more arrogant than me. He's competing using styles that others excel at. Maybe he'll mess up someday."
"I don't think he will mess up. I've listened to all of Ting Yu's songs, and they are all well-written. Especially that song 'Blue and White Porcelain,' it's definitely the pinnacle of ancient-style music. Even I can't write something like that." Mo Yan shook his head.
He could be considered the strongest producer in the Chinese music scene.
If outsiders heard him say this, they would surely be astonished.
Shen Jinghong knew his teacher's temperament. After a moment of thought, he chuckled, "Teacher, you think too highly of him. If he can really reach the stage to compete with me, I will defeat him using his strong suit, ancient style."
"Then you'll have to work hard." Mo Yan didn't explain, looking at Shen Jinghong meaningfully.
...
The song "Xiao Chou" had already been sent to Li Yun Chuan by Su Yu.
There was one week left in April, and only one song had been released this month. Due to the public outcry and competition matters, he had fallen behind schedule.
He didn't plan to release any more songs in the coming days.
Anyway, he had already secured the number one spot on the inspirational new song chart for the month, and his planned twelve consecutive championships for the year had not been broken.
The third Ace City Competition was at the beginning of May, and the fourth one was in the middle of the month.
Coupled with the songs he had on hand.
It seemed like next month would be a productive one.
Weekend.
Advisor Zhang Qin sent Su Yu a message, asking him to visit the school office.
He arrived at the school early.
Entering the office.
Zhang Qin was engrossed in reading documents.
"Teacher, what did you need me for on the weekend?" Su Yu approached Zhang Qin, his tone a little unnatural.
After all, he was a student of Qing University. He used to visit classrooms occasionally, but after withdrawing from the school, he rarely returned.
"This is a document from the school. Take a look." Zhang Qin said, handing him the documents on her desk.
She didn't mention Su Yu's absence from school at all.
Instead, she sighed inwardly.
Being his nominal teacher was truly comfortable. She didn't have to teach Su Yu anything, yet he still called her teacher.
The main reason was Su Yu's recent magnificent achievements. He had consecutively defeated several Ace Producers, and even Music God Chen Shuhao had fallen at his hands.
Since she had gained such an impressive student for free, why would she bother with these trivialities?
Moreover, if Su Yu attended classes, what would she teach?
What could she teach...
"Huaguo Youth Theme Song Competition, celebrating the vibrant and determined spirit and backbone of Huaguo's youth?"
Su Yu looked at the documents in his hand and was slightly stunned.
This was an official song solicitation event. All art colleges would participate. The songs submitted would be posted on the campus network, and after voting, one song would be selected as the official promotional theme song.
The grand prize was one million yuan.
This was a little less for the current Su Yu, but for an ordinary university student, it was an astronomical sum.
The submission deadline for the song competition was this weekend.
This meant there was still a week to write and record the song.
Then, the public announcement and voting would also last for a week.
The song that ultimately won first place would be used as the theme song for this event.
"After careful consideration, the school leadership has decided to have you represent Qing University to write a song."
Zhang Qin said with a smile.
Although it was said to be careful consideration, in reality, after receiving the official document, the school leadership decided on Su Yu in just one second.
Don't ask why.
The reason was they wanted to see him dominate.
That's right, with Su Yu's current skill level, compared to these university students, it was like a Grandmaster playing in a bronze bracket. The scene would be brutal, but very entertaining...
"I know you're a rich man now and look down on the competition prize money, but this is an event jointly organized by all universities and the official authorities. Winning first place would actually be quite good," Zhang Qin added as Su Yu remained silent.
"Alright." Su Yu agreed after some thought.
What a coincidence.
He happened to have a song called "Young Huaguo Says" on hand.
Furthermore, participating in this event as a Qing University student would also be helping the school. Winning the championship would bring glory to the school.
The event required the singer of the song to also be a Qing University student.
In that case.
Xiao Gong would be the most suitable.