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Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Slap in the Face: Dimensional Reduction Strike (Part 1)
Just as the live audience and the online viewers were awestruck by the girl’s appearance, the big screen slowly displayed the title of the piece Lu Sheng was about to play.
Just four simple words.
"Above the Wasteland".
—Above the Wasteland??
At this moment, Lu Qianrou was sitting in the audience, almost floating on air from the excited Jiang Ting and Jiang Yusheng praising her nonstop.
She still hadn’t gotten over the joy of just having won first place and being applauded by the audience, and now she was staring at the screen with wide eyes. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
...What the hell is "Above the Wasteland"? Wasn’t the piece that Lu Sheng submitted earlier "Dusk Descent"?
Could it be that besides "Dusk Descent", she has other original compositions? Did she have the staff replace the piece at the last minute?
Lu Qianrou couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
In her opinion, the composition level of "Dusk Descent" was already top-notch, and she had not expected Lu Sheng to have other original compositions.
How could someone from a dirt-poor single-parent family in the countryside be so talented? What if this new piece is even better than "Dusk Descent"?
Wouldn’t her position as the champion become unstable?
The audience and online viewers were unaware of these disgraceful behind-the-scenes manipulations; they just found the title novel.
"Above the Wasteland" sounded simple, yet it evoked a sense of grandeur and magnitude; it was unclear what the theme was.
However, when the girl took her seat at the piano and the live camera switched to a close-up view, people were further surprised.
They saw the girl sitting calmly at the piano. Yet her hands were empty, and the music stand in front of her was devoid of any sheet music.
...No sheet music?
Did that mean the girl was preparing to play from memory in this competition??
Everyone couldn’t help but show a look of astonishment.
Playing from memory isn’t unusual in piano competitions, as long as the sheet music is thoroughly learned beforehand.
But this piano competition was different.
The competition was pushed forward nearly a month, and the contestants only had a few days at most to confirm their eligibility, compose new pieces, and practice them.
To be able to write an original piece, practice it thoroughly, and ensure a mistake-free performance in such a short time was already impressive.
To play from memory... and that too when the competition did not require it.
Unless the girl truly had exceptional memory and piano skills, she wouldn’t dare to be so confident. Or perhaps this piece was already created long ago but had never been published.
In any case, the moment the girl sat down at the piano, she had already whet the audience’s appetite.
Everyone was eager to see just what level of piano skills Lu Sheng possessed.
If what was said online was true, that she obtained her place in the competition by sleeping with some committee members, then her piano skills must be awful.
Someone who resorts to such means to join a competition would surely be exposed once they play onstage; it would be like publicly announcing that there was corruption in the competition’s organizing committee.
The netizens were all for watching the excitement and didn’t mind stirring up trouble.
A stream of mocking comments and anticipations for the misfortune of Lu Sheng and the committee flew rapidly across the screen.
The live audience too wore looks of disdain.
Especially Jiang Yusheng, who snorted coldly through his nose, disdainfully saying as he watched Lu Sheng on stage: "I really want to see what kind of piece this disgraceful bastard can play today."
However, soon after the piano on stage began playing, Jiang Yusheng suddenly widened his eyes, and his scornful expression froze on his face.
How is this possible!
How could this be possible??!
The girl’s face and temperament were originally composed and gentle.
The lights from the stage ceiling shone on her, casting a faint golden silhouette around her.
Yet the moment she pressed the first piano key, her expression changed abruptly.
As if she had transformed into someone else, her aura suddenly became powerful and sharp. This shift caused the audience onsite and viewers online to involuntarily hold their breath.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
The opening trills and tremolos immediately sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
Such powerful piano sounds!
The first segment of the music starts decisively, then turns into a melancholy that reaches into the depths.
Like countless artillery shells suddenly falling onto the earth, the ground roaring in response.
The drawn-out tremolo resembles the spreading smoke after the shells hit the ground, with nothing left in the smoke but desolate ruins.
The orphaned fledglings cry out in sorrow above the ruins, their elongated cries so plaintive that it reddens the eyes of those who hear.
Such a strong sense of atmosphere!
It’s only the first segment of the music, yet everyone in the audience has their eyes wide open, and even the barrage of comments in the live-streaming room freezes for a few seconds.
...Incredibly powerful.
This seems to be on a completely different level compared to all the other competitors who came on stage just before!
However, this is just the beginning.
The second segment of the music slowly rises from a lonely atmosphere.
As if people wounded by the war have finally overcome their inner pain and struggle, they help each other walk out of their shelters and bravely face the ruins before them.
The brutal war has taken countless lives, and even those who survived have all experienced loss—losing family, lovers, and friends, becoming homeless and displaced.
But since the war has ended, the only thing that cannot be shattered is the yearning for beauty and belief. So everyone encourages each other, cultivating the flower of hope in the cracks of despair.
The third segment of the music is as if everyone is working hard for the same goal.
They want to rebuild their homeland, they want to see their bombed houses restored, they want to fill the fields with the fragrance of rice and lands teeming with cattle and sheep.
They want their nation to grow stronger to avoid further invasions and to ensure their descendants are born in peace.
Thus, the entire melody is generous and inspiring, urging people forward, each note ringing with force and stirring the heart.
The girl on the stage pours her whole being into the performance.
From the initial sorrow on her face to the furrowing and then sudden relaxation of her brow, to now with her disheveled hair and eyes brimming with hot tears.
Her movements do not pause or hesitate for a moment.
Her fingers fly across the black and white keys so rapidly, almost leaving afterimages.
The piano’s fiery and sincere notes seem to hold an irresistible power, activating the most turbulent emotions in everyone’s heart, making them all boil with blood and tremble with excitement.
In the final segment, as the emotion of the entire piece reaches a climax and then abruptly calms, it becomes profound, magnificent, and awe-inspiring.
In the vast sound of music, it’s as if people can see skyscrapers rising from the ground, and one unreachable dream after another being realized.
The slumbering lion has awakened, a nation once trampled underfoot stands proud again atop the world. Looking back at the pain and hardship of the journey, everyone is a hero.
You and I, we are all heroes.
Art knows no boundaries; it resonates across languages without words.
The escalating emotions deeply impact everyone; as the performance comes to an end, whether it is the live audience or the netizens in the live-stream, they all have tears brimming in their eyes.
What an emotional impact!
After pressing the final key, the girl suddenly pulls her hands back. The traces of tears at the corners of her reddened eyes have not yet disappeared as her chest heaves with excitement.
There is utter silence in the center of the entire venue.
So silent, it’s as if the lingering sound of the music still echoes through the Great Hall, resonating in people’s ears, leaving them unable to calm down for a long time.
Her head spinning, Lu Sheng closes her eyes.
A tear rolls down her cheek, like a falling star in the night sky.
Silence, still silence.
The first to break the silence is Osborne, already with tears streaming down his face at the judges’ table.
Osborne stands up excitedly, his lips trembling as he looks towards Lu Sheng, leading the audience in a round of applause.
A few seconds later, as if awakening from a great dream, someone in the audience stands up, followed by another, and then all the onlookers can’t help but rise.
The restless crowd erupts in tidal waves of applause and cheers—
This is the most genuine reaction when everyone’s hearts are moved.
