Chapter 525: The Megastars Are Scared

She didn't do it the way Xia Yu did the other day, lip-syncing to pre-recorded songs.

Xia Ling's live performances were very varied and spontaneous—even melodies that had already been set could take on a different spin on the same day. Hence, although she had won many rounds, the audience never got tired of her singing. None of them were fatigued from hearing her voice in the way they felt towards Xia Yu.

"Ye Xingling! Ye Xingling! Ye Xingling!" Each time she reached an instrumental part of the song, the cheers would roar.

The atmosphere was getting increasingly exhilarating, attracting even more audience.

"What's going on here?" A tourist walking by asked.

The audience responded, "Ye Xingling is having a head-to-head competition, and she's won 10 consecutive rounds already. We want to see if she'll be able to make a miracle happen by winning all 19 rounds!"

"That's right!" Another audience member joined in. "I see you're new around here. Come join us, I'm sure it'll be worth your time and money. So far, every song Ye Xingling has performed today is a modification of the original she had released. It's amazing! She's simply a genius!"

Such comments attracted even more people to join in the fun.

Xia Ling didn't let them down indeed. Sometimes, she even inserted an additional short bridge or verse during an instrumental, surprising everyone. Many of them became her fans overnight.

"Oh no, what do I do? I've supported Brother Fang this whole time, but now I really like Ye Xingling."

"I followed Vivian here all the way from Singapore, but once I saw Xiao Ling... I'm sorry Vivian, I've got to change my idol!"

"Shall we get her autograph after the show ends?"

"Yes, yes!"

The crowd was going mad.

To Xia Ling, this was a scene she had seen too many times before in her previous life. She had the stage presence and the power to keep everyone's eyes on her.

"Seems like we'll be seeing a Diva in the entertainment industry soon." Someone in the crowd said.

11 consecutive rounds, 12 consecutive rounds...

With Xia Ling as their opponent, all of the singers around did not have any hopes of winning. Some singers completely gave up on trying to win, all thinking about was how to lose less embarrassingly.

Even megastars and other heavenly kings like Bai Murong were drawn by the crowd.

"Hey," a popular male singer nudged Bai Murong. "This is the girl who has recently returned to Skyart? She's still so good, I can't even tell that she's spent a year at home as a Madam of some rich household. In fact, she's even better than some who've practiced for years."

"But of course, our Xiao Ling is the most talented." Bai Murong smiled, defending his junior.

Another big star came along. "I already had a feeling the other day that she had overshadowed you during the selection round. Honestly, when both of you sang 'Powerful Opponent,' there were some parts in which she seemed to be leading you along."

Bai Murong was crying internally. Hey brother, can you be a little less harsh?

He coughed. "No such thing, how could this little girl lead me along? Sharing the stage with me gave her the inspiration and feel, that's how she suddenly improved at her stage presence."

"Oh..."

"Oh... okay..."

A few of the megastars gave thoughtful, suggestive looks. Those at that level were pretty good at sizing up other singers, and it was obvious that Bai Murong was just bragging since Ye Xingling's stage presence and performance style was completely different from his! Though there were some similarities, Ye Xingling seemed to be even more adept at influencing her audience with her enthusiasm than he was!

In fact, a more appropriate term for this would be...

"A cult!" One of the celebrities reached an epiphany.

"You're right, she's a cult leader!" Another celebrity went along. "It's scary." This was not meant purely as a joke. In fact, it seemed like they really felt threatened by her. Popularity aside, and just considering her live performances alone, she was not inferior to any of them.

"Which of you can reach her standard of having the audience revere her like she is a cult leader?"

"I can't."

"I can't, either."

"I..." Only Bai Murong thought for a while before shaking his head. "I'm scared."

They were shocked to realize that none of them could do as well as Xia Ling. As she stood on stage, the confidence she exuded was so alluring, the only thing left for the audience to do was to revere her and soak in her astounding influence.

Onstage, Xia Ling looked up elegantly and confidently with no care for anything beneath her—it was as if all the cheers and screams were nonexistent. She seemed to be the ruler of the universe as she created her very own world of music, one that struck everyone deep in their hearts.

"She reminds me of somebody." Someone said after a long silence.

"Oh, please don't." Everyone could guess who he was referring to. "Diva Xia Ling has passed on a few years back. After her passing, the ticket sales for my concerts rose significantly. If another Diva of Xia Ling's standard were to appear now, I'm going to lose my income."

Another megastar groaned. "Losing income isn't the biggest of worries. Don't you remember how the fans used to comment online when Xia Ling was alive? They said that old uncles like us were no match for Xia Ling! Those were the years of humiliation! Humiliation, alright?! I don't want to relive those days."

Everyone was on the verge of tears.

"How about... we strangle her in the cradle?" Bai Murong stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Their eyes lit up. "How? What's your plan?"

"Fire a bomb at her home?"

"Decapitate her?"

"A car accident would be good, we can disguise it as an accident."

"Shh, you people. What are you thinking?" Bai Murong glared at them. "She's with our Big Boss now, and our Boss has a background of being involved with the triads, don't you know? Whoever dares to fire a bomb, please, leave me out of the picture."

Everyone kept quiet.

"Then, what do you suggest?" They asked Bai Murong.

Bai Murong looked up at the stage. Xia Ling was already on her 15th song and seemed a little tired. Yet, she was still going strong, and her voice was still tender and hypnotizing. "If you still love me, you won't forget me... If you still love me, you'll remember the rose in your heart..."